Show I THE ATRATO ROUTE A cable from London tells of a concession granted by Colombia to the English firm of P Pearson Son and the Standard of London sees the possibility of building a second isthmus isthmus mus canal from the Atrato river across to the Cupica river and quotes Norman Thompson head of a contracting firm in London as saying saying saying say say- ing the work of building the Pan Panama ma canal was stupendous by comparison with the work which would be required to establish a canal through Colombia Thompson Thomps n says there would be needed only five miles of excavation to connect the two rivers as they rise near to together together together to- to gether the one flowing into the Pacific the theother theother theother other into the Gulf of Darien which is an inlet of the Caribbean sea I We many times urged the examination of that route before the Panama route was decided decided decided de de- de- de upon because in the eighteenth century or early in the nineteenth century a Catholic priest had the natives cut dut ut a channel between the headwaters of the Atrato and the San SanJuan SanJuan SanJuan Juan river on the west side and ran canoes through it The Atrato river is more an estuary than a river for miles up the river from the gulf it is sixty feet deep But how great its volume is above before it reaches the estuary we know nothing of Mr Thompson says five miles of excavation would connect the two rivers but how deep and wide are are the rivers where he would make the cut All the passes we know have been examined by engineers but all the recommendations have been confined to Panama and Nicaragua Then what kind of a harbor is on the Pacific side The Standard is quite enthusiastic but we suspect suspect suspect sus sus- that it will wiIl be some time before the work of building a second canal will wiIl be undertaken |