INTEROCEANIC SHIP CANAL. One of the greatest schemes to facilitate the commerce of the world is the project for the construction Of a slip canal across the isthmus joining North and South America—a scheme which has been contemplated since an early period in the history of America. In the search for a shorter route to India, Columbus discovered land which be thought part of Asia. but the explorations of Balboa disproved this and re-presented the old problem. The isthmus was an obstacle which enterprising men thought to remove by cutting a canal. In 1528 Galva°, a Spaniard, proposed to Charles V. an artificial water-way, and the latter, in 1534, directed Cortez to locate a route, and surveys were subsequently made. ,Gomara suggested three routes in 1551, one via Nicaragua; and another Spaniard explored the isthmus in 1567 under the patronage of Philip II. In 1695 William Paterson projected with royal favor an expedition to colonize Darien and cut a canal across the isthmus, but the enterprise failed. A number of explorations and plans were made after this by men of different nationalities, and, in 1804, Humboldt published a discussion of the various canal routes which aroused new interest; and, as commerce increased, the importance of the problem became still lucre evident, and many projectors arose in the chief maritime nations.
In 1825 the Central American republic sought the co-op2ration of the United States in the construction of a canal via Nicaragua. and a contract was made,, but the neces sary capital was not subscribed. The scheme was resuscitated in 1831. Many persons have recently cited the Monroe doctrine as a reason why the canal should not be built by foreign capitalists, an objection which, in the tight of the enactments of both houses of congress in 1835 and '39, constitutes a grave misapplication of the spirit of that doc trine. The more cosmopolitan views, together with liberal legislation and the Clayton Bulwer treaty with Great Britain in 1850, favor, first, the construction of the canal by any individuals or companies willing to undertake it; secondly, the contemplation of the work as international in character; thirdly, the formation of treaties with other nations which would guarantee the perpetual neutrality of the canal. Since 1864 every part of the isthmus which appeared feasible as the route of a canal with or without locks has been explored by Americans at public or private expense, while in a number of cases all the requisite data have been collected for the estimation of length, excava tions in earth and rock, tunneling, location of locks and dams, and the improvement of harbors. After a number of explorations of the isthmus by French engineers, M. Ferdi nand de Lcsseps, the projector of the Suez Canal, and M. Henry Bioune sent invitations to chambers of commerce and scientific societies, requesting them to send representa tives to a congress to„be held in Paris discuss the, various piercing the isthmus, which had been elaborated by American and French engineers. It was hoped that by these means the best route might he decided upon, and that then capital would be invested and the work vigorously prosecuted. One hundred and thirty-five engineers. statisticians, and scientists met at Paris, May 15, 1879, and formed the congress, of which M. de Lesseps was chosen president.
A short sketch will first be given of the work of the congress and the projects pre sented, after which a few observations will be made upon the results. Five committees
were appointed:—I. The committee upon• statistics, to consider the probable traffic of the canal, the tonnage, etc. In the opinion of these gentlemen a canal without locks would be profitable, while a canal with locks would not. At $3 per ton, a minimum annual traffic of 6,000,000 tons would he necessary—equivalent to 8 ships of 2;050 tons daily—to pay ordinary dividends. They stated the probable maximum limit of the actual traffic to be 24 ships in one day, but thought a capacity of 50 ships per day desir able; 4,830,000 tons would naturally have passed through the canal in 1876, had it been built. It was calculated that the canal could be finished in 1887, and that the tonnage would aggregate 7,250,000 tons the first year. 11. The committee upon economical and commercial questions considered the saving to each country in cost of transportation, the new markets which would be opened, and similar questions. The distance by water from European ports to all the ports of the Pacific ocean, from the cities on the Atlantic coasts to the cities on the Pacific coasts of America and to the vast countries on the coasts of Asia, eastern Africa, and the islands of the Pacific, would be extraordi narily shortened. It would no longer be necessary for the guano and niter of South America and the wheat of California to delay in the calms of the equinox, or to brave the storms of Cape Horn. The great vegetable and mineral resources of the Pacific South American states and of Central America would naturally be greatly developed. The larger part of the tonnage would be that of ships of the United States. HI. The committee upon navigation discussed the effect of the canal upon naval architecture, the effect of currents of wind and water upon traffic and the canal, and cognate topics. They recommended that the canal should have a minimum depth of 27.2 ft., a breadth at the bottom of 82 ft., at the top of 229.6 ft., and in rock excavations a breadth at the surface of 98.4 feet. Locks should be 72.2 ft. wide and 492 ft. long, and so distributed that 50 vessels per day could pass. IV. The committee upon technical questions exam ined different routes, estimates of cost of building, working, maintenance, and repairs; they also considered the safety and speed of navigation in the harbors and canal, They recommended the adoption of the tide-water route without locks, extending from the gulf of Simon to the bay of Panama; this is commonly called the Panama route. V. The committee upon ways and means calculated the cost at $120,000,000, the gross annual revenue at $18,000,000, and the total capital required at $150,000,000. The cost of maintenance was estimated at $1,200,000 per annum, and a royalty of 5 per cent of the gross earnings would be due the United States of Colombia. All were in favor of the strict neutrality of the canal. At the close of the session a vote was taken upon the report of the technical committee, which was accepted with the following vote: yeas, 75; nays, 8; abstained from voting, 16; absent. 36; total, 135. Eight projects were presented to the technical committee, of which a short description is given. The width of the isthmus in the vicinity of Panania, which is the narrowest part, is 34.17 m. when measured in a straight line. The Panama railroad crosses the Cordilleras through the pass at Culebra, which is 285.4 ft. above the sea-level.