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Inter-oceanic communication between the Atlantic and Pacific
Znter- Oceanic Communication.
105
action of a load of two different intensities corresponding to the greatest and least of the three, such an investigation is unnecessary. (To be continued.)
INTER-OCEANICCOMMUNICATIONBETWEENTHE ATLANTICAND PACIFIC, BY ]~. S. HOWARD, C. E.
THE NICARAGUA ROUTE.
THE natural advantages of this route were so apparent that every one wished to secure them to himself and his associates. Its early history shows that the first notice of it created a bitter controversy, which was kept up until another route, without any natural advantages, had been, by the sacrifice of an extravagant amount of money and human life, successfully established. 4. Nothing can flourish between belligerants. The victory is liable to be won,by the party more skilled in strategy than the science of improving rivers and harbors, which was the ease in this instance. But so much controversy as this route created, naturally raised the value of it in the eyes of the people of Nicaragua, so that now, after it has happened to fall into right hands for successful management~ the government of Nicaragua increases their requirements for the privilege of improving their country, and lessen the exclusive privileges to be granted as equivalent. Thus the matter now stands. Th~ present Transit Company, with Mr. W. tI. W e b b as President, with abundant capital to do anything that may be advisable to be done, only ask a charter that will guard them against any vicious competition, such as the great natural advantages of this route might elicit. The plan of improvement which the Company have adopted, has been so far tested already, that its success scarcely admits of a doubt. They propose, first, to divert water enough from the Colorado the San Juan River twenty miles from the outlet, which leaves ' Carribean coast at Grcytown. This they will do b y dredging at and below the junction of the Colorado. The declivity in the bed of the San Juan, below the junction, being about one and a-half feet per mile, renders it unnecessary to make the excavation more than four or five miles below Von. LVI.--T~I~D SERIES.--I~O. 2.--AUGUST, 1868.
14
106
Civil and Mechanical Engineering.
the junction with the Colorado. By making this about eight feet deep, in the lowest water, and about two hundred yards wide,~putring the material taken out into the Colorado,--will turn water enough down the lower San Juan to open the harbor at Greytown, and afford sufficient water for steamers dr.awing three or four feet at all seasons. For this purpose, the Company have already provided a powerful dredging machine, capable of raising over three thousand (3,000) cubic yards per day of ten hours. This machine is provided with long spouts to run off the excavated material with water, for the purpose of dispensing with lighters, the expense and delay of towing to a place of deposit, &e,, as much as possible, which was done with great success by a similar machine in the construction of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel, in Texas, in 1857-8. The same thing is now being done in the construction of the Suez Canal, mentioned in the June number of this Journal, page 378, by Mons, Lavalley, with the most gratifying results. This gentleman claims the above plan as his special invention. I do not wish to controvert this fact, presuming the idea was original with him, but, in justice to myself, I must say, that I made use of the same device in the construction of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel, as early as 1857, and successfu]ly: completed the work without t h e use of a lighter, excet)t to hold u p the outer end of the spouts. The idea was, then, original with me, whoever might have used it previously. I mention this fact, not to detract from the worldzwide renown of Mons. Lavalley as an eminent engineer, but to claim the greater credit of preceding, in this instance, so successful an originat6r. One great advantage of this route is its measurable availability) to begin with. Throughout the wet season, about half of the year, it is, in its natural state, a better route than any y e t i n use. It moreover affords important facilities for further improvement, so that every dollar properly expended upon it adds immediately to its value. I t is estimated that when three hundred thousand dollars shall have bee~ expended on the the plans adopted by Mr. Webb, that this will successfully compete with any other route that-can be made, short of a ship canal of the largest class. These plans are s o adapted to the natural advantages of this rout% that improvement may. go om until a tlrst-c]ass ship canal shall have been completed, without abandoning anything, at any time, as useless, that may have been done previously, s o that, in the meantime, the navigation will have been improved by every
Inter- Oceanic Communication.
