The Topeka state journal., 1902-01-21
WHAT VIZ GET.
Continued from First Page.)


and Pacific constitute the Panama Rail-
| road Steamship company.
The railroad company owns an undi-
| vided half interest in the islands of
| Macs, Culebra, PericO and Flamenco,
| in the Bay of Panama, the Pacific Mail
| Steamship company being the joint
| owner.
| Besides its right of way, terminals,
| it owns nearly the whole of the town of
| Colon, the houses there being construct
! ed under leases.
THE railroad company has no operat-
| ing contracts which cannot be ter
minated in ninety days
1.-THE work of constructing the canal
will largely increase the business Of the
railroad, and enable it to pay off it's
liabilities in a very few years. After
the completion of the canal, its COM
mercial profits will probably cease, but
it will have a value incidental to op-
Grating locally.
'Sixth-Maps, drawings and records.
1.-THE value of the maps, drawings
and records in Paris, on the isthmus or
elsewhere, all of which are to be trans
ferred to the United States, is placed
at $2,000000.
Summing up the foregoing items, the
total value of the property is found to
be:
Excavation done, $27, ,474. .033; Panama
railroad stock, at par, Sc, $50, 300; maps,
drawings and records, s., 600 000 Total,
$36, 800, $685. to which add 10 per cent to
cover omissions, $3.639,667; total, $40,-
100000.
''The last item is intended to cover
any buildings, machinery, railroad
shares, additional excavation to date of
purchase and other assets which may
be of value to the United States and
have not been included in the other
items.
1.-The estimate of construction of the
Nicaragua canal is $45,630,704 more than
the cost of completing the Panama
canal.
1.-THE estimated annual cost of main
tenance and operation is 600
greater at Nicaragua than at Panama
1.-The Panama route will be 134.6 miles
shorter than the Nicaragua route, from
sea to sea, with fewer locks and less
curvature, both in degrees and miles.
The estimated time for a deep draft
vessel to pass through the Nicaragua
canal was placed at thirty three hours,
as against twelve hours for Panama,
these estimates being the time of actual
navigation and not including delays for
winds, currents or darkness.
IF the passage were made without
interruption about a day could be
saved by the Nicaragua over the Pana-
ma route by ordinary steamers hand
ling commerce between our Pacific
ports and all Atlantic ports, and about
two days by steamers of the same
class trading between our gulf ports
and north Pacific ports. The time ad-
vantage of the Nicaragua route would
be less in the case of the fast high
powered steamers, the use of which is
INCREASING. between AIldHIlC ports ana
the west coast of South America, the
Panama route has the advantage of
about two days, and between gulf ports
and the west coast of South America
the Panama route has the advantage
of about one day. The trade of the
western coast of South America is a
very important one, which has hither-
to been in European hands.
1.-The Panama route is an old highway
of commerce, along which no consider
able industrial development is likely to,
occur. During the construction of a
canal on the Nicaragua route, busi-
ness relations would be established
with Costa Rica and Nicaragua which
would likely continue. Existing condi-
tfons indicate hygienic advantages at
Nicara qua, although equally effective
sanitary measures must be taken in
both cases.
1.-THE offer received from the Panama
Canal company to convey all it's prop
erty, including all its interest in the
Panama railroad, to, the United States
will make the estimated cost of the