New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-24
TIE TSTHMIAN CANAL.

The completion OF the canal across the 18TH
mus having been practically assured by the
Senate's ratification Of the Panama treaty sew
eral questions which have been held in abey-
ance now acquire fresh interest. A discussion
Of some OF them in ''The Engineering Magazine"
for January by General Henry /. Abbot and
Fullerton J.. Waldo will therefore be widely
welcomed. Both writers have had unusual OBJ
portunitles for studying the matter. General
Abbot has been so long and intimately identified
with the preliminary surveys that he needs no
introduction 10 the general public. Mr.. Waldo
like his father Frank Waldo was closely as
sociated with the late George s. Morrison, an
other prominent member Of the Isthmlan Com-
mission, and hence IS thoroughly familiar with
the lattcrs views.
General Abbot enumerates with cloarneSs the
reasons why the Panama route IS preferable n
that across Nicaragua. Owing 10 the constant
shifting OF the sands around Greytown. tue
Atlantic approach 10 the coast OF Nicaragua
would require costly dredging both now and in
the future. Little work Of that sort would be
needed Mt Colon. and. once done. It would be
practically final. Far more seismic and vol
canic disturbance is TO be anticipated along the
northern route than the southern, and the nd
Justment or lock gates must be so delicate that
an interruption 10 traffic might easily be caused
by a single earthquake in Nlcara qua. Tie high
winds Of the trade wind belt the sharp curves
OF the route IN that country and the excessive
rainfall would all prove serious enbarrassments
10 navigation after shipping actually entered a
canal there. Moreover. as there would be no
chance for water storage apart from the main
dam. and as the precipitation huctuates be-
tween wide limits, there would be difficulty i'm
regulating the water supply I'm Nicaragua. The
exercise Of rare discretion 10y the official in
charge OF the dam on the San Juan River would
be necessary; and a bad blunder on his part
might leave Lake Nicaragua nj too low a level
for navigation for weeks or months al a time
q contingency that should never be permitted
TO arise on a great international highway.
Few objections 10 the Panama route have
made greater impression On the popular mind
than the fact that a steamer from New-York
or Europe 10 San Francisco must travel further
II it goes as far south as Colon than II 1t in
vades the continent at Greytown. General Alb
/ bot declares, however, that such a voyage,
/ though longer in miles, would be shorter In
time. The greater length OF the Nicaragua
/ route would involve excessive delay, to say
/ nothing OF charges for necessary towage and
/ insurance rates four times as large as would
! be demanded II the same vessel went by way
Of Panama.
The other chief source Of anxiety about the
latter country has been fits unhealthful climate.
| Although Mr.. Waldo believes that the Jamaica
I negro IS almost the only human being that can
/ stand this and though he regards the provision
/ OF sanitary water supply one OF The essen
/ tials 10 the prosecution Of work there he insists
that there has been a lower mortality there than
IS commonly supposed. The old statement that
the Panama Railroad cost rs many lives as it
had ties he pronOunces huge lie" General
/ Abbot Is satisfied that the worst OF the danger
is already over. now that the disturbance Of the
surface layer OF soil. both for railroad and
canal is a thing Of the past. Whatever may be
thought of the premises which this conclu-
sion IS based the correctness Of the latter IS IN
dicaied by data supplied by the director OF the
! canal cOmpany's hospital at Panama. For the