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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 16, 1902)
* r' 8 Conservative * huge embankments , at the expense of making an equally deep cat in the Eastern divide and of raising a second dam at Machucn Rnpids , either retain ing the site at Ochoa. or replacing the dam there by one at Tambour Grande below. Of this prospective change Ad miral Walker says : "We hove had some parties out to find how far wo would have to run em bankments , and it is quite possible they may bo as bad as the San Francisco embankments. . . . I think the chances are. by putting a dnm at Machnca and a dam below at Ochoa , or Tambour Grande , and taking a low-level route , we mav escape this heavy work and get into Greytown with considerable less expenditure of money , and with a canal that would not , perhaps , keep its super intendent awake at nights so much. " Evidently the plans of the Nicaragua Canal cannot be regarded as definitely determined. But it is not bnly in the construction of the Canal proper that serious difficulties are to be encountered. When the writer traversed the transit route in 1856 , the harbor at Greytown was open to the largest steamers , and presented no difficulty. Today , owing to the travel of sand along the coast , under the influence of the winds and waves , the port no longer exists for sea going vessels. The jetty constructed during 1890-93 by the Canal Company lias proved a total failure , and the prob lem is now presented , not in the simple form of making a new port , but of re opening an old one which nature has decided to close. Anioricrtii engineers have had experience in the difficulty and cost of such constructions at Fer- nandiua , at the mouth of St. John's River , at Brazes , and at many other points ; and before undertaking a canal it would seem to bo prudent to reopen the port and determine the first cost and the probable annual outlay for maintenance. A canal , access to which would be subjected to occasional inter ruptions from natural forces now known to bo in action , would be a serious mis take ; and it may bo added that a study of the six charts accompanying the re port of the'JLudlow Commission , show ing the condition of this port at five different dates between 1882 and 1895 , is not reassuring. As to the important element of the cost of the Canal , there appears to bo considerable difference of opinion. The chief engineer of the Company estimat ed it , in 1895 , at $69,898.660 , and the Ludlow Commission , at the same date , at $188,472.898. Engineers will recog nize the impossibility of exact figures in the present state of the investigations now in progress under the Walker Com mission ; and each of the members has carefully guarded himself from express ing a definite opinion. Admiral Walker , at his recent examination before the Senate committee , said : "We have made no figures. It is no use to figure on the tiling until we have all our data. But I do not see why that canal cannot be built. I should think myself , speaking as anybody in the street might speak , that the Canal could bo put through for 125 millions ; and it would not surprise me if it came considerably below that. " Prof. Haupt , on the same occasion , stated that he thought t' e Canal could bo built "inside of $90,000,000. " Gen. Hains said : "I think a canal of the dimensions that have generally been referred to 80 feet deep , with looks 650 feet long , and all the cross-sections that have been referred to as necessary in rock and earth could bo constructed for a maximum sum of about $ ' 40.000.000. with a possi ble reduction of $25,000,000 or $30,000- 000. . . . But the trouble is that just now I am not prepared to give an opinion that would bo worth any thing. " Evidently in view of previous experi ence in such works showing that the actual cost has usually very largely ex ceeded even carefully prepared esti mates , it would be premature to form an opinion as to the outlay that will bo required for the Nicaragua Canal ; but a general idea of that demanded by the two routes may be formed from the following comparison : Panama. Nicarayua. Two peed harbors Two harbors to be now existing. created ; one of them ( Greytown ) p r senting unusual na tural difficulties. A Rood railroad now A long and difficult existine along the railroad to bH con- entire route. struct"- , which Gen. Hains consid ers should extend along all the route , except the lake portion tion , i. < ? . , for a dis tance of 120 miles. Actual construction , Practically nothing now well advanced , done in way of con- ( about two-flfths struction.and many entire length actually of the essential ele tually completed ) ments undecided. and remaining diffi culties accurately known. No constructions projected One or two dams pro jected which am not jected wholly with Justified by recog out precedent in nized engineering canal & work ; and practice. many embankments which must bejper- manont elements of danger. Except the works nt The most difficult Bohio , no difficult works lie in a region excavations or constructions where the