Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-01-13
BY CLARK KINNIARD

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, Jan. To-
The Nicaraguan canal began TO be
considered seriously IN 1852, when
one o. NJ. Child made the first sci
cntific survey Of the route for AM
erican interests. His plans were for
gotten during the Civil war, but re-
viyed in 1872, when tire government
SEN a naval officer, one Lull, to Me
aragua. to check up on Child's route
and specifications. He agreed with
Child that the Caribbean entrance
should be at Greytown, and the Pa
cific outlet at Brito.
Again interest in the canal sub
sided. In 1850 A. G.. Menocal, who
had been in Lull's exploration party,
was sent to Nicaragua 10 make
further Investigations and draw up
new plans. His work continued for
five years. When the Nicaragua
Canal company was formed, Menocal's
plans were adopted by the construc-
tors. Work actually was begun, but
soon was abandoned because Of fl
nancial difficulties. II is the last
vestiges Of this project that are to
be seen at Greyton.
The direct distance from Greytown
to Brito, the prospective termini Of
the canal, is l40 miles. The inter
oceanic route laid out by the Mica
ragua Canal company is ia miles
long. The great inland sea known as
Lake Nicaragua provides part of the
course ready-made. This body Of
water, fed by the mighty San Juan
river, is 10 miles long and 40 miles
wide. The mean level is ITO feet
above sea.
Not Likely TO Be Original
For reasons that will be noted
presently, ~present-day engineers do
not consider it likely that the canal
route finally chosen will be the same
as that laid out by Menocal and
adopted by the Nicaraguan Canal
company, but the scheme of the
original builders Is interesting to re-
view because Of its visionary in
genuity.
The canal company engineers pro-
posed to extend the summit Of Lake
Nicaragua to the east and the west
by the construction of two huge
dams. 10 that tire lake would pro-
vide 149 miles Of the 1T4-mile route.
They selected Ochoa, on the San
Juan river, as the site for one of the
dams, and La Flor, in the lola river
basin, for the other. Here, in gem
eral, is the course laid out by these
engineers as revealed in records on
file here:
From Greytown, through 10 miles
Of swampy terrain to the site Of the
first lock. This was 10 have a lift
Of 81 feet. One mile further, the sec
ond lock, with a lift of 35 feet.
Two miles more, and the third lock.
with a lift of AZ feet. This would
bring the ships to the summit level.
At this point arc encountered the
Cordlllera range, and a cut Of three
miles equalling in immensely the
Culebra cut at Panama, would be
necessary.
Leaving this cut, the projected
course OF the canal was to 60
through four basins, intended TO re
formed by the aforementioned 0choa
dam, in the San Francisco and az
joining valleys. and connected by
three cuts totalling three and q half
miles in length. At this point the
route touches the San Juan river.
San Juan River Hazard
Whatever route is finally adopted.
the San Juan river will be one Of
the greatest hazards and obstacles
in the enterprise. Modern engineers
are of the opinion that the earlier
surveyors underestislated the diff
Guilty attached to linking the san
Juan with the canal. II drains an
area Of $4,000 square miles. The
rainfall in the watershed in cnor-
nous; in one district il Il 500 inches
a year, Putting the river into re-
liable harness would he necessary,
obviously. Modern engineers say this
would be a greater task than was
encountered in bottling up the
Chagres river at Panama.
The dam proposed for Ochoa on the
San Juan by the original engineers