B 428475

ARTES
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VERITAS
LIBRARY
SCIENTIA
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
TUEROR
SI-QUÆRIS-PENINSULAM AMⱭNAM)
CIRCUMSPICE



Гом. Эко. Ч. Жапе
With Compliments of

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1896
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54TH CONGRESS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. ( DOCUMENT
No. 279.
1st Session.
MANICARAGUA CANAL.
MESSAGE
FROM THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
TRANSMITTING
THE REPORT OF THE BOARD OF ENGINEERS FOR THE PURPOSE OF
ASCERTAINING THE FEASIBILITY, PERMANENCE, AND COST OF
CONSTRUCTION AND COMPLETION OF THE NICARAGUA
CANAL BY THE ROUTE CONTEMPLATED AND PRO-
VIDED FOR BY THE ACT WHICH PASSED
THE SENATE JANUARY 28, 1895.
WASHINGTON:
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.
1896.
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54TH CONGRESS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. § Document
1st Session.
No. 279.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
MESSAGE
FROM THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,
TRANSMITTING
The report of the Board of Engineers for the purpose of ascertaining the
feasibility, permanence, and cost of construction and completion of the
Nicaragua Canal by the route contemplated and provided for by the act
which passed the Senate January 28, 1895.
FEBRUARY 7, 1896.-Referred to the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce,
MARCII 4, 1896.-Ordered to be printed.
To the House of Representatives:
Pursuant to the request made in a House resolution passed on the
30th day of January, 1896, I herewith transmit the report, with accom-
panying maps and exhibits, of the Board of Engineers under the pro-
visions of chapter 189, of laws of 1895, for the purpose of ascertaining
the feasibility, permanence, and cost of the construction and completion
of the Nicaragua Canal by the route contemplated and provided for by
the act which passed the Senate January 28, 1895, entitled "An act to
amend an act entitled 'An act to incorporate the Maritime Canal Com-
pany of Nicaragua,' approved February 20, 1889."
GROVER CLEVELAND,
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CONTENTS.
Letter of transmittal..
Instructions by Secretary of State..
Extract from act approved March 2, 1895.
General physical description.
Characteristics of Nicaragua Basin.
Harbors
Rainfall and drainage.
Climate
General description of the canal project.
The Childs project, 1852.
The Lull project, 1873.
The Canal Company's project, 1890.
Mr. Menocal's project, 1885.
Regulation of summit level..
Greytown Harbor...
Page.
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12
13
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16
16
17
19
19
20
21
22
26
33
38
Constructions by the company
Greytown Harbor to Ochoa
Greytown Harbor to Lock No. 1.
Lock No. 1 to the East Divide..
East Divide
East Divide to San Juan River
San Francisco embankments
Railroad and telegraph lines
The Ochoa Dam..
Descriptions of rock-fill dams.
The San Carlos ridge..
The San Juan River.
Lake Nicaragua..
Canal entrance, west side of lake
Lake Nicaragua to Brito
Brito Harbor
Additional surveys and examinations
Conclusions..
Coast of work and estimates..
Climatic and labor conditions
Unit prices
Table of estimates
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42
43
46
47
47
50
51
51
66
70
72
78
82
85
89
89
90
96
BAKAJNJARIJS,
APPENDIXES.
A. Minutes of the Board, April-November, 1895.
B. Correspondence with Canal Company.
C. Record of river gaugings.
D. Summary of water-gauge readings.
E. Record of rainfall observations.
F. Report of F. P. Davis on Serapiqui reconnoissance.
G. Table of unit prices used in former estimates.
H. Notes on volcanoes and earthquakes in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, by Prof.
Henri Pittier.
I. Report on final location of the canal, by the chief engineer, January 31, 1890.
K. The Nicaragua Canal, by A. G. Menocal, Columbian Water Congress, Chicago,
1893.
L. Report of the board of consulting engineers, May 9, 1889.
M. Canal Company's specifications for dredging in canal and harbors.
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LIST OF PLATES.
Plate I, tracing: General plan of canal project.
II, tracing: Sheet 1 of eastern division, Greytown Harbor, 1891, by Canal Com-
pany.
III, tracing: Sheet 2 of eastern division, from Plate II to Lock 1.
IV, tracing: Sheet 3 of eastern division, Lock 1 to divide.
V, tracing: Sheet 4 of eastern division, divide to Rio San Francisco.
VI, tracing: Sheet 5 of eastern division, Rio San Francisco to San Juan River.
VII, tracing: Sheet 6 of eastern division, San Juan River to San Carlos River.
VIII, tracing: Sheet 4 of western division, Lake Nicaragua to Guiscoyol Creek.
IX, tracing: Sheet 3 of western division, Guiscoyol Creek to Guachapilin Creek.
X, tracing: Sheet 2 of western division, Guachapilin Creek to Tola Dam.
XI, tracing: Sheet 1 of western division, Tola Dam to Brito Harbor.
XII, tracing: Borings at site of La Flor Dam.
XIII, tracing: Greytown Harbor, from Peacock's survey of 1832.
XIV, tracing: Greytown Harbor, from West's survey of 1865.
XV, tracing: Greytown Harbor, from Miller's survey of 1872.
XVI, tracing: Greytown Harbor, from Passmore & Climie's survey of 1884.
XVII, tracing: Greytown Harbor, from Maxwell's survey of 1888.
XVIII, tracing: Greytown Harbor, from Nicaragua Canal Board of 1895.
XIX, tracing: Brito Harbor, from Childs's survey of 1850.
XX, tracing: Brito Harbor, from Maxwell's survey of 1888.
XXI, tracing: San Juan River, from survey by West in 1865.
XXII, tracing: Reconnoissance near Serapiqui River under direction of the Nica-
ragua Canal Board, 1895.
XXIIA, tracing: Company's sections of canal, embankments, and sluices.
XXIII, profile: Eastern division of canal.
XXIV, profile: River division of canal.
XXV, profile: Western division of canal.
XXVI, profile: San Francisco ridge line.
XXVII, profile: San Carlos ridge line.
XXVIII, profile: San Juan River.
XXIX, profile: Western division, location on south side of Rio Grande Valley.
XXX, profile: Railroad, eastern division.
XXXI, profile: Railroad, western division.
XXXII, profile: Gauge readings of San Juan River.
XXXIII, profile: Gauge readings of various streams.
XXXIV, profile: Meteorological observations.
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REPORT
OF THE
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD.
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LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
New York, October 31, 1895.
The PRESIDENT.
(Through the State Department):
The Board of Engineers appointed pursuant to a provision in the
act of Congress approved March 2, 1895, has the honor to submit here-
with its report, accompanied by appendixes and maps, illustrative of
the major features of the Nicaragua Canal project.
The act required personal inspection by the Board of the route of
the canal. This was made in the months of May and June, and the
Board desires to express its obligations to the honorable the Secretary
of the Navy for the use of the U. S. S. Montgomery as a means of trans-
portation to and from Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Colombia, as well as
for authorizing the detail of a naval medical officer to accompany and
attend the Board and its party, and to the commanding and other offi-
cers of the Montgomery for continuing courtesies.
The survey of the anchorage and approaches to Greytown Harbor,
made under the direction of Commander Davis, by Lieutenant Lyman
and his associates, has been of great value to the Board in preparing
its report.
Sailing from Mobile May 7, and arriving at Greytown, Nicaragua,
May 13, the Board was received at the wharf by United States Consul
O'Hara, by the comandante, General Rivas, and by two commissioners,
Don Maximiliano Sonnenstern and Mr. Julius Wiest, representing the
minister of public works, with instructions to aid aud cooperate with
the Board in its investigations.
Throughout Nicaragua the Board was received with marked atten-
tion by the State officials, was given a special audience by the President
and his cabinet at Managua May 28, and was granted the free use of the
State telegraph and of the Government vessel on Lake Nicaragua.
At Greytown the Board made a full and careful examination of the
entire locality, surveyed the shore lines preliminary to the hydrographic
survey by the officers of the Montgomery, and inspected the company's
works, including the pier, the three-fourths mile of canal, and the 113
miles of railroad, and May 21 left in the river boat for the inspection of
the San Juan, lightering over the Machuca, Castillo, and Toro Rapids,
and stopping over at Castillo and Fort San Carlos, on the lake shore,
where the San Juan was gauged and other observations made. Thence
by lake to Granada, the survey party stopping off at Rivas, to prepare
for the inspection of the western division.
Returning from Managua, the Board left Rivas May 29 for Brito, on
horse and mule back, provisions and camp equipage going by ox carts.
May 30 made examination of Brito Harbor, and returning went over the
canal route thoroughly, in part on foot, to the mouth of the Rio Lajas
on the lake.
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NICARAGUA CANAL.
June 5 inspected the harbor between Ometepe Island and the shore
by means of the Government steamer El 93, and June 6 left Rivas for
the return trip across the lake and down the river to Ochoa.
At Ochoa, June 9, the Board was met by Prof. Henri Pittier, of Costa
Rica, who had been deputed by the President of that State to furnish
all facilities possible for travel and information as to matters within
the Costa Rica jurisdiction.
The Board is specially indebted to Professor Pittier for valuable
information recently received with reference to volcanic and seismic
phenomena in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, which might by possibility
affect the permanence and stability of canal work, and his communica-
tion forms one of the appendixes to this report.
June 9 the Board and party left on foot for the journey through the
forest, over the line of tlie San Carlos Ridge, and both the canal and
embankment lines of the entire eastern division, gauging the streams
and noting everything of interest in connection with the canal route,
and arrived back at Greytown on the evening of June 18.
June 19 took the river boat and inspected the Lower San Juan and
the Colorado River and mouth, and after further surveys of the Grey-
town Lagoon and an inspection of the company's buildings, sailed in
the Montgomery, June 24, for Port Limon, Costa Rica.
Messrs. Davis and Stanford, of the Board's party, were left in Nica-
ragua, with instructions to make an examination of the vicinity of the
Serapiqui River, to ascertain, if possible, the probabilities of finding
sites for low dams. Mr. Davis's report is one of the accompanying
appendixes.
From Port Limon the Board inspected the Costa Rica Railroad,
en route to San Jose, where the courtesies and hospitalities extended
by the President and the gentlemen of his cabinet command most
grateful remembrance.
To the Hon. Lewis Baker, United States minister, and to M. C.
Keith, esq., who built the Costa Rica Railway, the Board is indebted
for valuable aid and information.
Before returning to the United States, the Board deemed it needful,
as a means of ascertaining the stability of canal work in Central Amer-
ica, to make an examination of the present condition of the Panama
Canal, and procured valuable evidence, corroborating observations in
Nicaragua and Costa Rica, of unexpected permanence of embankments
and excavations under a tropical rainfall.
At Colon the Board was greatly indebted to United States Consul
J. L. Pearcy, and to Col. A. L. Rives, manager of the Panama Railroad,
for unremitting hospitality, attention, and cooperation. The gentlemen
representing the engineer staff of the canal company kindly gave the
Board the use of steam launches both at Colon and Panama, for the
examination of the sea level sections of the canal.
Returning to New York in the Montgomery July 21, the Board has
since been engaged in the arduous task of a full and careful investiga-
tion of the canal company's records and data, representing a formidable
accumulation-the work of many years.
The Board desires to take occasion to express its sincere obligation
to the officers of the canal company for their ready and unfailing dispo
sition to aid in every way in the investigation. The records have been
placed freely and fully at the Board's disposal, and every facility given
for their examination.
In its inspection of the canal route, the Board had the advantage
of being accompanied by the chief engineer and an assistant, and it was
NICARAGUA CANAL.
9
found that the company had not only opened up the entire canal line
ready for inspection, but had provided camps in the eastern division,
provisioned them, and engaged a number of native porters. Every
need of the Board for full inspection had been, as far as possible, antici-
pated, largely through the exertions of the official representative of the
company at Managua.
It should be said at once that had it not been for the trouble taken
and the large expense assumed by the company in making the arrange-
ments indicated, the Board would have found itself, with the means
furnished by the appropriation, crippled at the outset, as the clearing
of the route and the construction and provisioning of camps would have
drawn heavily upon both its time and its resources, and left little of
either for the later investigations in New York and the preparation of
the report.
The Board is aware, better perhaps than anyone else can be, of the
inadequacy of its discussion of the features of the canal project.
The subject is one of great magnitude, and, before sound opinions
could be formed, the entire matter had to be thoroughly studied and
the great mass of data, some of it confused and some of it discrepant,
formulated, recorded, and as far as possible digested.
The Board received its commissions at the hands of the honorable
the Secretary of State April 25, and the act required the report to be
made to the President on or before November 1. The interval since
the return to the United States, July 21, has been devoted to unremit
ting labor, and no endeavor has been spared to make the information
furnished in the report as complete as the circumstances permitted.
That it is imperfect the Board regrets, and in justification can but
plead the magnitude of the undertaking, the limited time and means
available, and the lack of necessary data.
The act of Congress and the instructions from the State Department,
of which copies are appended, are precise as to the scope of the inves-
tigation to be made by the Board. It was the "feasibility, permanence,
and cost of the construction and completion of the canal" that was its
clearly defined object, and it was the actual canal route itself, with possi-
ble deviations, and the "plans, profiles, sections, prisms, and specifica-
tions for its various parts" that the Board was to investigate.
This phraseology left no doubt as to the nature of the Board's duties.
They were purely professional, and limited to the consideration of engi-
neering data, and the Board has endeavored to the best of its ability,
and in the light of the responsibilities imposed, to discharge the duties
intrusted to it.
WILLIAM LUDLOW,
Lieutenant-Colonel, Corps of Engineers, United States Army.
MORDECAI T. ENDICOTT,
Civil Engineer, United States Navy.
ALFRED NOBLE,
Civil Engineer.
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LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE.
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
Washington, April 25, 1895.
GENTLEMEN: Pursuant to the provisions of that part of the sundry
civil appropriation act (Public, No. 122) approved March 2, 1895, con-
stituting a board of three engineers, to be appointed by the President,
to make the survey and examination necessary in order to ascertain
the feasibility, permanence, and cost of the construction and completion
of the Nicaragua Ship Canal by a certain route mentioned in the act,
and to consider the plans, specifications, and estimates therefor under
such arrangements and regulations as shall be made by the Secretary
of State with the approval of the President, you have been appointed
by the President, who has selected you on account of your well-known
fitness for the important work; and it is incumbent upon me, as Sec-
retary of State, to communicate to you the following instructions, which
have been approved by the President, for the guidance of the Board:
1. The Board will proceed to New York and there examine the engi-
neering and other cognate data relative to the proposed ship canal
which may be found of record in the office of the Interoceanic Canal
Company or elsewhere.
2. Upon completion of this work, the Board will proceed to San Juan
del Norte (Greytown), Nicaragua, by such means as are or may be
made available, and personally inspect the route of the proposed canal
and the termini thereof, and make such further examinations and veri-
fications of data as shall be deemed necessary.
3. Upon the completion of its work in the field, the Board will return
to the United States and engage in the preparation of its report in
accordance with the requirements of the act.
4. For the prosecution of its work, and to facilitate to the utmost the
procurement and formulation of the necessary data within the pre-
scribed limits of time and within the appropriation provided by the
act, the Board is authorized to purchase in open market such materials,
including instruments, field outfit, provisions, and other supplies, as in
its judgment are desirable and necessary for the purposes of the pre-
scribed survey and examination, and to employ such skilled and other
assistance as it may deem essential, and to pay such rates of compen-
sation therefor as may be deemed proper.
5. The President has fixed the compensation of the members of the
Board at $5,000 each in full of all services rendered under their appoint-
ment, as provided in the act.
6. An itemized account of all disbursements, with proper vouchers,
will be submitted through the Department of State for audit; and
Bvt. Lieut. Col. William Ludlow, major, Corps of Engineers, United
States Army, is hereby designated to act as the disbursing officer of
the Board and to make requisition for funds and to account for the
same.
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NICARAGUA CANAL.
7. A copy of so much of the act as relates to this subject is anuexed
for the guidance of the Board, attention being specially called to the
requirement that it shall make report to the President on or before
November 1, 1895.
I am, gentlemen, your obedient servant,
Bvt. Lieut. Col. WILLIAM LUDLOW, U. S. A.,
Civil Engineer M. T. ENDICOTT, U. S. N., and
ALFRED NOBLE, Esq.,
W. Q. GRESHAM.
Board to Survey and Examine the Nicaragua Canal Route,
Washington, D. C.
[Extract from act approved March 2, 1895.]
For the purpose of ascertaining the feasibility, permanence, and cost of the con-
struction and completion of Nicaragua Canal by the route contemplated and pro-
vided for by an act which passed the Senate January twenty-eighth, eighteen hundred
and ninety-five, entitled "An act to amend the act entitled 'An act to incorporate
the Maritime Canal Company of Nicaragua,' approved February twentieth, eighteen
hundred and eighty-nine," twenty thousand dollars, to be expended under the direc-
tion of the Secretary of State.
And a Board of three engineers is hereby constituted to make the survey and exami-
nation necessary for such ascertainment; said Board to be selected and appointed by
the President of the United States; one from the Corps of Engineers of the United
States Army, one from the Engineers of the Navy, and one from civil life; and the
compensation of the members of said Board shall be fixed by the President, not to
exceed five thousand dollars each, including such pay as the engineers so selected are
receiving, for the time they are employed, from the Government. And the said Board,
under such arrangements and regulations as shall be made by the Secretary of State,
with the approval of the President of the United States, shall visit and personally
inspect the route of the said canal, examine and consider the plans, profiles, sections,
prisms, and specifications for its various parts, and report thereon to the President;
and should they ascertain that any deviation from the general line of the proposed
route is desirable they shall so state in their findings and conclusions with regard
thereto in their report.
And said Board shall make their report on or before November first, eighteen hun-
dred and ninety-five, and the appropriation shall be immediately available.
کے
REPORT OF THE NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD.
GENERAL PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NICARAGUA BASIN.
The cordillera or mountain ridge that divides the Pacific drainage
from that of the Atlantic, having crossed the northwest boundary of
the State of Nicaragua and reached a point about 35 miles north of
Lake Managua, separates into two branches.
The eastern divide, continuing the general southeast course, parallel
with the northeast shore of Lake Nicaragua, and 20 miles distant from
it, bears directly toward Greytown, on the Caribbean coast, sending a
spur across the San Juan Valley at Ochoa, and terminates on the bor-
ders of the San Juan delta.
The western divide, first inclining southwest for about 50 miles toward
the Pacific, heads Lake Managua, and thence goes southeast parallel
with the Pacific coast, at an average distance of 10 miles, to connect
with the main divide in the high ranges of Costa Rica.
The rectangular basin, inclosed on three sides by the two divides, has
a length northwest and southeast of, roughly, 200 miles, with an aver-
age width of about 60 miles, and an approximate area of 12,000 square
miles, covering Lakes Managua and Nicaragua and the territory draining
into them.
There are no maps of Nicaragua based on accurate surveys, and
scarcely any two agree. The distances, areas, etc., noted may, there-
fore, be considerably in error.
Lake Managua has a length of about 35 miles and a maximum width
of 20, and discharges into Lake Nicaragua across the neck of land 14
miles wide that separates them, through the Tipitapa River, which has
a length of 23 miles and a fall of about 25 feet from one lake to the
other.
During the dry season the visible outflow from Lake Managua dis-
appears and the bed of the Tipitapa is dry, and such surplus of supply
over evaporation as may exist must escape through fissures in the rocky
bed.
Lake Nicaragua has a length of 110 miles and a maximum width of
45, and an area of about 2,700 square miles.
The only outlet for the drainage of the basin is the San Juan River,
which leaves Lake Nicaragua near its southeast end, and flowing par-
allel with the east divide range, at an average distance of 12 or 14 miles,
sweeps round its southeast termination and discharges through the sev-
eral channels of the delta which it has built out into the Caribbean Sea.
The San Juan is a fine stream of large volume even at low water,
an average width of 300 yards and total length of 120 miles, flowing
between stable banks clad with dense tropical vegetation, and is nav-
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NICARAGUA CANAL.
igable for river steamers throughout its length, with the exception of
some rapids in the upper portion that at low stages interrupt the pas-
sage of boats.
The valley of the San Juan on the north is limited by the east divide
until the head of the delta is reached. It is therefore narrow and hilly
and the affluents small. On the south side the conditions are reversed.
The drainage area is bounded by the lofty crest line of the Costa Rican
range 40 or 50 miles distant, the streams are large and torrential and
in times past have brought down great quantities of sand and volcanic
detritus.
In the upper reaches between the rapids the current is moderate, the
bottom firm, and the water clear, but these characteristics change from
where the San Carlos comes in, below which the bed of the San Juan
River is of sand and the current turbid and strong.
The main volume of the river reaches the sea through the Colorado,
leaving little more than 10 per cent to reach Greytown by way of the
Lower San Juan.
Lake Nicaragua is notable for its generous dimensions, for the mod-
erate elevation of its surface above sea level, and for the proximity of
its west shore to that of the Pacific. The strip of land separating them
is at the narrowest but 12 miles across, and at one point on the divide
the elevation, 154 feet above sea level, is less than at any other that
has been discovered on the isthmus.
These facts, in conjunction with the navigability of the San Juan
River, which furnishes access to the lake from the Caribbean and per-
mits vessels to reach a point so near to the Pacific, have from the ear-
liest times attracted attention and given prominence to the Nicaragua
route as a feasible means of communication across the isthmus.
The surface elevation of the lake, considering its large area and the
capacity of the San Juan River to discharge the surplus waters of the
drainage basin, varies within rather wide limits. The mean low stage
has been taken at about 102 feet above mean sea level. It has been
observed at 110 feet as a high stage, indicating a range of 8 feet, but
from reliable data gathered by the Board its surface has been as low
as 961 and as high as 111, an extreme range of 143 feet. These varia-
tions no doubt correspond to variations of rainfall which, in the Tropics
as elsewhere, has its recurring periods of maxima and minima through
terms of years, but of which there is no sufficient record, any more
than of the oscillation of the lake, to enable the cyclic laws of sequence
to be ascertained. These data are of importance in connection with
the use of the lake as the summit level of a canal system, as affecting
the design and construction of the depending works, and the consider-
ation of future probabilities.
The lake has not been surveyed either for coast line or hydrography,
but enough is known to warrant the conclusion that its general depth
is ample for all purposes of navigation. A sounding of 109 feet is
shown off Ometepe, which would put at least a portion of its bed near
the sea level. At the southeast end, behind the Solentiname group, the
shores are low and the lake becomes shallow, with a soft bottom. At
14 miles from shore the soundings show 22 feet at mean low lake, dimin-
ishing to 6 feet a mile from Fort San Carlos, where the San Juan has
its outlet.
The coasts on both sides are, in general, rocky, the east side being the
bolder, rising toward the 1,000 and 2,000 feet elevations of the east
divide. Toward the northwest end of the lake the mountain of Mom-
bacho occupies the shore and overlooks the city of Granada.
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The prevalent wind is the east northeast trade, blowing across the
isthmus from the Caribbean Sea and causing a moderate surf on the
west shore. It varies in strength from calm to fresh, with occasional
squalls and shifts of wind. Little is known of the force and direction
of storms. If such occur, they must be of brief duration and no great
violence, as there is no evidence at any point of severe wave action.
The crib piers, loosely built of notched logs and half filled with stone,
that do duty as wharves at San Jorge and Granada, would not stand
an hour's blow on Lake Michigan, and the calm and shallow expanse
at the lower end of the lake negatives any suggestion of a heavy sea
from the northwest.
Numerous islands are distributed about the lake, some of them of
considerable dimensions. The most conspicuous lies within a few miles
of the west shore, about midway of the lake, with a length of 20 miles.
From either end the superb cones of Ometepe and Madera rise to an
altitude of a mile above sea level, dominating the landscape in every
direction and incidentally furnishing excellent harborage between
island and shore.
The pure and symmetrical concave outlines of Ometepe, its lower
third buried in verdure, its steep upper slopes of sand and ash, pale-
green and brown, according to the light, its pointed summit and
plume of cloud trailing toward the Pacific, with heavier belts of vapor
encircling it below, forming and dispersing with frequent changes, and
gradually settling toward the base at nightfall, make a picture of sur-
passing beauty and interest. From the shore or lake its altitude can
not be realized, and only from the interior, looking over an intervening
elevation, is a true idea gained of the scale on which it is constructed.
Fourteen miles northwest of Ometepe is another mountain island,
Zapatera, where numerous ancient and gigantic stone images are found
concealed in the heavy forest.
The geologic history of the Nicaraguan basin is obscure. Glacial
action, submergence, emergence, volcanic eruptions, and seismic con-
vulsions have all played their part in the tumultuous and chaotic past,
to confuse the record and puzzle the observer of to-day. There is good
reason to believe that, so far as the more violent phenomena are con-
cerned, which were centralized along the line bordering the Pacific, now
marked by the range of peaks at frequent intervals, the forces that
produced them are practically exhausted. The latest volcanic outburst
of any moment was one hundred and twenty-five years ago, when the
volcano of Masaya, 15 miles northwest of Granada, poured a stream of
lava 10 miles toward Managua. Momotombo, rising 6,000 feet above
sea, on the north shore of Lake Managua, 90 miles distant from the
canal route, and some of the still loftier Costa Rican volcanoes, 60 miles
or so southeast from Lake Nicaragua, still give evidence of a moribund
vitality, but the intervening peaks seem almost if not quite at the
point of extinction.
As far as earthquakes are concerned, it is true that tremors occur
from time to time, as in other countries, our own for example; but for
a very long period there has been no such destructive action in Nica-
ragua as accompanied the Charleston earthquake.
There seems no reason, therefore, to apprehend a disturbance serious
enough to imperil the stability of canal constructions, at least any
of such moment and imminence as would warrant the abandonment
of the enterprise, if in other respects its execution were deemed advis-
able.
There is a marked difference in characteristics between the regions
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NICARAGUA CANAL.
lying on either side of the lake. The Atlantic slopes are generally a
confused mass of steep clay hills, heavily timbered and interspersed
with deep swamps and level bottoms. Cultivation and population there
are none, with the exception of the occasional clearings along the banks
of the San Juan.
On the west side the soil is volcanic tufa or decomposed lava, most
of it extraordinarily fertile. The country is more open, the forest
growth less heavy, and the variety of products, natural and culti-
vated, remarkable. On this side are concentrated the bulk of the
population and the wealth of agricultural products.
HARBORS.
The west coast of Nicaragua has excellent harbors, the best of which,
however, viz, the Gulf of Fonseca and the bay of Salinas, lie at the ter-
ritorial limits of the State.
The principal one is Corinto, in the northern province of Chinandega,
whence there is communication by rail and steamboat with Managua
and Granada.
San Juan del Sur, 8 miles southeast of Brito, is small and with steep
slopes inland.
Brito is merely an indentation in the coast line at the mouth of the
Rio Grande.
On the Caribbean coast the principal harbor is Bluefields, about 70
miles north of Greytown, where there is an ample inclosed bay, and
the Bluefield River is navigable for a long distance inland. A railroad
is projected from the head of navigation to reach San Ubaldo, on the
east shore of Lake Nicaragua. The condition of what once was the
harbor of Greytown is elsewhere stated in this report. The mouth of
the Colorado has a depth of 8 to 12 feet on the bar and ample harbor-
age inside, but the entrance is a shifting and dangerous one, compli-
cated by the powerful current of the river and the detritus carried
down by it.
The range of tide in the Caribbean is about 15 inches, and at Brito,
on the Pacific, about 9 feet.
As nearly as has been determined, the mean sea level is the same in
both.
RAINFALL AND DRAINAGE.
The most serious problems affecting the design and construction of a
canal system at the present time are those involved in the heavy rain-
fall and consequent discharge from the lake and streams, whose varia-
tions of surface and volume must be taken into account.
On these points the existing data are seriously defective, both in
respect of number and continuity.
There is a rainfall record at Greytown for the three years 1890, 1891,
and 1892 which shows a mean of 267 inches, a maximum of 297, and a
minimum of 214.
A record at Rivas, on the west side, kept by Dr. Flint, an American
resident, for the years 1880 to 1894, gives a mean of 65 inches, a maxi-
mum of 105, and a minimum of 32.
In addition to these, there is reliable information of precipitations of
3 inches in an hour, of 9 inches in nine hours, and 35½ inches in eight
days.
A record of nearly 25 feet of water in a year on the Caribbean coast,
diminished to 5 feet between the lake and the Pacific, needs no com-
!
NICARAGUA CANAL.
17
ment to indicate the important results that must ensue with reference
to matters of local drainage and engineering constructions.
It would be of value if intermediate points had been occupied, and
the diminution of rainfall traced from Greytown to Brito, but the
observations in this respect are scattering and unsatisfactory.
Similar variations in precipitation are found between Colon and
Panama, and it is evident that the water-laden trade winds deposit the
greater portion of their burden before passing the divides, although
there is reason to believe that when an opening occurs, as, for example,
the broad lower valley of the San Juan, the heavier downpour may
locally continue for a considerable distance upstream beyond the divid
ing range.
But it is with reference to the effect of this precipitation in the vary-
ing volume and floods of the lake and rivers that the deficiency of data
is most keenly felt, since it is upon information of this kind, accurately
recorded and carefully studied, that depends the solution of the serious
engineering problems involved in the matter of canal construction.
The height, cross section, and volume of cuts, dams, and embank-
ments, and the dimensions of locks, weirs, and sluices to be constructed
for the maintenance and utilization of the summit level, the precautions
to be taken to make these works secure, and the loss in elevation of
water surface due to droughts or deficiency, all these depend for their
determination upon the fullest and most precise gaugings of all the
water courses concerned, following their variations of volume and ve-
locity throughout their range; and, even with these most carefully
ascertained, allowance would still have to be made for possibilities
occurring at long intervals.
This information has not been secured. The survey by Colonel
Childs in 1851, and that by Commander Lull in 1873, made some gaug-
ings during the brief period of the field work, but took account mainly
of low-water data only, to determine if there was a sufficient supply for
an ordinary low-level canal.
The canal company has omitted attention to these matters, and made
no careful gaugings at any point, and this omission is the more to be
regretted, because the company's project calls for the construction of
numerous dams and embankments of magnitude, some of them without
precedent in engineering practice, and all involving serious hydraulic
problems.
While the variations of precipitation are great, the average annual
cycle in Nicaragua is fairly simple.
"wet
The rainfall follows the sun; greatest when passing the zenith, less
when farthest north, least when farthest south. This gives a
season," beginning in late May or early June, culminating in July and,
August, diminishing in September, increasing again in October and
November, and falling off in December. From January to April, inclu-
sive, is the "dry season," a nominal one at Greytown, where rain may
fall on any day in the year, but much more marked on the west side,
where for several months the rainfall will be small or intermitted alto-
gether. In the former case the air is always humid; in the latter it
may be dry and parching for considerable periods, with corresponding
effects upon vegetation and soil.
CLIMATE.
The climate of Nicaragua is commonly misunderstood, and it is not
realized that every summer in the United States gives a thermometric
H. Doc. 279-2
18
NICARAGUA CANAL.
record higher than at any time in Nicaragua, where it seldom exceeds
90° or falls below 70°, making an average range of about 20°.
These temperatures, which represent what would be a moderate sum
mer heat in the United States, in Nicaragua continue throughout the
year, and it is this fact, in conjunction with the high humidity, that so
seriously reduces the value of physical labor in the Tropics.
The trade winds blow from the sea with a mild persistence that is
very grateful in the shade, but prolonged exertion is exhausting, and
the net product is much less than in temperate zones. It is important
that account of this fact be taken in estimating for the cost of the work.
The question of healthfulness must also be referred to in this connec-
tion. There seems little reason to believe that the general conditions
in Nicaragua involve any special rate of mortality. So far as statistics
are attainable, they indicate healthful conditions and the absence of
epidemics. There has never been any yellow fever at Greytown, for
example, except when imported, and those cases were readily isolated
and cured. The prevalent diseases are mild types of remittent and
intermittent fevers, occasionally of a pernicious and fatal type. There
is no typhoid. Consumption is rather frequent, and skin diseases com-
mon among the natives.
