The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-05
PANAMA AND NICARAGUA
CANALS.

The same influence which prompted the
construction of the Panama railway led
to the establishment of a transit route
across Nicaragua, partly by water and
partly by stage road, and surveys for
ship canal along this route were made
by the transit company, and afterwards
by the United States government, under
Commander Lull. Later the Maritime
Canal company modified the plans eX-
tended the surveys and began construc-
ton on ship canal. Financial difficult
ties, however, stopped the work before it
was fairly under way and agitation%was
carried on for some years 10 induce TIE
United States government to finance the
project
In 1895 congress provided for a board
of engineers to ascertain the feasibility,
permanence and cost of the canal, and
appropriate ted the sum of $4,000 for the
purpose. Col. WILLIAM Ludlow of the
army; Civil Engineer NJ T. Endicott, of
the navy, and Mr. Alfred Noble were
appointed by President Cleveland to con-
stftute 1t. Considering the time and
funds at their disposal this board made
a very thorough examination of the
route. They reported that while the
canal was feasible, the information pos
sessed by the company was entirely in
adequate to serve as a basis on which to
make final estimates of cost, or even to
QStSEHiilic approximate piaHS. Inoy rec
commended. therefore, that an appropria-
ton of $350.0G0 be made for further sur
veys and investigation. Accordingly.
commission was appointed by Presid mt
Mckinley, consisting of Rear Admiral J.
G. Walker, Col. Peter c.. Hams and Lewis
M. Haupt, for the further survey and
examination of the canal route.
This commission inaugurated thorough
surveys, which demonstrated the i'm
fArsl 11fi Nf frliF !,
company's plans. In 1899. before the
commissions work was completed, ON
gress provided for increasing it, and ap-
propriated funds for the thorough ex-
animation, survey and comparison of all
the possible routes for an interocea n,c
canal across the isthmus. The engineer
ing portion OF the commission was rein
forced By Col. o. H. Ernst, Alfred Noble,
George s. Morrison and William H. Burr
Prof. Emory r. Johnson and Hon. Sam
uel Pasco were appointed as experts en-
the commercial and political aspects cf
the problem, respectively. Explorations
were made of the lower isthmus east and
south OF Panama, which added largely to
the Topographic information there, but
failed to reveal any favorable canal
route; so that the problem was finally
narrowed down to comparison of the
Panama and Nicaragua routes.
ne route adopted by the Nicaragua
canal commission In 1899 starts near
Greytown, on the Caribbean, runs IN a
general southwesterly direction across
the swamps and lowIands, north of Lake
Slice, along the San. Juanilio through
two locks, reaching the left bank of the
san Juan river above the head of the San
Juanlilo, about twenty miles from Grey
town. 1t then follows near the left bank
of the river, but not IN it, to a point
about q mile above the mouth of Rio
San Carlos. A high dam near this point
will raise the waters of the San Juan
to the level Of Lake Nicaragua, and the
canal will enter the basin through two
locks, and follow the course of the river
for the most part to Lake Nicaragua
Several cut-offs In the natural course Of
the river will be made. Above Castillo a
large amount Of dredging will have to be
done to secure the required depth, and
this will be continued far out into Lake
Nicaragua. West of the lake the line
runs by way OF the valley of Las Lajas.
cuts through the divide. where harbor
Is to be constructed. The total length
is about 100 miles. of which fifty-nine
miles are In deep water in Lake Nicara-
qua, leaving 135 miles OF canal proper.
1t is to have ten locks. The level of Lake
Nicaragua, and of all the canal between
Boca San Carlos and Bueno Retro. the
extremities Of the summit level, are to BE-
controlled between the limits of 104 to
10 feet above sea level. Twenty per cent
of the surplus water will be discharged