observa structions to bo tions of the Canal made where the an Company indicate nual rainfall ex the annual rainfall ceeds 03 inchesonly ( to be nearly 22 feet about 50 per cent , (2.M3 inchesor ) near more than on our ly three times as Gulf Coast. ) much as at the Pan ama sites. Route lies wholly in Route lies on the bor Colombia , where all der of Nicaragua interests will be and Costa Rica , benefited by the where local jealousy Canal. alr ady exists , which may preju- dice'.the interests of the Canal Distance to be lighted Distance to be lighted and supervised and supervised when the Canal is when the Canal is completed , 40 miles. completed,170 mile * , or nearly four times as great as the Pan ama. No active volcanoes Active volcanoes near within about 200 route : one , Omo- mile * of the route tepe.on an i-land in of the Canal , and Lake Nicaragua , earthquakes there and another , Onose , fore less probable. only about 40 miles from the locks. An earthquake on April 29,189 . at L6on , de stroyed several buildings. Co-it carefully esti Cost estimated by the mated on detailed Government Com plans at about one mission , on data hundred million recognized as whol dollars. ly insufficient , at about one hundred and thirtv-three million dollars. Concessions from Colombia Concessions from Ni lombia ( upon which caragua and Costa whole undertaking Rica ( upon which is bas d ) ample , sat whole undertaking isfactory , and un is based ) either ex questioned. pired , or expire next year , and offi cially dt-clared by Nicaragua to bo for feited and void. But let us assume that both canals are constructed and open to navigation , and thencomraio the two routes , by considering which of them would un doubtedly tbe selected by vessels seeking to cross the Isthmus. This is a crucial TT test which will reveal their relative merits : Panama , Nicaragua. Ports both known to Both ports artificial , bo good and easy of to which access may access. bo doubtful , espe cially on Atlantic side. Length of route 48 Leneth of route 170 mlles , and time of miles , and time of transit 14 hours. transit not less than 44 hou s. Summit-level proba- Summit-level 110 feet. blv 103 feet and oer- haps only GO feet. Locks doub'o from Locks single ( subse th opening of the quently to have an ' Canal , mo chamber other chamber add 788 by 82 feet , and ed ) : dimensions 050 the other 788 by 59 by 80 feet. feet , with inter i mediate gates. Curvature go n tie. Curvature too sharp. Smallest radius 8.200 Smallest radius m feet. Of the 40 miles , Canal proper 4.000 26 % are straight , feet. For 68 miles ana 15 luivo radii the routn traverses equal to or exceed the San Juan River , ing 9,850 feet. where , to gain 47J4 miles as a bird flies , it , i8 necessary to travel 67 % miles a loss of 43 per cent. No troublesome Heavy trade-winds winds or river cur and strong river rents to be encount currents. ered even in times of flood. It would seem from this analysis that there can be little difference of opinion as to which- the better route. But perhaps some enthusiastic advocate will say , "The Nicaragua Canal maybe the more costly , may present more natural difficulties , may require more time for construction , and mny be less easy of transit ; but let us have an American canal , made with our own money , and wholly under our own control. " Such considerations are outside the province of an engineer. But , perhaps , it may be suggested that we have al ready interests and responsibilities on the Isthmus , where the Panama Rail road was built and is now controlled by an American company , under American protection ; that the business control of any canal must vest in its stock- and bond-holders , in time of peace , while , in fact , in time of war unless its neutral ity be guaranteed by the great maritime Powers the transit will be controlled by the belligerent having command of the sea. May it not , then , be wiser for our Government to expend its powerful assistance to what Nature has deter mined as the best route , rather than to expend more time and more money for what , after all is soid , must remain a distinctly inferior canal , unable to com pete with its rival for the commerce of the world ? HENRY L. ABBOT. WHEN YOU ARE DRUNK. A legal friend has kindly expounded to us for our guidance what consti tute intoxication according to the decisions of the courts. It seems that it depends more upon what state of the Union you are in than upon what state of decomposition you are in. You may bo as drunk as a boiled owl according to the rulings of one state and fit to exercise all the privileges of citizenship according to those of another. In Oregon you are not drunk in the eye of the law so long as you can lie on the ground and hold on to the grass. In Virginia you ma } * be so overcome as to find it necessary to lie down in the road , but while you can wave your arm or your leg , no doubt at an approaching team , you are not legally intoxicated. Wo shall note these valuable distinctions carefully , and govern ourselves accordingly when next our travels take us to Oregon or Virginia. t . . . . . . _ ,