The causes of this comparative exemption from the curses of other
tropical climates are probably two: The trade wind blowing with much
steadiness landward constantly renews the atmosphere with the sweet
sea air, and carries off or dilutes unsanitary emanations. The heavy
rainfall washes the air and furnishes an abundance of fresh drinking
water condensed from the ocean vapors.
With pure water and pure air and a moderate equable temperature,
the hygienic conditions are certainly favorable, and only human igno-
rance and neglect of sanitary precautions would occasion an excessive
mortality. These are the normal and natural conditions, which, how-
ever, may be greatly modified when excavations are made, the rich
humus, charged with decomposing vegetation, exposed, and the malarial
fungoids taken up by the atmosphere. It is in these conditions that
have occurred the heavy death rates on the Panama Railway and Canal,
and, as ascertained by the Board, on the line of the Costa Rica Rail-
way from Port Limon to San José. The natives suffer from these
artificially produced endemics or epidemics as well as foreigners, and,
as might be expected, it is the Jamaica negro who comes nearest to
securing exemption. When the railway was building, great drafts were
making on the Jamaica population for the Panama Canal, and labor was
sought elsewhere. The United States negroes were neither procurable
in sufficient numbers nor adapted to the climate. The Chinese imported
are stated to have died like sheep, and of a large number of Italians
brought in but a small proportion ever returned.
In case of building the Nicaragua Canal, it will be needful probably
to call upon the population of Jamaica for the necessary labor. This
is represented to be about 400,000, and 15,000 or 20,000 could be brought
over under contract.
They make good laborers when well handled and controlled, as com-
pared with other inhabitants of the Tropics, and adapt themselves more
rapidly to new conditions.
The Nicaraguan natives are less effective for work to which they are
unaccustomed. They make excellent porters, woodsmen, and river
boatmen, but for labor with pick and shovel or a barrow would be found
undesirable and probably not procurable at all.
For the working camps, the sanitary requisites would be an ample
NICARAGUA CANAL.
19
supply of fresh rain water delivered on the ground, and good food, with
plenty of plantains and fruit; shelter and dry floors, dry bedding, ample
bathing facilities, and no grogshops.
The climate and other conditions call for moderation in food and
drink and an almost entire abstinence from the use of alcohol, which
should be reserved strictly for medicinal purposes.
With the additional precautions of wearing light woolen clothing
next the skin and the prevention of anything like constipation, the
natural hygienic conditions in Nicaragua are as good as elsewhere, and
perhaps superior to those prevailing, for example, in certain malarial
districts in the United States.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE NICARAGUA CANAL PROJECT.
The canal project now under consideration is a gradual development
due to successive investigations made at intervals during the past fifty
years, and, for a better understanding of the matter, the history of
these may be briefly reviewed.
THE CHILDS PROJECT-1852.
The first authentic survey and actual location of a canal route across
Nicaragua were made by Col. O. M. Childs in 1850, 1851, and 1852, at
the instance of the then existing Transit Company, which had estab-
lished transisthmian communication with California by steamer from
Greytown via the San Juan River to Virgin Bay on the west shore of
Lake Nicaragua, and thence by stage to San Juan del Sur, a small
natural harbor on the Pacific coast, about 8 miles southeast of Brito.
The river navigation proved troublesome and uncertain at low stages,
and the Transit Company sought means to better these conditions, and
to continue the water route across the narrow neck of land that sepa-
rates the lake and the Pacific, with the object of securing a continuous
depth of 17 feet.
Colonel Childs, an expert canal and railway engineer, of high repute
in his day, was engaged to make the surveys, and his report, which has
constituted the basis of all subsequent investigations and is still a
valuable source of original information not elsewhere found, evinces the
thoroughness with which his work was done.
He examined the several possible routes between the lake and the
Pacific, and decided in favor of a line via the Rio Grande and Lajas
Rivers the former an ocean and the latter a lake affluent, between the
head waters of which the divide was lower and the route more practi-
cable than at any other point. The line determined Brito, at the mouth
of the Rio Grande, as the Pacific terminus, notwithstanding its lack of
natural advantages as a harbor.
Childs found the ordinary high level of the lake to be about 108 feet
above mean sea level, and proposed to hold it at that elevation by means
of two dams. one at Buen Retiro, in the Rio Grande Valley, 93 miles
west of the lake, and the other at Castillo, in the valley of the San
Juan, 374 miles east of the lake. The distance across the lake from
the mouth of the Lajas to Fort San Carlos, where the San Juan River
leaves it, being 56 miles, the total length of summit level, was 103
miles.
To continue the canalization of the San Juan below Castillo were six
more dams, the lowest at a point one-half mile below the mouth of the
Serapiqui, and 91 miles from the lake, where the canal was to leave
the river and follow its left bank to Greytown, at that time an excellent
harbor.
top mathEMMES
20
NICARAGUA CANAL.
The difference of elevation between summit and sea level was to be
overcome by 14 locks on each side, with a maximum lift of 8 feet.
The total length of the proposed navigation was 194.4 miles, made
up as follows:
Canal between Brito and the lake shore
Across lake, Lajas to San Juan River
Slack water in San Juan by seven dams
Canal to 17 feet water in Greytown...
Total
Miles.
18.6
56.5
90.8
28.5
194.4
The locks were to be 250 by 60 by 17 feet, the bottom width of the
canal 50 feet, increased to 90 feet at turn-outs, and of excavated chan-
nels in river and lake 150 feet.
The total estimated cost of the project, including 15 per cent for
contingencies, was $31,538,319, based on the supposition that on the
average the expense for construction would be about double the cost
of similar work in the State of New York. In a supplementary report,
Colonel Childs provided for raising the summit level 3 feet higher,
viz, from 108 to 111, by making a corresponding increase in the height
of the terminal dams at Buen Retiro and Castillo, with the object of
reducing the cost of deepening the navigation in the upper 37 miles of
river and out to deep water in the lake.
THE LULL PROJECT-1873.
In 1872 a United States Government expedition was fitted out for
the reexamination of the Childs route. The final report of the explora-
tion, including location and estimates for a canal, were made under
date of December 1, 1873, by Commander Lull, U. S. N., with whom
was associated as chief civil engineer Mr. A. G. Menocal, the present
chief engineer of the canal company.
•
The Lull project contemplated a canal of 26 feet depth. It lowered
Childs's summit level to 107 feet, and on the west side, instead of the
Lajas, adopted the valley of the Medio, a lake affluent 33 miles to the
northward, as a means of reaching the valley of the Rio Grande, which
was thence followed to Brito. The Medio had a much higher divide
than the Lajas, involving more excavation, but was a trifle shorter, and
believed preferable as a means of avoiding interference with the canal
by the discharge from the upper valley of the Rio Grande. For the
ascent to the lake, 11 locks were projected, with maximum lift of 101
feet. For the canalization of the San Juan 4 dams were to be built,
the uppermost at Castillo, the lowest at a point 663 miles from the lake
and 1 mile below the mouth of the San Carlos River. To avoid com-
plications from the discharge of this important stream, it was proposed
to cut a new channel for it to the San Juan River below the dam. The
canal was to leave the river at this point and follow the left bank to
the outlet of the San Juanillo, and thence to Greytown by an almost
direct course.
Ten locks of maximum lift of 10.87 feet furnished the means of descent
from the lake to the Caribbean.
The total length of the Lull summit level was 102 miles, and of the
navigation from Brito to Greytown 1814 miles, made up as follows:
Canal from Brito to lake at mouth of Medio..
Across the lake, Medio to San Juan River.
Slack water in the San Juan by four dams and short canals.
Canal to Greytown....
Total.
Miles.
161
561
661
42
1811
NICARAGUA CANAL.
21
The locks were to be 400 by 70 by 26 feet, the bottom width of canal
50, 60, and 72 feet in different sections, of excavated river channel 80
feet and lake channel to feet.
As Greytown Harbor had been destroyed since Colonel Childs exam-
ined it, the cost of its restoration, including an item of $100,000 for
shutting off the Lower San Juan River from the harbor, was estimated
at about $2,500,000, and the estimated cost of the entire project, includ-
ing 25 per cent for contingencies, was $65,722,147.
The instrumental work by the Lull survey was not adapted to much
more than a preliminary location, the levels were not checked, and for
the 66 miles of river to the lowest dam below the San Carlos the
transit and level line covered about 26 miles only, the remainder being
run with a gradienter, used by the hydrographic party under Lieuten-
ant Miller, U. S. N.
The unit prices used in computing cost, as is to be inferred from a
statement in the report by Mr. Menocal to Commander Lull, were appar-
ently based on the supposition that they would not exceed those for
similar work in the United States.
MR. MENOCAL'S PROJECT-1885.
In 1885 Mr. Menocal, under Government direction, made a partial
reexamination and relocation, and the results are given in his report of
November of that year.
The project was for a depth of 28 feet and in some places 30 feet. On
the west side the route adopted was substantially the original one of
Childs via the Lajas and Rio Grande, provision being made for the
diversion of the upper course of the latter stream. The summit level
in the lake was to be raised to an elevation of 110 feet above mean sea
level, and this height overcome by four locks with a maximum lift of 33
feet.
For the canalization of the San Juan a bold measure was proposed,
viz, the construction at Ochoa, a point 3 miles below the San Carlos
River and 69 miles distant from the lake, of a dam in the San Juan River
which would have a height of nearly 60 feet above water surface, and
by flooding the valleys of the San Juan and San Carlos convert them
into an extension of the lake itself, whence the canal could abandon
the river altogether and go eastward at the higher elevation directly
toward Greytown.
To provide both for the maintenance of the lake level at 110 feet and
for the discharge of the San Juan, a slope of 4 feet was assumed for
the entire distance, and it would therefore be at the elevation 106 feet,
or about 60 feet above the river at low stage, that the canal would leave
it and carry the water level eastward. In order to do this it would be
necessary to build extensive dams across the valleys of several small
streams, the San Francisco being the largest, which discharge into the
San Juan, and convert them into basins connected by short lengths of
canal, and beyond these constructions to cut through the eastern divide,
with a maximum depth of about 320 feet, in order to reach the valley of
the Deseado, flowing toward Greytown. The distance through the
basins from the San Juan to the west side of the divide cut is 12 miles,
and through the divide cut 3 miles, whence descent is made in the
Deseado Valley to sea level by means of three locks, one of which has
a lift of 53 feet, and by a canal 16 miles in length to Greytown.
By this bold expansion of the earlier projects a material shortening
of the line would be effected, as well as a valuable extension of the
unobstructed navigation of the summit level.
22
NICARAGUA CANAL.
The total distance from Brito to Greytown is stated at 169.8 miles,
made up as follows:
Brito to lake...
Lake Lajas to San Juan.
Slack water in the San Juan
San Franscisco Basin Ochoa to eastern divide.
Cut through the eastern divide..
Canal to Greytown......
The total length of summit level is given at 144.8 miles.
Miles
17.27
56.50
64.54
12.01
3.00
16.48
A discrepancy in river distance between the lake and Ochoa, more
particularly referred to hereafter in the detailed account of the river
navigation, occurs first in the report of 1885, and calls for an addition
to the length of summit level, and to the entire navigation of about
4 miles. Lull used about this length of short canal in the river, and
deducted it from the river navigation proper. This reduced river
length has by inadvertence been carried forward into the 1885 and sub-
sequent reports as the total length of the river navigation.
Making the correction, the summit level would be about 149 miles
and total navigation from sea to sea 174 miles.
As designed in 1885, the locks were to be 650 by 65 by 29 feet; the
bottom width of canal 80 feet, increased at the terminals to 120 feet;
of excavated channel in river 125 feet, and in lake 150 feet.
The estimated cost of the project, including 25 per cent for contingen-
cies, was $64,036,197; but the item for contingencies is made to include
the cost of surveys, hospitals, shops, management, and other necessary
expenses, in addition to the construction contingencies proper.
It is admitted in the text of the report that the cost of work in Nicara-
gua should be estimated as greater than in the United States, but the
unit prices adopted do not indicate that the necessary allowance has
been made in all cases.
No borings were made to ascertain the depth of foundation, presence
of rock, distribution of materials, etc.
The Ochoa Dam was to be built of concrete, with foundations 20 feet
below the river surface, the depth of water varying from 6 to 17 feet,
but the nature of the subjacent river bed was not ascertained, nor was
it then known that to retain the water level in the San Carlos Valley
at 106 feet, an extensive system of embankments would be required
along its eastern coast.
THE CANAL COMPANY'S PROJECT-1890.
Under the direction of the company, eight survey parties were
employed, from December, 1887, to June, 1888, when the number was
reduced to two or three. A still larger force worked from the spring of
1889 to the summer of 1890, when the parties were gradually dispensed
with, and the last one withdrawn in 1891. Borings were continued to
as late as 1893.
The eight parties comprised six land parties, one hydrographic party,
and one boring party.
Borings were made along the line of the canal; the western division,
lake to Brito, was relocated, and Greytown Harbor surveyed. Britó
Harbor and the east and west sides of the lake were examined and the
San Carlos Valley and east crest line explored. A low-level line in the
San Juan Valley was located eastward from the Ochoa Dam, but most
of the survey work was directed to developing the difficult topography
over the high-level line through the San Francisco Valley and the east
divide cut along the line originally proposed by Mr. Menocal in 1885.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
23
The resulting project as set forth in the final report on location by
the chief engineer under date of January, 1890, and further elaborated
in a paper prepared by Mr. Menocal for the Chicago Water Congress
in 1893, is substantially that of 1885, with some modifications and an
importaut addition.
The striking and novel features of 1885 are retained. The high-level
dam at Ochoa, the long series of embankments through the San Fran-
cisco basins, the 3-mile cut through the east divide and the locks of
high lift are adhered to.
Additional basins and dams are added in the Deseado Valley east of
the divide cut, provision is made for embankments along the east crest
of the San Carlos Valley to retain its flowage line at an elevation of
106 feet, and most important of all, the extension of the summit level
westward from the lake is provided for by the construction of another
high-level dam at La Flor, a contracted point in the Rio Grande Val-
ley 3.8 miles from the Pacific, converting the valley above into a basin
4.6 miles long at the lake level, and making a corresponding reduction
in the length of excavated canal.
The elevation of the summit level is retained at 110 feet and its
length increased to 1531 miles, the total distance from Brito to Grey-
town being 169 miles. These two data require the addition of about
4 miles of river, as before noted.
Sea level is reached on each side by three locks, with a maximum lift
of 45 feet and dimensions 650 by 70 feet. The bottom width of the
canal is 80 and 120 feet, of the river channel 125 feet, and lake channel
150 feet. The depth in the terminal canals and in the river is 28 feet,
and elsewhere 30 feet. Through the rock cuts of the east and west
divides the channel is 80 feet wide and 30 feet deep, with vertical
ides.
Some proposed construction details may be noted. The high level
dams at Ochoa and La Flor, as well as the heavy embankments in the
San Francisco and Deseado basins, are to be built of assorted rubble
from the divide cuts, backed with clay, and these dams are in most
cases to act as weirs for the discharge of surplus water over their crests
and down the rear slopes.
The diamond-drill borings made at the site of the La Flor Dam were
extremely unfavorable to its construction, and the earth auger borings
made at the site of the Ochoa Dam indicated sand as deep as 25 feet
below the bed. Judging from the depth of the river section below the
San Carlos, the sand underlying the Ochoa site may be 50 or 60 feet in
depth.
The slope of 4 feet in the river, from the lake to Ochoa, assumed
in the 1885 project, is retained as a datum for the water surface eleva-
tion at Ochoa, and the heights of other dams and embankments, and
depth of cuts.
The basis for the computation of water supply from the lake summit
level, as given in the report, is the assumed minimum and maximum
discharge of 11,390 and 18,059 cubic feet per second, respectively, from
which an arithmetical mean of 14,724 cubic feet is deduced, as the mean
discharge from the lake, with which the maximum amount needed for
lockage is compared to show that the lake discharge is ten times greater
than necessary for this purpose, and allows an ample margin for losses
due to leakage through the dams.
Both the maximum and minimum discharges assumed are greatly in
error, and, in any case, the available supply will be measured, not by a
mean, however computed, but by its minimum, whatever that may be.
26
NICARAGUA CANAL.
It must be noted, however, that the company has made no final detail
or construction drawings so far as is known, and general data are relied
upon for computing cost; the only specifications drafted are those for
the dredging work, and the particulars as to this are in some cases
lacking in definiteness.
The Board does not believe that in the circumstances affecting the
cost of work in Nicaragua, climate, rainfall, enforced importation of
labor and material, absence of local mechanical and other facilities,
etc., and with the experience gained in similar work at Panama and in
Costa Rica, the unit prices adopted as the basis for computation could
be safely reduced.
The several portions of the canal project will be discussed in detail.
under separate heads, beginning at Greytown and proceeding westward.
For convenience, three general designations will be used:
(1) The eastern division, from the Caribbean to the San Juan River
at Ochoa.
(2) The lake and river division, from the Ochoa Dam to the west
shore of the lake.
(3) The western division, from the lake to the Pacific.
The company's estimates include items for lighting the various sec-
tions of the canal, aggregating in all $373,000. The Board has made
preliminary estimates for the same purpose, finding occasion to increase
largely the estimate for Brito Harbor and at some other points, and
diminish the requirements where the company provides for electric
lighting elsewhere than at the locks.
The total figures provisionally estimated by the Board are $500,000, on
the general principle that there should be a light about every quarter
of a mile, and in curves twice this number.
The Board is of opinion that while the canal sections and basins can
be so lighted as to permit of navigation at night, this will be found a
very difficult matter in the case of the 69 miles of river between the
Ochoa Dam and the lake. The navigation here will be sufficiently diffi-
cult in the daytime for long, heavy vessels traversing channels of con-
siderable curvature in a current that during the rainy season may reach
2 or 3 miles an hour, particularly in view of the fact that the submerged
channel is without banks.
The estimate, however, includes lights for the river.
For the lake channel, range lights are needed to mark the axis of the
14 miles of cut, with three pairs of skeleton beacon lights in the lake
bordering the cut, an additional light at Fort San Carlos on the north
bank, a light on the Bocas Islands half a mile northward of the canal
entrance, another on the north end of one of the Solentiname Islands, and
one on the south end of the Madera Island.
The canal entrance on the west shore should have lights on both pier
ends and each side of the canal.
The main lights at the harbors should be first-order seacoast lights,
of the best construction and efficiency known to the service.
REGULATION OF SUMMIT LEVEL.
In the project of the company the lake is to be maintained at a mini-
mum elevation of 110 feet above mean tide by means of the Ochoa Dam
and the embankments in the San Carlos Ridge and along the line
between Ochoa and the east divide. After the construction of these
works, it is expected that the river at extreme low stage will have a
fall of 4 feet from the lake to the Ochoa Dam, a distance of 69 miles,
giving a minimum elevation of water surface at the dam of 106 feet.
The heights of the dams, embankments, and regulating weirs are deter-
NICARAGUA CANAL.
27
mined with reference to this elevation. In the report of 1890 (pp. 21
and 22) the discharge from Lake Nicaragua at its lowest stage is said
to be 11,390 cubic feet per second, and Colonel Childs is quoted as
authority for an estimate of high-water discharge of 18,059 cubic feet
per second. With these data a calculation is made, using the numeri-
cal mean of the two results to show that there will be a much larger
water supply than required for canal purposes. Both the data and the
method employed in this calculation are incorrect.
In Appendix C are given the results of all the gaugings of the San
Juan River of which the Board has been able to find record. They
consist of a series of gaugings made at different points along the river
by Colonel Childs in 1851; of a similar series made by Commander
Lull in 1873; of a single gauging made by the canal company in 1888,
and of two gaugings made by the Board in 1895.
All the measurements of the discharge of Lake Nicaragua have been
made at low stage, but none at the lowest. The gaugings of Lull and
Childs at this point agree as nearly as can be expected of gaugings
made hurriedly and at such a long interval of time. The stage of the
lake at the time of Lull's gauging, 102.28 feet above mean tide, has
been erroneously accepted by the company as extreme low water. At
the time the gauging at Fort San Carlos was made by the Board, May
26, 1895, the stage was 101.8 feet, and the measured discharge 9,420
cubic feet per second, which accords very well with the results of
Childs and Lull. A lower stage than this, however, has been of record
more than twenty years. On the 2d of May, 1872, according to Lull's
profile, the lake was 100.87 feet above mean tide. Still lower stages
have been reported; the officers of the Victoria, a steamboat plying on
Lake Nicaragua, showed to the engineers of the canal company a low-
water mark whose elevation was 98.6 feet; this was confirmed by
residents at the head of Tisma Lagoon, near the mouth of the Tipitapa
River, at the head of Lake Nicaragua, who pointed out a ledge of rock
extending across the river, which has been bare; its elevation is 98.5
feet. The very lowest stage known, observed at Granada, on the west
side of the lake, is reported by Mr. William Climie, an English civil
engineer, who has resided in Nicaragua for many years. Mr. Climie
reports a stage of 96.6 feet above mean tide. This report, coming from
a trained civil engineer, is entitled to great weight.
No measurement was made of the discharge of the lake at any of
these low stages, but calculations indicate a discharge of 5,800 cubic
feet per second at the stage reported by the officers of the Victoria
(98.6 feet), and 3,400 cubic feet per second at the lowest stage reported
(96.6 feet).
These data as to low-water discharge are not, however, sufficient for
the solution of the problem of the maintenance of lake level. For this
purpose the lake must be treated as a reservoir. If the inflow during
the dry season is less than the amount lost by evaporation, plus the
amount required for canal purposes, water must be stored on the
approach of the dry season and the surface of the lake raised above
the established minimum stage.
There is hardly any definite information as to the amount of water
received by the lake during the dry season. Lull's gaugings, made at
several points on the San Juan in 1873, when the river was at a low
stage, showed that the tributary streams added little to its volume.
From the Atlantic coast, where in ordinary years there is no dry sea-
son, to the Pacific, where in ordinary years very little rain falls for five
months, there is a more or less gradual reduction as regards rainfall,
vanied by the presence of heavily forested districts and ranges of hills
28
NICARAGUA CANAL.
and mountains. The mean annual rainfall at Greytown for three years
(1890, 1891, and 1892) was 267 inches; at Rivas, between Lake Nicaragua
and the Pacific, the mean for the same years was 59 inches.
No rainfall observations have been made between Rivas and the east
divide, except for periods of a few days, and the rainfall on the eastern
watershed of the lake is not known. There is, however, a dry season,
although shorter than on the west side. It may be assumed, although
with much uncertainty, that on the east side of the lake the dry season
continues for four months. For a considerable time after the beginning
of the dry season the streams continue to flow, their discharge becom-
ing less and possibly ceasing altogether. For the present purpose it is
assumed that during a period of two months the streams are dry, the
lake receiving no water whatever. In order to make an estimate of the
amount of water to be stored before the opening of the dry season
account must be taken of evaporation and requirements for lockages
and leakages.
The rate of evaporation in the dry season on the Isthmus of Tehuan-
tepec was ascertained by Captain Shufeldt to be 0.19 inch per day. On
the Isthmus of Darien it was found by Commander Selfridge to be 0.20
inch per day. The latter rate will be adopted here for Nicaragua.
For calculating the amount required for lockages it is assumed, as in
the company's estimate, that the maximum traffic through the canal
will be 32 vessels per day. If all were moving in one direction each
would require two lockfuls, less the submerged volume of the vessel;
if moving alternately in opposite directions each would require one
lockful, less the submerged volume of the vessel. The mean may be
taken neglecting the volume of the vessel, or one and one-half lockfuls
for each; then, the maximum lift of the lock on the Atlantic side being
40 feet and on the Pacific side 42 feet, and the lock chamber being 650
feet long and 80 feet wide, there will be required per day 102,960,000
cubic feet.
This amount, divided by the area of the summit level, in square feet,
will give the daily lowering of the summit level in consequence of lock-
ages.
The area of the lake is taken at 2,700 square miles; the area of the
San Juan between the lake and the Ochoa Dam, plus the area of the
smaller valleys and basins submerged, will be about 110 square miles,
making the total area of the summit level 2,810 square miles, equal to
78,338,304,000 square feet.
The summit level will then be lowered each day by drawing off water
for lockages 0.0157 inch.
The leakage at the locks and sluices may be as much more.
There will be a considerable leakage through the Ochoa Dam and
through the 7 miles of embankment. The amount can only be con-
jectured, but for this estimate will be taken as 5,000 cubic feet per sec-
ond, or 432,000,000 cubic feet per day. This will lower the summit
level each day 0.0661 inch.
Collecting these results, the lake will be lowered—
By evaporation
By lockages
By leakages at locks and sluices
By leakages at Ochoa Dam and the embankments
Total for one day.
·
Inch per day.
0.20
.0157
.0157
.0661
.2975
Or a total for sixty days of 17.85 inches, equal to 1.49 feet, say 1.5 feet.
This is the amount the lake would be lowered in sixty days with no
inflow and no discharge except requirements for canal purposes. If
NICARAGUA CANAL.
29
at the end of this period the lake is to be at 110 feet, it must be 1.5 feet
higher at the beginning, or 111.5 feet. As no allowance has been made
for inflow into the lake during this period, this may be too high. On
the other hand, the dry season may be longer than assumed, and the
estimate too low. Colonel Childs arrived at the same reduction of level
during the dry season by a different line of reasoning, and the result is
probably near the truth. More exact data are needed, and can be
obtained readily, at little cost, in connection with other investigations
recommended in this report.
The low-water slope from the lake to Ochoa, after the completion of
the Ochoa Dam, is assumed by the company at three-fourths of an inch
per mile, or, in round numbers, 4 feet for the entire distance. With the
water surface raised to so great a height the cross section of the river
channel will be greatly increased, and the velocity required to pass
the ordinary low-water flow of, say, 10,000 cubic feet per second, will
become so small that hydraulic formulæ can not be depended upon for
precise calculations of slope; the slope will be so flat, however, that a
large proportionate error is of no importance. Calculations indicate
that at extreme low water the total fall from the lake to Ochoa will not
be more than two-tenths of a foot, and probably considerably less; the
river becomes really an arm of the lake and with the same elevation.
Since the lake is to be maintained at a minimum elevation of 110 feet,
and since, in order to secure this, the outflow must be checked on the
approach of the dry season, when the lake is 1.5 feet higher (approxi-
mately), the weirs on the San Carlos Ridge must be so arranged that
their crests can be raised to 111.5 feet or more.
The elevation of water surface against the dam at low stages of the
lake being 110 instead of 106 feet, the difference will cause a notable
increase in the volume of the embankments and in the lift of the chain
of locks between the Caribbean and the summit level.
The control of the discharge of the surplus water is a matter of no
less importance than the maintenance of the summit-level, but the data
necessary for its intelligent consideration are almost wholly wanting.
The amount of water to be dealt with, either during the year or dur-
ing high floods, is unknown. The annual rainfall is not known at any
point between Ochoa and the west shore of the lake. The subject is so
vital, however, that an attempt must be made to cast a little light upon
it with such data as can be had, and an estimate will be made first of
the annual discharge.
The area of the drainage basin of Lake Nicaragua is taken at 8,700
square miles; of the lake itself, 2,700 square miles; of the drainage.
basin of the San Juan above Ochoa, 2,250 square miles. The annual
rainfall in the lake basin is taken at 80 inches; run off, 40 per cent;
evaporation from the surface of the lake, 40 inches per year. In the
river basin the annual rainfall is taken at 150 inches; run off, 60 per
cent. These figures, which may all be considerably in error, give the
following results and averages in cubic feet:

Received by lake and
river.
Loss by evaporation.
Discharge.
Basin.
Per year.
Per
second.
Per year.
Per
second.
Per year.
Per
second.
Lako Nicaragua
San Juan River, between
the Lake and Ochoa
947, 865, 600,000 30, 057 250, 905, 600, 000 7,957
14, 918
470, 448, 000, 000
Discharge at Ochoa.
Neglocted.
696, 960, 000, 000 22, 100
470, 418, 000, 000
14,918
1, 167, 408, 000, 000 37, 018
30
NICARAGUA CANAL.
The river has never been gauged at a flood stage. A gauging was
made by the company May 21-25, 1888, in the vicinity of Ochoa, but it
is not known precisely where, and the water surface was not referred
to the company's bench marks. The highest recorded stage at Ochoa
occurred January 7, 1888, and its height was noted. If the difference
of stage at Ochoa at this date and at the date of the gauging were
known, a rough approximation could be made to the flood discharge by
a comparison of cross sections. From December, 1887, to January, 1890,
the company kept a river gauge record at San Francisco Island, 12
miles below Ochoa, and if this were available an indirect and approx-
imate comparison could be made between the two stages and the flood
discharge deduced. Unfortunately the record for the first seven months,
including the highest stage and lowest stage observed, is missing. By
other data, however, the Board has been able to establish a compar-
ison, which leads to the conclusion that the flood discharge January 7,
1888, was about 125,000 cubic feet per second. The company's gauging,
which, it is stated in the Chicago paper, establishes 42,000 cubic feet
per second as "high flood," represents in fact only a moderate flood;
probably not much greater than the mean discharge.
During the inspection of the river by the Board, in May and June,
1895, it was learned that at Machuca Rapids the flood of November,
1893, rose considerably above that of 1888. While it may be that
the San Carlos was not correspondingly high, it does indicate that the
highest flood may be considerably greater than that of 1888, and the
Board is of the opinion that until more reliable data are obtained
the maximum discharge at Ochoa should not be estimated at less than
150,000 cubic feet per second.
Such a flood could only result from heavy rains over the entire river
basin, in conjunction with a high lake. The extreme floods are of short
duration, but a moderately high stage may be maintained for a consid-
erable time. Sluices, or weirs with adjustable crests, must be provided.
in the San Carlos embankment line for the quick discharge of these
floods. More precise data as to the extent of the floods are necessary
before the dimensions of the weirs or sluices can be fixed, but for the
purpose of entering the item in the estimates the Board has assumed
weirs with a crest length of 4,000 feet. A weir of this length with a
head of water of 4.5 feet will discharge 130,000 cubic feet per second,
and this provision may possibly suffice.
Whatever the crest length of weirs may be, provision can be made for
drawing off such amount of water as may be necessary by placing
movable dams on them. The water on the upstream side can be kept
at any desired height. Thus the discharge of the surplus water at the
weir can be regulated, but the regulation of the lake itself offers diffi-
culties, and the matter is so important and has been so completely over-
looked that considerable attention must be given to it here.
During the visit of the Board to Nicaragua high-water marks were
shown on both sides of the lake which fix its high stage at 111 feet
above mean tide. The variation in the surface of the lake from ordi-
nary low water, which may be taken at 102, to high water at 111 is 9
feet. No such variation can be permitted with the lake maintained at
the summit level elevation of 110 feet as a minimum, because much valu-
able property on the west side of the lake would be drowned out, and
for this reason it is probable that a higher stage than 113 feet will be
inadmissible. This permits an extreme range of only 3 feet, and it may
be doubted whether the regulation of the lake level within so narrow a
limit is possible.
During the rainy season the water is received into the lake more rap-
NICARAGUA CANAL.
31
idly than it runs off, the surplus being stored in the lake, causing it to
rise. The only way by which an equal rise can be prevented after the
construction of the Ochoa Dam is by increasing the discharge through
the San Juan during the rainy season. An increase in discharge can
only be produced by an increase in cross section or an increase in
velocity in the outlet channel. The water of the lake must be carried
off more rapidly during the wet season after the construction of the
dam than under present conditions. The increase in discharge must be
very large, and it must be determined whether under the new con-
ditions the capacity of the outlet channel will be sufficient to meet the
greater demand upon it.
The data required for a solution of this problem are the amount of
water received by the lake and the capacity of the outlet.
The amount of water received by the lake in a given period could be
determined from the following data:
(1) The discharge during the period.
(2) The area of the lake.
(3) The difference in elevation at the beginning and end of the period.
(4) Loss by evaporation during the period.
All of these can be ascertained exactly by observation. During the
rainy season the evaporation is probably unimportant and can be neg-
lected.
