Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-04-01
Frenchmen Do Not Believe
That Colombia Will Ratify
the Canal Treaty
a NICARAGUA ROUTE
French Engineer Who Had Much TO
Do With the Waterway Says Mica
rasua Route Has Many Points Of
Advantage Over the Panama Pro.
ject-His Reasons.

Paris, April LIN view OF the hos
tile attitude which the government OF
Colombia seems disposed to take in
regard to the Panama canal. 1t is in
teresting to know the opinion of 4
French engineer who has done much
Colombia congress will ratify the treaty
with the United States.
You ask my opinion on the Nicara-
qua route" he said. 'lt is for me in
fandum renoIare delorera. / was one
of the first and most arient partiZans
of the Nicaragua route for the canal.
My remembrances are exact. My par
ticipation in the first labors of M. De
Lesseps caused him, after he had pre-
sided over the congress for an inter
oceanic canal, to hand to me the docu-
ments published by order of the United
States senate on the explorations which
the Washington government had car
ried out in the isthmus by Commodore
Maury. In handing me the documents
NJ. De Lesseps asked M to study them
and to give him my opinion in regard to
the most advantageous route.
MY preference was in conformity
with those of the Washington commit
tee which concluded It's labors in 1875.
They were in favor OF canal with
locks via the lakes of Nicaragua. The
notorious insalubrity of the Panama
climate had been confirmed by my
friend Paul Levy, who having directed
the work of the Panama railway. had
admirable knowledge of the climatic
conditions there.
THE Nicaragua route had as a great
advantage Lake Nicaragua, which has
which each year pours forth milliards
of cubic meters of water into the At
lantic by the river San Juan. This lake
constitutes an inexhaustsble reservoir
of water for a canal with locks above
the lake, which is about thirty-siX me-
tiers above sea level. There Is only Rivas
hill, which is some thirteen meters
higher than the lake, While on the Pan
anna route there is Cul gra, which Is
more than 100 meters above the level of
the sea and is more than ten kilometers
long.
Nicaragua was going to be adopted,
but for this we required beforehand to
come to an understanding with the
United States. This was my first care
and my first communication with Adj
miral Ammon.
Everything was arranged when the
obstruction of some members of the
congress of Nicarauga destroyed every
thing. All of our dreams of concord
and union between France and Amer
lea disappeared. thanks to the facil-
ity with. which M. De Lesseps allowed
himself to be circumvented. This was
the end of my amicable relations with
NJ. DeLesseps, of whom saw but little
afterwards.
For long time imagined that the
project was abandoned and thought of
applying to the Panama canal my
scheme for Nicaragua. l went to Be-
gotta, where / saw President Raphael
Nunez, Prime Minister Carlos Holguin,
and General Aycardi. who led me to
hope that an interoceanic canal would
no longer be myth and that would
be permitted to terminate the work,
which would have been the greatest of
the last century. only underwent an
other Disappointment. Internal dessen-
tions in Colombia proved too strong.
ut is my profound conviction that the
Nicaragua route is practicable and
feasible, at a relatively small cost. In
fact, the conditions have not changed
and the means of construction have
developed In this am in accord with
the remarkable works on the subject of
the remarkable works on the subject
by Major Lull and Mr.. Menocal.
LAS have said I followed with en-
thusiasm the projects of Admiral AM
mon in 1879. for my most ardent de-