Show agica 9 UC 71 cl 12 cana 2 ilk be e ca reca 11 41 r G I 1 aa DA S C fa 0 S e X a 0 POSE 4 P 4 A L fa G 1 W CANA 0 P gif G if 0 lit ireum ar by ELMO brott WATSON 1 N AUGUST 3 1914 11 tte e first ocein steamer teamer passed through the panama ginal cinal newly completed at a cost of and balled bailed as one of the greatest engineering feits of all ages sixteen veirs later finds the united states engaged in another vast engineering project which is to supplement the big ditch 0 opened in 1914 down in I 1 e jungles 1 of Mcara agim gui a force of army engi led by maj dan I 1 sultan TJ U S A of oxford miss Is cutting its way through the tropical vegetation of that region and surveying a route for a proposed ocean to ocean canal across nicaragua Mc araia many americans no couet will wonder if this additional link between the I 1 and the at bantle lantic means that there s something vronie with the panama canal and that hose tl ose WO were spent in vain As a matter 0 fact fail it means nothing of the kind the industrial exp ision of the united stites and the greatly increased vol time nine of trade with the latin american republics have brough t about such an increase of shipping through tie tl e canal that already engineers and economists are beginning to fear that in a few more years it will no longer be able to accommodate this vast volume wt en it was first con strutted ted it was believed that it would be SUM cicet tor for our needs for at least a century now within one sixth of that time it is alrea ly y operia ing at about 5 per cent c so preliminary work on the nicaraguan Nica canal Is under way in the hope that it will be available for use by the time the panama canil is running at per cent capacity since this latest project will reduce by three days the time necessary for a vessel to go from a port on one boist to a port on another it seems likely that the construction of this new canal will so so far as it Is poss ble to predict now solve our shIp shipping problem foi for all time to come lome there Is another reason for the construction of the nicaraguan Nica Nic anal la Is defensive as well as economic it will be a strong link in our national defense in that it will provide a supple canal which would be available in cise anything should happen to the one through fan an ama in this age of highly scientific warfare an airplane might drop a single bomb witch wl ich would render the panama canal useless tor for n and this interruption of sea com munica ion between the atlantic and t boist night n ight cisily bring d sister to the nation davin two civils kusiv reduces thit danger one halt half As major sultan sultans s engineers engi cut heir tl air wiy through the ju ile igle their exi ex edition Is more than a symbol abol of the fact tint thit th united states under an en leei I 1 resident Is pr vid ng for the future needs of the for the me nic araguas canal looks both forward and b ck ward the tion Is 1 the outward sign that the quest for a speedy route to the eist east which last inspired ired clumbus to sill avvis nto the unknown still engages the interests an I 1 ef et forts of the nation that genoese sailor his been called the fati er of this project and balb a cor fez and other spanish explorers its go lenti ers if constantinople ople I 1 id not pisse aisse I 1 from hris bris tian hands into moslem poss possession eslon in clos clog ing the land routes to ardia and the orient the discovery of tie tl e Amerl cin continent agat t have been postponed for centuries since its discovery the search for a shorter route between tie tl e two greit oceans has been ceaseless beir cely a gen er attori has passed since the fourth covage ol 01 columbus when natives ol 01 the est in ein formed him he was naring a nai bairow row lace be tween the seas that r or another ution has not concerned itself with brid bridgan gin that enow place of the early explorer explorers lortez cortez seems to have been the first ars who recon zed the fact thit th it the place was not the strait they had ex pecked to find his plan to construct t canal bv way of tel cut short bi the treachery of I 1 s followers were e aried on by I 1 Q cousin alvaro de leaved C roe vi who ho sul in I 1 plans by COL for routes by bv w i danen darien N ir ua or binam tl ery very IOL tor s which received so n ich at atten tio in the nineteenth century in 11 II 1 ip p 11 II had a sun surn ey made through in spite of in report he Is slid s lid ild to I 1 ave pr oiled e cited tl ti e aroble to tie tl e dominic fi inars lars the farien aars n re per flexed thin the lin klun finally quoted the rip tu fir rs to I 1 lira fin NN I 1 at god hith joined together ill 0 mar put asunder king plilip 11 ilip therefore v decided to abandon all attempts to divorce the two continents As early as 1825 we vie tind our own oven country alive to the importance of an canal anal this was the beg lanin of the era of multitudinous projects of road and carril buil din within our own borders the follow ng year the republic of central america entered into a contract with aaron H palmer an american who iho fully endeavored to organize org inize a company for the purpose of cont constructing an at isthmian canal the same year ena ensline ind sent john billey to make surveys and to negotiate for a concession bailey proposed a route 7 gh nicaragua from san juan now Grey town to lale lake nicaragua agua igua and thence to U ban juin del sur on the bis his negotiations for a concession were unsuccessful in 1835 Pre silent lent add sen sent a miss on to examine ugly proposed routes tn in mean gua and panama with a view to determining the of the dit terent lerent i rejects the re suits suit reported viere ere and in janu ary 1837 jaci jacl son reported to congress thit th it it was net riot elpe client to enter into the necessary negotiations at tint thit tim tl TI e following year tie amor of nev lorl or pity city aaron clark and others memorialized memoria lied congress cen ress recommending that nefee be he opened between new gra nada now colombia olom bia bla central america and the fire powers of I 