The flow into the lake could be determined also by means of the rain-
fall, and the following data would be required:
(1) Area of lake.
(2) Area of watershed.
(3) Average rainfall in basin.
(4) The run off, or proportion of the rainfall which passes into the lake.
These data are less capable of exact ascertainment than the former,
and, therefore, an estimate based on them is not so reliable; on the
other hand, they may, in circumstances like the present, afford a rough
approximation to a result which, for lack of data, can not be reached
in any better way.
In the absence of better data this method will be used here in order
to arrive at a general idea of the problem.
The following assumed data are believed to be conservative. The
area of Lake Managua and its watershed are not included, for the reason
that periods of several years have been known during which there was
no visible outflow from that lake. It is possible that during very rainy
seasons the amount contributed by Lake Managua may be considerable,
and it may be that subterranean channels exist through which the lake
discharges constantly:
Area of Lake Nicaragua, 2,700 square miles, approximately.
Area of watershed, 8,700 square miles, including lake. This may be
considerably in error, but is taken from the best maps available.
Rainfall, 80 inches per year. It will be assumed that 25 per cent
may fall in one month, 45 per cent in two months, 60 per cent in three
months, and 70 per cent in four months.
Runoff, 50 per cent of rainfall.
With these data the amount received by the lake in different periods
is calculated, and also the net rise in the lake, with various rates of
discharge.
Amount of water received into lake.
In one month, with 25 per cent of the annual rainfall
In two months, with 45 per cent of the annual rainfall
In three months, with 60 per cent of the annual rainfall
In four months, with 70 per cent of the annual rainfall
Cubic feet.
264, 844, 800, 000
476, 720, 640, 000
635, 627, 520, 000
741, 560, 440, 000
32
NICARAGUA CANAL.
The rise in the lake is retarded more or less by the discharge through
the San Juan.
The following table gives the net rise, with several rates of discharge:
Rise of lake with discharge of—

-
In one month
In two months
In three months
In four months
25,000
cubic feet
50,000
cubic feet
75,000
cubic feet
per second.
per second.
per second.
Feet.
Feet.
Feet.
+2.7
+1.8
+1.0
+4.6
+2.9
+1.2
+5.9
+3.3
+0.7
+6.4
+3.0
-0.5
It appears from the table that if the assumed data are correct, the
lake can be controlled within the required limit of 3 feet with a dis-
charge of a little over 50,000 cubic feet per second. The actual
discharge from the lake at the highest stage, under present conditions,
has not been supposed to be anything like this.
If a greater discharge than the present maximum is to be obtained,
it must be produced, as before stated, by an increase in cross section
or an increase in velocity in the outlet channel. Within the limits of
the present case the velocity can not be materially increased without an
increase in slope. This can not be obtained without a large and costly
deepening of the river bed in the vicinity of Toro Rapids, so that the
question of increased discharge practically narrows down to that of
increased cross section.
The height of the lake, when this average discharge of 50,000 cubic
feet per second is to be maintained, will vary from 110 feet, the mini-
mum, to 113 feet, the assumed maximum; the average will not be far
from 112, or only 1 foot above the highest stage now known, so that no
great increase of cross section will be produced by the additional
height under the new conditions. Another increase, somewhat greater
in amount, will result from the excavation to be made from the lake to
Toro Rapids for a 30-foot navigation.
It may be that the discharge of the lake at high water is much
greater than has been supposed, and it may possibly approach nearly
the amount of 50,000 cubic feet per second calculated as necessary
under the new conditions.
The governing stretch of river, as regards the outflow of the lake, is
between the lake and the foot of Toro Rapids, but affected in some
degree by the natural weirs at Castillo. Below the latter point the
section of the river will be so much greater after the construction of
the Ochoa Dam that its capacity will be ample, with very small slopes,
for the largest discharge.
If the variation of the level of the lake can not be limited to 3 feet,
and if it is inadmissible to raise it above 113 feet, then it is impossible
to maintain it at a minimum of 110 feet. Every foot of reduction in
the minimum will cause a large increase in excavation throughout the
entire summit level, including the costly work in the San Juan River
and the east and west divides. The calculations just made suggest
much uncertainty about this, but they are based wholly on assumptions
as to the discharge of lake and rainfall, which may be far from the truth;
the ascertainment of the facts by continuous observations for not less
than one year and including at least one high stage of the river, is abso-
lutely indispensable. A single year's record might prove misleading if
NICARAGUA CANAL.
33
the high stage were of unusually short duration, since it is the total
quantity of discharge that is required. It is to be regretted that the
canal company has no recorded observations of the lake level or other
data relating to its regulation for the eight years since it began work
in the country. The matter is of such vital importance that observa-
tions ought to have been made continuously during the entire period.
The discharge of the San Juan must be regulated by weirs or sluices
in the San Carlos embankment; that from each minor basin (the Florida
Lagoon, San Francisco Basin, etc.), by its own sluice or weir, the water
level in the minor basins being made to conform to that in the San
Juan immediately above the Ochoa Dam, so as to avoid currents
through the narrow connecting channels.
The data do not exist for determining the discharge for which the
weirs in the San Carlos Ridge should be proportioned, or for calculat·
ing the fall from the lake to the weirs during the high-water season,
which must be taken into account in fixing the elevation of their crests.
It is probable that in order to secure the requisite velocity through the
governing section the water surface at the San Carlos weirs must be
drawn down during the wet season much below the level required dur
ing the dry season. It is essential to determine exactly how much this
enforced reduction of level must be before the grade of canal bottom
can be fixed between the San Juan River and the summit lock at the
east divide or in the excavated channel in the San Juan itself.
The whole problem of the regulation of the summit level, the estab-
lishment of grades in the various excavations and structures within its
limits, and even the practicability of the company's project without
much modification requires the collection of a large amount of informa-
tion before it can be solved. The scope of the investigations necessary
is treated more fully elsewhere.
EASTERN DIVISION.
GREYTOWN HARBOR.
The San Juan River, draining a total area of some 15,000 square
miles, most of which in times past has been subject to intense volcanic
action, and is still affected by the heavy rainfall of that region, has
brought down in course of time an enormous volume of sand, in part
directly emitted by volcanoes, and in part derived from the disintegra-
tion of igneous rocks and washings from the clay, and has built up in
the Caribbean Sea a flat and swampy delta of great extent, heavily
forested and containing many lagoons and tortuous channels of varying
dimensions.
The main river forks about 18 miles from the coast, and discharges
through several channels, of which the Colorado is the principal, and
the second in size the Lower San Juan, which reaches the sea at Grey-
town in the angle where the fan-like projection of the delta meets the
coast line stretching to the northwest.
The earlier maps show the bight at Greytown as a capacious harbor,
protected from northeast winds by the delta projection, and with ample
depth and area.
It is now a lagoon shut off from the sea, and has ceased to exist as a
harbor for seagoing vessels. The gradual closing of the harbor,
between 1832 and 1862, by the movement of the outer beach stretching
westward across the entrance in the form of a narrow sand spit to con-
nect with the west shore line was a serious drawback, both to the
H. Doc. 279—3
34
NICARAGUA CANAL.
maintenance of a freight and passenger route across the Isthmus via
the San Juan River and Lake Nicaragua and to the project for the
construction of a ship canal over the same line.
Various causes were assigned for the destruction of the harbor, and
various means suggested for its restoration. It was usually considered
that the river had most to do with the matter, but opinions differed as
to whether the detritus brought down in flood or the diminishing
power of the stream, which had become evident in the reduction of its
navigable capacity, to carry off the accumulations driven shoreward by
the sea was responsible.
The remedy, from one point of view, was to cut off the river alto-
gether; from the other, to strengthen it by closing the other outlets,
which discharge 90 per cent of the volume of the main stream.
It is probable that the causes are far more general, and that if the
delta, which is almost unexplored, were fully mapped, its numerous
interior lagoons and water courses traced, and its history thus ascer-
tained, the original formation and final destruction of Greytown Harbor
would appear simply as a recent example and repetition of the history
of many others.
The delta sands forced seaward in great volume by a powerful cur-
rent in opposition to the trade winds and seas would be distributed
lengthwise of the coast, and from time to time an area of sea floor
would be at first cut off, and by continuance of the littoral movement
be ultimately inclosed, and a lagoon formed beyond which the coast
line would continue to advance so long as the supply of sand was in
sufficient quantity. The parallel lines of long and deep lagoons lying
inside the Colorado mouth are typical of this action.
In the case of Greytown, the sands that destroyed it came not from
the Lower San Juan, which for a long time probably had ceased to
carry down any considerable amount, but by the action of the east-
northeast seas striking the coast at an angle and driving the light vol-
canic detritus westward along the beach.
Comparison of authentic charts of various dates will make this clear,
and it is due to Professer Mitchell, of the Coast Survey, to say that in
his paper contained in the Coast Survey Report for 1874 the true his-
tory of the case is for the first time suggested, although the important
fact of the wasting of the outer beach to the eastward of the harbor
escaped observation.
So far as the future is concerned, there is reason to believe that the
movement of sand by river action has greatly diminished and will so
continue.
Volcanic activity in the interior of Nicaragua and Costa Rica seems
to have exhausted itself; there are no longer eruptions of volcanic
sand; and while the Colorado River is still a turbid stream in flood and
the San Carlos branch of the San Juan a torrential stream, it is proba-
ble that the detritus to be yet delivered is small as compared with
what has in ages past been brought down.
The oldest chart of any value for purposes of comparison is that of
1832 by Captain Peacock, the master of a British vessel. The harbor
is shown as furnishing safe and ample anchorage for vessels of any
draft, with an entrance nearly 2 miles in width unobstructed by any
bar, and gradually deepening off into the Caribbean Sea. It was, in
fact, at that time a portion of the ocean floor inclosed on three sides
and with a large area of 30 feet depth open only between north and
north-northwest.
The history of its destruction is graphically indicated by the addi-
NICARAGUA CANAL.
35
tions to the 1832 chart of the successive positions occupied by the
sand spit, between 1832 and 1859, in its westward advance across the
entrance which resulted in total closure soon after 1861, at which date
the channel under the beach had been reduced to a width of 300 feet.
The harbor then became a lagoon, generally with a shallow and
variable opening through the sand spit, maintained by the outflow of
the river, but at times completely closed and in need of artificial cut-
ting to rid itself of the rising accumulation of river water.
The next chart is that by Captain West, of the Coast Survey, in 1865.
Endeavor has been made to effect a common orientation of the two,
but uncertainties of scale and compass bearing, and the absence of
definite common points make this difficult, and it may well be that the
extraordinary changes indicated by a comparison of these charts are
much greater than actually occurred; but the general nature and prog-
ress of these changes is fully confirmed by subsequent maps, and
since absolute quantities need not be computed the comparison is of
value.
The first thing noted on the 1865 chart is the shrunken condition of
what was once the harbor. A single 30-foot sounding represents the
broad expanse of that depth on the Peacock chart, and this reduction
has been effected apparently from every direction by the recession of
the sand spit by an extraordinary advance of the south and west shore
line, and by the growth of the river delta.
Synchronously with these changes there has been an extensive cut-
ting away of the shore line adjacent to the Harbor Head Lagoon north-
eastward from Greytown, and this is balanced by a roughly equal
accumulation along and consequent advance of the west shore line,
amounting to some 1,000 or 1,500 feet. The absence of off-shore con-
tours on the 1865 chart prevents what would have been a valuable com-
parison of their positions at the two dates, supplementing those of the
shore lines.
The succeeding chart is that of 1872, by Lieutenant Miller, U. S. N.,
made in connection with the Lull expedition.
The area of the Greytown Lagoon is still further diminished, and the
maximum depth is reduced from 30 to 19 feet.
Comparison of the coast line shows an advance of the west line of
500 feet since 1865, and, so far as the northeastward shore line is platted,
the wasting action in the vicinity of Harbor Head has continued.
The succeeding chart is that of 1884, by Passmore and Climie.
Comparing with 1872 it does not appear that the northeast coast line
has materially altered; but there has been a significant deepening of
the sea floor off Harbor Head that has moved the 6 and 8 fathom con-
tours shoreward. In other words, the shore erosion has been made up
from the ocean bed, indicating wave action at those depths.
The cor-
responding advance of the westward coast line has continued to the
extent, approximately, of 500 feet.
The shifting and unstable nature of the outer beach from Harbor
Head westward is well indicated by all these charts, which show it con-
tinuous or broken at several points at the different dates.
In the Greytown Lagoon there has been no particular change, and
there is reason to believe that the discharge through the Lower San
Juan into the lagoon has had much less to do with the diminution in
harbor area and depth than the incessant changes that have taken
place in the outer beach under the influence of occasional strong north-
ers and the milder but persistent east-northeast trade, both tending to
drive the beach sand into the quieter water of the lagoon.
36
NICARAGUA CANAL.
The next chart is that of 1888, by Ensign Maxwell, U. S. N.
In 1884 the Harbor Head Lagoon was closed from the sea and the
Greytown Lagoon open, through numerous breaks in the beach. In
1888 the conditions are reversed. Harbor Head is freely exposed and
Greytown completely barred.
The wasting action near Harbor Head has continued, unaccompanied,
however, by a corresponding advance of the westward shore line, but
this is in part accounted for by the great accumulation of sand in front
of Greytown Lagoon and a notable diminution of depth in the vicinity
of the beach, both inside and outside.
Comparing the sea contours, it is observed that off Harbor Head they
are substantially unchanged, but in front of Greytown the 4-fathom
curve of 1888 touches the 6 of 1884, and the 6 of 1888 has filled in the
sea angle of the beach and moved offshore by a maximum of 3,000 feet.
The final chart is that of 1895, of which the shore line was surveyed
by the Board and the offshore soundings made by Lieutenant Lyman
and other officers of the U. S. S. Montgomery.
In front of Greytown Lagoon the chart shows the effect of the canal
company's construction intended to secure an entrance, both in the
prompt advance of the shore line to the outer end of the pier on the
east side and the reaction to leeward of this work represented by the
overhanging spit and the local recession of the shore line. Of this
construction further particulars will be given later.
Nothwithstanding the temporary interruption to the westward move-
ment of the beach sands due to the pier, the west coast line has built
itself out some 250 feet since 1888, and the 4-fathom curve has moved
seaward about twice as much. The 6-fathom curve has come in about
the same, and the S-fathom curve is unchanged.
The comparative stability of this 8-fathom curve throughout the
continual changes that have taken place is a matter to be noted.
Northeast from Harbor Head the offshore contours all evince a dis-
position to approach the beach, the wasting in the interval, 1888 to
1895, having affected the deeper areas instead of the shore line.
To sum up the changes that have taken place as indicated by the
charts, those of 1872 and 1895 may be compared.
To the north and northeast of Harbor Ilead the shore line has wasted
1,000 feet and been followed up by the sea contours to an equal extent.
Northwest of Greytown the beach has been solidly built out parallel
with itself and normal to the direction of the prevailing winds and sea
for 800 feet, the positions of the old wrecks indicating what were
probably the 2-fathom contours at their several dates. The 2 and 4
fathom contours have moved seaward in proportion with the shore line.
The 6 and 8 fathom contours have not materially changed in position.
In front of Greytown Lagoon the beach has built out northward
1,000 feet to the end of the canal company's pier, and is now filling in
the angle to the westward. About 8,000 or 9,000 feet cast of the pier
appears a neutral point about which the waste and fill have approxi-
mately balanced, where the shore line and sea contours are practically
unchanged, and where deep water is soonest reached from the shore
line.
It is evident that there has been an enormous movement of sand
from east to west, and that the resultant action has been large ero-
sion near Harbor Head and corresponding accretion westward of the
Greytown entrance.
None of the charts that have been made has extended far enough to
the east and south toward the Colorado entrance to enable any judgment
to be formed as to how far the wasting action at Harbor Head has con-
NICARAGUA CANAL.
37
tinued in that direction, where the westward movement of the beach
sand begins, and if the actual waste at Harbor Head is the resultant
of an excess of erosion over supply from the southeast. The extraordi-
nary arrangement of lagoons near the Colorado mouth is conclusive,
however, that the initial movement is beyond the Colorado, as these
parallel lagoons were evidently successive portions of the river which
had been overlapped by littoral sand movements from beyond.
For a satisfactory discussion of the whole subject, the observation of
movements of beach and contour lines should cover the whole distance
to and beyond the mouth of the Colorado, and to the north and west,
to include at least the valley of the Indio, 9 ór 10 miles above Grey-
town, as the indications are that this river, which drains a large area
of heavy rainfall, is working its way southward toward Greytown.
On approaching the beach, the Indio turns sharply to the right and
flows parallel with the shore for nearly 5 miles before reaching the sea,
from which it is separated by a narrow sand spit. The position of the
mouth is not permanent, nor is it at this time as far south as it has been.
From time to time, under pressure of floods, the current cuts a new
outlet higher up, which again gradually works southward.
The importance of this action is due to the fact that it shows the
southeasterly littoral sand drift toward Greytown, supplementing the
westerly movement from Harbor Head to fill up the reentrant angle in
which the present entrance is situated.
It is to be presumed that, the working forces remaining the same,
though possibly in less amount, the resultant action will continue, the
sands of the east beach will move westward and of the west beach
southward, and accretion follow erosion, wearing away the prominence
and building out the bight, until the convexity of the coast line has
been approximately straightened by the filling up of the angle in the
immediate vicinity of the present entrance to the Greytown Lagoon.
The scale upon which these movements take place is such that time
is needed to effect them, but it seems safe to conclude that the endeavor
to construct a harbor entrance for the canal immediately adjacent to
the head of the bight, where the maximum filling action from both
directions must take place, will involve engaging at once in a perpetual
contest with forces of great power and persistence at the point of
application of their resultant effort.
On the prolongation of the company's pier the 6-fathom contour is
over 1,500 feet distant from shore, the 7-fathom 4,000 feet, and the
8-fathom about 8,000 feet. It is certainly to be anticipated, in case of
an attempt to build out on this line, that the beach will promptly fol
low over the comparatively flat bottom, and the ultimate expenditure
required for pier extension and dredging reach large amounts.
On the other hand, the Harbor Head Lagoon has some evident
advantages over Greytown Lagoon as a canal and harbor entrance in
its greater remoteness from the western shore angle and greater prox-
imity to the deep sea contours, but it may be apprehended that the
waste and mutability of the outer beach and the greater exposure to
wind and sea may involve hazards which it would be better to avoid.
The Board is, therefore, of opinion that the Greytown entrance is
inadmissible and the Harbor Head entrance inexpedient, and that the
best results will be attained by locating the entrance approximately
halfway between the two, in the vicinity of the neutral point previously
referred to.
At this point the 8-fathom contour is only 2,000 feet from the shore
line, and the maximum results in sheltering the entrance can be had
with the minimum length of protecting works, while the alignment of
38
NICARAGUA CANAL.
these works can be so adjusted as to reach deep water about normal to
the shore line, bearing a little west of north, and furnishing protection
from the prevalent winds and seas coming from about east-northeast.
CONSTRUCTIONS PROPOSED BY THE BOARD.
The preliminary views of the Board are indicated on the chart of 1895.
The east pier, the main work, curves off shore, with a total length of
3,000 feet from the inner end to the 7-fathom contour to hold and pro-
tect the entrance. The comparatively still water in the lee of the main
work would enable the waves to swing rapidly around, with a reacting
effect on the shore to the westward, which would tend to drive sand
into the harbor entrance. The west pier and inner walls, with a total
length of about 2,000 feet, are designed to prevent this and furnish
partial shelter for tugs and other vessels wishing to lie near the entrance.
Measuring across from the outer end of the west pier, the width of
the entrance is 600 feet, and a vessel entering will be under the lee
of the main work and partially sheltered from the sea before reaching
the narrower passage.
In order to open an entrance as speedily as possible and provide
harborage for vessels bringing construction plant and material for
beginning work on the line of the canal, a temporary pile pier should
be built on the line of the east pier, in which it would ultimately be
buried. The pile pier would have a length of about 1,500 feet-enough
to furnish cover for a dredge to begin operations, secure the necessary
depth of entrance, and cut back into the Greytown Lagoon.
The most convenient point at which to procure the rock filling for the
pile pier is a quarry about 3,000 feet from Lock No. 1. The opening of
this quarry would be in a sense dead work, but the harbor is a necessity,
and could not await the opening of the divide cut, whence the remainder
of the stone needed for harbor construction would be taken.
It is to be expected that the outer angle between the east pier and
the shore line will eventually fill with sand from the westward move-
ment of the beach, but a considerable time will be required to reach
the outer end near the S-fathom curve, and a very prolonged period
before the filling in of the ocean floor could injuriously affect the entrance
depth.
The gradual accumulation against the pier would tend to diminish
the waste of the beach to the eastward, and should this prove later to
be in such quantity as to be disadvantageous, the surplus material from
the divide could be used to check it by building short groins or jetties.
From the entrance a straight connecting channel 5,000 feet long, with
a bottom width of 200 feet and a low-water depth of 30 feet, is to be
dredged directly toward the deepest part of the Greytown Lagoon,
which will form the harbor to be dredged to 30 feet at low water, with
an area of 237 acres. Thence the canal proper will start westward
toward the divide.
The adoption of this plan will involve an abandonment of the exist
ing two-thirds of a mile of canal that has already been partially exca-
vated, but the cost of this is not material, in view of other and more
serious considerations.
CONSTRUCTIONS BY THE COMPANY.
The pier constructed by the canal company for the purpose of secur-
ing an entrance, as built December, 1889-May, 1893, is shown on the
chart of 1895.
The length of this pier as proposed is variously stated. In Mr.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
39
Menocal's Chicago Congress paper it is given as 3,000 feet, in the final
report of 1890 as 1,700 feet, and in the scheduled estimate as 900 feet.
Nine hundred and thirty-seven feet was the actual length when con-
struction was suspended in 1893. As built, it is 42 feet wide, consists
of six longitudinal rows of piles, capped and tied, and carries a rail-
way track. The filling is partly of rock from a quarry near Silico Lake,
and partly of concrete.
The effect of this pier in suspending westward drift of beach sand
and creating still water behind it enabled the surf to cut away the
beach and make an opening which the outflowing current from the
lagoon presently deepened to about 63 feet.
This depth permitted dredges drawing 7 feet light to be dragged in
over the bar with the aid of the sea, and by means of the dredges the
entrance was then deepened to 12 or 14 feet, which, however, could not
maintain itself without artificial aid.
The harbor was not at any time available for other than compara-
tively light-draft vessels, and but three or four used it.
One schooner with a load of timber for the company was wrecked in
trying to enter, and vessels bringing cargoes of material were partially
or altogether discharged by lighters.
The beach rapidly followed out the pier extension, and as soon as the
end of the pier had been reached the sand poured by and at once filled
up the deepened entrance.
The pier timber and piling were creosoted with 16 pounds of wood
oil to the cubic foot, but this proved unavailing as a protection from the
teredo, and when examined in May, 1895, the piles near the outer end
were found to have been badly eaten, and many on the channel side
had disappeared. Much of the timber also was badly decayed. The
teredo is very active in these waters, and excessive humidity and uni-
form high temperature are extremely trying to wood unless housed or
well painted, and its destruction when exposed is very rapid.
The cost of the pier as constructed was $164,507, or at the rate of
$175 per running foot, according to figures furnished by the company.
A considerable amount of harbor dredging has been done by the
company with its own plant, supplementing the endeavor to open the
entrance, provide harborage and access to the company's buildings,
shops, etc., constructed 2 and 3 miles northwest of Greytown, and to
begin work on the canal.
The material excavated was almost entirely volcanic sand, similar to
that of the beach. This sand is dark in color, rather coarse, has a
specific gravity considerably less than that of ordinary sea sand, and
when submerged is readily acted upon by waves and currents.
When piled in heaps it forms a porous mass through which the tor-
rential rainfalls descend with surprisingly little effect upon its contour,
even though the slopes be steep. This feature was noted both in the
mounds of dredgings near the entrance and in the canal banks, where
the sands dropped from the dredge chutes still stood seemingly undis-
turbed since they were put there.
The portion of canal work done by the company consisted of a single
cut with an elevator dredge for a distance of 4,350 feet, with a width
of 167 feet and a depth of 16 feet, followed by an adjoining cut for
about half the distance. The width of the two cuts was 279 feet.
The excavation was mainly within a funnel shaped area, where the
canal section proper widens into the harbor. The dredgings were left,
as deposited from the spout, immediately upon the edge of the excava-
tion, and would require rehandling to place them at a proper distance
from the banks.
40
NICARAGUA CANAL.
The total amount of dredging in canal and harbor, as stated by the
company, was 727,861 cubic yards, and the total cost $80,000 in round
numbers, or at the rate of 11 cents per cubic yard, which represents the
net cost of dredging in very favorable conditions, and with the com-
pany's plant, without charges due to first cost and maintenance.
The buildings erected by the company along the beach are on a lib-
eral scale, of good design and construction, and consist of storehouses,
barracks, and headquarters buildings, quarters for officers, hospitals,
shops, etc. All are of wood imported from the United States, and in
fair preservation, although in a state of comparative neglect, where if
needed repairs, painting, etc., are not speedily attended to the build-
ings will be seriously damaged. In several cases the roofs are of gal-
vanized iron, which is also used for many of the buildings in Greytown.
This material shows remarkable durability under exposure to the local
climatic conditions.
A large amount of property of various kinds lay out of doors and in
an advanced condition of decay-numerous steel boats and launches,
hulls and machinery rusted through; a pile of 8-inch spiral riveted
pipe, intended to bring water from a reservoir to the barracks and quar-
ters; spare shears for the dredges; two or three tugs and small steam-
boats, past all service; several scows and lighters rotten and sunk. The
five dredges bought by the company from the Panama Canal dredging
contractor lay in the harbor on the bottom uncared for, with rusted
machinery and woodwork dropping. Three locomotives under cover
are probably unserviceable. The machine shop, having been used to a
certain extent by the river navigation company for occasional repairs to
their vessels, was capable of service, but, with the exception of the large
buildings, little else could be considered as representing any value.
In case of resumption of work at the harbor, it might be practicable
to construct one serviceable dredge by building a new hull and taking
out of the present dredges such machinery as would answer the pur-
pose and be found usable. Should this prove to be practicable, the
construction could be begun from inside without waiting for the open-
ing of an entrance through the beach.
While giving a brief account of the plant and constructions at Grey-
town Harbor, where all the work connected with the actual canal build-
ing was done, it will be convenient to include the railroad which extends
inland for a distance of 113 miles along the line of the canal to between
the sites of Locks 1 and 2.
The Board made a trip over the road on a hand car propelled with
poles, and the results were of interest and value.
The single track is standard gauge, laid with 60-pound steel rails,
from Pittsburg, and 2,464 ties to the mile, and was built between May,
1890, and February, 1892.
The ground covered is flat and swampy for the greater part of the
distance, and across the wetter portion the roadbed was formed by first
cribbing roughly, then laying a temporary track and filling with sand,
most of which was brought from the canal cut at Greytown. Most of
this work was done by men working up to their waists in water.
Notwithstanding the exposure to the immense rainfall, the roadbed
when examined was found in fairly good condition, and the rails gave
little evidence of corrosion, but the ties were gone. Those first laid
near Greytown were of North Carolina pine, creosoted with 12 pounds.
of wood oil to the cubic foot, and were apparently about in the same
condition as would be that of uncreosoted ties laid for three or four
years in the States. Farther out, pine ties from Bluefields, not creo-
NICARAGUA CANAL.
41
soted, were much decayed. The remainder, of native timber, were
entirely rotten. With a few exceptions all the ties must be replaced
before the road can be used.
Four and one-half miles out is a clay fill standing well with little
indications of wash and leading to the bridge crossing the connection
between the Benard Lagoon and the San Juanillo River.
The bridge is a pile structure of ordinary type, about 125 feet long,
4 piles to the bent, braced and capped. The noticeable peculiarity of
the bridge was that it had been stayed both up and down stream with
wire ropes secured to trees. Upon inquiry it was learned that the
piles had been driven through 70 feet of soft mud. As the locality in
question is within a few hundred yards of the lagoon through which
the canal line passes, the subsurface conditions, if continued in the
lagoon, are very unfavorable features for canal building.
Beyond the bridge crossing is the first clay cut, and farther on both
cuts and fills are numerous.
The cuts have heights up to 20 feet, with slopes from vertical to 45
degrees, and in most cases stood with an extraordinary stability under
the tropic downpour. At several the original tool marks were still
visible, both pick and steam shovel. In several others there had been
slides, but none of great extent. The ditches were generally clean, and
in but few points had the wash reached the rail. The surface of the
cuts was in some cases protected by vines, but in most was quite bare
unless for a minute lichen.
As these clay cuts had been exposed for over three years to the
severest rainfall of record on this continent, and were found in better
condition on the whole than an exposure in the United States for a
single winter would have left them, it is evident that the absence of
frost more than balances the tropic downpour, and for the materials in
question constructions can quite as safely be designed as in the United
States.
A train of flat cars standing at siding was nearly covered with vines
and creepers
and the woodwork far advanced in decay. On the other
hand, the natural growth in the roadbed was unexpectedly slight,
although in two or three cases the canebrakes had invaded the track.
On the whole, taking into account the condition of the sand dumps
at Greytown and of the clay cuts and fills on the line of the railroad,
it is evident that the heavy rainfall is not necessarily as formidable an
obstacle to outdoor constructions as might be supposed, although the
slight works in question must not be too confidently accepted as safe
precedents for much heavier constructions, and, with work in clay, an
accumulation of water must always be guarded against.
GREYTOWN HARBOR TO OCHOA.
A preliminary location of the line from Ochoa to Greytown adopted
by the company was made by Mr. Menocal in 1885, and the final Ìoca-
tion is described in his report of January 31, 1890. The route follows
a nearly direct course from Greytown Harbor to a point on the San
Juan River, 3 miles below the mouth of the San Carlos, crossing the
east divide by way of the valleys of the Deseado on the eastern and
the Limpio on the western slope.
The governing feature of the project is the extension of the summit
level from the lake to the east divide. This is to be accomplished by a
long line of dams and embankments described elsewhere in this report.
The project offers several important advantages.
42
NICARAGUA CANAL.
First. A considerable saving of distance will be made, estimated by
the company at 12 miles.
Second. Navigation will be facilitated by the formation of basins in
the valleys of the Chanchos, Nicholson, and San Francisco rivers, and
in the Florida Lagoon.
Third. The drainage of these streams will be received in the basis
and currents avoided.
Against these advantages are to be offset the risks inherent to the
Ochoa Dam and the large and numerous embankments.
•
GREYTOWN HARBOR TO LOCK NO. 1, 9.30 MILES.
The first location was a straight line which cut across a bend of the
Sa Juanillo, and required a new channel for that river 7,000 feet long. A
few hundred feet to the northward, opposite the middle of the section,
lies the depressed area known as the Benard Lagoon. In order to avoid
the San Juanillo, and to reduce the amount of excavation, the line, by
a later location, is thrown northward into the lagoon, which is nearly 3
miles across. A short curve is introduced and the two lines meet at
Lock No. 1.
The ground is a swamp nearly the whole distance; the general eleva-
tion is not more than 5 feet above mean tide until the Benard Lagoon is
crossed, then rises gradually to 16 feet at the foot of the hill in which
Lock No. 1 is located.
The swamps are drained by a network of streams, connecting with
the Indio on the north and the San Juan on the south, and the amount
of water bordering the line is too large to be received into the canal.
It will therefore be necessary to raise the canal banks above the highest
water level in the swamps; and the bed of the Benard Lagoon is sup-
posed to be mud to a great depth, in which it will be difficult to build
banks. If this prove to be the case, a return to the former location
may be required, with an addition to the amount of excavation.
The company proposes to make the bottom width in this section 120
feet, the depth to be 28.2 feet below mean tide in Greytown Lagoon, the
side slopes 3:1 in sand and 1:1 in clay. This width is adopted with a
view of constituting the section an extension of the harbor, in which
vessels can lie or pass each other. The depth proposed, which is 1.8
feet less at mean tide or nearly 2.8 feet less at low tide than the general
depth in the canal, is understood to be temporary, the full depth of 30
feet to be obtained, after the opening of the canal for navigation, by the
use of the maintenance plant.
