BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-03-25

theless true that If we admit for the sake
of argument that We have cleared up all
the technical points as to the relative
merits of the rival routes by accepting
without question all that has been advanced
by the Isthman Canal Commission as
logically resulting in the final conclusions
embodied in the recommendations of that
body, we still do not seem to have touched
the core Of the matter at all. Most people |
have come to believe that the advantages of |
both are so evenly balanced that it really |
does not matter much which canal is chosen. |
| Now there are quite few governing factors !
that will ultimately decide the United States
| in so serious choice.
First, take one or two technical points. |
| We remark at once an almost unaccountabls
omission in the report of the Commission
81. e. adequate discussion of the question,
'sSupposing both canals to be built accord.
ing to the Commissions plans, which of the
two would be preferred by the practical men,
shipmasters, owners, pilots, and insurance
companies, who would have to use either Of
those csnals"
| The SO called Panama "calm beltD in the
Pacific that has been made so much IF
against that route, extends to about 125
miles from the port of Panama, and is by
no means so calm at all seasons IS some
people would have as suppose. Nevertbe.
less, this distance in the open, calm sea,
added to the forty-eight miles length of the
Panama Canal, with its easr curves, no
currents or strong winds, i fewer locks,
is the extreme measure of po osible towage
for sailing ships through thai canal, namely,
173 miles.
| iS fn hava
in2" 16.knot breeze at both ends and throu.
ghout its whole length, bat possibly it may
even be calm there sometimes, or receiving
and dscharging cargo at Greyton or Brito
would hitherto have been simply impossible.
We have Eere, then, about 1876 miles of
canal alone irora ocean to ocean. The
Commission says: 'sThere will be a three.
knot current, or more at some periods in the
60 mile section, ore or less, of canslized
river from Oonchuda Dam to the Lake." Cur.
rents elsewhere there may be; they are not
mentioned, but ithey will doubtless exist
with more or less intensity. The curvature
in that and other sections may he seen by
inspecting the plans. The 16 knot winds
blowing in any and all directions at every
turn across the crooked line of the canal,
the extra number of locks, and the practical
impossibility of Lighting those dark and ugly
turns, make navigation at night not even
thinkable. These, together, give q set of
conditions such that | doubt whether any
practical pilot, with all the conditions fairly
before him, ever asserted that be considers
it safe for large ocean-going steam vessel
to 90 through the 1S5 miles of the Nicar-
aqua Canal under his own steam, either by
day or night, at the speed requisite to reali-
ze the Commissions estimate of 33 hours,
without the assistance of certainly two and
possibly four powerful tugs in many sections,
Then, what is the cost for such tugs?
At Panama, even if the time limit given
by the Commission, ten hours, be consider.
chly increased, no one would deny that such
a ship could certainly get through from
ocean to ocean with the daylight of one day.
Besides, the channel Can be simply, safely,
and effectively lighted tor night traffic as at
Suez.
But take thss, case Of sailing-ship of,
say, 1000 tons register: Has the practical
pilot ever been asked to state aOhether she
could go through the Nicaragua Canal at
all, with any number Of tugs without being
bothered, like the tipsy man, more by the
width than by the length of the road under
the above-stated conditions of wind, curves,
locks, snd currents. She would block
everything before and behind her. And
still we are gravely told that one of the prin.
cipal reasons aohy we should choose Nlcar-
aqua is that it is very favorable there and
unfavorable at Panama for the great sailing.
ship interests of the United States. Now,
| is it not obvious that it would take sailing
ships under the best conditions three and
sometimes four days, towing by dayligbS
only, to go through the Nicaragua Canal,
while at Panama they could be through and
towed 250 miles out to sea in half that time,
and at one-tenth the cost and risl?
Next, let it be asked if any practical en-
gineer who has read the Commissions re- !
port on the regulation works for controlling
the level Of Lake Nicaragua would nos
choose for safety almost any other possible
route than commit this country to so huge,
costly, and unprecedented an experiment.
It may be doubted whether tie results arr.
we'd at by the Commission will be realized
in practice, where there exist such insufi-l