Arizona republican., 1900-12-18
The Report Of the Nicaragua
 Canal Commission.
Something of the Railway to Hud- son Bay-The Cable to Hawaii. Other Matters of a Personal Nature.

Correspondence Of The RepubHcan.)- )-
 Susie Walkingstick, Dick Humming-
 bird, Betsie Backwater, Switch Little
 AK, No. Sall and Jake Nightingale;
 such are the names lately turned in to
 the census bureau here. A ffve-year-
 old Indian boy responds to Bi-gar-ge-
 he-ska-ka. Novel spellings are almost l the rule in some sections and We find
 people born in Hungara, Switzerland
 Italy, Pennsylvania and Minsite But
 to get to matters more serious.
 ISTHMIAN CANAL.
 The unanimous opinion of the canal
 commission, whose report has now been
 submitted to congress, is that the Mic
 aragua route is the most practicable
 and feasible. Not only did it make a | thorough examination of this and the | Panama route, bUt of other possible
 routes as well. In all, thirty-one work ing parties were sent into the field with over two hundrpi engineers and l assistants, besides six hundred labor
 CTS. boatmen, etc. One party went to ! Paris to examine there the details of
 the Panama project. The commission found about two thousand men en- gagged in work upon the Panama route line; also immense quantities of ma chinery and tools to which they attach no value for future work on account of its age and style. Trips were also made along the Darien route. The commis- sion visited President Zelaya of Nicar- aSua and his neiShbor President Iglis- ias of Costa Rico. It says the Panama route has many natural advantages. For instance, the width of the isthmus is but thirty-five miles and the highest point barely three hundred feet above the meaI. tide, necessitating out few locks, and less curvature than the Mic aragua route. The average time for a ship to pass through is put at twelve hours, while by the Nicaragua route thirty three hours. This is more than offset, however, by the tremendous gain in distances between the chief commercial points. From San Francis co to New York the Nicaragua route saves 3I7 miles, to Liverpool 3S6 miles, and to New Orleans, 579 miles. The cost to complete the Panama canal is placed at a trifle over $140, ,000, ,000. with out considering any payment to owners for work done. This latter, the com mission have reason to believe, would make the total cost equal to it's new estimate for the Nicaragua route, viz:
 0,0CO,000 Besides by reason of con sessions and lack of disposition of the new Panama Canal company to sell outright to the United States. the com mission considers an arrangement with them not feasible. It will be seen that the figures on the Nicaragua canal are much above the amount provided for in the Hepburn bill (S14O O0O OO0), now pending in the senate. This is eX- plained by the fact that the dimensions proposed are greater than in any prev ious scheme. The depth is fixed at thirty-fve feet at mean low water and a bottom width of one hundred and fifty feet, with some increase at cer- tain points. It is estimated that it will take ten years to complete the work and in this time the increase in mari time dimensions is likely to continue and lines laid down by the Nicaragua canal commission in it's report of 1S97- 1899. It begins near Greytown on the Atlantic side, follows San Juan river, enters Lake Nicaragua, and termni- mates at Brlte on the Pacific side. a total distance of 1S6 miles. The most difficult engineering feat is the dam across the San Juan river to regulate the waters of the lake. An isthmian waterway will be of inestimable bene- fit to commerce, but the gain to the United States will far exceed that to
 Europe. The latter will be solely commercial, that to US political and industrial as well. It will develope the Pacific territory that of the Gulf states, open up a large trade with the
 western coast of South America. and promote the commerce and industry of the whole country. In fine. 1t will aid the United States in securing and maintaining a position of primacy in the international trade Of the world"
 PORTO RICO.
 Porto Rico will be represented at Washington by Frederick Degetau. a republican, who received nearly the whole vote cast on Novembs~ 9th, the feGerals having obeyed their leaders and refrained from voting. His status Is different than tha- of a territorial delegate, and it is not thought that he will be entitled to the floor of the house. though that may be accorded 70 him. On December 1itn, the military department of Porto Rico Will be dDUllSDSQ, lQe GlNlSIOn or I'OrIO 1NicO, as it will then be called, being em-
 braced in the department of the east. Native Porto Ricans, from 500 to 1,60O
 will make up part of the garrison. the United States troops being withdrawn down to about an equal number. This is made possible by reason of the friendly conditions now existing on the island. The census of Porto Rico was taken under the direction of the war department and shows a population there of 3,243, Q little more than the present population of Connecticut; but the area, 3,6G6 square miles with four small dependent islands, is 12000 square miles less. The last official census was in 1887, when the reported
 population of 79S,565, gain of about sixteen per cent foe the dozen years. Less than per cent are in cities eX- ceeding 5000 inhabitants, while twen-