The Board believes that the estimates should cover the cost of the
work completed to full depth, and that the width proposed is insufficient
for passing and more than enough for the movement of single vessels.
The estimates have been modified, therefore, to provide for a general
width of 100 feet, with three passing places, 180 feet wide, for a length
of 600 feet, and an increase of depth to 30 feet below low water in the
Caribbean. The several changes nearly balance and involve little addi-
tional cost.
In the dredging done by the company for a short distance from Grey-
town Lagoon westward the material was a coarse sand, similar to that
of the beach; this material continues westward about 3 miles, and is
followed by clay and the mud of Benard Lagoon; west of the lagoon
the material is clay, overlaid in places by a few feet of mud. All this
material can be excavated readily by dredging, excepting possibly the
deep mud in the lagoon, which can be avoided by a change of line.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
43
LOCK NO. 1 TO THE EAST DIVIDE, 6.65 MILES.
The tide lock (No. 1) is located in a hill which projects from the north
into the valley of the Deseado. It is to have a lift of 31 feet from mean
tide, raising the water surface about 15 feet above the valley floor.
A dam is required across the valley having a crest length of 1,450
feet, and a height of 23 feet above the valley floor, or 32 feet above the
bed of the Deseado; provision is made for the regulation of the upper
level by a concrete masonry sluice with two openings, each 20 by 25
feet, and two weirs of 100 feet each, placed in depressions in the
flanking hills.
In addition to the above, four small embankments, of an aggregate
length of 660 feet, are required in saddles between the hills to complete
the line by which the upper level is to be maintained.
A canal is to be excavated the entire distance of 1.33 miles between
Locks Nos. 1 and 2, with one crossing of the Deseado, which will have
to be diverted. The flood discharge of the stream is not known, but is
probably 3,000 or 4,000 cubic feet or more per second. Its diversion.
and control will be a matter of considerable expense, for which no
special provision is made in the estimates.
Lock No. 2 is located in a hill on the south side of the valley, and has
a lift of 35 feet. A change to a hill on the opposite side has been sug-
gested, and, if made, the diversion of the Deseado above referred to
would not be necessary. The same provision is made of weirs and
sluices as at Lock No. 1. In addition to these, a dam and two embank-
ments will be required to close the valley, having a total crest length
of 2,030 feet; the greatest height will be 48 feet above the valley floor,
or 69 feet above the bed of the Deseado.
From Lock No. 2 to Lock No. 3, a distance of 4.55 miles, the line
for the first 23 miles passes through a basin formed by the dam and
embankments at Lock No. 2, followed by an excavated channel for the
remaining distance, in which several diversions of the Deseado, not
specifically estimated for, will be required.
Lock No. 3 is located in a hill on the south side of the valley and
raises the water to the summit level, which the company has assumed
will be 106 feet above mean tide, giving the lock 40 feet lift. For rea-
sons given elsewhere, the Board believes the level will be about 110
feet, in which case the lock will have a lift of 44 feet.
There is but one opening to be closed here, the saddles in the adja-
cent hills being above the summit level. The company proposes to
close this with a concrete dam with sluice openings similar to those at
Locks No. 1 and 2. The crest length of the dam will be 750 feet, and
the height above the bed of the Deseado will be 63 feet. No borings
have been taken at this site, and it is not known whether a suitable
foundation for a concrete dam can be found.
A weir 200 feet long is to be placed in the hill on the north side of
the valley, and channels excavated to and from it.
A basin about 2,000 feet long is formed immediately above Lock No. 3,
affording an adequate passing place; one fourth of a mile beyond the
basin the line reaches the east end of the great cut through the east
divide.
The canal cross section proposed by the company between the locks
is the same as between Lock No. 1 and Greytown Harbor, viz, 120 feet
bottom width. In the opinion of the Board, navigation would be better
served by reducing the width to 100 feet, and providing passing places
immediately above and below each lock.
44
NICARAGUA CANAL.
It is said, in the final report on location, of January 31, 1890, that
the locks are to be 650 feet long in the chamber by 70 feet wide. In
later publications, it is stated by the company that the width is to be
80 feet. The Board has been informed recently, however, that this
increase of width has not been determined on, and the company's esti-
mates do not provide for it.
The dimensions should be determined by the classes of vessels which
are expected to use the canal. If it is to be adapted for the passage
of the largest war ships, 70 feet will not be sufficient. The U. S. S.
Iowa, for example, has a beam of 72 feet 3 inches, and proposals are
soon to be opened for others of the same beam, while it is understood
that war ships of even greater beam, 75 feet, are in contemplation.
For present purposes, 70 feet wide is sufficient, but the largest ves-
sels are proving to be the most economical freight carriers, and the
dimensions of the locks should be fixed with regard to the probable
increase in dimensions of vessels in the near future. A future need
for large locks could be met by the construction of new ones; but in
any case the cost would not be increased on account of the additional
width recommended more than $1,250,000 for the entire canal.
In the opinion of the Board the width of 80 feet should be adopted,
and this width is provided for in the estimates of the Board.
As before stated, the three locks from sea to summit level at 110 feet
will have lifts of 31, 35, and 44 feet, respectively. There is nothing
necessarily impracticable in so great a lift as 44 feet, although it is
without precedent. With an increase in lift the weight of the gates at
the foot of the lock chamber becomes greater, but with the machinery
used for the operation of locks in modern practice, there need be no
difficulty in handling them. No compelling reason can be given, how-
ever, for such an extreme lift in this locality, while several reasons of
much weight suggest a more moderate one. The Board proposes to
substitute a system of four locks, the one nearest the sea to have a lift
of 26 feet from the level of mean tide; the remaining three, lifts of 28
feet each. This arrangement provides structures of less weight than
those proposed by the company, which is important in view of the fact
that they must rest on clay foundations. The weight of gates will be
less, and the time required for lockage somewhat reduced. The result
will be a simplification of the system, a more conservative course as
regards the dimensions and weights of the structures, a slightly
increased capacity for the passage of vessels, and a reduced consump-
tion of water from the summit level on the one hand, as against a some-
what greater first cost and cost of operation on the other.
The canal company has no detailed plans of the locks and other
structures for which its estimates are made, and the Board has had to
prepare preliminary drawings for the lock estimates, which take into
account also a complete equipment of operating machinery, such as
recent experience shows necessary; the estimate of weight of gates is
based on the actual weight of the gates just built for the St. Marys
Falls Canal. Data as to the cost of the operating machinery are drawn
from the same source.
For valuable data with reference to the construction of the new Sault
Ste. Marie Lock, and for much other useful information, the Board is
indebted to the late General Poe.
A system of culverts for filling and discharging the lock has been
provided, and also a system of steel I beams built into the concrete
floor, carrying out the idea of concrete and iron construction which has
been successfully exemplified in recent arch bridges. These details,
NICARAGUA CANAL.
45
however, are used only as a means of arriving at a fairly satisfactory
idea of cost.
The estimated quantities exceed those shown in the company's esti-
mates, but are based on reliable data, and are believed to be substan-
tially correct. It has been necessary also to increase the unit prices;
for example, the price allowed by the company for concrete, $6 per cubic
yard, is only about two-thirds the actual cost of concrete of similar
composition used on a large scale in the locks of the Hennepin Canal
where the conditions for economical work were much more favorabic
than in Nicaragua in every respect, except as to the cost of cement,
the saving in the latter item not being sufficient to offset the increased
cost due to the more adverse conditions of locality and climate. The
result has been a large increase in the estimates of the cost of locks.
The borings indicate that the material to be excavated in this section
will be clay. It is important, therefore, to consider its characteristics,
both as regards its suitability for the foundations of structures and its
probable behavior in the sides of deep cuts.
A reddish-brown clay, varying somewhat in tint, is found everywhere
between Lake Nicaragua and the swamps near the coast; the steep hills
and the deep ravines passed over by the Board during their inspection
of the canal and embankment lines showed surprisingly little scour,
although in a region of rainfall several times greater than anywhere
in the United States.
Other observations confirmed these favorable indications.
Before the suspension of work on the canal the company built 11 miles
of railroad from Greytown Lagoon westward, as part of the service line
to Ochoa. The western portion passed through a slightly rolling dis-
trict, where several cuts, some as deep as 20 feet with slopes of from
3:1 to 1:1 were made in the clay hills; the tool marks left by the work-
men two or three years before still showed plainly in the sides of the
cuts. Although it had been raining every day for some time, the mate-
rial when examined was hard and firm, and the side ditches of the road-
bed were remarkably clean. From these facts, the Board formed a
favorable opinion of the material, which was strengthened by later
observations in Costa Rica. The railroad from Port Limon to San José
has a large number of cuts in clay, several of which are over 100 feet
deep, with slopes of 1:1. During the visit of the Board to San José,
a heavy rain occurred, causing a large number of land slides which
stopped trains, and the Board returned to the seacoast partly by means
of hand cars and partly on foot. An excellent opportunity was thus
given to observe the effect of an unusually severe tropical rain on the
steep clay slopes. Although the masses of clay which had fallen from
the sides of the cuts were sufficient to block railway traffic, in no case
were they large enough to be a serious obstruction in a canal, and a
cube equal to the total amount could be removed by a dredge in a short
time.
The clay appeared to be quite similar to that in Nicaragua, and when
it is remembered that the slope proposed by the company for clay above
water is 12:1 instead of : 1, as in the cuts in Costa Rica, it is believed
no apprehension need be entertained of serious slides.
At the sites of Locks Nos. 1 and 2 borings have been made with an
earth auger, and hard clay is reported. These reports, taken in con-
nection with the observations of the clay in the railroad cuts, lead to
the opinion that the material will form a fairly satisfactory foundation
for the locks, unless local variations from general characteristics should
be disclosed by fuller exploration.
46
NICARAGUA CANAL.
EAST DIVIDE, 3.15 MILES.
This section consists of the continuous deep cut through the summit
of the east divide. The general course of the valleys of the Deseado
and Limpio is followed, but the streams are so crooked that the line of
necessity cuts through a succession of steep hills which project into
the valleys from either side. The true drainage summit is crossed near
the middle of the section, 17.4 miles from Greytown Harbor, at an eleva-
tion of 322 feet above mean tide, but the deepest cutting is about one-
third of a mile to the eastward, in a hill whose summit is 404 feet above
mean tide, giving a cut of 324 feet. The line is entirely in curvature,
with radii of from 4,520 to 7,160 feet.
The total cube of excavation in the east divide amounts to 11,700,000
cubic yards, of which 3,400,000 is clay and 8,300,000, or about 70 per
cent of the total, is rock. The rock is of all degrees of hardness, from
decomposed telpetate to trap. The overlying material is clay, varying
in depth from nothing to 115 feet, with an average of 35 feet.
The company's estimates of rock cuts are based on a cross section
having vertical sides from canal bottom to 10 feet above water, at which
elevation there is a beam 5 feet in width; above this the rock is given
a slope of 1 horizontal to 5 vertical; in the overlying clay the slope
is 13:1.
The company made a series of borings along the center line of the
canal at intervals of about 1,000 feet, with a diamond drill, obtaining
cores of the rock passed through. These cores, arranged in order, would
be a valuable record, but only a few samples from a small number of
borings have been preserved. These samples, with the scanty notes
turned in by the chief of the boring party, and such examination of
the outcrops as the Board was able to make during the inspection of
the route, constitute all the information now available.
The material called "telpetate" is found in several places directly
underlying the clay, and at one point the formation was 79 feet thick.
It is a laminated, clayey rock, varying much in hardness, but usually
soft, disintegrating more or less rapidly on exposure to the air. At one
point on the bank of the Deseado it stands nearly vertical for 20 feet,
and is overlaid by a hill of clay with a steep slope; in other places the
indications were less favorable, the material being much disintegrated
and forming natural slopes of :1 or flatter. The conclusion seems
inevitable that flatter slopes than those assumed by the company will
be required at the outset, involving an increase in the original excava
tion, or that a heavy maintenance expense will be incurred for some
time after the completion of the work.
The most serious fact shown by the borings is the existence, at great
depths below the surface, of rock more or less decomposed, which may
crush when the excavation is made and cause the sounder rock above
to fall. The absence of good field notes and the loss of the cores are
particularly unfortunate in these cases. New borings, not only on the
center lines, but on the sides of the cut, in sufficient number to disclose
and define the limits of dangerous materials, are indispensable, and
should be made under the constant supervision of a capable engineer.
The material reported as "tale," found in many places, is not properly
so called, but, as far as can be judged from the samples, is a compact,
solid rock.
In concluding the remarks on this subject, it must be added that, so
far as the information goes, there are no indications of interposed clay
layers or other sliding surfaces in the rock formation. There appears
NICARAGUA CANAL.
47
to be no regular stratification, and borings in the same vicinity differ
greatly in character of material passed through.
The Board regrets exceedingly that it is compelled to present so
inadequate a discussion of the east divide cut, the most costly section
of the whole project, but the data at hand are so scanty and defective
that no satisfactory treatment of the subject is possible.
EAST DIVIDE TO SAN JUAN RIVER, 12.26 MILES.
From the west end of the east divide cut the line proceeds by a
tolerably direct course to a junction with the San Juan River, 1,700
feet above the mouth of the Machado, or 2,000 feet above the site of the
Ochoa Dam, a total distance of 31.35 miles from Greytown Harbor.
The valley floors of the Chanchos, Nicholson, and San Francisco rivers
and the Florida Lagoon where crossed by the canal are about 50 feet
above mean tide, while the surface of the water is to be maintained at
an elevation of 106 feet, according to the company's project, which will
become 110 feet, according to the views of the Board. The valleys have
considerable widths, and the Chanchos and San Francisco rivers and
Florida Lagoon are crossed obliquely. These valleys are closed by a
series of embankments, and the result is the formation of 6 basins of an
aggregate length of 7.6 miles.
Much importance has been attached to these basins by the company
as permitting a high rate of speed between the east divide and Ochoa.
It is believed their value in this respect may easily be overrated; they
are so short, the longest being only 2 miles and the shortest less than
three-fourths of a mile, that no great increase of speed could be gained
after entering one end of a basin before it would be necessary to reduce
it to enter safely the narrow canal section at the other. Their principal
utility, therefore, as far as the movement of vessels is concerned, is to
afford passing places.
In the ridge separating the Florida Lagoon from the Machado the
company has estimated for guard gates, by which communication can
be closed between the basins and the San Juan in case of a break in
the long line of embankments which extend eastward from Ochoa, or
if for any reason it should be desired to draw down the water in the
basins. There are no drawings or plans for these gates.
The canal cross section adopted for this portion of the route has a
depth of 28 feet at the sides, deepening to 30 feet in the middle, the
bottom width being 80 feet, and the side slopes 13:1. There are berms
of 10 feet on each side 10 feet below water surface, and again 5 feet
above it. By the 2-foot deepening at the center, the bottom sloping
uniformly to the sides where the original depth of 28 feet is unchanged,
a nominal depth of 30 feet is obtained.
The Board inclines to the opinion that this cross section should be
deepened to 30 feet for the full width, and widened from 80 to 100 feet,
particularly in view of the square section and bilge keels of war ships,
but has not made any addition to the estimate to provide for this
increase.
THE SAN FRANCISCO EMBANKMENTS.
The great number of these embankments, large and small, the mag-
nitude of some of them, and their important relation, individually and
as a whole, to the construction and maintenance of the canal system
as proposed by the company call for special consideration.
The total distance from the west side of the east divide to where the
canal line reaches the San Juan at Ochoa is 12.26 miles.
48
NICARAGUA CANAL.
In the company's reports this distance is designated the "San Fran-
cisco division," but in this report, for convenience, it is included in the
general title of the eastern division.
The topography of this region is quite complicated and difficult. It
may be briefly described as a succession of minor valleys intervening
between the San Juan and the main ridge, which lies a few miles to the
northward, and with their longer axes roughly parallel with the gen-
eral southeasterly direction of both. These valleys drain into each
other in a somewhat confused fashion, and in some cases the movement
of water may be in either direction through the connecting links, but,
broadly considered, discharge through the low crest of hills separating
them from the San Juan by four principal outlets, viz, the Chanchos,
Nicholson, San Francisco, and Danta rivers, the latter draining what
is known as the Florida Lagoon.
This crest line, intervening between the canal line and the San Juan
and somewhat vaguely defining the southern limits of the minor val-
leys, was developed after great labor by the surveying parties of the
company.
It loops away from the canal line at the point where the latter in its
westward course from the divide leaves the valley of the Limpio and
falls into that of the Chanchos, and from the common point follows a
succession of steep clay hills, heavily timbered, across deep swamps
and flat, muddy bottoms, intersecting the valleys of the main streams
and many minor depressions with a capriciously sinuous course, which
lies at varying distances of one-fourth to 23 miles from the more direct
line of the canal and joins it again in the vicinity of Ochoa.
The length of the canal line between the points of junction is about
10½ miles, while that of the crest line is 153 miles, of which 40 per cent
is embankment.
The line of the so-called San Francisco embankments follows this crest
line, and the purpose of the numerous dams and embankments is to
dam the valleys of the rivers and close the other depressions, great and
small, which are intercepted by it, and which it is necessary to build
up to such height as to retain the surface level of the canal at the
requisite elevation.
The effect of this is to convert the several valleys into basins, con-
nected by narrow passages excavated to canal cross sections, as a
portion of the canal route.
The total number of embankments required for this purpose, some of
them of insignificant dimensions, others of great magnitude, is no less
than 67, with a total crest length of about 6 miles, and with heights
above the ground on which they rest varying from a few feet only to
70 feet and upward.
As stated in the final report of 1890, the canal surface elevation being
fixed at 106 feet, the dams and embankments were to be raised to
elevation 112 feet, giving 6 feet of free board; but by a recent modifica-
tion, the excess of height is to be 8 feet instead of 6, and the 1895 esti-
mate provides for this.
The largest of these individual embankments is the dam closing the
San Francisco bottom and adjoining depressions, with a crest length
of 1.2 miles, and an extreme height of 85 feet above the bed of the river.
There are five others with dimensions approaching these, varying in
length from 1,040 feet, with a greatest height of 60 feet, to 1,840 feet in
length and height of 79 feet. These stated heights are measured from
the surface of the ground, and do not include depth of foundations.
With reference to this important point, the company's borings in the
NICARAGUA CANAL.
49
beds of the Danta and Nicholson sank through 30 feet of soft mud before
reaching clay, and there are two of these swamps of similar character
that have not been investigated, and whose depth of mud is not known.
Assuming it to be the same, there are at least four of these larger
dams that will have a total height of considerably over 100 feet above
their foundations.
Referring to the practical difficulties involved in the existing climatic
conditions prevailing in Nicaragua, the report of 1890 has the following
judicious remark (p. 10):
In a country subject to observed rainfalls of more than 6 inches in twenty-four
hours, the problem of drainage involves dealing with forces of nature whose enor-
mous destructive powers are a constant menace to engineering works, however care-
ful and skillful their design and execution.
The difficulties of construction in these conditions would have been
even more strikingly illustrated by citing the observed rainfalls of 9
inches in nine hours and 3 inches in a single hour.
In the Chicago paper of 1893, the chief engineer says that "the series
of embankments in the San Francisco Ridge, it is frankly admitted, is
the weakest feature in the whole route."
The report of 1890 states that-
It is proposed to build all the embankments across the valleys in the disconnected
portions of the ridge of "rock fills" and earth backing, the crest to be 107 feet above
sea level, and with top and outer slope so shaped and paved with large stones as to
admit the free flow of water over the surface without danger of injury, all other
embankments to be 112 feet above sea level. All these embankments will be in fact
so many waste weirs for the discharge of the surplus water at several points in the
basin, with an aggregate length of 4,720 feet of spillway, and assuming that the
embankments are perfectly tight, which will not be the case until several years after
construction, and therefore that all the surplus water passes over the weirs, the
maximum thickness of the crest will not exceed 15 inches.
It is not clear for what amount of drainage or for what area these
weir arrangements were intended to provide, as the streams in question
have never been gauged in flood, nor their water sheds measured.
The slopes of the rock-fill dams were to be 3:1 on the water side and
23:1 on the dry side.
It is evident that the maintenance of these rock-fill dams, sustaining a
head of 60 or more feet and with a current pouring over the crests and
down the rear slope, seemed doubtful, and the company later changed
its plans by dispensing with rock fill and using clay exclusively.
Furthermore, the height of all the dams was raised to elevation 114,
8 feet above the canal surface. In such case the embankments are no
longer to act as weirs, and the drainage is now provided for by three
concrete masonry sluices, each having two openings 20 by 25 feet,
placed at suitable points in hills adjacent to the main valleys of the
San Francisco, Chanchos, and Danta, and built at so low a level as
will provide for the diversion of these streams while the dams are
under construction. In addition to the sluices are three weirs at dif
ferent points; one of 250 feet, one of 200 feet, and one of 150 feet, with
their crests at elevation 104, or 2 feet below the canal surface eleva-
tion 106.
The canal company has thus avoided two construction difficulties by
dispensing with rock fill and the use of the dams as weirs, but has
apparently repeated the error made in connection with the Ochoa
Dam and the San Carlos weirs, of supposing that with an invariable
width and depth of weir a uniform elevation of water surface can be
maintained, with a variable afflux.
H. Doc. 279—————4
50
NICARAGUA CANAL.
It is evident that with a fixed weir capacity, adapted to perhaps an
assumed mean discharge, the water surface elevation must run down
when the discharge or afflux becomes a minimum, and, on the other
hand, must rise as the afflux exceeds the supposed mean.
It is also evident that, in order to meet these varying conditions of
afflux and still maintain a uniform surface elevation, either the sluices
must be maneuvered to regulate the discharge, or the weirs must be
equipped with flash boards or movable dams that can be adjusted to
meet the same purpose.
As elsewhere stated, the Board deems a surface elevation of 110 feet
needful, instead of 106, as the company proposes. This will call for
the raising and enlarging of all the embankments, for which the nec-
essary additions have been made in the Board's estimate.
Using the same free board as that of the company, 8 feet, the eleva-
tion of embankment crest will be 118, and the height of crest above
the average valley floor, assumed at elevation 46, will be 72 feet. The
lowest valley floor is that of the Danta at elevation 40, where the mud
is 30 feet deep, making the height of the dam 108 feet.
The construction of these vast accumulations of clay, under the heavy
rainfall, and their effective consolidation into impermeable and stable
structures will call for the exercise of the utmost care and skill. The
use of animals or vehicles of any kind on the fill will in all likelihood
be impracticable, and the deposit of the material and its consolidation
in layers will probably involve the use of cables for delivering the clay
in skips and hauling the rollers from side to side. As the San Francisco
embankment alone has a total length of nearly 14 miles, the problem of
its construction constitutes by itself a sufficiently formidable task.
The clay to be obtained from the west side of the divide cut and from
excavations in the San Francisco basin is not sufficient for the construc-
tion of these embankments, which aggregate over 7,000,000 cubic yards,
and a large quantity, computed at about 2,500,000 cubic yards, must
either be borrowed from hills in the vicinity of the work or hauled from
beyond the summit of the east divide.
For the protection of these high banks after construction the surplus
rock from the divide cut may be used to cover the slopes.
The excavations of the deep mud bottoms referred to is also a difti-
culty. Their widths are not known, and they probably follow the line
of the valleys above and below the embankment line for long distances.
In order to excavate a foundation for a dam the inflow of soft mud from
the two ends must be cut off, and probably the construction of crib piers,
filled with stone and sunk in the mud parallel with and at suitable dis-
tances from the upper and lower foot slopes of the dam, will be the
cheapest and most effective means of doing this. The cost of auxiliary
work of this kind is included in the unit price ($1.50 per cubic yard)
adopted by the Board for the mud excavation.
It is proper to note the multiplied points at which the canal would
be exposed to injury after construction, and the comparative facility
with which a breach could be made at any point on the long line of
embankments, if, for any reason, military or malicious, it should be
intended to destroy the canal navigation until the breach could be
closed.
RAILROAD AND TELEGRAPH LINES.
The company proposes to build a single-track railroad from Grey-
town to Ochoa for the transportation of plant and supplies and for
conveying excavated materials to points where needed or to suitable
NICARAGUA CANAL.
51
lumping grounds. The clay from the east divide will all be needed in
the embankments between the east divide and Ochoa. Of the rock,
about 700,000 cubic yards, solid measurement, will be required for
Greytown Harbor; 100,000 cubic yards for pitching canal banks
between Greytown and Lock No. 1; 250,000 cubic yards for concrete
in the locks, and 2,000,000 cubic yards or more for the Ochoa Dam.
For this large traffic the estimates of the company provide a single-
track railroad, without sidings, terminals, or other necessary adjuncts.
A line has been located, with grades running up to 3 per cent and
with free use of 15-degree curves, these extreme limits being due to
the difficult nature of the country.
The Board does not believe that any single-track road, and especially
such a one as has been described, located in a country where the rain-
fall is so great and track maintenance will be so difficult, is sufficient
for the business west of the east end of the divide cut, and has there-
fore increased the estimate to provide for a double-track railroad in
this section, with stations, water tanks, machine shops, sidings, and
terminals for the whole line. The estimate is necessarily approximate
only for what is believed to be sufficient.
From the east end of the divide cut to Greytown Harbor it is believed
that a single track will suffice with proper sidings and terminals.
The telegraph line is required, not only for the operation of the rail-
road, but to maintain communication between the different sections of
the canal. The company's estimates are believed to be adequate.
LAKE AND RIVER DIVISION FROM OCHOA TO WEST SIDE OF
LAKE NICARAGUA.
THE OCHOA DAM AND THE SAN CARLOS RIDGE.
The dam across the San Juan River at Ochoa, about 69 miles from the
lake, is the main prop of the company's project, and, like the pier of a
cantilever bridge, upholds the burden of the great constructions that
stretch in both directions to constitute the waterway.
The bold project of extending the summit level of the canal from the
lake to Ochoa, and thence to beyond the east divide within sight of the
Caribbean, depends upon the successful building and maintenance of
the structure.
The dam is designed-
First. To intercept the flow of the San Juan below its junction with
the San Carlos and submerge the valleys of both rivers, converting
them into arms of the lake. The effect of this would be to add some
2,300 square miles to the lake watershed.
Second. To maintain the water surface of the flooded valleys at such
an elevation as will prevent the lake from falling below its adopted
minimum stage, viz, 110 feet above sea level.
Third. To prolong the summit level eastward from the dam through
the San Francisco basins and the east divide cut to Lock 3 in the Deseado
Valley, 17 miles from Greytown.
Fourth. To act as a weir for a discharge over its crest of the surplus
waters of the lake and San Juan watersheds.
The San Carlos is the principal affluent of the San Juan and drains
an area of some 1,250 square miles, which reaches back to the lofty
summits of the Costa Rican ranges, and is subject to a heavy and vari-
able rainfall. The river therefore has a quick watershed, and is liable
to heavy floods. It discharges into the San Juan about 653 miles from
the lake and 3½ miles above the proposed site of the Ochoa Dam.
52
NICARAGUA CANAL.
The ridge that bounds the San Carlos Valley on the east side is too
low at numerous points within 10 or 12 miles from the San Juan to sus-
tain the high-water level, and 21 embankments are needed to close the
gaps and raise the crest to the requisite height. At suitable points in
this ridge the company proposes to build three weirs, with an aggregate
length of 1,200 feet, to aid in discharging the surplus volume of the
two streams, and has recently added two sluices 20 feet wide and 25
feet high for the same purpose. The San Carlos Ridge is therefore a
necessary adjunct, and practically a continuation of the main work.
Since the Ochoa Dam is to sustain the volume of a reservoir nearly
3,000 square miles in area and control the entire summit level, it will
determine the elevations, magnitude, and cost of all the constructions
through both the east and west divides, the great embankments in the
San Francisco basins, and the extensive rock and other dredging in
the San Juan and lake channels, representing about one-half of the total
cost of the project.
The determination of its height and other dimensions, and the selec-
tion of the materials and methods of its construction, are therefore mat-
ters of vital importance; a reduction of even a foot or two would impair
navigation, and any considerable excess would endanger some of the
works, while the failure of the dam would leave the navigation stranded,
wreck the valley below, and possibly wash Greytown into the sea.
A work of this kind, designed to control a large river, and upon which
interests of such magnitude depend, can not be too thoroughly consid-
ered or too securely built.
The engineer should know the conditions under which he is to work,
the forces with which he has to contend, and the probable magnitude
of their opposing action, if he is to plan his work wisely and insure its
safety. It is important to know-
First. What is the nature of the river bed and banks upon and between
which the dam is to be built.
Second. What are the physics of the stream itself; its range between
low and high water stages; its varying slopes, velocity, and volume;
the magnitude, duration, and frequency of its floods.
Unfortunately, information of this kind is seriously deficient.
The company's surveys are mainly devoted to topography, and did
not include the collection of hydraulic data. No survey was made of
the river, and but one gauging, and that of no present value, as the
stage of river when it was made is not known. For information of this
kind, recourse must be had to the imperfect data given in the Childs
and Lull reports of 1852 and 1873, respectively, and obtained during
the recent inspection of the river by the Board.
The company has no detailed plans or specifications for the dam, and
the following account of the proposed method of construction is quoted
from the Final Location Report of 1890:
The section of the river from Ochoa to the lake is to be made navigable by the
construction of a dam at Ochoa, just below the Machado, maintaining the water at
the summit level of 106 feet above sea level. It may here be explained that this
elevation hitherto treated as the summit level is 4 feet below the lake, a fall of three-
quarters of an inch to the mile being allowed for the slope necessary to discharge
its waters, although for all purposes of navigation that portion of the river is con-
verted into an extension of the lake.
The dam is located between two steep hills, and its length of weir on the crest will
be 1,250 feet, and abutments 650 feet. The average depth of the water in the river
was at the time of the survey 8 feet, and the maximum depth close to the southern
abutment 14 feet, the width between banks being 950 feet. With a mean flow in
the river of 20,000 cubic feet per second, the thickness of water on top of the weir
will be about 31 feet.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
53
The dam is proposed to be built of rock till and earth backing, in all respects simi-
lar to all the other large embankments and weirs already described. Its average
height above the river bottom is 61 feet, its thickness at the top 25 feet, and at the
bottom 500 feet. The core of the rock portion will be made of smaller stones,
gravel, and refuse from the rock cuts, with three rows of sheet piling from abutment
to abutment, and substantial concrete core walls from the ends of the sheet piling
carried well into the abutment hills and up along the slope beyond the maximum flood
level. The upper portion and long flat apron will be composed of stones of the
largest dimensions that can be properly handled and arranged, the interstices being
filled from behind with small stones, gravel, and earth dumped from suitable
trestles.
The following from a paper prepared by the chief engineer of the
company for the Water Commerce Congress at Chicago in 1893, pages
28 et seq., gives a fuller description:
The Ochoa and Tola dams are the keys controlling this great problem at the east
and west ends of the summit level, and should not be passed without special notice,
particularly so the former, in which a novel method of construction is contemplated.
This work has been for years the subject of long study and careful consideration.
