Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-29
WHY i. S. is INTERESTED
in NICARACUAN PROJECT
Canal Is of Enormous Significance to
World Commerce and Our
National Welfare.

through the west divide to the Pacific,
a distance of about 1874 miles. The
western end, from the lake to the Pa
cif1c, is in favorable territory, being
easy OF access and having railroad
line as far as the lake. Much of the
side east of the lake is swamp and
jungle, though there are some rolling
uplands and timbered hills.
Difficult Falls to Overcome.
The lakes level is about ITO feet
high and most of the difficult falls in
the river are in the streams upper
third. To raise the waterway from
the east up to the lake level, the 1901
plans specify four twin locks each one
fifth of mile long, the upper part
OF the river to be canalized by the
construction of a dam, 1921 feet in
total length, at Conchuda, to extend
the lake levtl .o~n the river. SUBJ
merging the stream for 1854 miles.
These locks are located in a canal
stretch of 30.48 miles, exclusive of the
lock lengths, below this extended lake
level. This means something like so
miles of ditch digging for the entire
stretch of canal controlled by the four
locks, with at least 80 miles Of the
canal. from the east coast in, through
swampy territory.
Whether the final plan will be for
three locks instead of four, or will in
clude other material changes In this
length of canal, will be determined
by the survey about to be made.
The deepest cut necessary in this
canal-digging east of that part of the
river to be submerged by the Conchuda
dam is through the Tamborcita ridge
and is intended to have a depth of
297 feet with base 5000 feet long,
IN Ion
OF this cut one Of somewhat less depth
is specified
On the Pacific divide side the deep
est cut is specified at 81 feet, with
base of more than 3 miles, mostly
through rock. Four locks, each fifth
Of mile in length, in canal stretch
Of $50 miles, exclusive of lock lengths.
are indicated west Of Lake E.carrssr.A-
Following the Course.
The general trend of the canal route,
which is north of the San Juan River,
is in a southwesterly direction for ap-
proximately half the distance to Lake
Nicaragua, after which it is somewhat
northwesterly to the lake and similarly
across the lake, thence SouthweSterly
again to the Pacific
Starting at Greytown, the course
crossed the San Juanillo and thence
ting the Rio Misterioso. The region
there Is covered in places with coarse
swamp grass or silico palms, and in
other sections is heavily timbered, the
surface being a little above sea level.
The first lock is $50 miles from the
entrance to the harbor. It is based on
rock and is designed to have a lift Of
36.5 feet above mean low tide. II is
1898 miles to the second lock, and
the way encounters swampy territory,
though in the Rio Negro Valley the
route is through some hills.
Leaving the second lock, which is
located in the Negro Hills, and emery
ing from the Rio Negro Valley near
this lock, the route for 1915 miles to
the third lock is back Of the Serapiqut
Hills, and here is more than a mile
from the San Juan River. A little
farther west the line crosses the Tam
borcito Ridge and then. at short in
tervalS, the Tambor Grande and San
Francisco Ridges.
While the topography in the vicinity
of the entire route is described as
generally rough" it is said that ''the
hills, as a rule, do not attain a great
height, but they are usually steep and
punched together, with areas of swamp
or low flats about them"
For the next 2.77 miles to the fourth
lock the course is down the valley OF
Embankment Greek, and 1,700 feet from
the mouth of this stream it crosses some
hills and the Machado. West of the
fourth lock the next route section, So
miles, is through rough, hilly territory,
where deep cutting is specified, and
then enters the San Juan River at
point 46.17 miles from the Caribbean
Sea. The upper end of this section is
33 miles, via the submerged river, from
the COnchllda Dam site
From Lake Nicaragua.
Entering Lake Nicaragua at Fort San
Carlos, by the submerged river section,
the route is somewhat southwark of the
Balsillas Islands and north of the So
lentiname group and leaves the west
side of the lake near the mouth Of the
Rio Las Lajas, following that stream
and crossing it four times in stretch
of ~ miles. Thereafter it follows the
general course of the GuiScoyol small
tributary, on a gradual rise to the con-
tinental divide about miles from the
lake.
The route then is along the valley of
the Espinol to the Rio Grande, whose
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