The Nicaragua Canal.

Evening Star, Issue 7485, 2 April 1888, Page 4

The Nicaragua Canal.

With regard to the proposed Nicaragua Ship Canal, an American contemporary writes :—" There was a survey of tho line of the projected Nicaragua Canal under the direction of the American Congress in 1872-73, and a re-survey in 1885. The expedition that sailed recently from New York, with another large surveying party, excites new interest in this proposed work for uniting two oceans. The proposed line of this canal, according to the survey of Civil Engineer A. G. Menocal, of the United States Navy, extends from Greytown, on the Caribbean Sea, toßreto, on the Pacific, a distance of 160 2-10 th miles. The San Juan River, from Greytown to Lake Nicaragua.for 04.54 miles, isutilised byslack water and three ship locks, and Lake Nicaragua, for 56.50 miles, is the middle portion of the line. This lake is ninety miles long and thirty-five to forty-five miles wide. The distance from Lake Nicaragua to Breto is 38.98 miles. In this part of the line four locks are required, including a tide-level lock at Breto, on the Pacific side. The lockage lift of the three locks on the San Juan River is 106 ft, being: Lock No. 1, 26ft; No. 2, 27ft; lock No. 3, 53ft. The lake is the summit level, and there arc four locks including the tide-level lock on the Pacific side, with a lockage lift of 110 ft, being : Lock No. 4,26ft4-10ths ; No. 5, 29ft 7-10ths ; No. 6, 29ft 7-10ths; and No. 7, tide-level lock, 24ft2-10ths to 33ft 18-lOOfchs lift. These locks arc proposed to be 600 ft long, 65ft broad, and 30ft deep, and lake 28ft to 70ft in depth. The time estimated for the passage of a ship from ocean to ocean on this proposed canal is thirty hours for the largest class of vessels. There can be passed through this canal daily thirtytwo vessels, and yearly 11,680 vcspcls, or about 12,000,000 tons. The cost of this canal complete, with improved harbors at Greytown and Breto, and electric lights its entire length, so as to move the ships in the night time, is 64,036,179.70d01, comprising 8,323,895.80d0l for the construction of tho seven locks, and 1,611,500d0l for improving tho harbor at Breto, and 1,766,625d0l for improving the harbor at Greytown. It is calculated to take fifteen minutes to fill the lock of 53ft lift, and eleven minutes to fill the other locks with water, with forty-five minutes' time required for each ship lockage. This proposed canal will have more capacity than the ISuez Canal. It will be both wider and deeper. It will largely diminish the sailing distance between San Francisco and New York and Europe.