The diversion of the River San Juan is well-nigh impossible, and construction by the
usual methods, with either cut stone or concrete, of so important a work in opposi-
tion to the mighty power of the stream is a problem involving the most serious diffi-
culties. It was at first proposed to build a stone dam upon a series of arches sup-
ported by piers starting from the foundation, through which the river waters could
How freely during the construction of the main part of the structure, these openings
to be closed by gates in the upper side when the upper part of the dam, its approaches
and aprons, were completed; and then to be filled with masonry from the lower side,
while the water was rising in the basin. This was, perhaps, as a practical solution,
probably the best under the circumstances, for that style of dam; but its execution
would be tedious, difficult, and expensive, and there was to be always present an
element of doubt not easy to eliminate as to the final success. The building of the
foundations and pilasters for the support of the arches in constant contention with
the whole river would be a most difficult undertaking, in which the items of time
and cost would remain unknown quantities to its completion. Another idea has
since been suggested, which seems to embody simplicity, economy, and safety. It
consists in dumping from an aerial suspension conveyor large and small material
properly assorted, across the river from bank to bank until a barrier is created suffi-
ciently high and strong to arrest the flow and hold the waters at the required level,
the body of the dam to be made up of large blocks of stone, weighing from 1 to 10
tons, and smaller material to fill the voids. Its base will be quite broad as compared
with the height, probably from 400 to 500 feet between the foot of the upstream
slope and the end of the apron. The top is estimated 30 feet wide, the rock upstream
slope 1 to 1, and the apron, or downstream slope, 4 to 1, with the lower portion
flattening down to 5 or 6 to 1. On the upstream side small material, such as stone,
fragments of gravel, clay, etc., selected as circumstances may require, will be depos-
ited as the work advances, in sufficient quantity, as tight as wanted. It is not
expected or even desirable to have a water-tight structure, the object sought being
simply to oppose such an obstruction to the river as may be necessary to hold the
waters at the required level. The minimum flow of the river is about ten times the
water needed for working the canal. Consequently, nine-tenths of it can be wasted
with advantage. That the dam will eventually become tight there can be no doubt,
as the small drifts and detritus forced in by the current will gradually fill the voids
and consolidate the structure.
The method of construction will be quite simple. After protecting the abutments
against possible erosion, large pieces of rock will be dumped in the bed of the stream
from three or four cableways spanning the valley. The material should be distrib-
uted uniformly over the area under the main portion of the dam, commencing upstream
and keeping up, as nearly as possible, an even level. Scouring will soon cause set-
tling of the blocks into firmer soil, the upper level in the meantime being constantly
raised by depositing more stone, while the small material is being forced by the cur-
rent into the voids, and the overflow dislodging and rearranging the unstable blocks
until they reach a final resting place. This process to be continued until the resist-
auce at the bottom becomes so great as to check scouring due to maximum pressure,
when the dam will be carried up to the desired level. The river, in the meantime
running over the mound, will readjust the material in and adapt the apron to the
necessary conditions of stability to withstand the effect of the fall, and carry off the
water safely. If the dam is then raised so as to shut off a whole or the largest part
of the river flow, which can by that time be discharged over the waste weirs, the
structure will be permanent. If the river is not able to prevent the completion of
54
NICARAGUA CANAL.
this work, having, on the contrary, greatly contributed to its construction by a better
distribution and consolidation of the material, now that the waters are diverted to
another outlet, no fear need be entertained as to injury from that source.
There may
be some settlement and final readjustment of the component parts for some time after
completion, but that can be easily remedied by depositing more material where
needed. It is believed that this dam will be safer, as it is by far more economical,
than a stone dam. An earthquake might cause serious damage to a masonry dam,
but it can do no harm to this. On the contrary it may add to its consolidation by
bringing the parts in closer contact. There are no cemented joints to be opened, and
a seismic disturbance would have a tendency to compact rather than to disintegrate
the large mass. The rock for the dam will be brought by rail from the divide, and
delivered immediately under the wire cables, each one of which will be capable of
handling and depositing about 1,000 tons in ten hours. Consequently the work can
be completed in from four to five years, and, if it need be, in less time.
On page 27 of the same paper it is stated that—
At the site of the Ochoa Dam, gravel, clay, and rock, in the order named, are shown
by the borings.
On pages 20 and 21 it is stated that the weir on the crest of the dam
is to have a length of 1,250 feet, with its sill at elevation 105, 1 foot
below the water surface, while the San Carlos Ridge weirs, with a length
of 1,200 feet, have their sills at elevation 103.5, 24 feet below water
surface.
The company assumes, therefore, that there will be at all times
streams of at least these depths flowing over the weirs, and computes
the corresponding discharge at 14,200 cubic feet per second, with the
water surface at normal level, viz, elevation 106.
The cubic contents of the dam, as above described, is given in the
company's estimates of 1890 as 880,000 cubic yards; but this has recently
been increased 50 per cent, and appears in the estimates of August, 1895,
as 1,200,000 cubic yards.
It is not known upon what basis the company assumes that the slope
of the river from the lake to the dam will be 4 feet when the water
surface at the dam is at an elevation of 106 feet.
So far as the Board can determine, the slope at low stage of river and
lake will be 0; in other words, that, to prevent the lake from falling
below summit level elevation 110, during the dry season, the water
surface at Ochoa must be held at the same or a greater elevation, the
height of the dam be correspondingly increased, and all sources of
waste be stopped. Furthermore, the company assumes (p. 19, Chicago
paper) a possible maximum discharge from the watershed, with both
rivers in full flood, of 63,000 cubic feet per second. No gaugings have
ever been made at high stages, and reliable data are lacking; but from
such sources of information as were accessible to and from observations
made by the Board, and by various methods of computation, it is clear
that high floods, discharging as much as 125,000, and possibly 150,000,
cubic feet per second, are to be expected at intervals of a few years,
and that the dam is likely to be subjected to such floods during con-
struction and subsequently.
The problem at Ochoa, therefore, is to build a dam in opposition to
the tremendous and unknown forces of the river floods, while the
imperative requirements of the completed structure are that it shall be
permanent beyond peradventure and practically impermeable. In a
structure so important as this, where failure would mean destruction
to property and population from the dam to the sea, and suspension
for several years of navigation through the canal, only the most secure
and stable structure should be considered. It is not a place to practice
small economies.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
55
The conditions would be fully met by a masonry dam on a solid rock
foundation, if such could be found.
No such site is at present known nearer than Machuca Rapids, 17
miles above, aud no search has been made for any. The company's
location was fixed with reference to topographical considerations, and
the geological investigation was both scanty and unsatisfactory. In
January and February, 1888, borings were made in the bed and banks
of the river to ascertain the nature and disposition of the subjacent
materials. The party was provided merely with earth augers for boring
into clay, and with pipes and sand pumps for exploring the sandy bed,
but had no drills for penetrating and testing rock, in order, if found,
to ascertain its character and quantity.
The following table gives in a condensed form the information.
obtained:
Record of borings with earth auger and pipe and sand pump at site of Ochoa Dam.

FI
Location of boring.
Designation of
boring.
Depth of boring
below surface of
ground.
below surface of
Depth of boring
water in river.
Material
passed
through.
Material
reported
at
of
bottom
boring.
and below (—)
Distance above(+)
sea level.
Remarks of engi-
neer in charge
of boring.
On north bank, 120 feet from
river, on center line of dam.
On north bank, 90 feet from
river, 250 feet above center
line of dam.
A
Feet. Feet.
30
Clay.
Rock
Feet.
+76
Rock, thought to
be a bowlder.
B
35
.do
.do
+26.7
On north bank, 110 feet from
river, 120 feet above center
line of dam.
C
41
.do
do
+19.6
On north bank, near water's
D
58
.do
.do ....
1.4
edge, 100 feet above center
line of dam.
On south bank, 30 feet from
river, 330 feet below center
line of dam.
E
42
..do
do
+25
10 feet above
rock, clay and
sand. Rock
appeared very
hard.
Rock, thought to
be a bowldér
On south bank, near water's
F
25
do
Bowlder.
edge. 120 feet below center
line of dam.
+34
On south bank, near water's G
edge, on center line of dam.
10
On south bank, 160 feet from H
river, on center line of dam.
22
22
.do
.do
•
+38.7
10 feet clay,
.do
+77
then 12
feet sand
On south bank, 150 feet from
I
15
and gravel.
Clay
.do
+92
river, 70 feet below center
line of dam.
On south bank, 180 feet from J
river. 60 feet below center
line of dam.
54
..do
Clay
+52
On south bank, 60 feet from K
river, on center line of dam.
37
9 feet clay,
..do
+21
In rivor, 200 feet from south
bank.
Do
Middle of river.
In river, 200 feet from north
bank.
In river, 10 feet from north
then 24
feet clay
and sand.
M
2 229
HZZO Re
20
35
Saud..
Sand...
+13.3
These borings at
nearly the same
24
36
21
30
18
24
..do
...do
.do
.do
...do
+12.3
point.
+18.3
.do.
+24.3
39
44 Clay
Rock
bank.
+43 Struck solid rock;
South bank, on water's edge... Q
very hard.
39
.do
Clay hard.+ 9.3
pan.
NOTE.-Surface elevation of river February 5-16, 1888, 48.3, which is a rather low stage. Borings
L to Q, inclusive, were taken during this period.
56
(
NICARAGUA CANAL.
The borings show that the hills forming the river banks are of clay
which is fairly compact. One of these borings, however, shows a con-
siderable depth of sand and gravel underlying clay at a distance of 160
feet from the bank of the river, and points out a possible source of dan-
ger to the abutments. Five borings only, viz, L, M, N, O, and P, were
taken in midstream. In four of these nothing but sand is reported to
a depth of 24 feet. It is explained that these borings were not carried
to greater depths, because the pipes became clogged with gravel, which
could not be removed with sand pumps, and for the removal of which
no other provision had been made.
"Rock" is reported in several borings at depths differing greatly
even within short distances, and it is doubtful if rock was found in a
single instance, when it is taken into account that the only tool for
determining the character of the material was a common auger.
The boring marked D, taken near the water's edge on the north bank
of the river, reached a depth of nearly 14 feet below the deepest bor-
ing in the river bed. This renders it very probable that at least that
depth of sand or gravel overlies any harder material, if any, in the
center of the stream, and this probability is strengthened by the fact
that in the San Juan above the San Carlos the depth of water is as
great in some places as 50 or 60 feet, reaching much below sea level.
Nevertheless, an exhaustive search should be made for a suitable site
for a masonry dam before accepting one of inferior character. If the
route adopted by the company from Ochoa to the sea, through the San
Francisco basins to the valley of the Deseado, with some of the unde-
niable advantages that it would possess is to be retained, the limits for a
possible location of the Ochoa Dam are quite narrow. Above the mouth
of the San Carlos the deep channel would make it difficult to build
masonry foundations, and the canal extension to reach it would be
costly. Below Ochoa reconnoissances in the vicinity of the mouth of
the Serapiqui and for a few miles above that point have made it almost
certain that no site for a high dam exists in that vicinity. The exami-
nation would therefore be confined to a stretch of river extending not
more than 10 or 12 miles above Ochoa and not more than 8 or 10 below
it. The Board, however, while insisting upon the necessity for this
investigation, can not prejudge its outcome, and must, in accordance
with its instructions, report upon the plan proposed by the company.
The structure proposed by the company, as previously described,
is a rock fill of not excessive dimensions, to be composed of loose masses
of rock of assorted sizes, dropped into the river and permitted to reach
positions of stability under the action of the river, and in conflict with
its floods. It is assumed that the resultant slope upstream will be 1:1,
and the downstream slope 6:1 near the base to 4 or 2:1 at the top.
The weir crest of the dam is to be at elevation 105, about 60 feet above
the low river, and the base supposed to be about 25 feet below it, giving
a total height to the structure of 85 feet.
Smaller materials, stone, gravel, and clay, etc., are to be deposited
against the upstream face as the work advances, and, working into the
rock fill, gradually tighten it, with an ultimate upstream slope of 3: 1.
The shore connections are to be made by means of lines of sheet
piling, the soil to be excavated between them, and core walls built of
concrete.
The company considers that it will not be needful to make this dam
entirely water-tight, as the large surplus discharge of the river will
permit considerable leakage without interference with canal require-
ments. This assumption, however, is quite erroneous.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
57
The Board has given careful and laborious consideration to the
problem of this dam as the most difficult and important individual work
in the project, and has sought every means available to investigate the
chances of its successful construction.
The dam, if finished, could not be overturned or pushed from its base;
but questions arise as to the strength of its foundations, as to its resist
ance to floods during construction, as to making it tight enough to retain
in the dry season a sufficient amount of water for canal uses, and as to
the practicability of using the completed dam as a weir.
It may be said at once that the structure as proposed, of loose rubble,
built in a sand foundation of unknown depth, in conflict with a powerful
stream subject to floods, and to be used as a weir after completion for
the discharge of the river, has no precedent in any engineering con-
struction.
The idea of the "rock fill" was doubtless suggested by the works of
that kind that have been built in the West, and it will be useful to give
the particulars in reference to some of these, and, from their success or
failure and the precautions found necessary in building them or the
defects which led to their destruction, to extract such lessons as may
be applicable to the case in question.
Dams of rock fill, with various modifications, have been in use for
several years and have found their principal development in the mining
and arid regions of the United States. Several have been built by
hydraulic mining companies in California. The California dams usually
contain more or less crib work which is exposed to decay, but the dams
are intended to serve only a temporary purpose. The foundation is
usually of rock. The slopes are 1:1 or steeper, the face being heavy
rubble, of the largest stone obtainable from the quarry, and laid with
derricks. The smaller stones and refuse are used for the interior
filling, which is dumped in. The upstream face is provided with a
water-tight covering of 3-inch plank, of one, two, and three thicknesses
from the top downward to the bottom, secured to the crib work or to
timbers anchored into the body of the dam, carefully calked, and fitted
at the lower edge to the foundation. Several of these structures will
be described.
THE ENGLISH DAM.
The English Dam on the Yuba River in California was built in 1856-
1858 as a crib dam. It was 110 feet wide at the foundation, which was
on hard trap or shale. The total height above the foundation was
about 89 feet at the center of the dam. Its width at the base was 100
feet. In 1876-77 it was decided to raise the crest of the dam. The
timber in the outer face of the crib work was renewed wherever decayed;
a mass of rocks was deposited against the downstream slope, the face
being heavy dry rubble, laid carefully, and the space between this and
the crib filled with loose rock. The downstream face had a slope of
nearly 1:1. The upper 7 feet was made wholly of substantial timber work,
connected with the water-tight plank facing of the original crib work.
The crest of the completed dam was 131 feet above the deepest part of
the foundation. From 1858 to 1883 the water in the reservoir was raised
every year to the high-water mark, which, in the new structure, was 14
inches below the crest of the new timber work. No sign of weakness
was ever observed.
At 5.30 a. m. of June 18, 1883, a watchman, in making his usual
rounds, heard two sharp explosions, and hastened to a point from.
which he had a view of the dam. The water was pouring through an
58
NICARAGUA CANAL.
opening in the upper timber work over the crest of the stonework; in
a few moments the crest of the dam for a length of 175 feet was swept
away, aud an immense opening was cut in the foundation. In the space
of one hour fully 600,000,000 cubic feet of water were discharged into
the canyon below at the rate of 166,000 cubic feet per second.
The failure is supposed to have been due to the decay of the timber
in the crib work, causing a settlement in the rock fill and permitting a
sheet of water of considerable depth to pass over it.
THE BOWMAN DAM.
The Bowman Dam was built a short distance below the English
Dam, in the same valley. When first built it was a crib dam, 72 feet
high, filled with rock. In 1875-76 it was raised to its full height, 100
feet, by a rock fill against the downstream side of the crib and above
its crest. The completed dam is 425 feet long on the crest, with slopes
of 1:1, or a little steeper, on both sides. It was faced with heavy
rubble, laid with derricks. On the downstream face the rubble was 15
feet thick at the base and 6 to 8 feet thick at the top. The upstream
face was covered with plank sheathing, calked and made water-tight.
The top of the dam was covered with coping of plank anchored into
the stonework. At the time of the failure of the English Dam the
entire flood passed over the Bowman Dam without injuring it.
Other dams of the same general character still doing service might
be cited, but they differ in no important particular from the English
and Bowman dams. The essential features were an impermeable
foundation, and a crib core, with a water-tight plank sheathing. In a
few other localities dams have been built without the plauk sheathing,
and in some respects more nearly comparable with the dam proposed
at Ochoa.
WALNUT GROVE DAM, ARIZONA.
This dam was built in 1888. It was 420 feet long on the crest, 110
feet in height, 138 feet wide at the base, and 15 feet wide at the top.
Both sides were faced with dry rubble walls 20 feet thick at the base
and 5 feet thick at the top. The upstream face was covered with a
water-tight plank sheathing. A mass of loose rock, having a slope
of 1:1, was piled against the downstream side for half its height. The
foundation was rock.
During a great flood in February, 1890, the water poured over the
crest to a depth of 3 feet for six hours, when the dam gave way and was
entirely destroyed.
CASTLEWOOD DAM, COLORADO.
This is a loose rock dam, with masonry face, and is 586 feet long on
the crest, 634 feet high, 85 feet wide at the base, and 8 feet wide at
the top. The underlying material is a compact bed of clay and hard-
pan, which was excavated 15 feet deep over the site of the dam. The
upstream slope is 1:10; the downstream slope 1:1. Both face walls
have a thickness of 5 feet, and are laid in cement mortar; the interior
filling was laid dry, but each stone was carefully placed. When first
built, the crest for a distance of 100 feet was left 4 feet lower than the
remainder of the dam to form a waste weir, but this has been filled up,
and a sluiceway excavated through a rock in a hill forming one of the
abutments. The dam is still in good order.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
59
THE PECOS DAM, NEW MEXICO.
This dam was built in 1890. It had a crest length of 1,040 feet, with
a height of 45 feet above the lowest point in the foundation. It was
built of loose rock, of gypsum and limestone, which was of poor quality,
and broken into small pieces in excavating. The upstream slope
appears to have been about 2:1, and was faced with a hand-laid wall.
The downstream slope was 1:1 without facing. An earth embankment
was built against the upstream side, with an upstream slope of 2:1. It
was put in dry, and, when the first flood came against it, slid away, and
the water poured through the rock fill without doing it any injury.
After the flood subsided the embankment was rebuilt in a more thorough
mauner, with an upstream slope of 3:1. In 1893 there occurred a very
high flood, and, the spillway being insufficient, the water poured over
the top of the dam to a depth of 5 inches, which was sufficient to cause
its speedy destruction.
ST. CHRISTOPHER DAM, FRANCE.
The following description of this very interesting example of a rock-
fill dam is taken from the Engineering News of January 8, 1887, which
is credited by that paper to the proceedings of the Institution of Civil
Engineers:
This was originally a bank of rough stone 65 feet high for carrying the canal
(Marseilles Canal) across the valley, and constructed with very little care, without
any intention of using it as a reservoir dam. When it was determined to adapt it
to this purpose the water-tight lining of the canal was removed and the turbid
water allowed to sink into the dry stone work. This produced considerable settle-
ment, but at the same time filled up the cavities with deposit. Water was then
gradually let into the reservoir. At first large quantities made their way through
the dam, but the amount of leakage diminished by degrees and the inner face of the
dam was then covered with good masonry, 10 feet thick at the bottom and 14 feet at
the top. This was expected to render it water-tight, but did not have this effect, and
upon readmitting the water large fissures appeared on the face, particularly near
the bottom. Several rows of piles were then driven near the foot and the oracks
filled up, and the bank is now practically water-tight.
THE CASCADE FILL.
The Cascade Fill, on the line of the Erie Railroad, has been referred
to in connection with the proposed Ochoa Dam, and illustrates so well
some of the features of rock fills that a description is proper in this
connection.
The track of the Erie Railroad crosses the valley of Cascade Creek,
175 feet above the bottom of the gorge. It was originally carried on a
timber arch which was replaced about 1860 by an embankment. In
order to avoid the use of a culvert through the embankment the lower
portion was made of clean riprap, which formed a drain for the creek.
The upper portion was made of smaller stone, and with anticipation
that the rainfall might not pass the largest floods a tunnel was driven
around one end of the fill through the rock of the hill, as a discharge
culvert.
In 1875 the tunnel discharged a large amount of water for the first
time. As late as 1888 the rock fill continued to pass the ordinary drain-
age and even moderate floods, but since that time it has become prac
tically water-tight and the discharge is through the tunnel.
The rock-fill dams which have been cited differ from the proposed
Ochoa Dam in many respects, and the limits within which they may be
60
NICARAGUA CANAL.
regarded as precedents must be kept clearly in mind. In no case has
the rock fill been relied upon to make a water-tight dam. A plank
sheathing or a skin of masonry laid in cement, or a carefully built
embankment has been adopted as an absolutely necessary feature. In
the case of the Cascade Fill, the riprap was intended to act as a sub-
stitute for a culvert, and answered its purpose sufficiently for many
years except for very heavy rains.
In nearly all cases the foundation is rock, but there are two notable
exceptions. The first is the Castlewood Dam, in Colorado, where the
foundation is a compact bed of clay and hard pan. The second is the
St. Christopher, where much settlement and leakage resulted, which
was finally stopped by sheet piling.
The English, Walnut Grove, and Pecos dams failed immediately or
within a few hours when the water passed over their crests, and they
became weirs. The failure of the English Dam was caused, probably,
by a settlement of the stone breaking the connection between the new
timberwork on the summit of the dam and the older crib work below
and permitting the new work to be swept away; but whatever the cause
may have been, it is an important fact that as soon as a sheet of water
6 feet or more in depth commenced to pass over the unprotected crest
of the rock-fill dam its destruction followed in a few moments. The
resistance of the Bowman Dam, over which the vast liberated flood
passed so quickly, was probably due to the protection of the crest by
timberwork, which prevented the formation of a breach in the rock
fill, and it may be presumed that the downstream face of the dam had
been laid with care, but it must be remembered that the trial lasted
only about an hour.
There has been much dispute as to the care with which the Walnut
Grove Dam was built; the slopes were considerably steeper than 1: 1,
and although the walls on both sides were hand laid, the dam failed
within six hours after having been overtopped with 3 feet of water.
The failure of the Pecos Dam is not so surprising, for the material of
which it was composed appears to have been already so finely broken
that it could offer little resistance to a strong current, and its speedy
failure when overtopped was inevitable.
No case is known of an existing rock-fill dam where its use as a weir
is intended, and the failures above cited point out the danger, which
there would be no justification for incurring, for the completed struc-
ture at Ochoa, where the interests involved will be so vast.
It is inevitable, however, that during the construction of the Ochoa
Dam the flood waters will pass over it, and the question of their prob-
able effect is of great importance.
The conditions at Ochoa will be in some respects more favorable, in
some respects less favorable, than in the cases above mentioned; the
material to be used will be in large masses, and the downstream slope
will be flatter. On the other hand, the annual floods of the San Juan
will be discharged over the mound for several years during its con-
struction. If a flood like that of 1888 occurs during this period, the
depth of the sheet of water passing over the dam will be 10 feet or more
in thickness, and will exert an enormous force to displace the stones on
the crest of the downstream slope, a force which they will be the less
able to resist because in the earlier stages of the work it will be impos-
sible to arrange them with any regularity so as to form a dry wall or
paved surface.
The great weirs known as "anicuts" built across the wide, flat, sandy,
river beds of India are instructive in this connection. While these
NICARAGUA CANAL.
61
weirs are only 10 to 20 feet in height above the bed of the river,
immense floods pass over them, sometimes for a depth of 20 feet. The
weirs are built during the season of low water, when the flow of the
river is small and can be diverted, and any repairs that may be neces-
sary can be made during the long dry season that presently follows the
brief rainy season. The river bed for a distance of 150 feet or more
below the weir is protected by a heavy layer of riprap, covered by a
paving of large stones laid by hand as close as possible, with their
longest dimension vertical. A system of concrete or rubble walls whose
foundations generally penetrate several feet into the river bed divides
this protecting apron into areas of 20 to 30 feet square, so as to confine
the limits of injury which any portion may receive. The slope of the
apron is never steeper than 10 horizontal to 1 vertical, and more often
20:1.
During the construction of the Ochoa Dam the river can not be diverted
either wholly or in part until the dam has been built to a considerable
height above the present river bed, and the top and downstream slope
of the dam, corresponding at this stage with the apron of a weir in
India, can not be protected by a regularly laid surface. The stones,
however, may be very much larger, and thus compensate somewhat for
irregularity of arrangement.
Several of the larger Indian weirs resemble the Ochoa Dam in that
they are built on sand extending far below the foundations, but they
are never of great height, and the penetration of the masonry of the
weir below the river bed is usually greater than the elevation of the
crest above the river bed. It would be impracticable to realize a like
condition at Ochoa.
It appears from this account of typical existing dams that, although
rock-fill dams are not new, and although weirs have been built on sand
and maintained successfully, the Ochoa Dam is actually without prece-
dent in its more serious aspects, and its construction will be far more
difficult than any that have been mentioned. The successful rock fill
dams have impervious foundations, and are made water-tight by sheath-
ing or masonry. The materials in them are in great part hand laid
adding greatly to their stability, and none of them has been built in
conflict with the forces of a great river or was intended to be used as
a weir for the discharge of floods.
As to this last point, the Board is clear in its judgment that no such
endeavor should be made in the case of the Ochoa Dam, as involving
an unwarrantable hazard to the safety of the structure and of the canal
navigation.
It will be seen that the construction of a loose rubble dam without
masonry and lacking bond and coherence, resting in a bed of sand of
unknown depth, intended to endure the constant flow of water over its
crest and down its rear slopes, and to resist the passage of floods of
many feet depth, depending for its maintenance solely upon the sta
bility that the individual stones exposed to the impact and power of
the stream may be able to derive from their weight and contact with
the adjacent pieces of rubble, has little resemblance to the low and
carefully hand-packed anicuts built during the dry season, or to rock
fills of the mining regions, built dry on rock, with crib work whose
defect is its perishability, and which are not intended to bear an
overflow.
In the case of the Ochoa Dam, while there are no precedents of simi-
lar design that can usefully be studied as a guide, there are many
failures of dams of various types that may wisely be considered as
62
NICARAGUA CANAL.
warnings when the subtle and often incalculable power of a large body
of water under high pressure and in full movement is in question.
Although evidently invested with special and unusual difficulties, it
can not, therefore, be inferred that the construction of a dam at Ochoa
is to be regarded as impracticable or beyond the resources of modern
engineering. Engineers are loath to admit that anything not forbidden
by the known laws of nature is impossible, provided the need of doing
it and the means of paying for it are commensurate with the magni-
tude of the undertaking; but no one will deny that the formidable
nature of the task and the seriousness of the interests depending upon
its successful execution make greater the urgency that every detail
and particular affecting the problem shall be closely studied and accu-
rately determined, without doubt or uncertainty, as far as the methods
and appliances of modern science shall avail to ascertain them, in order
that the plans of construction may be intelligently formulated, the nec-
essary appliances be considered to meet contingencies, the risk and dif-
ficulties of construction and maintenance be reduced to a minimum,
and a fairly adequate estimate be made of the cost of the completed
work, and of the time required to build it. There are chances and
hazards in all great undertakings, and the history, both technical and
financial, of engineering constructions, especially those dealing with
hydraulic problems, but emphasizes the necessity of thorough explo-
ration, and full and precise ascertainment of essential facts before pro-
ceeding with the actual execution and expenditure for construction.
The Board has endeavored, notwithstanding the lack of proper data,
to formulate some views as to what might seem to be the safest method
of constructing the dam, and as to the dimensions it should have.
One view contemplates the building of the dam subject to the floods
of the river until it should be raised to such an altitude as to admit of
completing the upper part rapidly in one low-water season.
The second considers the advantage of constructing sluices in the
San Carlos Ridge of such dimensions as should give relief in part or
altogether, with the idea, subsequent to the completion of the dam, of
continuing the sluices in service as a means of regulating the water
discharge, and the maintenance within proper or possible limits of the
summit level elevation.
In view of the probability that the work may be subjected to a flood
so great as 150,000 cubic feet per second, the Board considers that this
contingency should be regarded as a datum for safety in arranging the
details of construction.
Another datum regulates the height. The maintenance of the lake
level at a minimum of 110 will probably involve the necessity of holding
it at times at 112 or even more. The Ochoa Dam must meet this con-
tingency, and its crest elevation, allowing for possible subsidence and
a proper free board, should be 120.
The weakest point of a dam built as the company proposes would
probably be at the river bank, where the loose rock will meet the steep
clay slope. The method proposed for protecting this point by lines of
sheet piling and concrete core seems entirely inadequate. A better
construction would involve the use of a caisson on each side of the
river, located so as to be partly in the river channel and partly in the
firm clay bank, and sunk by the pneumatic process to bed rock if within
reach by that means, or if not, at least below reach of scour. It seems
probable that either bed rock or a mass of bowlders would be found
near sea level, elevation O. The caisson should be surmounted by a
concrete wall, extending up the hillside beyond the caisson to the
NICARAGUA CANAL.
63
•
bigbest elevation to be reached by the water surface after the comple-
tion of the dam, say 114 or 116. A trench 20 feet or so in depth, or
deeper if necessary to reach firm material, should be excavated in the
hillside for the core wall. This work done, the river banks and hill-
sides below high water level should be covered with a heavy mass of
large stones and an additional amount held in reserve before deposit-
ing any rock in the river. The result of this would be to contract
somewhat the width of the river channel, which would at once scour
out so as to maintain its normal cross section. A considerable scour
would be desirable, because it is important that the rock mass be sunk
deeply into the river bed, since, if rock or a bed of bowlders or heavy
gravel can be reached, the safety of the structure will be increased
greatly. In depositing rock in the river those methods should be used
which will induce scour, and possibly the building out from each side
may best answer this purpose.
The proposition of the company to build the main portion of the
dam with stones of large size, with only enough small pieces to fill
voids, is sound, and precautions should be taken to have the surface of
the mound covered with the heaviest rock obtainable prior to every
flood season. If the work is carried up over the whole width of the
stream, a regular cross section should be maintained, so that the force
of the flood will not be concentrated at any one point. The downstream
slope should be made very flat-10:1 will be none too flat, and will give
trouble enough in maintaining it. As the work rises the danger of
injury by floods will increase. Should sand under the mound scour out
at any point a settlement would occur, a channel would be formed
through the mound, and the destructive power of the current be greatly
increased. If, however, the mound can be successfully raised to an ele-
vation of 70 feet above sea level, or 35 feet above the present bed of the
river, it will be then possible to build the remainder of the dam to full
height in a single low-water season, the reduced flow of the river spout-
ing through the interstices of the dam, by using temporarily a steeper
downstream slope of 3 or 4:1. This done, and weirs provided else-
where for discharging the river, the hazards of construction will be
passed; but until this stage is reached the work will be subject to dan-
ger from every flood and the contingent risks will be great.
It is believed that by some such means as is outlined, subject to modi-
fications as actual experience may prove necessary, a rock mound could
be carried across the river. It should then be strengthened by com
pleting the full-rock section.
The rock mound would be quite permeable, and the water pressure
against it would vary with the volume of the discharge. To make it
hold water, an embankment, which would form the real dam, the rock
mound serving as its support, must be built on the upstream side. It
is proposed to make the embankment of fine stone, gravel, clay, etc.,
with the view that a quantity of these materials should be carried well
into the rock mound. An embankment composed largely of clay
dumped in the water would take a much flatter slope than 3:1. For
these reasons the quantity estimated by the company would have to
be increased largely, and means may have to be adopted, not contem-
plated by the company, to render the dam tight enough to answer its
purpose, as the permissible leakage is much less than the company has
assumed.
By the addition of the embankment, and the retardation by friction
of the flow of water through the underlying sand bed, the dam will be
rendered more secure from undercutting and consequent settlement;
64
NICARAGUA CANAL.
but some doubt as to ultimate security will still remain. Confidence
would be gained to a certain extent during the construction of the dam,
if no breaches were caused by the annual floods, but it would require a
considerable period of time after the completion of the dam to allay all
apprehension. If a site can be found where the dam can be built above
a rock or other stable foundation, the permanence of the structure will
be rendered much more probable and the uncertainties of construction
reduced.
If such a dam becomes breached with the great volume of water
standing at a high level against it, destruction would follow quickly.
The crest, therefore, should be raised so far above the surface of the
water in the pool that a considerable settlement could be sustained
without sinking the crest below the water surface.
A study has been made to ascertain if, by the construction of auxil-
iary sluices at convenient points in the San Carlos ridge, the river could
be in part or wholly diverted, so as to reduce the volume and velocity of
flood discharge over the dam, diminish the possible risks during construc-
tion, and subsequently aid in regulating the elevation of summit level.
Following a preliminary discussion of this subject with the Board,
the company has added to its estimates the cost of two sluices with
openings 20 feet wide and 25 feet high; but the sills are put at eleva-
tion 64, and the river surface would therefore have to rise about 16 or
18 feet before the sluices could begin to discharge.
