The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-11-22

New York. November p The Journal
publishes a dispatch from Washington pur-
porting to be the verbatim report Of the
canal commission, In which the Nicaragua
route is favored. The report is in part as
follows:
The Investigations Of this commission
have shown that the selection Of "the most
feasible and practicable route for an
lsthmtan canal must be made between the
Nicaragua and Panama location. Further
more, the complete problem involves both
the sea level plan of canal and that with
locks. The Panama route is alone feasible
for a sea level canal, although both are
Ientirely practicable and feasible for a
canal with locks. The time required to
complete sea level canal on the Panama
route, probably more than twice that need
ed to build canal with locks, excludes II
from favorable consideration, aside from
other serious features of its construction.
II is the conclusion of the commission,
SHOULD be adopted.
"A comparison of the principal physi-
cal features, both natural and artificial,
Of the two routes reveals some points OF
similarly Both routes cross the trans
continental divide less than ten miles
from the Pacific ocean. the Panama
summit being about double the height Of
that In Nicaragua For more than half
its length the location OF each route on
the Atlantic side is governed by the
course of river, the flow from whose
drainage basin Is the only source OF
water supply for the proposed canal, and
the summit levels, differing about twenty
feet in observation-disclosures being the lower
are formed by lakes natural in the one
case and artificial in the other, requiring
costly dams and waterways for their reg
ulatiOn aud for the impending of sur,
plus waters to reduce the effects OF
foods and to meet opeEiting demands
nurlmm
The Investigations made in connection
with the regulation OF Lake Nicaragua has
demonstrated that the lake affords an in
exhaustlhle water supply for the canal hy
other hand, for the Panama route, Is IA
form Lake B0hlo so as 10 yield a water
supply for a traffic Of l00n9.OOO tons which
can be supplemented when needed by an
amount sufficient for more tlan four time,
that traffic by means Of the Alhaiuela res
eryoir For all practical purposes this may
he considered an unlimited supply for the
Panama route. So far as the practical
opera ton Of ship canal Is concerned
therefore. the water supply feature on beth
sides Is satisfactory.
The work OF excavation OF the Nica'
ragUa route Is distributed; II Is heaviest
near Conchuda, at Tamberoto and In tine
divide west OF the lake. ON the Panama
route It is largely concentrated IN me
Culebra and Emperador cuts, which are
practically one As a rule. distributed
work Affords greater number OF available
points OF attack contributing 70 a quicker
cop,nietfon but I'm either Of these cases
such difaculties as may exist can success
fully be met with suitable organization and
efficient appliances.
from, 500 10 sea Is 1s3 go miles. while the
Total length OF the Panama route Is 4s.us
miles. The length, In standard canal sec
tlon. and In harbors and entrances. Is d3-t
r,fies Far the Nicaragua route and 36 Al
for ina Panama route. The length of sail
inp line IN Lake Nicaragua Is t05l miles
while that 10 Lake Bohlo Is l2.es miles
That po o5 s5n q Iu sae 4 ss 81 niles"