The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-12-11

presents some new data. Notable
500, 600. for a mean low-water
| depth of 81 feet with q bottom width
of lao feet. This is the highest cost
estimate ydt put forward, but the
commission figures that deep and
| wide canal would be cheaper in the
end than a smaller one which would
| eventually have to be enlarged. \
| width of $50 feet will allow all but the
very largest ships to pass each other
in the canal, while the locks are of n
dimension to permit even the largest
ships afloat to be maneuvered. The
size of locks is 74n feet length 81 feet
width in the clear, with q depth of 35
feet.
The route advocated by the COM
mission follows essentially the lines
laid down by the Nicaragua canal
commission in it's report Of 1S97-1S99
1t begins near Greytown on the Allan.
tic side. follows the San Juan river,
enters Lake Nicaragua and terminates
at Brito on the Pacific side. The dis
tancc from ocean to ocean is about 1856
miles. Plans are given for the great
harhors required at Greytown and
Brito. The most difficult engineering
work is the dam across the San Juan
river to regulate the waters of the
lake. The time required to build the
canal hinges almost entirely on the
time required for the construction of
this dam. The commission says eight
years would probably be a reasonabla
estimate for the time of building it.
At least two years will be consumed
in preparatory work and opening a
harhor at Greytown. so that if work
on the dam should be commenced inn
mediatcly thereafter, the time re-
quired for completing the entire work
will be about ten years. The cost es-
innate mentioned above can he re-
duccd $l?67S,Oo0 if a single instead Of
chosen: and $l6949.0OO further if the
bottom shall be narrowed one-third,
thus bringing the cost down to Sl63,-
$4,000.
The estimated cost of the Panama
route is $14.,342,57a, which is capable
of reduction to Sl15,941,2l5 by the use
of single locks and n narrowed bottom.
The Nicaragua route is favored be-
cause its distances are shorter, be-
cause it is more favorable 10 sailing
vessels. because the country through
which it passes Is better adapted to
development, because it is not compli-
Gated by grants to foreigners, and be-
cause, while vessel could pass
through the Panama. canal in IL hours
while requiring SO hours to so through
the Nicaragua canal, the distance
from San Francisco to New York Is 377
miles, to New Orleans $40 miles and to
Liverpool 1856 miles shorter by the Mic
aragua than by the Panama route,
more than making up the difference.
1t has been argued that If the United
States should construct the Nicaragua
canal on terms not exactly satsfac-
tory to some of the European powers
they might secure control of the Pam
anna route and construct a competitive
canal. The commission naturally does
not touch upon this point, but coed
reply is available in the celebrate
words of Secretary Richard Olney,
written July 20, 1895: To-day the
United States is practically sovereign
on this continent, and its fiat is law
upon the subjects to WHICH it confines
its interpretations" Its fiat to stop
would make short work of any conf
petitive scheme dictated by unfriend-
ly purposes.
DR.. schaeffer advises that the mill