Furthermore, the company largely underestimates the highest possi-
ble flood at 63,000 cubic feet per second (see Chicago paper, p. 19),
while the Board considers that a maximum of 150,000 is possible, and,
for security, should be assumed.
The construction of sluices or other means of diverting the entire
possible flow at the outset, prior to beginning work on the dam, would
involve so serious a cost as to make it prohibitory; but if the sluices
were so planned as to begin the relief of the dam at a point where the
effect of flood discharge would become dangerous, and thereafter furnish
an increasing measure of assistance, the risks involved would be reduced
and construction facilitated.
After construction, the sluices could then be called upon, if neces-
sary, to dischage a full flood.
For the purpose in question eight masonry sluices were assumed,
with openings 20 by 25 feet and sills at elevation 58. The crowns
would therefore be at elevation 83, and when the water surface, as
raised by the dam, should reach elevation 100 the sluices would be
capable of discharging the full volume of 150,000 cubic feet per second
with a head of water of 17 feet over them.
As the average low-water surface of the river is at about elevation
48, the dam in the earlier stages of construction must in any case be
without relief, and with the gradual raising of the mound the floods
would act with increasing force and effect; but at elevation 58 the
sluices would begin to cooperate.
The discussion of the balancing action of the sluices under the vary-
ing conditions of flood discharge and surface elevation of river at the
several stages is complicated and quite interesting, the more so as
the sluices in the San Carlos Valley are 6 miles distant from the dam in
the San Juan, measuring along the river channels; but the subject is
too technical for incorporation in this report.
The period of greatest danger to the dam will be when its crest is
built up to about elevation 65 to 70-say, 17 to 22 feet above low water-—
and at this stage subjected to a flood of 150,000 cubic feet per second.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
65
The sluices would be about two-thirds full, and be discharging about
60,000 cubic feet. The flood pouring over the dam would be about
90,000 cubic feet, the depth over the crest of the dam would be over 9
feet, and the water would descend the rear slope in a solid mass 5 feet
deep, with a velocity of nearly 13 feet per second, or nearly 9 miles per
hour.
Without the aid of the sluices the depth on the crest would be about
13 feet and the velocity down the slope 25 feet per second.
These figures, though theoretical merely, may serve to give some
idea of the magnitude of the destructive forces to which the rock-fill
structure will be exposed and the hazards involved in the attempt to
build it in such unprecedented conditions.
The cost of the sluices would not be less than $1,500,000, allowing
for necessary excavations and protection for site and approaches. It
may be observed that the construction of these sluices in a clay bank,
to be operated under high head, will itself be no mean task, if due
precautions are to be taken to insure the efficiency and safety of the
structure after completion.
It may be proper to give the dimensions which the Board believes
the Ochoa Dam would be likely to have, if successfully erected.
The crest of the dam at elevation 120; its base in the sand at about
elevation 15; total height, 105 feet. The rock-fill portion would be 20
feet wide on top; base, 950 feet; rear slope, from 10:1 at base to 4:1 at
top; front slope, 1:1. The embankment against it on the upstream
side would be 20 feet wide on top (making 40 feet total width of sum-
mit) and an upstream slope of 5:1 and base 340 feet.
The volume of the rock fill would be 2,000,000 cubic yards and of the
embankment 600,000 cubic yards. Total volume, 2,600,000 cubic yards;
total base length, 1,290 feet.
One or more lines of sheet piling across the river under the embank-
ment would tend to diminish the movement of water through the sub-
jacent sand, augment the safety of the dam, and reduce leakage.
The examination of the project for the dam shows for itself its unsat-
isfactory character. Should further exploration develop a more advau-
tageous site with conditions positively ascertained, a safer construction
could be designed. The case is not one where unnecessary risks should
be run, or plans based upon insufficient data be adopted.
With the information now available the Board can not undertake to
commit itself to more than a tentative and approximate estimate of
what the Ochoa Dam may cost, and the item of $4,000,000 entered in
the schedule may be either increased or diminished as the conditions
shall become better known.
THE SAN CARLOS RIDGE.
As an adjunct to the Ochoa Dam and the most suitable location for
such sluices, weirs, etc., as may be needed to discharge the surplus
drainage after construction of the dam, it will be convenient to refe
to the San Carlos embankment line in connection with the main work.
The embankments proposed by the company for an assumed water-
surface elevation of 106 are 23 in number, with an aggregate length of
crest of about 13 miles; but for the greater elevation deemed necessary
by the Board, viz, 110, the number will be increased to 25 and the
aggregate length to 13 miles.
There is nothing in the construction of these embankmen's that pre-
sents special difficulty.
H. Doc. 279-5
66
NICARAGUA CANAL.
The length of weir, with movable dams, provisionally estimated by
the Board as needful for the flood discharge, is about 4,000 feet, which,
with a head of 4 feet, would discharge approximately 130,000 cubic
feet per second. If sluices are used in conjunction, the weir length
may be reduced, or possibly omitted altogether.
In any case, since upon these adjustable weirs or sluices, or both,
will depend the water-surface summit elevation required, the details,
when finally adjusted, must be of the most elaborate and efficient char-
acter, with ample mechanical appliances for speedy and safe adaptation
to varying needs, including telegraphic communication up the valleys
of the San Carlos and San Juan.
THE SAN JUAN RIVER.
The San Juan receives the surplus waters of lakes Managua and
Nicaragua and of the territory draining into them, a total area that
has been roughly estimated at 11,400 square miles, to which is to be
added the 4,000 square miles of the river valley proper.
It is a large stream at the outset, having a flow at mean low stages
at Fort San Carlos, where it leaves the lake, of 10,000 or 12,000 cubic
feet per second, with a width of 800 feet and an average channel depth
of 10 feet.
The total length of the river from the lake to the Caribbean is 119
miles, in which distance it falls 102 feet from mean low lake to mean
sea level, with slopes ranging from less than an inch to over a foot per
mile, not considering the several rapids, and an average slope of 10
inches per mile.
The navigation of the upper 50 miles is obstructed by four rapids,
where rocky reefs cross the river valley, causing local steep descents
of 6 or 7 feet each, and sustaining the intervening quiet stretches.
These rapids, in their order, proceeding downstream, are at distances
from the lake as follows: Toro, 27 miles; Castillo, 37 miles; Balas, 44
miles, and Machuca, 48 miles. At low stages the river boats can not
ascend these rapids, with the exception of Balas.
From Machuca to where the San Carlos River-the most important
affluent of the San Juan-joins the main stream, 65 miles from the
lake, is 17 miles of a deep, quiet stretch known as the Agua Muerte.
Three and one-half miles below the mouth of the San Carlos, and 69
miles from the lake, the company proposes to build the Ochoa Dam,
the purpose of which, in conjunction with auxiliary works, is to hold
back the waters of the San Juan and San Carlos and maintain the
surface of Lake Nicaragua at not less than the elevation of 110 feet
above mean sea level.
Just above Ochoa the canal is to leave the river and go eastward on
an independent line.
With the Ochoa Dam raised to the proper height to sustain the high
lake level, the San Juan Valley will be flooded for the entire 69 miles
upward to the lake, and become a part of the summit level, carrying
the canal navigation.
The Machuca and Balas rapids will thereby be drowned to a depth
sufficient for deep navigation, but at Castillo some rock excavation in
the river bed will be necessary, and still more at Toro. Trom Toro
upward to the lake for nearly the entire distance of 27 miles the eleva-
tion of the river bed is such as to call for almost continuous excavation
to secure the requisite width and depth of channel.
The materials to be removed are supposed to be rock, bowlders,
NICARAGUA CANAL.
67
gravel, clay, sand, and mud, in unknown proportions and practically
unknown amounts.
The company proposes for its channel section through these obstruc-
tions a depth of 28 feet and a bottom width of 125 feet, with slopes in
rock cutting of 1:1 and in dredgeable material of 3:1.
If 28 feet had been adopted as the standard depth, to which the
several sections of the navigation should conform, there might be no
compelling reason for making the river channel of greater depth, but,
in fact, the company's project calls for 30 feet throughout, except in
the river and in the two sea-level canals that connect directly with the
harbors.
No reason is assigned by the company for making these exceptions,
and the Board considers them inexpedient as reducing by 2 feet the
capacity of the entire system, and that the full depth of 30 feet should
be carried through from sea to sea, as in better conformity with the
present and prospective requirements of commerce and the integrity of
the undertaking.
Especially is this the case where, as in the San Juan, much of the
excavation is in rock and other hard material.
The Board also considers that the proposed bottom width, 125 feet,
for the river channel is insufficient.
The navigation conditions will be quite different from those in a canal
between visible banks where the course of vessels is straightly guided,
and where in passing one or the other can tie up. The deepened river
channel will be submerged; it will carry whatever may be at times the
maximum current, and must follow the windings of the valley through
curves of greater or less radius.
Furthermore, during flood the surface currents may not run true with
the channel but at some angle with it; the visible surface width will be
that of the flooded valley, and for close steering vessels must rely upon
buoys and such other artificial aids to navigation as may be provided.
In such circumstances a bottom width barely sufficient to enable two
deep vessels to pass in a canal is quite inadequate in an open river,
and for safety a single vessel even would need to proceed with great
caution to avoid grounding.
In this connection some analagous data may be of service.
Colonel Childs in designing his canal for 17 feet depth made the bot-
tom width 50 feet, but in the river the bottom width of cuts through the
bars was to be three times greater, viz, 150 feet. For a canal 30 feet
deep, with bottom width of 80 and 100 feet, the river channel, using the
same proportion, would be from 240 to 300 feet bottom width.
For the 20-21 foot channel in the Great Lakes, through the St. Marys,
St. Clair, and Detroit rivers, and the connecting waterways, intended
for the use of vessels of less draft than that of war ships and ocean
steamers, the minimum width of dredged waterway is 300 feet, and in
bends and in difficult places this is enlarged to 400, 600, and S00 feet,
those dimensions being determined by considerations of safety and
reasonable speed. For continuing the lake navigation to tide water, a
recently proposed ship canal, to have a depth of 26 feet, is designed
with a bottom width of 300 feet.
The Board therefore considers that the San Juan River channel sec-
tion should be not less than 30 feet deep and 250 feet wide, broadening
around bends to 300 and 400 feet, according to degree of curvature.
There is no means of ascertaining, with any approximation to accu-
racy, what may be the quantities and proportions of the materials to be
removed, whatever may be the cross section.
68
NICARAGUA CANAL.
It appears that the canal company has made no surveys or examina-
tions of the 69 miles of river between Ochoa and the lake, with the
exception of a partial survey by compass, which was laid aside as val
ueless.
The latest information, therefore, is that obtained by the Lull expe-
dition in 1872, when a part gradienter and part spirit-level line was run
and some soundings taken. The indications of the nature and dis-
tribution of the materials composing the river bed, as furnished by the
sounding lead and noted on the Lull map, constitute nearly all that is
known in the matter.
The company's tabulated estimates contain items of 398,613 cubic
yards of rock excavation, 422,540 cubic yards of earth excavation
above water (to straighten bends), and 2,150,900 cubic yards of dredg
ing, as representing the quantities involved in the deepening of the
San Juan, and, upon inquiry as to the basis of these amounts, the com-
pany submitted a profile stated to have been derived from the Lull
survey, showing the elevation and arrangement of the materials in the
bed. Upon computation of the quantities indicated on the profile with
the company's cross section, 28 by 125 feet, the amounts came out as
rock excavation 1,424,000 cubic yards, and dredging 3,464,000. No
explanation of the discrepancy is given other than the supposition that
some erroneous profile must have been used, of which there is no note
among the company's records.
Using the same profile as a basis with the increased cross section
considered desirable by the Board, viz, 30 by 250 feet, the computed
amounts are, respectively, for rock, 3,754,000 cubic yards, and for
dredging, 8,526,000 cubic yards.
These figures have, in fact, no valid basis, as the profile furnished
by the company is little more than guesswork, and it is not believed
that the total rock excavation indicated will be required; but they do
show clearly how formidable may be the cost of a proper deepening of
the San Juan, and how urgent is the necessity for a thorough and
reliable ascertainment of the facts.
The omission of the company to determine these seems inexplicable,
especially in view of the statement made on page 3 of the final report
by the chief engineer, corrected to January, 1890, as follows:
Third. Local surveys have been made in the river San Juan at all places where the
data on hand were deemed insufficient for a close estimate of the amount and cost of
excavation needed, or to determine with reasonable precision the difficulties likely
to be encountered in the construction of dams, embankments, or other works enter-
ing as important factors in the general scheme.
In the absence of better data it still appears necessary to use the Lull
profile as a basis for an estimate, with such modifications as may other-
wise suggest themselves.
Colonel Childs does not seem to have noted any rock in the river bed
until near Toro Rapids, and the notes of the discarded compass survey
made by the company give similar indications, so that the large rock
excavation called for by the Lull profile may be much in excess.
There is another point in this connection:
The company assumes that the slope of the river surface, after being
raised by the Ochoa Dam, will be three-fourths of an inch to the mile,
the same as is ascribed to two of the quietest sections at low water, and,
therefore, that the crest of the dam at 106 will hold the lake up to 110,
with 4 feet of slope between the two. The Board has not been able to
obtain any evidence of this assumed low-water slope, but this is not
material, for the reason that, as elsewhere stated, the Board believes
NICARAGUA CANAL.
69
that for a reliable maintenance of the lake level at 110 the crest of the
Ochoa Dam must be so raised as to secure the same or a greater eleva-
tion at that point also; in other words, that the water surface through
the valley must be assumed as horizontal during the dry season.
In such case, the slope disappearing with the raising of the Ochoa
Dam, there would seem to be an opportunity for a considerable reduction
in the depth of excavation needed at Castillo and from Toro upward,
and a recomputation of quantities from this datum, with the additional
assumption that from station 4150 on the profile, above Toro to the lake,
no rock excavation will really be called for, would furnish the following
figures: Rock excavation, 1,722,000 cubic yards; dredging, 8,285,000
cubic yards.
Unfortunately this reduction is not permissible, for the reason that,
as shown in the discussion of "Maintenance of summit level," in order
to prevent the lake from rising during the wet season to such a height
as would involve heavy damages to improved property bordering on its
shores, it will be necessary to draw down the summit level at Ochoa to
such a point as to enable the river to discharge the threatening accumu-
lations in the lake, and, therefore, the 4 feet slope, assumed incorrectly
by the company as practicable at low stages, may be imperative during
high stages or, assuming the lake capable of control, during the season
of heavy rainfall.
The total quantities given by Table 4 (p. 130) must therefore be used
until better information is available as a means of entering the amounts
in the estimates.
There are several bends in the river of such radii as probably to
necessitate considerable straightening by cutting off projecting points,
or the employment of special means for enabling large vessels to navi-
gate them. There is no means of computing the amount of excavation
required. The company's estimates contain an item of 422,540 cubic
yards for this purpose, but the basis for this can not be ascertained.
If this item be increased in somewhat similar proportion to the other
data, it will appear in the provisional estimates as 1,500,000 cubic
yards, which is entered as earth, although some of it may prove to be
rock.
The tabulated data are given in the sheet herewith.
The disposition to be made of the large amount of material excavated
from the river bed is a matter calling for careful consideration.
According to a printed specification for dredge work, prepared by the
company as a basis for inviting bids, it is to be "deposited on the banks
or in such places as the chief engineer may designate."
If put ashore an extra cost adding largely to the estimates must be
provided for, and it is doubtful if in the upper section, where the navi-
gation is comparatively restricted and the excavation large, it will be
prudent to dump it in the vicinity of the dredged channel and within
reach of the river current.
Possibly a portion of the materials to be removed is such as may be
used to construct training dikes parallel with the channel, behind which
the sand or other lighter material could be placed, but details of this
kind must depend upon a proper survey and ascertainment of partic-
ulars.
There is a discrepancy in the stated length of the river from Fort San
Carlos to Ochoa that should be noted. As derived from Childs, the
distance is 68.71 miles; according to Lull, it is 69 miles. The report of
1885 and subsequent reports put it at 65.50. As no survey was made
later than Lull's, the earlier figures should be taken.
70
NICARAGUA CANAL.
ESTIMATES OF EXCAVATION IN SAN JUAN RIVER BETWEEN OCHOA AND FORT SAN
CARLOS.
Company's cross section.
[Depth, 28 feet. Bottom width, 125 feet. Slopes, rock, 1:1; dredgeable material, 3:1. Slope of 4 feot
assumed from Fort San Carlos to Ochoa.]
TABLE 1.—In company's estimates.
Cubic yards.
Rock excavation
Dredging
-
Total
TABLE 2.-As actually computed from company's profile.
Rock excavation
Dredging...
Total.
398, 613
2, 150, 900
2, 549, 513
Cubic yards.
1,424,000
3, 464, 000
4,888, 000
TABLE 3.-Board's cross section.
[Depth, 30 feet. Bottom width, 250 feet.
increased in beuds to average of 350 feet.
Slopes, rock, 1:1; dredgeable material, 3:1. Bottom width
Slope of water surface assumed as above.]
Castillo cut, station 3325 to 3412.
Toro Rapids cut, station 3740 to 4150...
Above Toro Rapids, station 4150 to 5317.
Total.
Rock.
Dredging.
Cub. yards. Cub.yards.
123,000
2,076, 000
517,000
1,555, 000
8, 009, 000
3,754, 000
8, 526,000
TABLE 4.-Computation as in Table 3, with assumption of no rock in river bed above
Castillo cut, station 3325 to 3412.
Toro Rapids cut, station 3740 to 4150……….
Above Toro Rapids, station 4150 to 5317..
Total
station 4150.

Rock.
Dredging.
Oub. yards. Cub,yards.
123, 000
2,076, 000
517,000
9, 616, 000
2, 199, 000
10, 163, 000
Company's estimate.
Earth excavation required to cut off bends.
Provisional estimate by Board..
LAKE NICARAGUA.
Cubic yards.
422, 540
1,500,000
The southeastern end of the lake, near Fort San Carlos, where the
San Juan River leaves and the Frio enters, is a shallow expanse,
deepening gradually with a flat bottom slope. The company's map
indicates that the 30-foot contour of depth, with the lake at elevation
110, lies 14 miles offshore, and a ship channel of this length is to be
dredged on a straight line, bearing about north 70° west from the San
Juan outlet.
As proposed by the company, the channel will be 30 feet deep and
150 feet wide on the bottom, with side slopes of 3:1.
On this basis the company's estimated amount of dredging is 4,726,076
cubic yards, but there is some error in this, as the amount stated corre-
NICARAGUA CANAL.
71
sponds more nearly to a bottom width of 125 feet, and the actual
amount as recomputed is much greater, viz, 5,645,000 cubic yards.
according to the company's profile, or 5,143,000 cubic yards according to
the company's chart.
For reasons stated in discussing the width of the river channel the
Board is of opinion that the bottom width of the lake channel should be
not less than 300 feet. The course of vessels, although straight, is in
the open lake subject to such irregular currents as may exist in so large
a body of water and to the action of the winds. The information on
this point is that storms are infrequent, although squalls of no great
violence or duration occur, and that the prevalent wind is moderate
to fresh and a continuation of the east-northeast trade from the
Caribbean.
The proposed side slope of 3:1 is also quite inadequate.
The material composing the bottom is on top a liquid mud, stiffening
downward into harder mud or clay. The Board made souudings along
the channel line from a point about 5 miles out in the lake, toward the
San Juan outlet, and at intervals of about a mile took means to thrust
a long pole into the bottom, with the following results: At 5 miles out,
depth of water 10 feet, depth of mud 8 feet; at 4 miles, water 9 feet, mud
9 feet; at 3 miles, water 8 feet, mud 9 feet; at 2 miles, water 73 feet,
mud 9 feet, and at 1 mile from shore, water 6 feet, mud 113 feet. The
mud was noted as soft and gritless, a derivative of volcanic ash or the
like, probably mixed with more or less vegetable matter.
Such material as this could never stand at the submerged slope of
3:1, particularly as the currents due to the action of vessels' screws are
very destructive to channel banks.
The closest analogy to work of the kind proposed is to be found in
the dredging in Mobile Bay, where a ship channel of 24 feet depth, with
a bottom width of 280 feet, has for many years been in course of con-
struction, and the physical conditions are quite comparable with those
in Lake Nicaragua. The Mobile channel has a total length of some 23
miles, and the underwater slopes assumed by the different materials
dredged through are as follows: Very hard sand, 3:1 and 4:1; hard
saud, mixed with shell, 6:1 and 8:1; stiff mud, S:1 and 12:1; soft to
liquid mud, 14:1 and 20:1.
The description of this soft mud, as given by the engineer officer in
charge, to whom the Board is indebted for these and other particulars,
a thick soup underlaid by a stiff mud," is precisely applicable to the
greater part of the Lake Nicaragua material.
66
The Board therefore considers that an assumed slope of 10:1 is a very
moderate datum for computation. Using this, and a bottom width of
300 feet, the quantity to be dredged according to the company's profile
is 12,873,000 cubic yards, and as computed from the company's map
11,724,000, an average of 12,300,000, and this is more likely to be
exceeded than reduced unless some means be taken to maintain the
channel banks from inflow of adjacent material. Sheet piling would
do this, and reduce the cross section, but for so long a channel it would
be a costly item, and it seems likely that this may be avoided by follow-
ing a Dutch practice and depositing the stiffer material excavated from
the bottom of the cut so as to form a submerged wall or bank parallel
with the channel which will crush down through the semiliquid mud
and hold it back. Beyond this, half a mile or more from the channel,
the softer mud can be pumped by means of hydraulic dredges. With
this method of protection, however, it would not be prudent to diminish
the cross section of the channel.
72
NICARAGUA CANAL.
Channel dimensions and estimated quantities are given in the follow-
ing table:
Estimate of dredging in Lake Nicaragua from Fort San Carlos to the 30-foot contour with
the lake at 110.
COMPANY'S CROSS SECTION.
[Depth, 30 feet. Bottom width, 150 feet. Slopes, 3:1.]
From company's profile.
From Maxwell's chart
Average
Actual
Company's
estimate. computa-
tion.
Cubic yards. Cubic yards.
4,726, 076
5, 645, 000
5, 143, 000
5, 400, 000
From company's profile
From Maxwell's chart
Average.
BOARD'S CROSS SECTION.
[Depth, 30 feet. Bottom width, 300 feet. Slopes, 10:1.]
Board's
estimate.
Cubic yards.
12, 873, 000
11, 724,000
12.300, 000
Beyond the dredged channel the sailing course is through the open
lake for a distance given by Colonel Childs as 56 miles to the west
coast, leaving Balsillas Islands to the northward and the Solentiname
and Sonate groups to the southward, and passing about 4 miles to the
southward of the island from which rise the volcanoes of Madera and
Ometepe. This island has a total length of 20 miles, its northwest end
about 5 miles and its southeast end about 11 miles distant from the
west coast, sheltering the canal entrance from north-northeast to east
by south from the prevalent winds coming from about east-northeast.
This continuation of the trade wind is represented to blow steadily,
with a force from gentle to fresh, during the greater portion of the year.
The strongest winds are said to be from the north and west of north.
Their force can not in any case be great, as is proved by the endurance
of the frail, half-filled timber cribs, the construction and condition of
which was noted by the Board, which compose the landing piers at San
Jorge, 43 miles north of the canal entrance, and at Grauada, near the
northwestern end of the lake, 50 miles distant, where the exposure is
about the same.
Under the lee of the islands is an admirable harbor for vessels of all
draft, with good holding ground and entire shelter.
THE CANAL ENTRANCE ON THE WEST SIDE OF LAKE NICARAGUA.
The west shore of the lake is rocky, and considerable excavation will
be required to carry 30 feet into the canal, the contour of that depth,
with the lake at 110, lying about 1,600 feet from the shore line. The
canal entrance is on the lee shore, and while the exposure is not great,
it may be desirable to protect it by artificial works. The company
proposed for this purpose two piers, starting from the sides of the
NICARAGUA CANAL.
73
canal, and extending into the lake on diverging lines to a length,
respectively, of 1,800 and 2,400 feet, the entrance width at the outer end
of the shorter pier being 600 feet. This funnel-shaped entrance is not
desirable in circumstances of this kind as tending to accumulate such
sea as may be running shoreward, and the Board considers that it
would be preferable to separate the piers at the shore ends, placing
them 800 or more feet apart, and converging the extremities to about
500 feet for the entrance width. These piers may be built of crib
work, filled with stone derived from the local excavation, which is in
ample quantity for that purpose. In addition to these, additional short
guide piers of timber work, about 400 feet in length, would be required
to sustain the canal banks where they pass through the shore line.
The amounts estimated by the company are sufficient to cover the
cost of these constructions.
THE WESTERN DIVISION-LAKE NICARAGUA TO THE PACIFIC.
LAKE TO TIDE LOCK NEAR BRITO.
The territory separating the lake and the Pacific has been quite thor-
oughly explored in the course of the several surveys made at various
times, and the Lajas-Rio Grande route, originally selected by Colonel
Childs in 1850 and now adopted by the canal company, doubtless offers
on the whole the greatest advantages. The country is open and rolling,
with moderate elevations, and presents no serious obstacles to canal
construction.
The canal line leaves the lake shore 900 feet north of the mouth of
the river Lajas on a course south 60° west up the valley of that stream,
crossing the river four times within a distance of 13 miles. For the
greater part of this distance a new channel is to be made, to divert
the river to the south side of the canal, and prevent interference with
it. Westward of the last crossing, the river valley bears more to the
southward, while the canal continues through an open country across
a gradually ascending plain toward the summit of the divide. After
some curvature, the summit is reached, 5 miles from the lake, at an
elevation of 154 feet above mean tide, or 44 feet above the summit level
elevation 110, that is to be maintained in Lake Nicaragua, giving a
maximum depth of cut of 74 feet.
Passing the summit the line enters the drainage basin of the Rio
Grande and meets the river at a distance of 7½ miles from the lake, at
the head of a narrow valley or gorge, and thence follows the general
course of the stream to the Pacific at Brito. This portion of the route
is heavily timbered. In the gorge, which is 13 miles long, the line is
mainly in curves, with a minimum radius of 4,300 feet. Of the whole
distance from the lake to the Pacific about two-thirds cousists of tan-
gents and one-third of curves, with radii of from 4,300 to 17,000 feet.
The width of the gorge is insufficient to furnish separate accommo-
dation for both canal and river. This complication led Commander
Lull, in 1872, to seek a separate route, and he adopted a line which
leaves Lake Nicaragua 33 miles to the northward of the mouth of the
Lajas, and, following the valley of the Medio and one of its small trib-
utaries, crosses the divide with an elevation of 243 feet above mean
tide, and then joins the Lajas line at the western end of the Rio Grande
gorge. By this route the water of the river could be kept in its own
channel by making a few cut-offs, but it had no other important advan-
tage, while the depth of the divide cut and the amount of excava-
74
NICARAGUA CANAL.
tion were much greater. The company has adopted the Lajas line,
returning to the Childs location.
From the outlet of the gorge, two alternative routes have been
located by the company-the earlier one continuing the canal to the
sea, the other damming the Rio Grande 3 miles from the Pacific for
the formation of a large basin, which would prolong the summit level
4 miles westward.
By the first route, called the "low-level line," the canal in excavation
and embankment follows the right bank of the Rio Grande through
the gradually sloping valley to Brito, descending by four locks, placed
at natural sites, or, in their absence, where the natural slope of the
valley requires; the first lock (designated 4A), with a descent of 25
feet, terminating the summit level, is placed in a hill at the west end
of the gorge, 9.2 miles from the lake shore; the second lock (5A), with
a descent of 30 feet, is placed in the valley at a farther distance of 1.6
miles or 10.8 from the lake; the third lock (6A), also with a descent of
30 feet, is 3.6 miles farther, or 14.4 miles from the lake; the fourth, or
tide lock (7A), with a descent of 25 feet at mean tide, or 29 feet at
ordinary low tide, is 2 miles farther, or 16.4 miles from the lake. The
distance from the tide lock to the 30-foot contour in the Pacific is 1.3
miles, and the total distance from the lake to this depth is 17.7 miles.
West of the summit level the Rio Grande has no important tributaries
on its left bank. On its right bank it receives the Tola, which has its
sources some miles to the northward. The Tola is ordinarily an insig-
nificant creek, quite dry at times, but its sources are in the hills, and
occasionally it becomes a torrent. Unfortunately it has never been
gauged, and even its drainage area is not known; it is probable, how-
ever, that its discharge is at times as much as 3,000 cubic feet per
second, and possibly much more.
The canal line as located crosses the Tola a short distance above its
mouth, and the disposition of the flood waters has been considered a
matter of some difficulty; this apprehension, and the advantages which
would result from the extension of the summit level toward the Pacific,
with the formation of a wide basin in the valley of the Rio Grande, have
led to the adoption by the company of the alternative "Tola Basin
line."
At a place called La Flor, 3.8 miles from the Pacific terminus and
13.9 miles from the lake, the valley of the Rio Grande is narrowed by
two steep hills to a width, on the valley floor, of 1,600 feet, at an eleva-
tion of 40 feet above mean tide, and a width of 2,000 feet between the
summit-level contours of elevation 110. The company proposes to build
a dam at this point of sufficient height to raise the water to elevation
110, thus extending the summit level, as already stated, to within 3.8
miles of the Pacific, forming a capacious basin of some 4,000 acres in
the valleys of the Rio Grande and Tola. This arrangement would
facilitate navigation by substituting a basin for 4.6 miles of canal, and
would solve the question of the disposal of the flood waters of the Tola
by permitting their free discharge into the basin.
As originally designed, the La Flor or Tola Dam, as it is indifferently
known, was, like the Ochoa Dam, to be a "rock fill," and to be con-
structed in the same way, with a weir on the crest for the discharge of
the Rio Grande drainage.
This plan has been modified more recently by providing a solid con-
crete core for the dam, backed with a stone and earth embankment on
both sides, and locating a weir in the saddle of an adjacent hill.
This weir is to discharge the drainage of the valley and, as the Board
NICARAGUA CANAL.
75
is lately informed, about 60 per cent of the surplus discharge of the
lake watershed also.
The question as to what disposition to make of the drainage during
the construction of the dam or its masonry core has not yet been fully
considered by the company.
The La Flor Dam, per se, is a much more formidable construction
than that proposed at Ochoa, in regard both to its volume and the head
of water it has to sustain. The river channel cuts about 20 feet into
the general surface of the valley, and the contour of elevation 20 feet
above mean tide crosses its bed immediately below the site of the dam.
During the dry season the river runs dry, and the surface of the ground
water is below the bed, as would be the case also below an impervious
dam. It follows, therefore, that the head of water against the dam
would be fully 90 feet, and it hardly need be said that only the best
material is admissible for the foundation of a dam under such a pressure,
and where such vast interests depend upon its integrity. The founda-
tion should be solid rock, free from fissures or seams, or, at the least, a
core wall should be carried down into such material if accessible.
In 1892 and 1893 diamond-drill borings, 26 in number, were made
along the center line of the dam and at several points within 400 feet
of it, with very discouraging results. A mass of sand, gravel, and mud
was found on the center line extending 75 feet below the floor of the
valley, or 35 feet below sea level; several borings passed through mate-
rials below this level, reported as "coarse sand," "yellow clay," "clay
and rock in layers,"" yellow clay and sandstone," etc., to depths reach-
ing 150 feet below sea, and among other borings taken was one 400
feet above the center line and close to the area to be covered by the
dam, in which the material, from 40 to 214 feet below sea, was "clay,
sand, and pieces of rock," followed by 30 feet of "telpetate" (a soft,
clayey, volcanic rock), and 54 feet of "white clay with pieces of rock,”
and the boring was ended in this material, 298 feet below mean tide, or
338 feet below the surface of the ground, without having encountered
any solid material.
If such are the facts, the Board deems the project of a 90-foot dam
impracticable, and omits consideration of its construction. It may be
pointed out that, in any case, the advantages to be expected from the
dam are no more than the substitution of 4.6 miles of basin for an
equal length of plain canal and the disposal of the flood waters of the
Tola, and these benefits are not of such magnitude or urgency as to
justify an attempt to secure them at any such risk as the construction
of the dam would involve.
