Congress then provided for a new commission, popularly known as the Walker Commission, to continue the investigation, with a view of mak ing c•omnplete plans for the entire work of con structing the canal. The members selected were Rear-Admiral John 0. Walker, IT.S.N.; Prof. Lewis Al. Haupt, C.E.: and Col. P. C. Rains, U.S.A. With a large corps of engineers, geolo gists, and other experts, the commission visited Nicaragua in December, 1897, and made a full examination of the topographical, geological, and hydrographie conditions of the country, reporting in May, 1899, that in their judgment the cost of constructing the canal from Greytown to Brito, by way of the Lull route east of the lake and by way of the Childs route west of it, would not exceed $118,113„790. Colonel Hairs, who concurred in the report, estimated the cost at $134,818,308. In the meantime, interest in the old Panama canal project having been aroused WI account of the favorable report of an interna tional commission of experts. it was decided that nothing further should be done toward the con struction of a canal by way of the Nicaraguan route until the whole question of canal possibili ties had been investigated by a larger commIssion of experts. Congress accordingly, in March, 1899, provided for a new commission to under take the task of 'finding the route.' The mem bers appointed by President McKinley were Rear Admiral Walker, Colonel Rains, and Professor Haupt of the Nicaragua Commission; ex-Senator Pasco of Florida. Alfred Noble C.E.. George S. Morrison of New York. l'rof. W. H. Burr of Columbia University, Lieut.-Col. 0. H. Ernst, U.S.A., and Prof. Emory It. Johnson of Penn sylvania. After an exhaustive investigation of all the proposed routes on the entire Isthmus from Nicaragua to (.oloinhia, the commission re ported, November, 1901, unanimously in favor of t he Nicaraguan route as "the most practicable and feasible," chiefly on account of the financial dif ficulties in the way of acquiring the property and franchises of the Panama Canal Company. The
Panama Company now removed this dillieulty by offering to sell its property and franchises to the 1"nited States for $40.000.000, the valuation which the Canal Commission had placed upon the work already done on the Panama route. The commission thereupon in a supplementary report reeommended the acceptance of the offer. Al ready in May. 1900, the House of Representatives had by a vote of 225 to 35 passed a bill for the construction of a canal by way of the Nicara guan route, which, however, the Senate had re fused to accept. In January, 1902, the House repassed this bill by a vote of 307 to 2. Shortly thereafter came the supplementary report of the Canal Commission recommending the purchase of the Panama Company's property and franchises. This led the Senate to hold up the House bill for further consideration of the Panama scheme. Finally it refused to accept the Nicaragua plan, and after three months of debate the two Houses, largely influenced by the volcanic occur rences ill the Caribbean' region, agreed upon the Panama route, with the understanding that the Nicaraguan route should be reverted to in case a satisfactory title 'could not be secured to the Panama property and the necessary territory from the Government of Colombia. ln such case the President was authorized to begin negotia tions with the Government of Nicaragua for the necessary concessions, and to construct the canal at a cost not exceeding 8180,000,000.
Ilmmomi.truv. Keasby, Early Diplomatic His tory of the Nicaragua Canal (Newark, 1890) ; Snow, Topics in American Diplomacy ( Boston, 1S94); Report of Nicaragua Canal Commission 1897-1899 (Baltimore, 1899) ; Report of Isth mian Canal Commission 18994901 (Washington, 1901) ; Moore, Digest of International Laic. (ib., 1903) ; and Reports of Explorations of Sur reys. by 7'. 0. Selfridge (ib.. 1874). See Map of CENTRAL AMERICA; See also PANAMA CANAL.