OCR Text |
Show of the then Caledonia canal. - The cost was to be $20,000,000. The route was to start at the mouth of the San Juan, thence into the Colorado, thence into Lake. Nicaragua, thence into Lake Leon, and thence down to the port of Rialejo. The projector estimated esti-mated a revenue of 15 per cent net. It was expected, too, that the Government - would cede land two leagues wide oh each bank of the canal or 1,200,000 acres. Louis Napoleon was making his preparations to start for Nicaragua when a new .revolution broke out in Paris, and the Prince took charge, became Emperor and gave up his Isthmus canal' project, but he encouraged others to undertake it, until notice no-tice was sent to France that the entire stock of the Panama railroad had been subscribed in New York City. All the above routes were planned for 1200 to 1400-ton- ships. The striking fact to be noted is the estimated cost in each case. The highest would not supply a preliminary plant for a modern canal. . But, it is interesting to speculate on what Louis Napoleon would have done had he undertaken the building of the canal. We believe he w6ud have carried it through; put on boats to accommodate the California rush and would have wound up as King of Central America and possibly Mexico. lie would first have had himself elected President and then quietly have gone on until he wrfs Emperor. OLD-TIME ISTHMUS CANAL PROJECTS In these days when so much is being said about the Panama canal, it may not be uninteresting to revive what was proposed on the same lines, a good while ago. Many grants had been made to individuals individ-uals and firms for a canal to connect the Atlantic jind Tacific oceans, and several surveys had been made, but all had failed. One given to Solomans & Co., of Panama, was .intended to connect the Chagres and' Trinidad rivers, by a canal with the river Farfan. The canal was to be 160 feet wide by 22 feet deep and 50 miles long. It was intended to . accommodate ships of 1400 tons. Eight years was " the estimated time for completing it, and it wasto cost 13,475,000. It was estimated that with a toll of 2.00 per ton the canal would net annually ?764,618. The project j was first favorably, received in England, but the , doubts expressed by scientific men about building the canal within the estimates and the terror of the - inhospitable climate finally defeated the enterprise. In 1842, Don Jose de Garcy obtained a privilege ' to construct a' canal across Tehuantepec. The route was surveyed by an Italian engineer, Signor Moro. He proposed to use the river Coakzcoaleas for 160 miles, then a canal 50 miles, rising by locks, 525 feet j to a tableland, and then by locks to descend 660 feet to the Pacific. The canal was to be 122 feet wide, 22 feet deep and have 150 locks. It was to cost f 17,-000,000. 17,-000,000. In 1830 a proposal to build a canal via Nicaragua . was entertained by the King of Holland, but.be-. but.be-. cause of political complications was abandoned. But In 1842, while a prisoner at Ham, Louis Napoleon became interested in the subject. He saw a communication com-munication from a French gentleman in Jamaica on the project, and receiving a visit from a French offl-" offl-" cer, about to sail for Central America, he requested him to investigate the matter as to its practicability. practicabili-ty. "The result was the publication of a pamphlet by the Prince which was printed in London in 1847 for private circulation. ' From this it appeared that in 1846, the Government, Govern-ment, of Nicaragua conferred full power on the . Prince for the prosecution of the undertaking, and that seeing "it must produce the most beneficial , ' tffects on the commerce of all nations" he had resolved re-solved to go and put himself at its head. The surveys available for the project were those rf Mr. Baily, an English engineer, and of a Mr. Lawrence, Law-rence, of her Majesty's ship Thunderer, which were made in 1837 and 1840 respectively, together with ; the observations, by the French naval captain employed em-ployed by Prince Napoleon. This work was to re- cuire thirty-three miles of work on the Colorado river. Reaching Lake Nicaragua, the next work . was to be at the river Tipitata, which connects Lake 'Nicaragua with Lake Leon. The river Tipitata is . twenty miles lopg, of which twelve miles is naviga-. naviga-. ble. -Lake Leon being reached and crossed, only twenty-nine miles remained to the Port of Rialejo. Eleven miles from Lake Leon is the river Tosta and a canal to that river was to complete the work. The total length was to. be 278 miles; of which only ejghty-two would require works. The canal was to be 147 feet wide and 23 feet deep. The dimensions , of the locki were to be one-fifth greater than those |