It should be stated that the unfavorable results of the borings at La
Flor are in part, at least, recognized by the company, which, neverthe-
less, is unwilling to abandon the plan of the dam and basin on the
present evidence in the hope that additional borings may be more fav-
orable. It is difficult to see what foundation there is for such a hope.
The engineer who had charge of the borings was reputed to be, and his
notes and report indicate strongly that he was, careful and competent,
and the facts as observed and reported by him seem fatal to the plan.
If the views of the Board are correct, a return must be made to the
low-level plan-a canal in excavation and embankment. The only seri-
ous objection to the company's location of this relates to the disposal of
the floods of the Tola. It would probably be necessary to receive this
water into the canal and to discharge it over a weir at some convenient
place on the opposite side, whence it would pass into the Rio Grande.
The current in the canal caused by this flood would probably not exceed
76
NICARAGUA CANAL.
1 foot per second, or seven-tenths of a mile per hour, but there is some
uncertainty about this, as the Tola has not been gauged, and its maxi-
mum discharge is not known, and proper gaugings may show that it is.
underestimated.
From examination of the topography the Board finds reason to believe
that a canal line can be carried down the south side of the valley with-
out any special difficulty, and so avoid all interference by the Tola.
A map location indicates that the line will be shorter, and two or
three diversions of the Rio Grande channel will keep the river entirely
to the north of it.
The cost is somewhat greater by reason of more excavations, but it
may be worth this to be free of the Tola discharge.
Both locations should be thoroughly studied and selection made of
the better. With present information the Board prefers the southern
route, and its estimate is made for that.
If this modification were carried out it would be advisable to change
the location of Lock 4A to a new site 500 feet southward; to build a
weir at the former lock site, to discharge the water of the upper Rio
Grande, and to close the remainder of the valley, here quite narrow,
by a dam at the west limit of the summit level; the head of water to be
sustained by the dam would be only 30 feet; it would be founded on the
so-called "telpetate,” and have to be sunk well into it to make the founda-
tion secure, but with the moderate head of water no great difficulty
would be met.
As the flow of the upper Rio Grande must be taken into the canal at
the head of the gorge the effect on navigation of the introduction of its
floods must be considered.
The area of the company's standard canal section in earth is 3,696
square feet; the flow of the stream at high floods has never been
ganged, and is not known. It was estimated by Colonel Childs at
5,670 cubic feet per second, but this may be exceeded. If this amount
of water were to pass westward through the canal it would produce a
velocity of 1.5 feet per second. If, on the other hand, no water were
allowed to pass the weir at Lock 4A the river discharge would be com-
pelled to find an outlet through the canal eastward into Lake Nicara-
gua, producing a current of 1.9 feet per second or more in the divide
cut, where the area of the cross section (in rock excavation) is 3,000
square feet. In that confined section this current would be undesir-
able; but it is evident that the weir at Lock 4A can be so regulated
under intelligent supervision as to cause a division of the discharge of
the river at the head of the gorge, part going westward to the Pacific,
the remainder eastward to the lake, and the current in both sections
limited to so low a rate as to be harmless.
The disposal of the water of the upper Rio Grande being thus pro-
vided for, it seems unnecessary to carry out the company's project of
diverting it by an expensive dam across the upper valley and the con-
struction of an artificial channel and embankment across the dividing
ridge into the valley of the Lajas and thence into the lake.
The company's proposition to discharge through the canal into the
Pacific a large part or any part of the surplus water of the lake water-
shed would be objectionable for reasons above indicated; and, in gen-
eral, the use of a canal as a drain should be avoided when practicable.
For the first 1 miles from the lake, where the canal line follows
closely the general direction of the river Lajas, the average elevation
of the ground is little above the proposed lake level. The company
proposes to make this section 120 feet wide at bottom, for use as au
I
NICARAGUA CANAL.
77
extension of the harbor and a passing place for vessels; but it appears
to the Board, as in the case of the canal from Greytown, that this width
is insufficient for the meeting of two vessels and more than necessary
for the movement of one. If a suitable passing place were formed at
the west end of this section, long enough to receive three or four
vessels, and the bottom width eastward to the harbor reduced to 100
feet, the cube of excavation would not be changed materially, while the
work would serve the purpose better.
The material from the western crossing of the river Lajas to the
eastern crossing of the Rio Grande, a distance of 6 miles, covering the
west divide, is principally volcanic rock, of all degrees of hardness,
from "telpetate" to the so-called "conglomerate." In a frosty climate
"telpetate" would disintegrate rapidly; even in the mild climate of
Nicaragua it is found more or less disintegrated wherever exposed.
Conglomerate is usually hard rock resembling trap, and while its exca-
vation would be more expensive, the sides of a cut formed through it
would be more permanent. Borings-19 in number-have been taken
with a diamond drill, at intervals of about 1,000 feet, through the heav-
iest work; after passing through earth of an average depth of 12 feet,
rock was reached and penetrated to the grade of canal bottom. The
cores obtained by the use of the diamond drill would have been valua-
ble if preserved and properly arranged, furnishing a complete record of
the material passed through, but only a few of them, representing the
barder rock traversed, are now to be had. Many cores were left on the
ground, where fragments are still to be found, showing much disinte-
gration.
The company's standard canal cross section, in rock, has vertical
sides from the bottom to 10 feet above water, where there is a berm of
5 feet; above this the slope is 1 horizontal to 5 vertical.
Considering the nature of the rock, it seems probable that these
slopes can not be maintained throughout the cut, and in such case the
amount of excavation will be greater than estimated, but in the absence
of more definite information there is no means of providing for what
may prove to be the necessary increase except by a more liberal allow-
ance for contingencies.
In the estimate of 1890 the company assumed that all of the locks
of the western division would be founded on rock, but borings made in
1892, at the site of the tide lock, showed a deposit of mud of unknown
depth extending at least 37 feet below lock bottom, and in the estimates
of 1895 an additional sum of $250,000 is entered for foundations. A
less difficult site can without doubt be found. At the site of the
second lock from the lake, on the low-level line, no borings have been
taken except with an earth auger, and the existence of rock at the
elevation reported is doubtful. Rock of some kind has been found at
the remaining sites on both lines.
It is believed by the Board that the arrangement of locks proposed
by the company, which gives the summit lock a lift of 25 feet, while the
tide lock has a lift of 293 feet, should be changed. In locking down to
the sea level certain disturbances caused by difference in specific gravity
of salt and fresh water will delay the operation of the tide lock, and it
will be judicious to reduce its lift. The Board, therefore, would modify
the project to give this lock a lift of 243 feet at mean low tide, the three
others having 30 feet each. There results a considerable increase of
excavation in all the levels between the summit and tide locks, the cost
of which is belived to be justified by the increased efficiency gained.
The company, for some reason not stated, has left the depth in the
78
NICARAGUA CANAL.
canal between the tide lock and Brito Harbor at 28 feet, although the
canal above the lock and Brito Harbor itself are to be excavated to 30
feet. The exception made is inexpedient, and the full depth should be
made continuous and provided for in the estimates. The Board's esti-
mates include this.
It is proposed to place a guard gate in the divide cut to shut off the
water of the lake, should it be desired at any time to draw the levels
to the westward. There are no detail drawings or computations for the
gate, and the company's estimate of its cost is entered in the schedule.
A single-track narrow-gauge railroad is provided from the lake to
Brito for the transportation of supplies, etc., and particularly for con-
veying stone from the west divide to the breakwater at Brito Harbor;
no sidings, stations, machine shops, or other necessary adjuncts are
included. The Board has no doubt that a double-track standard-gauge
railroad will be required and should be provided, with the common and
necessary facilities for operation and maintenance, and has increased
the estimate accordingly.
BRITO HARBOR.
The Pacific terminus of the canal, as originally selected by Colonel
Childs in 1852 and adopted by the Lull expedition in 1872 and later by
the present canal company, is at Brito, where the alluvial and heavily
timbered valley of the Rio Grande reaches the coast line.
The ranges of hills confining the valley run to the shore and form head-
lands about 1 miles apart, connected by a straight stretch of sand beach
having a compass direction about east-southeast. The westerly head-
land projects some 1,500 feet into the sea as a bold, rocky promontory,
under whose partial protection from the heavy pounding of the surf the
river discharges with a width of 100 feet and a low-water depth through
the sandy foreshore of 2 feet, the range of the tide reaching to nearly
9 feet.
Examination of the sea chart shows that the general trend of the
Nicaraguan coast line is northwesterly, and that the offshore slope of
the ocean floor is quite decided, a depth of 24 fathoms being reached
abreast of Brito at about a mile from the land and 34 fathoms at some-
thing over 2 miles.
Eight miles down the coast, southeastward from Brito, is the small
natural harbor of San Juan del Sur, and 12 miles farther the bay of
Salinas deeply indents the coast line.
About 27 miles due south from Brito is Cape Ste. Elena, the terminus
of the large promontory that partly shelters Brito and the intervening
coast from the southward.
The main exposure of Brito from the sea, therefore, is through the
arc between south-southwest and west-northwest, and the proximity of
the deep-sea contours, with the full width of the Pacific beyond, renders
the possibilities involved in this exposure quite as formidable as at any
point on our own coasts where the construction of harbors and break-
waters has been undertaken.
Either San Juan del Sur or Salinas offers much greater natural
advantages as a harbor, and the several canal explorations songht
vainly to connect one or the other with the lake, but found the interven-
ing elevations of the coast range too great and the descent on the Pacific
side too precipitous.
The exigencies of canal construction and water supply for summit
level were controlling considerations, and seemed to leave no choice
but to make the best of Brito as a terminus.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
79
Fortunately the prevalent winds are off shore in continuation of the
northeast trades across the isthmus, and the indications are that storms
from the area of exposure are comparatively infrequent, but the long,
heavy swells of the Pacific run shoreward in the calmest weather and
produce a nearly constant surf with breakers from 4 to 10 feet and over
in height. As is the rule where the action of special storms is absent,
the general direction of wave approach is normal to the shore line, and
therefore the alignment of any breakwater or covering work designed
to protect the harbor from sea action should be approximately parallel
with the shore, and its development such as to shield the entrance as
effectually as may be, without making it unduly narrow or tortuous.
Furthermore, the passage should not be too close to the beach, as,
with long high waves, the send of the sea is an element of danger in
too contracted a fair way for a vessel entering at an angle with the
wave course.
The earliest plan for a harbor at Brito was that of Colonel Childs, as
published in his report of 1852. He was an expert canal engineer, but
took occasion to excuse himself for such defects as might be found in
the harbor plans on the ground of lack of experience in designing
works of this character.
The entrance, 400 feet in width, with a depth of 27 feet at mean tide,
was protected on either side by rubblestone and masonry piers, one
extending from the shore line, the other from the adjacent rocky prom-
ontory, and the harbor was to be constructed by excavating into the
land with a right-angled bend after passing the shore line, to a distance
of two-thirds of a mile from the entrance.
The harbor area, with a depth of 17 feet at low water, for which the
navigation was designed, was some 35 acres, with a total water area of
about 50 acres.
The principal technical defect in this project is that the entrance
opens directly seaward, nearly on the line of wave approach and maxi-
mum exposure.
With the open mouth, the harbor as designed, even in ordinary circum-
stances, would be in a state of chronic agitation, the operation of the
tide lock, although two-thirds of a mile inland, would be seriously
interfered with, if not endangered, and a heavy storm would probably
destroy the harbor works entirely.
Colonel Childs considered that with the limited area it would be
inadvisable to permit the Rio Grande, with its variable flow, to discharge
through the harbor, and therefore made provision for a separate artificial
channel to the eastward.
The estimated cost of the harbor project, including wharfage, crib
work, lights, and other necessary constructions, as also an item of $8,000
for the diversion of the river, was $2,700,000.
The harbor as designed in the 1874 report of the Lull expedition
was an improvement upon Childs's, so far as the entrance was concerned,
a breakwater 1,000 feet in length, as shown on the plan, or 1,200 feet
as stated in the text, being projected southeasterly from the end of
the promontory across the harbor front, with an auxiliary jetty extend-
ing 350 feet perpendicularly from the beach well under cover of the
main work. The total water area measured shoreward from the break-
water was to be about 80 acres, of which 36 would be excavated out of
the land, and the harborage with a depth of 26 feet would be 67 acres.
Two serious defects were introduced. The entrance width of 1,100
feet was too great, and, notwithstanding the shelter of the breakwater,
would admit heavy seas, involving excessive agitation in all parts of
80
NICARAGUA CANAL.
the basin, and the tide lock placed at the back of the harbor was only
a quarter of a mile from the entrance, and its operation and security
would have been impracticable.
The cost of the harbor and adjuncts, including $9,500 for the diver-
sion of the Rio Grande, was $2,347,000.
In a valuable paper printed in the annual report of the Coast Survey
of 1874, which gives most of the few known physical data relative to
the harbor, Prof. Henry Mitchell, discussing these conditions, urges
that the harborage for a 26-foot navigation was too restricted; that
with the works as proposed the 10-foot sea observed by him would create
a 5-foot sea inside, and recommends a deeper extension into the land,
and the construction of a double basin in order to secure more accom-
modation for vessels and greater tranquillity at the canal entrance.
The plans of the canal company are intended to provide for 29 feet
depth, and the excavations and dredgings in the harbor are to be made
to this depth below low water, equal to 34 feet below mean sea level,
the datum plane of reference.
On two points Professor Mitchell's suggestions have been followed.
The harbor area has been increased 50 per cent-from 67 to 103 acres―
and the tide lock has been moved inland along the line of the canal to
a distance of over a mile from the shore line, but the defects of the Lull
entrance have not been corrected, and, in some respects, have even been
increased.
The entrance has been narrowed from 1,200 to 800 feet, which dimen-
sion, in view of the sea exposure and prevalent wave action, may be
regarded as judicious, by increasing to about 800 feet the length of the
auxiliary shore jetty that limits and protects the harbor on the east
side, but in order to gain harbor space this jetty has been moved bodily
200 yards or more eastward down the beach, and at the same time, as
an offset to the lengthening of the jetty, the breakwater projecting from
the promontory has been shortened to 900 feet.
The effect of these two changes is that the main work no longer over-
laps the entrance and reflects the advancing waves, but for a width of
about 200 yards measured transversely to the line of wave approach
permits a free run of the sea directly into the harbor.
Another grave defect is to be noted. As originally designed, the har-
bor lines to the westward were curved back nearly to the river bed,
skirting the hills on that side, but some earth-auger borings made in
1888, and at various points of the area to be dredged, disclosed the
unwelcome fact that extending out from the rocky spurs nearly to the
middle of the harbor and directly opposite the entrance the rock lay
from 9 to 15 feet only below the surface of the ground. As the removal
of this submerged rock to 34 feet below mean sea level would be a
costly matter, the harbor lines were drawn in so as to exclude it alto-
gether. This diminution in harborage is undesirable, but the more
serious aspect of the matter is that, with an entrance two-thirds open
to the sea, and depths of 30 and 40 feet at low and high water, a vessel
seeking entrance would find itself confronted with a rocky shore less
than 1,200 feet distant, upon which a heavy surf was breaking.
It is quite certain that these are conditions incompatible with the
sense of security and freedom from apprehension of peril that the mas-
ter of a vessel should feel in bringing his ship into port.
Either the submerged reef must be removed altogether, or the plan
of the harbor be so modified as to make its removal unnecessary, at
least for the present.
In any case the main protecting work must be so extended as to
NICARAGUA CANAL.
81
cover the entrance, and, since this is to be done, it may be expedient
to lengthen the breakwater sufficiently to enable the entrance to be
shifted far enough eastward to obviate the immediate necessity of
excavating the rock.
The cost of the harbor, according to the latest estimate by the com-
pany, is put at $1,720,000. The amount of rock contained in the sub-
merged reef to 30 feet below low water may be roughly inferred from
the scanty boring data at about 500,000 cubic yards, which would cost
perhaps $2,500,000 or $3,000,000 to remove. This sum would equal
the entire cost of a properly designed breakwater, and its expenditure
for that purpose be productive of much greater benefit than if applied
merely to interior excavation.
A preliminary project to accomplish the several necessary ends is
indicated on the accompanying plan. The breakwater is extended to
3,600 feet in length, parallel with the beach, and terminates in 10 fath-
oms, a depth by no means unusual in deep-sea constructions of this kind,
and not to be avoided in the present case.
The shore jetty, with a length of 800 or 900 feet, reaches the 6-fathom
curve and leaves an entrance S00 feet in width protected from any
bearing west of south, and vessels may enter on a north-northwest course
with an adequate margin of safety from the heads of the works on each
side.
The area of deep dredging to 30 feet below low water, for the present
at least, may be limited, as shown, to 100 acres, leaving the remainder
of the area protected by the breakwater to be excavated later, if found
desirable.
It is not believed that entire quiet will be secured in the basın, since
the advance and recession of the wave action from the ocean surface
adjacent to the entrance must in part be transmitted inward, and, in
order to secure such tranquillity as is desirable for vessels lying at a
wharf, whether for repairs, for coaling, or handling cargo or ballast, or
waiting lockage, and for the security of the tugs that will lie in the
harbor in readiness for service, an inner basin is provided, with a length
of 2,400 feet and a width of 400 feet. The inner basin has a narrowed
entrance from the outer basin, and the canal line passes directly
through it, leaving a free passage with space on both sides for station-
ary vessels.
This project is regarded as substantially in conformity with the gen-
eral conditions of the locality so far as they are at present known and
understood, but must, as to details, be considered tentative and pro-
visional.
The information available is not sufficient to enable final plans and
estimates to be made.
The borings made under the company's directions are too few in num-
ber and of too little penetration to determine the underlying materials
within the harbor limits. None of these reached the projected bottom
of the harbor, and the actual distribution of materials and particularly
the extent of necessary rock excavation are not known.
In addition to the borings, which should thoroughly explore the areas
in question, so as to leave no doubt as to the nature and disposition of
the submerged materials, and so form a basis for a reliable estimate for
construction, other information is needed for the preparation of a final
and satisfactory project.
None of the charts of the harbor, since that of Childs, give the plane
of reference to which the soundings are reduced, and a doubt exists as
to the actual position of the contours. The hydrography should be
H. Doc. 279—6
82
NICARAGUA CANAL.
revised and extended to include the vicinity of the harbor on both
sides, observations of waves and currents should be made, and some
data obtained as to the direction and force of the winds, and particu-
larly those of such storms as are liable to affect the harbor. The ocean
bed, where it is proposed to build the breakwater and jetty, should be
investigated in order to estimate the depth to which the rock masses
would sink, and so increase the total quantity required. The Board's
hypothetical estimate assumes a subsidence of 6 feet, but this may be
exceeded.
The character of the rock constituting the adjacent promontory
should be definitely ascertained in order to determine if it is suitable
for breakwater construction in the large masses requisite in this case.
The earlier projects used this rock, but in his paper Professor Mitchell
expressed a doubt as to the expediency of doing so, and the company's
project takes the rock from the western divide, which is believed to be
of tougher texture.
It may be that thorough investigation would show that neither mate-
rial would possess the requisite endurance or be economically procurable
in blocks of the necessary weight to resist the tremendous pounding to
which they would be exposed, and that the construction of massive
concrete blocks to cover the surface would be required to secure
proper stability, in which case the estimates would need considerable
modification.
Gaugings should be made of the Rio Grande, observations of its
varying stages and volume, the duration of its floods, and the velocity
of its flow, in order to determine if the river can be permitted to dis-
charge through the harbor, or if it would be expedient to construct a
separate chaunel for it-not altogether a simple task, since it must
discharge through a sandy beach and into a heavy surf.
The company's estimate makes no provision for anything beyond
actual harbor construction, with the exception of an item of $12,500
for lights and buoys, which is obviously insufficient.
Considering the character and extent of the commerce invited to use
the canal, the length of voyage to reach it, and the nature of the locality,
nothing less than a light of the first order established on a promontory
would be suitable, and this as a coast light would need to be supple-
mented by pier-head lights on each side of the entrance. A pair of small
range lights at the head of the harbor to mark its axis and sailing line
would also be required, and a line of buoys to mark the western limit
for deep navigation. The inner basin and its connection with the outer
basin will also need lights.
There should be some provision for wharves. Vessels making long
ocean voyages are always in need of repairs, refitting, coaling, supply-
ing, etc., and even if all that is necessary in this respect is not fur-
nished, there should at least be wharves where vessels may lie, a
machine shop for repairs, and other similar arrangements.
ADDITIONAL SURVEYS AND EXAMINATIONS.
Somewhat frequent reference has been made in this report to the
need of more specific information before a satisfactory final estimate of
cost of the company's project can be prepared. It may be desirable to
give a summary of the several items with reference to their localities.
1. Brito Harbor.-The harbor should be surveyed, its hydrography
ascertained, the coast line for a mile on each side located, and explora-
tion made of the ocean bed to ascertain the probable depth to which
NICARAGUA CANAL.
83
the stone deposits for breakwater construction would sink. The bor-
ings made by the company with an earth auger inside the shore line
report indications of rock. These may be in error. New borings
should be made by which the nature of the subjacent material can be
fully ascertained, in order to determine what kind and quantity of exca-
vation is necessary, and should a large amount of rock be found, the
harbor should be moved southeasterly, as has been indicated on the
map in the position representing the Board's present judgment as to
location.
2. Western division.-A new location is necessary from the summit
lock, 9 miles distant from the lake, to the Pacific, following the left
bank of the Rio Grande instead of the right bank, according to the
present line. It is believed that such a line can be located, not differing
greatly in cost from the other, by which the crossing of the Tola and
La Flor creeks on the north side of the valley can be avoided, as well as
the diversion of the upper portion of the Rio Grande, which is regarded
by the company as necessary to avoid interference with the canal. The
left-bank line in question is indicated by a dotted line on the Western
division map, which accompanies this report.
3. Lake Nicaragua.-The sailing line from the mouth of the Lajas,
on the west shore, to Fort San Carlos, at the San Juan outlet, should be
sounded out and the route mapped by triangulation across the lake,
using the adjacent islands as stations. The entrance on both sides
should be carefully developed by soundings, and the materials to be
excavated definitely determined. The area between Ometepe Island
and the canal entrance should be fully surveyed, as it is the natural
harbor for vessels lying at anchor.
4. San Juan River.-The improvement of the San Juan constitutes
one of the most costly items of the entire project, and the information
available for defining the channel improvement and estimating quan-
tities of the several materials is extremely scanty. No survey of the
river has been made since that reported by the Lull expedition in 1872.
No explorations of the river bed have been made, and little is known of
its constituent materials. Borings are necessary, particularly in places
where rock is known or suspected to exist, and the investigation should
also keep in view the ascertaining of how best to dispose of the surplus
excavations. Below Machuca Rapids thorough exploration should be
made for an eligible dam site as a substitute for that of the present
Ochoa Dam, and below the San Carlos similar investigation should be
made as far down as to include the region of the Serapiqui. As will
be noted hereafter, the survey of the river should be continued down
ward, including exploration for low dam sites to below the outlet of
the San Juanillo, with a view to the possible canalization of the river
to that point.
While in Nicaragua the Board took occasion to make a preliminary
investigation of this kind, and the results indicated in the accompany-
ing report by Mr. F. P. Davis are not unfavorable to the possibility of
finding a practicable line by which the flow of the San Juan could be
checked in that vicinity. The report has value otherwise as giving
some idea of the practical difficulties of surveying in those regions.
5. Eastern division from Ochoa to Greytown.-The topographical
work by the company for the location of the eastern division along the
line adopted has been thoroughly done, and little more work of this
character is required; but while topography is an indispensable basis
for canal location, it constitutes the groundwork merely, leaving vitally
important hydraulic and other data to be gathered and studied before
84
NICARAGUA CANAL.
final location and construction plans can be decided. Alternative plans,
too, where such suggest themselves, must be investigated with equal
thoroughness for comparison and selection.
The flowage line of the San Francisco basins on the north side of the
canal route should be completed, and the water sheds of the several
streams measured. A new location should be made for the sea-level
canal from Lock 1 eastward, avoiding the Benard Lagoon and cutting
off a bend of the lower San Juanillo, in order to ascertain its compara-
tive advantages with that of the present location. In other respects
than the topography the company's data are insufficient. There have
been no borings over a portion of the sea-level canal, and no explora-
tions made of the depth and other difficulties to be apprehended in the
endeavor to traverse the Benard Lagoon.
In the eastern divide the borings are 1,000 feet apart on the axis of
the canal line only. The cores furnished by the diamond drills having
been lost, the borings should be repeated at more frequent intervals,
and additional borings made along the side lines of the canal for the
better determination of the materials and what should be the proper
slope to be given them. Wherever bad or doubtful material is found
the borings should be multiplied to ascertain its limits, and samples of
all materials should be carefully preserved, not only to verify the judg
ment of the engineer in local charge of the boring party, but for the
later information of contractors who may be invited to submit proposals
for the work. Some of the embankments in the San Francisco basins
traverse mud bottoms of unknown depth. These should be fully
explored for the preparation of construction plans and specifications.
All streams, large and small, that may affect the construction and
maintenance of the canal should be gauged and their volume and
regimen determined as fundamental data by which to determine the
levels and proportions of the work.
But aside from these particulars, which are essential to the proper
estimation of the company's project, the entire matter of the choice of
route for the eastern division should be reexamined. The cost of the
most exhaustive surveys is small in comparison with that of an impor-
tant error in location. The feasibility of the 1852 project of Colonel
Childs for slack-water navigation of the San Juan has not been ques-
tioned for that portion of the river lying above the mouth of the San
Carlos, but below that point it appears more doubtful on account of
the sandy nature of the San Juan bed. This sand is of volcanic origin,
and has been brought down in large quantities by the San Carlos from
the volcanic range in Costa Rica, where that river has its sources. The
original supply of sand has been intermittent in character and variable
in amount, and for some time past has been suspended entirely. The
indications are that the sand movement is small at the present time,
and there is reason to believe that the period of volcanic activity in
this region is past. Could this be made reasonably certain, the main
objection to a slack-water navigation between the mouth of the San
Carlos and the mouth of the Serapiqui would disappear and the project
would present many advantages. Two or three dams of moderate lift
would be required below the San Carlos, and the surveys for this pur-
pose would include not only the sites for dams, but the stretches of
river between them where excavation of the sand bed would be required
to deepen the channel. It will also be necessary to make a thorough
examination of the comparatively unexplored region lying south of the
San Juan between the eastern ridge of the San Carlos and the eastern
side of the Serapiqui.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
85
In 1872 Commander Lull adopted the Childs plan with minor varia-
tions from the lake to the San Carlos River, and at this point his line
left the river channel and continued down the left bank to near the San
Juanillo. This route has been objected to as subject to overflow by
floods in the San Juan and serious interference from the discharge of
the San Francisco and other streams entering the San Juan within
these limits, but as none of these rivers has been gauged to ascertain
its regimen it is not known how serious this interference may be or if
practical means can not be found to avoid it. The canal company has
made a partial investigation of an alternative route below Ochoa, keep-
ing at first farther from the river than Lull's line, but presently joining
it. This location continued the use of the Ochoa Dam and the embank-
ments of the San Carlos Ridge, but avoided the San Francisco embank-
ments and the east divide cut. In view of the great cost of these
constructions and the danger involved in the maintenance of great clay
embankments subject to injury for military purposes or from malice,
the alternative possibilities should be fully investigated prior to reach-
ing a conclusion as to what route on the whole should be regarded as
most expedient.
The examinations indicated will require for their satisfactory execu
tion the employment of several well-equipped parties for a period of,
say, eighteen months, in order to include at least two dry seasons, the
amount of time required being affected by the fact that by reason of
the constant rains, the heavy forest growth, and the topographical
difficulties of the country less work can be accomplished in Nicaragua
with the same time and the same force than in the United States.
In addition to the particulars above recited, observations of rainfall
should be made over the entire route of the canal from Greytown to
Brito, probably at the following points: Brito; the mouth of the Lajas,
on the west side of the lake; Fort San Carlos, on the east side; at Toro
Rapids, Castillo, Machuca, Ochoa, mouth of the San Francisco, Sera-
piqui, and on the east divide. The observations would cost little, as
they could be made in connection with other work.
The examinations indicated are regarded as essential to the compre-
hension of those fundamental features of the problem which shall decide
the final location and cost of the canal.
A preliminary estimate of the cost of the surveys, with a suitable
staff and equipment of instruments, with boats and launches and a
small river steamboat for facility of transportation, reaches the aggre-
gate of $350,000 as the amount required.
CONCLUSIONS.
EASTERN DIVISION.
1. Greytown Harbor.-The entrance to the harbor as proposed by the
company is too near the angle of the coast line, and, as is indicated on
the accompanying map (Pl. XVIII), should be moved eastward about a
mile and a half, the present lagoon to be used as the inner harbor and
connected with the entrance by a canal with a bottom width of 200 feet.
The harbor throughout should be dredged to 30 feet below low water,
and its depth increased to 6 fathoms at the entrance.
2. Canal, Greytown to Lock No. 1.-A bottom width of 100 feet with
a clear depth of 30 feet at low water, and two intermediate and one
terminal siding for meeting of vessels, is preferable to the company's
cross section of 120 feet bottom width, 28 feet depth, and no sidings.
86
NICARAGUA CANAL.
The location of the canal through the Benard Lagoon is objectionable,
and the line may probably be moved to the southward and straight-
ened, with advantage.
3. Lock No. 1 to end of summit level at Lock No. 3.-To reduce the
lift of locks and dams in the Deseado Valley, four locks of a maximum
lift of 28 feet are preferable to three with maximum lift of 40 feet, as
proposed by the company, particularly in view of the increase of the
summit-level elevation from 106 to 110 feet above sea level. The com-
pany's cross section of the canal between locks has a bottom width of
120 feet. As indicated in paragraph 2, the Board believes that the
width of 100 feet with sidings at proper intervals should be adopted.
4. Eastern divide cut.-Additional borings on the axis of the cut
and parallel therewith, to cover proposed excavation, are necessary
for information as to materials and their distribution. The vertical and
to 1 slopes proposed by the company may have to be increased, and
the cube thereby somewhat enlarged.
5. San Francisco basins.―The proposed basins between the east divide
and the San Juan River at Ochoa involve long lines of heavy embank-
ments in clay, traversing deep mud bottoms at some points, which will
call for great care in construction. The width of the connecting chan-
nels now fixed by the company at 80 feet might be increased to 100
feet, to correspond with that of other sections, but this is not impera-
tive. The height of all embankments should be raised to provide for a
water-surface elevation of 110 or more instead of 106 as proposed by the
company. Considering the large number of these embankments, the
heavy rainfall to which they will be exposed, and the high head which
many of them will sustain, the accumulated risk will be considerable
and their maintenance will require special vigilance.
The Board deems it proper to make note of the facility with which a
breach might be effected at any point of the long series of embankments
employed in connection with the canal project, either for military pur-
poses in time of war or at the prompting of a malicious intent.
LAKE AND RIVER DIVISION.
6. Ochoa Dam.-Thorough search should be made in the vicinity of
the site now proposed for the Ochoa Dam for the most advantageous
location of the structure, and the full nature of the foundations and the
shore connections be exhaustively ascertained. As proposed by the
company, the dam is to be a rock fill across a powerful river, on a sand
foundation. A dam so constructed has no precedent, and its erection
in conflict with the unknown volume of the floods presents grave diffi-
culties. Its total dimensions and cost can not be reliably computed
with the present data. A masonry structure would be preferable, if a
suitable foundation could be discovered, and its cost not be prohibi-
tory. It is believed that a rock-fill dam could be built after careful
study of the physics of the river and the geology of the site; but, in
order to do this, and, later, provide for a due regulation of the water
level, it may be expedient to build sufficient sluices in the San Carlos
Ridge to relieve the dam while under construction. The use of the
dam as a weir is regarded as inadmissible, and its height must be such
as to enable the surface level to be maintained at an elevation of 112
feet above the sea, or possibly higher.