107
d~vs' labor, and every dollar expended during the progress o f the work, rendering loss of interest on capital actually expended, in ease of al.~y unforeseen delay, impossible at any time. The great objection raised to investing money in the improvement of ~this river; is stated to be t'he "movable sands in the bottom." This sand can be excavated and transferred from the San Juan to the Colorado, at less cost than any other material. It is also more readily r6moved: from the channel, b y a judicious application of currents f0r:scouring, than the more faultless materials. There has beerr so much time, talent, and money heretofore expended on rivers of this character, having a limited supply of water, with no resource for adding to or increasing the amount, with little or no success, that: the: improvement of this river is considered almost impossible bytlIc~sewho donor happen to .know and appreciate the exceptional co~fdition here existing, which is an abundant supply of water' at: all seasons, so situated as to be readily controlled. The Rapids, on the upper river, may be improved fdr boats drawing four feet water, without the obstructions of locks and dams, by grading a sufficient channel to an easy ascent, adapted to the requirements of the boats to be used. This may be .done at a trifling expense, compared with that of dams and locks. With the'Rapids and lower river and harbor improved at Greytown, the route is complete to within twelve miles of the Pacific. This part the Company propose to improve, b y t h e construction of a railroad, from Virgin Bay, on the Lake, to ])el Sur, on the Pacific. From the increase of inter;oceanic trade, since the completion of the Panama RailroM, it is reasonable to predict the early necessity of a ship canal, in addition to these improvements. The feasibility of such a w o r k has been made evident from a very exact survey by O. W. Childs, one of the most accurate and skilful engineers of his time. TO 'show that his estimate was ample to 9rgvide for the full completion of the work, I will state that; during the six years he was Chief Engineer of the State of New York, he was never known to under-estimate any work in his charge. His rep0rt"on the Nicaragua Ship Canal was submitted to Cols. Albert,'a,la4 Turnbull, of the Topographical Bureau at Washington, who pronounced it ample for the purpc~se mentioned, and no person had attempted to critic;so his items or question his amounts, until Rear Admiral.Davis made his report on Inter-oceanic Communication, who seems to question it in a way which conveys the idea that a much larger sum than is named in -the estimate will be
108
Civil and MechanicaZ EnSneer~ng.
required. To make this appear, he mentions that t' costly improvemerits, possessing the character of artificial harbors, will be necessary at the two points of departu~:e from the Lake," &c. t t is well known by every person that has been through the route, with any degree of discrimination in such matters~ that no such structures are necessary. The western departure from the Lake is perfectly protected by the form of the shore and 0metepe Island. The eastern departure is the outlet of the Lake, and is as perfect a harbor as can be made~ well known to be perfectly safe for the native bungoes--large open boats navigating the Lake and 2iver from Granada to Greytown at all seasons of the year. ~r. Davis' report bears the marks of a questionable design, b y some person or persons, on whom he depended too much for information concerning this route, who, probably, in the first instance~ suggested the propriety of such a report to some influential member of Congress, for some private speculative purpose. I do not mean to cast any unworthy reflections npon Mr. Davis, who so worthily received the compliment from Congress of being selected to make this report ; but the indications of some special design~ in the manner of treating the description of this route in connection with others, are so plain to any person at all conversant with it, that it would be inconsistent with a proper regard for the true character and condition of the subject, to pass it unnoticed. No country in the world can boast of a more sahbrious, healthful climate, particularly along this route. There is no stagnant water, the river having a uniform descent of about one and a half feet per mile, between the Rapids, except seventeen miles immediately below the lower Rapids, which partakes of the nature of a deep, pure lake, rendering any accumulation of vegetable mud anywhere in the river-bed impossible, while all that may.be deposited on the banks by freshets, is dissipated by the extraordinarily luxuriant growth of vegetation. The delightful scenery ~along this route is not surpassed in any other uncultivated country. The luxuriant vegetation of various species of vines, and numerous varieties of parasites cover every tree in the first stages of decay, so that nothing is presented to the observer but the liveliest shades of living tropical vegetation on every side. Lyons' Falls, N. Y., July 9th, 1868.
