Loading your reading…

Is a Ship Canal Practicable?: Notes, Historical and Statistical, Upon the Projected Routes for an Interoceanic Ship Canal Between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, in Which is Included a Short Account of the Character and Influence of the Canal of Suez, and the Probable Effects Upon the Commerce of the World of the Two Canals, Regarded Either as Rivals, or as Parts of One System of Interoceanic Navigation — John Shaqi

History

Is a Ship Canal Practicable?: Notes, Historical and Statistical, Upon the Projected Routes for an Interoceanic Ship Canal Between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, in Which is Included a Short Account of the Character and Influence of the Canal of Suez, and the Probable Effects Upon the Commerce of the World of the Two Canals, Regarded Either as Rivals, or as Parts of One System of Interoceanic Navigation

Name: Is a Ship Canal Practicable?: Notes, Historical and Statistical, Upon the Projected Routes for an Interoceanic Ship Canal Between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, in Which is Included a Short Account of the Character and Influence of the Canal of Suez, and the Probable Effects Upon the Commerce of the World of the Two Canals, Regarded Either as Rivals, or as Parts of One System of Interoceanic Navigation
Author: Abert, S. T. (Silvanus Thayer)

Abert, S. T. (Silvanus Thayer)

Canals, Interoceanic

“It is to the Isthmus of Darien,” says Admiral Davis, “that we must
look for a solution of the question of an interoceanic ship canal.” And
he quotes from Airian, “who has made a careful study of this subject,”
the assertion that, “with regard to the Cordillera, in proportion as it
advances, proceeding from the base of the Isthmus, it descends a good
deal, and is only, so to speak, a range of hills or isolated peaks, the
bases of which are intersected by ravines, which point out to engineers
the true route of the canal. The Indians in the neighborhood of
Caledonia Bay make use of these passages. One of them is elevated fifty
metres (164 feet), and is covered with a luxuriant growth of mahogany,
palm, ebony, and other trees.” “This description,” Admiral Davis
remarks, “is not based on actual measurement, but from probabilities
deduced from M. Garella’s survey of another part of the Isthmus, and
from data, equally conjectural, drawn from the published statements of
Messrs. Cullen and Gisborne.”

A thorough exploration may justify this conjecture, but no data
exists for fixing the absolute altitude at 164 feet. The value of the
statements of Messrs. Cullen and Gisborne may be contested.

It will be seen from the altitude given in the table below, that
however correct in point of fact these opinions may be, they are not
sustained by the figures taken from the maps accompanying the Admiral’s
report:

        _Table showing the length of Railroads and Canals,
            length of Tunnels, altitudes of Summits, estimated
            cost of some of the lines proposed for uniting the
            two Oceans, from actual surveys_:
    ═══════════════════════╤═══════╤════════════╤════════╤═════════
                           │       │   LENGTH   │ LENGTH │ALTITUDES
           ROUTES.         │LENGTH.│   TO BE    │   OF   │   OF
                           │       │CONSTRUCTED.│TUNNELS.│ SUMMIT.
    ───────────────────────┼───────┼────────────┼────────┼─────────
                           │ MILES │   MILES    │ MILES  │  FEET
    Tehuantepec            │  190  │            │        │   855
         “                 │       │            │        │   843
    Honduras               │  234  │    234     │        │  2956
    Nicaragua to Realijo   │  298  │    160     │        │   174
        “     “  Brito     │  194  │            │        │   600
    Panama                 │   53⅔ │            │ 3.7    │   459
      “                    │   48  │     48     │        │   280
    San Blas               │   30  │            │ 7      │  1500
    Darien to San Miguel   │   42  │            │ 7 to 8 │   980
      “          “         │       │            │        │  1020
      “    Lara to Sucubti │       │            │        │   610?
    Atrato to Humboldt Bay │  126  │            │ 3½     │
      “          “      “  │  149⅔ │     52⅔    │ 2½     │   970
      “    to Cupica       │       │            │        │

No reviews yet