The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-18
A FLOOD OF CANAL TALK.

! The arrival of NJ. Hutin. President of
/ the board of directors of the Panama
/ Canal Company. in this country for the
/ purpose of endeavoring to sell to the
United States his company's canal
| property in Central America, opens the
| way for a flood of canal talk. And the
I food is already rising. Senator Nor
/ gan has had an interview with the
/ President on the subject, the Walker
| Commission is busy with it. the State
/ Department is giving attention to :he
treaties bearing upon the matter M.
Hutin has a trunk full of facts and
figures TO be unpacked at the proper
moment. and last but not least there
is reported the discovery of the re-
mains of an ancient canal across Co
lombia between the two oceans, only
waiting to be scooped out little deep
er to be made practicable for big ships.
Should NJ. Hutin's proposition look
ing to transfer of the partly COM
pIeted Panama Canal to this govern
ment prove attractive, il would TO
doubt be given very careful and friend
ly consideration. From an engineer
ing point of view the Panama route is
the most desirable of all of themi but
desirability from an engineering and
financial standpoint is not always the
same thing The French company may
hold out for a price that is altogether
out of reason and much larger than
al ~,
another and more difficult route would
be. There has heretofore been a sus-
picion that NJ. Hutin and his company
were acting in cooperation with the
anti Nicaragua canal interests in this
country, in the hope of eventually be-
ing able to secure large profit. Sew
eral times NJ Hutin has been APP
preached for the purpose of learning
what terms his company would require
to make over it's canal interests to the
United States, but each time he avoid
ed committing himself to anything
definite. It will be for Congress to
say of course, what terms this gov
eminent will accept.
Meanwhile another scheme to divert
attention, to a greater or less extent,
from the Nicaragua project makes its
appearance. 1t is embodied in the let
ter of a Mr. Grill of Michigan to the
State Department. He is an expert
lumberman, and was recently in Co
lombia prospecting. He writes that he
has discovered the location of an ex-
tinct canal across the United States CT
Colombia, which he thinks at one time
connected the two oceans. Mr.. Grill
I describes a gap in the mountains, indi-
eating that the backbone has been
broken, with a perfectly level bottom,
| through which a ship canal could now
| be built with very little difficulty. This
gap lies midway between the two
routes already surveyed, and is in an
accessible country Astounding with
rank vegetation. He says: Il dis
/ covered a place several miles in length,
where there is no mountain range or
| backbone between the two oceans,
which 1 think would be a more de-
sirable waterway for a canal than any
route yet surveyed" 1855 z
We referred the other day to a Co
lombia canal route that had been re-
Gently discussed by members of Con-
gress. Its chief feature was a tunnel
of eight miles through the heart of a
mountain. In this alleged new Grill
route there would have to be no tun-
neling and comparatively little dig
ging, it seems. Meanwhile the air is
full of rumors and schemes. 1t is safe
to say that the purpose of many of
them is to delay action looking to, the
early commencement of work by the
United States on an isthmian canal.