BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-06-27

the Nicaragua route, and it will have
some scattering support all over the
Republican side: The decision then de-
pends on whether the Republican mi
nority; added to nearly the entire De-
mocratic strength, will be large enough
to carry the day. The fight is by no
means simple one, even though all
the substantial arguments are on the
side of Panama and, of course, of the
Spooner amendment.
Everybody realizes that to leave the
matter to the decision of the President
means to leave it to the Isthmian Canal
Commissioners, whom he would imme-
diately call into service as advisers, anil
this body has decided unanimously for
the Panama route since the $40 100000
offer was made; even when the French
offer was understood to be $IoS,oooooo,
it was with great difficulty, and by out
side pressure in behalf Of unanimous
action, that minority report in favor
of accepting this offer was prevented.
What everybody who-has thus officially
examined the subject prefers to accept
at the present low price, and what at
least one member of the Commission
wanted to accept at nearly thee times
the sum, would apparently be good
bargain, It is not strange, then, that
the solid business sense of the Senate
will be cast for the Spooner proposal.
1t is rather remarkable that cause
which has been debated for centuries
should derive sudden impulse from
the catastrophe OF few weeks ago at
Martinique The late Cushman K.
Davis of Minnesota delivered carefully
prepared speech a number of years ago,
which is recalled by the older Senators,
on the dangers of volcanoism on the
Nicaragua route but the speech would
doubtless never have been thought of
again but for the recent happenings,
and so with large mass of other mat
erial which is now coming to light.
The maps with which Mr. Hanna has
adorned the Senate chamber since the
opening of the debate give conspicuous
place to volcanoes, appropriately mark
ing in red those which are active and
in black those which are extinct
These maps show more graphically
than any description could the fright
fully volcanic nature of the region
through which the Nicaragua route
passes, and the freedom of the Isthmus
of Panama from volcanoes. The most
southern Costa Rica, far north of the
line of the Panama Canal. Nor is
there any other volcano near this isolat-
ed mountain. But going north, black |
and red dots on the map indicate vol
canoes, closer and closer together, hem
ming in the Nicaragua Canal, so to
speak, with a Gordon of such agents of
destruction. There olcanoes-Madera,
Ometepe, and ALPHABETICALLY rise
from Lake Nicaragua itself, and under
the very shadow of the frst-named
vessels using the Nicaragua Canal
must pass. Both Zapatera and One
tepe are active. MADEIRA is said to be
extinct, but it is significant commen-
try on thesdependence to be placed upon
any opinion as to the character of a
volcano that on the same chart from
which these data are taken Mont Pelee
in Martinique was till now marked as
extinct +
Rivas, near where it is intended that :
he Nicaragua Canal shall leave the
axe to the westward, has been more
han once destroyed by commissions
,aused by subterranean activity. Be
sides these, there are Oros Rincon,
Miravallos, Fluorio and many others a
title south, below the Costa Rican
rontier Mombacho, Massage, Momot- I
,mbio, and NIomotombo, to the north,
he most distant only eighty miles and
,eyond these Las Pilas, Asososca, Santa
lara, Viejo. and the other volcanoes on
he Plain of Leon. 3