The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-01-12
NICARAGUA CANAL.
Wonderful Engineering Feat In
voIved i'm Its Construction.


Washington Letter in Philadelphia Press.
There have been since the conception
OF the project fourteen routes proposed
and surveyed for canal across the 18TH
mus. Only two survive and their re-
spective promoters are making their last
struggle for mastery. NJ. Hutin president
Of the New Panama Canal Company, is
leading the supporters of the southern
route. and Don Luis Corea, the Nicaragua
minister TO this country, the other.
The special feature of the Nicaragua
route is the great inland sea which lies
IN a hollow between the eastern and west
ern Cordileras-Lake Nicaragua. 1t is forty
five miles wide Ito miles long, and 112 feet
above the level of the sea
The plan of the Nicaragua canal COM
prises an engineering feat that will be
the most wonderful ever attempted. In
the lsthmian Commissions estimate of
the time 1t will take to construct the
canal, six years are given the building
OF dam across the San Juan river. while
two more will serve to complete the
waterway. The San Juan leaves the south
east corner of Lake Nicaragua and flows
almost east TO the Caribbean sea. The
san Juan, in its normal state has a flow
of 1900 CUBIC feet per second. but in the
rainy season it sometimes mounts to 100000.
To hold back this flood with a dam $50 feet
high, and thereby raise the waters of the
san Juan TO the level of the lake is the
project.
The canal route leaves the Caribbean
sea near GreytOwn, follows a Southwestern
ly course, passing to the north of Silico
thence In more sOutherly direction until
IL reaches a point about a mile and a quar-
i no al laa
left bank of the river. About at the dam
the canal enters the San Juan and follows
II into the lake. After crossing the lake in
northwesterly direction 10 the mouth of
the Rio Las Lagas, the route follows the
valley or that stream short distance and
crosses the continental divide into the val
ley of the Rio Grande, and thence on
through the valley TO Brito. the Pacific
terminus.
The summit level-from the continental
divide across the lake and along the San
Juan to the great dam-will be nearly $50
miles long.
The mean levels of the two oceans are
about the same, but the tide OF the Pa
cific has a range of eight feet. while that
of the Atlantic has only one. A S61z and
four 1S12-foot locks will be required to raise
vessels frol the Caribbean to the lakes
level. on the Pacific side four 2S1R-foot
locks will do the work.
|, The estimated cost of the Nicaraguan
canal has steadily risen from sum
sion's figures of $1S9, S640 62. The first. how
ever, was for a 16-foOt deep canal of narrow
gauge. The latter is upon a 35-foot depth
and in the straight stretches, 15O-foot
width. In curves $50 feet in width is to he
attained, and in the harbOrs of Brito and
Greytown, or Colon and Panama 500 feet
The width of $50 feet will allow all but
the largest vessels to pass each other. The
largest sized vessels have been used as n
basis for determining the dimensions of the
locks, which have been fixed at 40 by 81
feet.
The total length of the Nicaragua canal
will be 1896 miles; that of Panama 46 90
II will take a steamship of the average size
and speed twelve hours to pass through the
Panama canal If one with locks is con-
structed, or four hours If the canal is at
sea level. Thirty-three hours will be re-
quired for the average vessel to make the
passage through the Nicaragua canal.