105
action of a load of two different intensities corresponding to the greatest and least of the three, such an investigation is unnecessary. (To be continued.)
INTER-OCEANICCOMMUNICATIONBETWEENTHE ATLANTICAND PACIFIC, BY ]~. S. HOWARD, C. E.
THE NICARAGUA ROUTE.
THE natural advantages of this route were so apparent that every one wished to secure them to himself and his associates. Its early history shows that the first notice of it created a bitter controversy, which was kept up until another route, without any natural advantages, had been, by the sacrifice of an extravagant amount of money and human life, successfully established. 4. Nothing can flourish between belligerants. The victory is liable to be won,by the party more skilled in strategy than the science of improving rivers and harbors, which was the ease in this instance. But so much controversy as this route created, naturally raised the value of it in the eyes of the people of Nicaragua, so that now, after it has happened to fall into right hands for successful management~ the government of Nicaragua increases their requirements for the privilege of improving their country, and lessen the exclusive privileges to be granted as equivalent. Thus the matter now stands. Th~ present Transit Company, with Mr. W. tI. W e b b as President, with abundant capital to do anything that may be advisable to be done, only ask a charter that will guard them against any vicious competition, such as the great natural advantages of this route might elicit. The plan of improvement which the Company have adopted, has been so far tested already, that its success scarcely admits of a doubt. They propose, first, to divert water enough from the Colorado the San Juan River twenty miles from the outlet, which leaves ' Carribean coast at Grcytown. This they will do b y dredging at and below the junction of the Colorado. The declivity in the bed of the San Juan, below the junction, being about one and a-half feet per mile, renders it unnecessary to make the excavation more than four or five miles below Von. LVI.--T~I~D SERIES.--I~O. 2.--AUGUST, 1868.
14
106
Civil and Mechanical Engineering.
the junction with the Colorado. By making this about eight feet deep, in the lowest water, and about two hundred yards wide,~putring the material taken out into the Colorado,--will turn water enough down the lower San Juan to open the harbor at Greytown, and afford sufficient water for steamers dr.awing three or four feet at all seasons. For this purpose, the Company have already provided a powerful dredging machine, capable of raising over three thousand (3,000) cubic yards per day of ten hours. This machine is provided with long spouts to run off the excavated material with water, for the purpose of dispensing with lighters, the expense and delay of towing to a place of deposit, &e,, as much as possible, which was done with great success by a similar machine in the construction of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel, in Texas, in 1857-8. The same thing is now being done in the construction of the Suez Canal, mentioned in the June number of this Journal, page 378, by Mons, Lavalley, with the most gratifying results. This gentleman claims the above plan as his special invention. I do not wish to controvert this fact, presuming the idea was original with him, but, in justice to myself, I must say, that I made use of the same device in the construction of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel, as early as 1857, and successfu]ly: completed the work without t h e use of a lighter, excet)t to hold u p the outer end of the spouts. The idea was, then, original with me, whoever might have used it previously. I mention this fact, not to detract from the worldzwide renown of Mons. Lavalley as an eminent engineer, but to claim the greater credit of preceding, in this instance, so successful an originat6r. One great advantage of this route is its measurable availability) to begin with. Throughout the wet season, about half of the year, it is, in its natural state, a better route than any y e t i n use. It moreover affords important facilities for further improvement, so that every dollar properly expended upon it adds immediately to its value. I t is estimated that when three hundred thousand dollars shall have bee~ expended on the the plans adopted by Mr. Webb, that this will successfully compete with any other route that-can be made, short of a ship canal of the largest class. These plans are s o adapted to the natural advantages of this rout% that improvement may. go om until a tlrst-c]ass ship canal shall have been completed, without abandoning anything, at any time, as useless, that may have been done previously, s o that, in the meantime, the navigation will have been improved by every
Inter- Oceanic Communication.