1 drope for the pun purl ose of entering into a geri gemeril eril agreement agreen agree nent ent for tl ti promotion of a canal to connect C knect tie 1 e At atlantic lintl and aud the pres dent van buren burens s agent ended the route ib i tie tl e most practicable the Ile public of new Gri idi in the same game beir liyim glinted a concessi n to a fiech company chose report was so attractive tint thit in sei set 1843 a french flicek w i s ent to inn investigate esti gate he ile recon i en led a c biml anil from lim n bay bal to tl tie e I 1 arps river below G gifun atun to the bay of vaca de monte the estimated cost as so h 1 gh tint thit tl e project pr eject was dropped and the concessi n was forfeited the termination n it t our ur war with mexico adding to the uni a in n I 1 a settler ent of the nort extern estern b unwary un larv n by which tie united states came carne int inti possess posses un ton of oregon togeal to getler er with the disroe diso ery ry of gold in the nev rv en i hakise I 1 tl ti c in ut erdal necessity for or a cai u I 1 the d es dan gers an 1 exorbitant qt i oi of tie evicting existing of transi r se e tie to aati n of treaty granting right of tran it the esti of I 1 lammi anini i were nere exL hinged with new nev oinila in lune june 1848 A subsequent treaty with me by which in excl inge for an exclusive 41 we i v ere to aid old ind botet me 1 I it i u in all lefens iTe war ars f filled of in con congress ress later a corporation healed apa led bv by cornelius van an secured the exclusive rih of elc iva tini a SI slip lp cinal from gaev wn to iny any po nt on the pacific lot of 0 W V llda lid of I 1 la cl el let lef ei gincer for the con on I 1 my iny re id ed a c tit lust n that a biml bv by the Nie angui route was prati cible only by foil foll in the hey of the bin sin juan river to lake im lui ano from that like a cho ebo ce of south westerly v eat erly or northwesterly course courm his report reports comi apted in which has beet the basis for all subsequent surveys vas as submitted to the t ical real eni engineers of the united states army lol 3 J ahert abert and col cot W turnbull bull reported favori favorably bly on the plan g some changes ind modifications the co por atlon failed tu ibe tibe t decisive action and tl e contract wis wig forfeited the civil war tsar precluded tor for several years any further amer can attempts toward canal building in 1809 1869 president grants first message to con gress recommended nn an american lana anal on ameri can soil to be constructed by tie ti e american I 1 eu pie congress promptly responded by providing for further exploration in 1872 a commission was appointed consisting ot of gen A A humph res revs cl ellef let of engineers united states army 0 P I 1 it terson superintendent of tt e coat survey nd not con c 1 re danial amlien Ar rl lef 1st of tl fc er lureau of navigation of I 1 e united stites nav na i v after a careful si sr vey of the previously proposed routes in 1876 they becom mended the nicaragua route A brench corporation in which count ferdi feroll nand de lesseps builder of the suez canal was a member was organized after ext extensive ensle sur es and considerable difference of opil ion ton tt he e company finally in decided upon a sea u level canal from tl e gulf of limon to the chiy of landina anima another company was organized in 1881 with de lesseps as its head and work ork w is tart ed unforeseen d ti cuitti in the work and trou brou bles in financing developed develon ed and in tie it P e in pany rany passed into the ban Is of i receiver after having excavated some cubic varl aa 1 earth in the u 1884 a carril i treaty between n the unite I 1 states and Ni anui was tl it led clife va ile pending ratin cati att n ill tie tl e sen ite it as avitt drawn by tie Pre for the rei n that the proposed peri perit Kuil tuil alliance alli rill ignee ince with ma nia bagua was as contrary to air foreign policy interest in the project iia no nov v et ext ly active an I 1 if in if its sc so pe I 1 ich sue suo veir leir almat 1 assed tre tte i I 1 ling in ot of a lew 1 ew tie ti e grantin of a new c I 1 esal n an I 1 ta tie e i urs uince of turtle e surveys 3 in IS 1 14 a new fi fience ench con on pany parry A vas as organized wl ich ofte ed to sell its ril ts and property proper tv to the united wiles cap ai at e m i issi i which hid I 1 en el I 1 rec rel n mended the ute chiefly I 1 cause the price of 1 arx set bv by the I 1 reach was vias d exor tita t altered their becom men I 1 ming ti tivoli Y 0 the I 1 luama it arna route on janary 18 1902 at a new nure of 40 lOUW tl TI e qt ry of the actual construction of the pat aina cinal by gen ceo W G eti elf ils and his assistant is too vol nel known to need renett tion lure simce it si s sav say tl dat ai the first ocein in stean pissed th through roul tt it on aigist aai a 1114 the day tt tl it I 1 i lane ancl and ernand ernan elined e lined cle declara clara tl ti rs of war sine blice then the x P f i become so rent that in erst ei in to a sec se nd cant canil by way of nicario aiji has ha been actively revive A ith signed bv alem tl em in 1914 r I 1 by us in 1 16 sec i red ired to the united states exclusive rigl rigi t li it 1 erl tor for if tie e con shruti n t f such a c mil tl in the fill of 12 1 2 purs int to a co cont ml nil reo luti n a b will i u of engineer of the united states army of three companies com a and a service eflatoon was sent to in ui in sept abe T vo others one from front tie tl e first engineers at fort port dupont dell deli a second from tie tl e twenty ninth eri ei pincers at tit rrt rr run va arrived there early in novem ber tn in all tl ti ere are some 24 11 n en and 25 21 cers on tl is duty artel eid detles aties consist ot of bringing the old sur vens up to dite and to mike such add donil aurens in 1 scientific investigations with the INNo Noir pellom them tt em tint thit shou ir government govern mert inert at some buttre tuti rt time decide to eer exer else its privilege conati action may be started arteil st with a in of delay E Z by N W estera Newa union I 1 |