Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-20
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

| Representative James O'Connor OF
Louisiana has introduced q. bill tC
| create q commission to ascertain the
| feasibility of constructing the Mica
ragua Canal" The bill is now in the
hands Of the interstate and foreign
| commerce committee.
While the project is a little more
| than a century old, there are new con-
| ditions which, the Congressman be
| lieves, justify investigating. 1t is only
| a quarter Of a century since the Pan
| anna Canal project became a reality
| instead of paper theory. Champions
of the Panama Canal believe that it
would be more economical to enlarge
it's capacity when it's present width
and lockage become overstrained by
increasing commerce, and they believe
even that will not be necessary for
two or three decades yet. Mr.. OCon-
nor takes issue with that idea and
argues that the increase of. traffic will
outgrow the Panama long before the
Nicaragua Canal can be made ready,
and that even regardless of CONNER
ciaI considerations two canals are
safer than one for military defense
under the present menace of air at
tacks. Hence he insists we should
push the new canal with all reasonable
speed and energy.
X x X X
Gen. Goethals explained to a group
of newspaper men aboard ship, when
he went to Panama to take charge,
that while for public consumption the
need of the interoceanic canal from a
commercial standpoint was then being
stressed, the still greater need for
naval defense was really the para
mount issue.
That was before aviation had de-
veloped into a naval factor, as 1t is
TODAY, when from a naval plane car
rier an airplane bearing high explo-
sives can be launched at sea 500 or
500 miles away and in five hours or
less bomb the canal locks, utterly
blocking access from one ocean TO the
other, and so divide and bottle up our
fleet where it could not protect the
coast to be attacked by the enemy
But it would be much harder to bomb
two canals in a surprise attack.
There have been numerous investi-
cations of the feasibility OF the Mica
ragIa Canal, but conditions change
rapidly. This may be Illustrated ny
the famous Nochistongo Ditch, pene'
trating the mountain range which in
is a great bowl, formerly frequently
flooded because of the overlooking or
Lake Zumpango and lesser lakes. In
1929 a Spanish engineer named Mar
tinez undertook to supply means or
drainage of the valley. and with l9,O0O
natives, using the crude tools or that
age, he dug a canal miles long,
piercing the mountains. But the sun
mel caved III frequently when most
needed, so that it became necessary 10
convert it into an open ditch, when
required an unbelievable amount OF
excavation. during the course OF Whlch
some 200,0 900 diggers were buried IN
the numerous landslides and collapses
Mexico City was inundated for tVe
wears. and orders were given from
Snain to abandon it and rebuild on
higher ground, but before that was
done there came a dry season with
earthquakes, which opened the ground
and rid the valley of the prolonged
flood.
The ditch is still in existence, though
not now in use.
Comparing the means of accomplish
ment. the Nochistongo undertaking
was immensely greater than was the
Panama Canal or would be the Mica
ragua Canal. Improvements IN power
eXcaVating machinery, even since the
Roosevelt order to make the dirt fly"
at Panama, would now make the open
ing of q second canal between the
oceans as much less in righteousness as
the Panama was less than the con-
struction of the Nochistongo Ditch.
x X X
There is great rivalry between the
champions of Panama and Nicaragua,
and for q century there has been
sharp controversy OF opinion as to the
merits of the two routes. 1t was the
idea of Ferdinand de Lesseps to
make the Panama Canal a tidewater
ditch which would require no locks
but would neces itate much deepening
of the channel, together with added
troubles with l. ndslides. There is no
present assurance that landslides will
cease to cause trouble, even with the
present level, and to have deepened
that level some So or 100 feet more
would have intensifie that danger.
Even from the beginning it has been
contended that thero is no route in
Nicaragua which would not need many
more locks than are found adequate
at Panama.
1T is alleged that the Panama enter
prise gained the backing of strong
construction interests which saw prof
liable contracts in the construction OF
the great locks. while tidewater
canal would have been barren of tinan-
cial proftk, of construction. lf so.
then whaHmay be the construction