107
d~vs' labor, and every dollar expended during the progress o f the work, rendering loss of interest on capital actually expended, in ease of al.~y unforeseen delay, impossible at any time. The great objection raised to investing money in the improvement of ~this river; is stated to be t'he "movable sands in the bottom." This sand can be excavated and transferred from the San Juan to the Colorado, at less cost than any other material. It is also more readily r6moved: from the channel, b y a judicious application of currents f0r:scouring, than the more faultless materials. There has beerr so much time, talent, and money heretofore expended on rivers of this character, having a limited supply of water, with no resource for adding to or increasing the amount, with little or no success, that: the: improvement of this river is considered almost impossible bytlIc~sewho donor happen to .know and appreciate the exceptional co~fdition here existing, which is an abundant supply of water' at: all seasons, so situated as to be readily controlled. The Rapids, on the upper river, may be improved fdr boats drawing four feet water, without the obstructions of locks and dams, by grading a sufficient channel to an easy ascent, adapted to the requirements of the boats to be used. This may be .done at a trifling expense, compared with that of dams and locks. With the'Rapids and lower river and harbor improved at Greytown, the route is complete to within twelve miles of the Pacific. This part the Company propose to improve, b y t h e construction of a railroad, from Virgin Bay, on the Lake, to ])el Sur, on the Pacific. From the increase of inter;oceanic trade, since the completion of the Panama RailroM, it is reasonable to predict the early necessity of a ship canal, in addition to these improvements. The feasibility of such a w o r k has been made evident from a very exact survey by O. W. Childs, one of the most accurate and skilful engineers of his time. TO 'show that his estimate was ample to 9rgvide for the full completion of the work, I will state that; during the six years he was Chief Engineer of the State of New York, he was never known to under-estimate any work in his charge. His rep0rt"on the Nicaragua Ship Canal was submitted to Cols. Albert,'a,la4 Turnbull, of the Topographical Bureau at Washington, who pronounced it ample for the purpc~se mentioned, and no person had attempted to critic;so his items or question his amounts, until Rear Admiral.Davis made his report on Inter-oceanic Communication, who seems to question it in a way which conveys the idea that a much larger sum than is named in -the estimate will be
108
Civil and MechanicaZ EnSneer~ng.
required. To make this appear, he mentions that t' costly improvemerits, possessing the character of artificial harbors, will be necessary at the two points of departu~:e from the Lake," &c. t t is well known by every person that has been through the route, with any degree of discrimination in such matters~ that no such structures are necessary. The western departure from the Lake is perfectly protected by the form of the shore and 0metepe Island. The eastern departure is the outlet of the Lake, and is as perfect a harbor as can be made~ well known to be perfectly safe for the native bungoes--large open boats navigating the Lake and 2iver from Granada to Greytown at all seasons of the year. ~r. Davis' report bears the marks of a questionable design, b y some person or persons, on whom he depended too much for information concerning this route, who, probably, in the first instance~ suggested the propriety of such a report to some influential member of Congress, for some private speculative purpose. I do not mean to cast any unworthy reflections npon Mr. Davis, who so worthily received the compliment from Congress of being selected to make this report ; but the indications of some special design~ in the manner of treating the description of this route in connection with others, are so plain to any person at all conversant with it, that it would be inconsistent with a proper regard for the true character and condition of the subject, to pass it unnoticed. No country in the world can boast of a more sahbrious, healthful climate, particularly along this route. There is no stagnant water, the river having a uniform descent of about one and a half feet per mile, between the Rapids, except seventeen miles immediately below the lower Rapids, which partakes of the nature of a deep, pure lake, rendering any accumulation of vegetable mud anywhere in the river-bed impossible, while all that may.be deposited on the banks by freshets, is dissipated by the extraordinarily luxuriant growth of vegetation. The delightful scenery ~along this route is not surpassed in any other uncultivated country. The luxuriant vegetation of various species of vines, and numerous varieties of parasites cover every tree in the first stages of decay, so that nothing is presented to the observer but the liveliest shades of living tropical vegetation on every side. Lyons' Falls, N. Y., July 9th, 1868.