7. San Carlos Ridge. If sluices are not constructed in the ridge capa-
ble of diverting the full volume of the river in flood, weirs in suitable
positions on the crest line will be necessary, and an elaborate system
NICARAGUA CANAL.
87
of movable dams should be provided, the object being to maintain the
lake summit level elevation at not less than 110 feet during the dry
season and to limit its use during the rainy season to such height as may
be necessary to avoid excessive damages for submergence of lands.
8. San Juan River, Ochoa to lake.-The river should be thoroughly
surveyed and leveled throughout, and observations made for at least a
calendar year to determine its varying slopes, volume, surface elevation,
and regimen. Full explorations should be made of the river bed by
borings or other suitable means to determine the materials to be exca-
vated, both for channel improvement and to cut off bends for reduction
of curvature. The channel should have a bottom width of not less than
250 feet, enlarged to 300 or 400 feet in bends, in lieu of 125 feet, and the
deepening should be to 30 feet, instead of 28 feet as proposed by the
company.
9. Lake Nicaragua.-The area and regimen of the lake should be
determined and the extent and approximate value of the lands that
would be overflowed at elevations 110 and 115 ascertained. The 14
miles of excavated channel on the east side should have a bottom
width of not less than 300 feet, instead of 150 as proposed.
WESTERN DIVISION, LAKE TO BRITO.
10. The Lajas-Rio Grande route, adopted by the company, to connect
the lake with the Pacific, is preferable to any other that has been exam-
ined. The information with reference to the site of the proposed La
Flor Dam indicates that its construction is impracticable, and an alter-
native low-level route, which offers no special difficulties in construction,
avoids any necessity for it. This alternative line may follow either
the right or left bank in the Rio Grande Valley from a point 9.2 miles
distant from the lake, which would constitute the western limit of the
summit level. The northern or right-bank route has been located by
the company. The southern or left-bank route should be fully located
and bored to determine its relative merit. It has the advantage of
avoiding complication with the discharge from the Tola watershed and
the cost of diverting the Upper Rio Grande, and the disadvantage of
requiring more diversions of the Rio Grande in the main valley.
11. Brito Harbor.—The exposure to the full force of the Pacific seas
in the deep water close at hand calls for protecting works of adequate
magnitude and power of resistance. A large extension of the break-
water is required for the protection of the entrance, and the borings
and other considerations indicate the desirability of moving it south-
eastward from the location proposed by the company. The site should
be fully explored with reference to the subsurface materials.
GENERAL.
12. All locks should have a width of not less than 80 feet if the navi-
gation be intended to provide for the passage of war vessels and for
future developments in the case of commercial vessels. The U. S. S.
Iowa and others of the same class have a beam of 72 feet 3 inches, and
still others are now contemplated with a beam of 75 feet.
13. All streams affecting the canal route should be gauged to ascer-
tain their regimen, and in particular the regimen of the lake and the
San Juan and San Carlos rivers should be carefully determined.
14. Rainfall observations should be made at several consecutive
points over the entire route from Greytown to Brito.
88
NICARAGUA CANAL.
15. The construction of the eastern division on the line proposed by
the company is feasible, but in view of the risks involved in the main-
tenance of the numerous dams and embankments the final adoption of
any route is inexpedient until all alternative routes shall have been
fully investigated and compared.
16. Full explorations for alternative routes in the eastern division
should include the so-called low-level line on the left bank of the San
Juan to the San Juanillo and thence to Greytown; and, more particu-
larly, full investigation should be made as to the practicability of
extending the canalization of the river to the vicinity of the Serapiqui
by means of comparatively low dams.
17. The cost of work, particularly in the eastern division, will be
increased in consequence of the heavy rainfall, but from observations
made, its destructive effect on completed work will be much less than
that of frost in the United States.
18. The climate of Nicaragua is mild, equable, and humid, and while
the sanitary conditions are not unfavorable as compared with portions
of the United States, the value of physical labor is much less. It is
probably to be expected that the opening of earth excavations will be
attended, as elsewhere, by the development of malarial diseases, but not
of a specially malignant type.
19. The volcanic and seismic forces in Nicaragua are manifestly
declining, and there seems little reason to apprehend disturbance of so
serious a character as to imperil the stability of canal construction.
20. The official estimate by the company of $66,466,880 is insufficient
for the work. In several important cases the quantities must be greatly
increased, and in numerous cases the unit prices do not make proper
allowance for the difference in cost of work between the United States
and Nicaragua.
21. The provisional estimate by the Board is $133,472,893. It should
be understood that the existing data are inadequate as a basis for esti-
mating the cost of many of the structures; some portions of the work
may cost more, others less, but in the judgment of the Board the entire
project can be executed for about the total amount of its estimate.
22. For obtaining the necessary data for the formation of a final
project, eighteen months' time, covering two dry seasons and an
expenditure of $350,000, will be required.
WILLIAM LUDLOW,
Lieutenant-Colonel, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A.
MORDECAI T. ENDICOTT,
Civil Engineer, U. S. N.
ALFRED NOBLE,
Civil Engineer.
COST OF WORK AND ESTIMATES.
CLIMATIC AND LABOR CONDITIONS.
Before fixing unit prices for an estimate of cost of the canal, the
Board has examined with much care a large amount of data relating
to cost of similar work in the United States. Several contractors of
high reputation in their respective lines have examined the maps and
plans, and have aided the Board by furnishing estimates of cost of
various classes of work. Several gentlemen of wide experience in the
execution of work in the Tropics have also given information of great
value.
It can not be expected that work can be done in Nicaragua at prices
ruling in the United States. The first cause of this, which will readily
appear to anyone, is the climate. There is a great difference in this
respect between the two coasts.
On the Atlantic coast, at Greytown, it rains nearly every day in the
year. The annual rainfall is five or six times as much as on the Atlan-
tic coast of the United States. Very heavy rains occur at times; on
one occasion there was a rainfall of 35 inches in eight days, with a
maximum of 5.8 inches in twenty-four hours. At another time a fall
of 9 inches in nine hours was noted. The range of temperature is
small; it seldom rises to 90° or falls to 70°. Notwithstanding the mod-
erate temperature, the heat becomes very oppressive when physical
exertion is made, on account of the high humidity. Substantially the
same conditions as to rainfall and humidity appear to prevail over the
entire eastern division.
The heavy rainfall will increase largely the cost of excavating thie
deep mud at several embankment sites; of clay excavation; of build-
ing the embankments, where it may prove difficult to solidify the
material properly on account of the presence of too much water; of
concrete for the locks, sluices, and weirs, for which it may be necessary
to provide temporary shelter; and, to a less extent, the cost of rock
excavation and other work.
West of the mouth of the San Carlos the rainfall diminishes, and in
the lake basin there is a well-defined dry season. At Rivas, 5 miles
north of the canal line, between the lake and the Pacific, a rainfall
record has been kept by Dr. Earl Flint, an American resident, since
1880; the greatest annual rainfall in this period was 105 inches; the
least 32 inches, and the mean 65 inches; at this point, where the con-
ditions along the western division are fairly represented, the dry season
continues about five months. The temperature rises a little higher than
at Greytown, but the humidity is less, and, on the whole, the climatic
conditions are much more favorable.
Another cause for higher cost of work in Central America is the
comparatively ineffective manual labor which has to be relied upon.
The natives of Nicaragua are not likely to prove useful laborers in the
severe and steady work of canal construction. Negroes from the West
Indies, principally from Jamaica, have been employed largely at Panama
and on the Costa Rica Railway. Under good management they are
89
90
NICARAGUA CANAL.
docile and from a tropical standpoint are considered industrious and
fairly effective. They will undoubtedly form the labor supply for the
canal. Wages are only about one-half as much as in the United States,
but the efficiency of the laborers is much less in proportion.
There is a marked concurrence in opinion of those who have had
experience in the management of construction work in Central America
that the cost of work, due to inefficient labor and unfavorable location
and climate, is about twice as much as in the United States.
Machinery will be used largely, but will be of little value after com-
pletion of the canal, and hardly any of it will be worth removal; its
entire cost would, therefore, be charged to canal construction, making
the plant charge higher than usual. Repairs of plant will be expen-
sive. There are now no shops or facilities of any kind on or near the
canal line, and they will have to be supplied as adjuncts of the work.
There is no skilled labor in the country, and it will have to be
imported at rates of wages much higher than prevail here. Extra men
will have to be kept on hand, transportation to and from the United
States will have to be paid, and it may be said that the expenditure on
account of pay rolls and traveling expenses will be twice as much as in
the United States. Fuel will cost more than double. Freight on
materials and supplies will increase their cost greatly, particularly if
sent to interior points.
It appears therefore that the rule applied to manual labor will hold
good also as to work done by machinery, and in general the cost will
be doubled. On the Atlantic Coast, the factor should be somewhat
greater than two; on the Pacific Coast, somewhat less.
So far as shown by experience, the sanitary conditions in Nicaragua
are favorable. During the building of the railroad across the swamps
from Greytown westward the health record of the men, who were
mostly Jamaica negroes, was very good, although they were constantly
in the water.
When deep excavations are made in the clay there may be a differ-
ent result. The Jamaicans, however, suffered little when employed in
the construction of the Costa Rica Railroad, where the cuts through
the hills were very heavy, and it is believed that with these or other
acclimated laborers, under complete police control and subjected to
judicious sanitary regulations, there will be no more sickness than
occurs on public works in many parts of the United States.
UNIT PRICES.
DREDGING.
Greytown Harbor.-Material, coarse volcanic sand of light specific
gravity. It will have to be deposited outside the harbor lines, either
in the swamps or at sea. There will be some exposure to the sea in the
harbor entrance. The interior dredging can be done for 20 cents; in
the entrance, 40 cents; average price used in the estimate for the entire
amount, 25 cents per cubic yard.
Greytown Harbor to Lock No. 1.—Material, sand for one-third of the
distance; then mud and clay. From the west end the tow will be long,
if material is taken to sea; if deposited on bank by a pump or ejector
the lift will be about 20 feet, plus height of spoil bank. Estimate
price, 25 cents per cubic yard.
San Juan River.-Material, according to Lull's classification, made
from lead-line indications, is clay, sand, and gravel. A large amount
of material classified by him as rock is believed to be gravel and
NICARAGUA CANAL.
91
bowlders and is so taken in the estimates. A large part of the material
will have to be delivered on river bank to avoid reducing channel area.
On account of this, and the uncertainty as to the nature of the material,
the unit price in the estimate is increased to 30 cents per cubic yard.
Lake Nicaragua.-Material, mud and clay. The quantity is large.
and the situation sheltered. The clay can be dumped within a short
distance; the mud can be pumped to a sufficient distance to insure
against running back into the cut. Estimate price, 20 cents per cubic
yard.
Brito Harbor.-Material and conditions similar to those at Greytown
Harbor, and same unit price used-25 cents per cubic yard.
EARTH EXCAVATION.
Eastern division.-Material, stiff clay. At the Chicago drainage
canal, excavation of hard clay with steam shovel costs 22 to 25 cents
per cubic yard where the ground is level and plant for dumping can be
moved easily; the work there is done in the main when the ground is
dry. In the heavy rainfall region of eastern Nicaragua the material
will become difficult to handle; the lock pits will be deep and will
require some pumping; the canal line between locks is crossed several
times by the Deseado, which will have to be diverted, and cost charged
to excavation. In the east divide and beyond to Ochoa the country
is made up of steep hills, where it will be difficult to work plant to
advantage. Estimate price, 60 cents per cubic yard.
San Carlos embankment line.-Material, clay. Excavation is made to
remove surface soil at sites of embankments; therefore of small depth,
usually of small area; material to be dumped just outside of excava-
tion. Estimate price, 50 cents per cubic yard.
San Juan River.-Material, probably clay. Excavation required to
straighten channel. Rainfall becomes less going west. Estimate price,
50 cents per cubic yard.
Western division.-Material, light loam, sand, and clay. Rainfall
less, and country less hilly. Estimate price, 40 cents per cubic yard.
ROCK EXCAVATION.
Eastern division.-Material all degrees of hardness from telpetate to
trap; of volcanic origin and not stratified. The harder rock will not
drill and blast nearly as well as the rock in the Chicago Drainage
Canal, where the contract price is about 70 cents. It will not drill or
break better than the gneiss about New York City, which costs for
excavation about 80 cents. The telpetate is softer, but it may prove
impossible to maintain it vertical or with slope of 1:5, as proposed by
the company. The country is a mass of hills, and plant can not be han-
dled as readily or employed as usefully as in a level district. The
heavy rainfall will increase cost of work. Estimate price, $1.75 per
cubic yard.
Western division.-Material, similar to that in eastern division, but
with less hilly ground and better climate; the Board assumes the unit
price at $1.25 per cubic yard.
MUD EXCAVATION.
Eastern division.-East of divide small quantities of moderate depth
are to be removed from embankment sites; estimate price, $1 per cubic
yard. West of divide at sites of several embankments mud is to be
92
NICARAGUA CANAL.
excavated to depth of 30 feet or more. Cost of protecting sides of cut
by crib work or other means to prevent slides into cut will be large, and
is included in the estimate price of $1.50 per cubic yard.
EMBANKMENT.
Greytown Harbor to east divide.-Material, clay. To be placed on
cars when excavated from lock or canal prism. Embankment price
covers cost of transportation, taking from cars, placing in embankment,
and rolling or tamping. Company's price used in estimate, 30 cents per
cubic yard.
East divide to Ochoa.-Material, clay. About half will have to be
borrowed. Estimate price, 45 cents per cubic yard, which allows 30
cents for excavating one-half of the material from pits favorably located.
San Carlos ridge line.-Material, clay. All will have to be borrowed.
Embankments are generally small, at considerable distance apart. An
excavation price of 40 cents is added to an embankment price of 30
cents, making the price used in the estimate 70 cents per cubic yard.
BACK FILLING BEHIND LOCK WALLS.
Eastern division.-Material, clay. In most cases to be excavated
from side of lock pit to lighten bank. Locks generally located in hills.
If quantity is insufficient, deficiency is to be made up by borrowing.
Excavation price of 40 cents added to embankment price of 30 cents,
making 70 cents per cubic yard.
Western division.—On account of material being more easily handled
and more favorable climate the price is reduced in the estimate to CO
cents per cubic yard.
MATERIALS FOR OCHOA DAM.
Rock fill.-Material to be principally in picces weighing 4 to 10 tons,
obtained from east divide. A sufficient amount can not be obtained by
ordinary blasting, therefore quarry methods will be required, adding to
cost of excavation.
Additional cost of excavation is estimated at.
Transportation to dam (1 cent per ton mile).
Handling at dam..
•
Per cubic yard.
$0.50
.30
.20
.15
1. 15
A large amount will have to be stored for final season's work, involving two
handlings; cost of this distributed over whole amount..
Cost per cubic yard, solid..
One cubic yard solid makes 1.7 cubic yards loose. Cost of 1 cubic
yard loose, 68 cents, say, 70 cents for estimate price.
Earth fill.-Material, small stone and clay. Waste from east divide:
Transportation
Handling at dam.
Estimate price.....
SUBMARINE ROCK EXCAVATION.
Per cubic yard.
$0.30
.20
.50
San Juan at Toro and Castillo rapids and at canal entrance west side
of lake.-Material, probably hard, volcanic rock, without stratification
NICARAGUA CANAL.
ICARAGUA
93
except on west side of lake; latter amount relatively small. Work
will be done with expensive plant and skilled labor; plant should be
charged to work. Present contract price for limestone, hard but hori-
zontally stratified, drilling and blasting well, in the St. Marys River,
Michigan, $2.43 per cubic yard. In Nicaragua cost of plant will be 50
per cent greater, pay roll will be double, cost of repairs and fuel more
than double. Estimate price, $5.
SHEET PILING.
The unit prices in the company's estimate, which provide for creosoted
timber, are accepted by the Board.
STONE FOR BREAKWATERS.
Greytown and Brito.-Stone from divide cuts. Stone to be received
on cars at points where excavated. Cost of transporting and depositing
in breakwaters, including necessary trestle, will not, it is believed,
exceed the estimate price of $1.50 per cubic yard. The trestle will be
a temporary pile bridge; storms seldom occur, and cost of trestle will
not be great.
CONCRETE FOR LOCKS, SLUICES, AND WEIRS.
Eastern divison.-Greater part of work from 12 to 17 miles from Carib-
bean; a few small works 22 to 28 miles; cement, Portland, delivered by
ship at Greytown; sand from Greytown beach; stone from east divide
cut. Proportions suggested by company: Cement, 1; sand, 2; stone, 5 by
volume. Concrete for lock construction with these proportions costs $9
per cubic yard, including timber forms, at the Hennepin Canal, 1893.
With proportions of 1: 2: 3 for face and 1:3:6 for backing, the cost can
be reduced and satisfactory structures obtained.
A careful, detailed estimate has been made and $9.50 adopted as the
estimate price.
San Carlos sluices and weirs.—Transportation of materials to site will
be more expensive than for eastern division, and the estimate price is
made $10.
Western division.—Cement will cost a little more than on the eastern
division, by reason of higher freight charges. Cost of sand from the
beach at Brito and stone from the west divide will be less than sand
and stone in eastern division, on account of better climate; cost of mix-
ing and placing will be less; these reductions will more than offset the
greater cost of cement. Estimate price, $9 per cubic yard.
METAL WORK.
Lock gates.-The contract price for the steel gates just built for the
St. Marys Falls Canal was 7 cents per pound. Material will probably
come from Europe at less than first cost in the United States. Erec-
tion in Nicaragua will cost, more than here, and the final cost is taken
the same as here, at 7 cents per pound.
Gate anchors.—Contract price at St. Marys Falls Canal is 3.77 cents
per pound; estimate price, 4 cents per pound.
Steel in foundations.—Material to come from Europe. Field riveting
small in amount. Estimate price, 3 cents per pound.
Steel in culverts.-Material from Europe. Field riveting and calking
expensive in Nicaragua. Price for estimate, 4 cents per pound.
94
NICARAGUA CANAL.
Gates and machinery for sluices.-The prices taken by the Board are
makers' prices, with an allowance for transportation. The company's
estimate appears to be made for only one-half the number of gates
intended.
SLUICES AND WEIRS.
Eastern division.-The company's estimate provides two sluice open-
ings 20 feet by 25 feet and 200 linear feet of weir at each lock, and
equal amounts of both in the San Francisco embankment line. For
the purpose of entering the items in the estimate the Board assumes
the same provision.
San Carlos embankment line.-The price estimated provides for 4,000
feet linear of weir instead of 1,200 feet, as in the company's estimate.
No change is made in the number of sluices. These quantities, which
may have to be changed after further surveys, are assumed only to take
the items into account.
RAILROADS.
Eastern division.-The estimate of $100,000 per mile is believed suffi-
cient for a double-track standard-gauge railroad. The country is hilly,
the grading will be heavy, and there will be considerable pile bridging
and trestling; but there will probably be no rock cuts. The amounts
added for buildings, etc., are sufficient for the temporary buildings suit-
able for a construction line.
Western division.—With a low-level canal there will be no difficulty
locating a railroad with light work and easy grades and curves, except-
ing the 14 miles through the gorge of the Rio Grande. Estimate price,
$50,000 per mile for a double-track standard-gauge railroad.
MISCELLANEOUS.
The Board has adopted the company's figures in many cases for
minor structures, and in a few cases for important ones, where it was
impossible to check them with the limited time and means at its dis-
posal. The most important of these structures are the weirs and guard
gates. As to the weirs, their dimensions are subject to change after
the ascertainment of the duty required of them, and changes in their
dimensions, if in the way of increase, must at this stage be considered
as an item of contingencies. As to the guard gates there are no plans,
but the amount estimated for them by the company may possibly prove
sufficient.
The company's estimate contains amounts for receiving basins for
several creeks taken into the canal, for fender work in the approaches
to the locks, and for a few other small items. The Board has entered
the amounts in its estimates without analyzing them minutely; any
errors in amount will be relatively unimportant.
In the absence of any data on the subject the Board has not endeav-
ored to make any estimate as to the damages to be incurred from
submergence of lands in lake and river valleys.
MANAGEMENT AND ENGINEERING.
Cost of management and engineering is estimated at 4 per cent of
the cost of construction.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
95
HOSPITAL SERVICE.
Adequate hospital service is of prime importance for the successful
prosecution of the work. It would not be judicious to leave this to the
control of the large number of contractors who would be employed, as
they would not be likely to agree on effective measures, and lack of
vigilance at any point might start a disastrous epidemic. For these
reasons the canal company should assume the responsibility, and
organize a hospital service on a liberal scale. An item of $1,000,000 is
inserted in the estimate for this purpose.
CONTINGENCIES.
The allowance for contingencies is intended to cover those items of
increase due to unforeseen emergencies and exigencies as to climate and
imperfect information as to the extent and character of the work; in
the present case, these uncertainties are unusually large, and in the
judgment of the Board the allowance of 20 per cent is the least admis-
sible.
QUANTITIES.
The quantities of excavation and embankment carried in the estimate
are based on the company's maps and profiles, and in most cases, unless
otherwise stated in the report, its calculations of amounts are accepted
The Board has verified them approximately, and believes the maps and
profiles on which they are based to be substantially correct.
96
j
NICARAGUA CANAL.
GREYTOWN HARBOE.
Pile pier..
Piers of loose rock.
Rock..
Piers at entrance to canal..
Stone pitching, channel banks.
Dredging
Railroad and trestle, single track
Wharves
Estimate.
EASTERN DIVISION.
[From Greytown Harbor to San Juan River.]
Company's estimate, 1895.
Machine shop
Warehouse
Total Greytown Harbor
GREYTOWN HARBOR TO EAST DIVIDE.
Clearing and grubbing for canal.
Clearing and grubbing for embankments.
Clearing only for embankments
Dredging for canal.
Dredging, diversions of lower Deseado
Earth excavation for canal, clay
D
Earth excavation for locks, clay.
Earth excavation at sites of embankments, clay
Earth excavation at sites of embankments, mud.
Earth excavation at sites of sluices, clay.
Earth excavation at sites of sluices, mud.
Earth embankments.
L
Stone pitching, sides of canal.
Stone pitching on embankments.
Sheet piling for embankments.
Wales, ties, etc., for sheet piling.
Weirs
Locks: c
Sheet piling
Concrete
Granite quoins..
Steel in foundations
Steel in culverts.
Quantity.
Unit price.
Board's estimate, 1895.
Unit price.
Cost.
Quantity.
.linear feet..
..do..
cubic yards..
cubic yards..
..do..
miles.
900
1, 200
286, 095
9, 550,000
$190, 215.00
1,500
$1.50
.15
429, 143. (1)
100,000.00
1, 432, 500. 00
530, 000
12, 000, 000
150,000
$1.50
3
.25
2.00
50,000.00
2, 151, 858. 00
Cost.
a $105,000.00
795,000.00
3, 000, 000. 60
300,000.00
150,000.00
100.000. GG
20,000.00
10, 000. 00
4, 480, 000. 00
acres.
..do....
925
100.00
24
100.00
92,500.00
2,400.00
925
100.00
b 92, 500,00
24
..do...
100.00
25
50.00
b 2, 400.00
1, 250. 00
cubic yards..
25
13, 547, 597
50.00
.15
2,032, 139.00
.do...
14, 306, 000
.25
105, 500
20
21, 100.00
172, 500
25
.do.
2, 396, 225
40
958, 490.00
.do..
2, 412, 008
60
1,301, 194
40
520, 477.00
.do..
2, 151, 005
60
55, 105
40
22, 042.00
.do..
11, 233
1.00
11, 233.00
do...
47, 326
9,470
.60
1.00
191, 508
.40
76, 603.00
..do..
331, 508
.60
4, 148
1.00
4, 148. 00
4, 148
.do.
1. 00
469, 464
.30
140, 839.00
433, 191
.do.
30
172, 288
2.00
344, 576.00
172, 288
square yards..
2.00
53,500
2.00
107, 000. 00
.feet, B. M..
..do...
44, 223
2.00
1, 424, 000
.07
99, 680.00
250,000
1,760,000
.07
.06
15, 000. CO
linear feet..
280,000
1, 200
.06
b 1, 250, 00
3,576, 500.00
43, 125.00
1, 447, 204. 80
1, 290, 603. 00
28, 395. 60
9, 470.00
198, 904. 80
4, 148. 00
129,957. 30
b 344, 576. 00
88, 446. 00
123,200.00
16,800.00
323, 462.00
1, 600
431, 233.00
.feet, B. M..
cubic yards..
.do...
-pounds.
do
•
5, 400, 000
.07
388, 101
6.00
378, 000. 00
2, 328, 606. 00
507, 031
3, 550
11, 520, 000
4, 112, 000
9.50
4,816, 794. 50
60.00
213, 000. 00
.03
.04
345, 600.00
164, 480.00

NICARAGUA CANAL.
97
Gates
Gate anchors.
418, 309. 00
7,632,000
.07
do.
1, 200, 000
.04
300,000.00
90,000.00
100,000.00
cubic yards
4,800
2.00
9, 600.00
4, 800
.number
2.040
13.50
27, 540.00
2,040
2.00
13.50
.cubic feet..
534, 240, 00
48, 000, 00
450,000.00
150,000.00
b 9,690.00
b 27, 540.00 ·
7,398
.50
32
500.00
3, 699.00
16,000.00
7, 398
.50
b 3, 699.00
32
500.00
₺ 16, 000, 00
600, 009
.70
420, 000. 00
3
4
1, 126, 400
.07
78,848.00
1, 232, 000
.07
86, 240. 00
176,000
.06
10, 560.00
200, 000
.06
12.000.00
74, 256
6.00
445, 536.00
94, 338
9.50
896, 211.00
75, 000. 00
240,000.00
.miles..
.do..
19
50,000.00
950, 000. 00
19
50,000. 00
950,000.00
3
10,000.00
30,000.00
56,000.00
.miles.
19
500.00
9, 500.00
19
500.00
b 9, 500. 00
9, 636, 137. 00
17, 685, 668. 00
Buildings..
Machinery.
Pumping at Lock No. 1..
Stone pitching in basin
Fender piles at Locks Nos. 1 and 2.
Fender wales at Locks Nos. 1 and 2
Fender cribs for Lock No. 3.
Back filling at locks..
Sluices, each 2 openings, 20 by 25 feet.
Sheet piling.
Wales, ties, etc
Concrete
Gates and machinery
Railroad, single track.
.number..
.cubic yards.
.number
.feet, B. M..
..do.
.cubic yards..
H. Doc. 279
Sidings
Stations, shops, tanks, etc.
Telegraph
Total Greytown Harbor to east divide.
Clearing and grubbing
Earth excavation
Rock excavation
Railroad, single track
Railroad, double track
Sidings...
Telegraph.
Stations, tank, etc
❤
Total east divide
EAST DIVIDE.
EAST DIVIDE TO OCIIOA.
.acres.
.cubic yards..
..do...
.miles..
.do..
.do..
·
.miles.
169
3,387, 396
8, 310, 084
100.00
16,900.00
.40
3
1.25
50,000.00
1, 354, 958. 00
10, 387, 605. 00
150,000.00
169
3, 387, 396
100.00
8, 310, 084
.60
1.75
3
ww
3
100,000.00
10,000.00
3
500.00
1,500.00
3
500.00
₺ 16, 900.00
2,032, 437. 60
14, 542, 647.00
300, 000. 00
30,000.00
17, 000.00
b 1,500.00
11, 910, 963. 00
16,940, 484.00
Clearing and grubbing for canal.
Clearing and grubbing for embankments, weirs, and sluices..
Clearing only, for embankments, weirs, and sluices.
Earth excavation for canal, clay
Earth excavation at sites of embankments.
Earth excavation at sites of embankments, mud.
Earth excavation for sluices, alay.
Rock excavation for canal...
·
Earth embankments
Sheet piling for embankments
Stone pitching on embankments
Wales, ties, etc
acres..
725
100.00
.do...
158
100.00
72,500.00
15,800,00
725
100.00
b 72,500.00
158
100.00
b 15, 800.00
.do.
104
50.00
5, 200.00
104
50.00
cubic yards..
2,698, 195
.40
1,079, 278.00
2,698, 195
.60
..do.
450, 843
.40
180, 337.00
585, 874
60
.do..
1,051, 816
1.00
1. 051, 816. 00
1,092, 978
1.50
.do..
529, 650
40
211, 860.00
529, 650
.60
.do..
30, 309
1.50
45, 463.00
30, 309
1.75
b 5, 200.00
1, 618, 917. 00
351,524.40
1, 639, 467.00
317, 790.00
53, 040. 75
.do.
.30
·
feet, B. M..
07
.do
•
square yards..
1,822, 566. 00
282, 240.00
31, 440. 00
853, 800.00
7, 166, 060
.45
3, 224, 727.00
4, 032, 000
07
06
2.00
6, 075, 221
4,032,000
524, 000
426, 900
•
06
2.00
b Company's estimate assumed.
524,000
557,969
282, 240.00
31, 440.00
1, 115, 938. 00
a 1,500 linear feet pile bridge at $40, $60,000; 15.000 cubic yards loose rock at $3, $45,000.
c In company's estimate, 3 locks, with lifts of 31, 35 and 40 feet from sea to summit level, at elevation 106. In Board's estimate, 4 locks, with lifts of 26, 28, 28, and 28 foet
from sea to summit level, at elevation 110.


98
NICARAGUA CANAL.

Estimate-Continued.
EASTERN DIVISION-Continued.
[From Greytown Harbor to San Juan River.]
Company's estimate, 1895.
Quantity.
Unit price.
Cost.
Quantity.
Board's estimate, 1895.
Unit price.
Cost.
EAST DIVIDE TO OCHOA—continued.
Wales, ties, etc
Concrete dam.
3 weirs, 200 feet each.
3 sluices, each 2 openings, 20 by 25 feet:
Sheet piling..
cubic yards..
1, 129
$6.00
$6, 774.00
2,255
$9.50
linear feet..
600
208, 510.00
600
.feet, B. M..
.do..
1, 065, 600
.07
74, 592.00
1, 165, 000
.07
Concrete..
Gates and machinery
Guard gates between Machuca and Danta.
Railroad, single track...
Sidings
166, 000
.06
9,960.00
180,000
.06
.cubic yards..
100, 625
6.00
603, 750.00
107, 187
9.50
75,000.00
300,000.00
$21, 422. 50
a 208, 510.00
81, 550.00
10, 800.00
1, 018, 276. 50
180, 000. 00
300,000.00
.miles.
Railroad, double track.
Stations, tank, etc
Telegraph (divide to Castillo)
Total east divide to Ochoa
RECAPITULATION, EASTERN DIVISION.
Greytown Harbor..
Greytown Harbor to east divide.
East divide.
East divide to Ochoa.
Total eastern division.
15
50,000.00
750, 000. 00
.do..
15
100, 000.00
1,500,000.00
.do..
9
10, 000. 00
90,000.00
miles.
40
500.00
20,000.00
40
500.00
7, 700, 886.00
41,000.00
20,000.00
12, 200, 143. 15
-
2, 151, 858. 00
9, 636, 137.00
11, 910, 963. 00
4, 480, 000. 00
17, 685, 668. 00
16, 940, 484. 00
7, 700, 886. 00
12, 200, 143. 00
31, 399, 844. 00
51, 306, 295. 00
OCHOA DAM.
Earth excavation for abutments
Sheet piling for abutments....
Wales, ties, etc
Rock fill for dam.
Concrete for abutments
THE LAKE AND RIVER DIVISION.
[From Ochoa to the west side of Lake Nicaragua.]
.cubic yards..
.feet, B. M..
18, 500
$1.00
800,000
.075
do...
100,000
.06
$18,500.00
60,000.00
6,000.00
.cubic yards..
.do.
1, 550
1,200,000
10.00
15, 500.00
.50
600, 000. 00
2, 000, 000
$0.70
$1, 400, 000. 00
NICARAGUA CANAL.
99

Earth fill for dam.
Cable conveyors...
Abutments
Sheet piling under earth fill.
Diversion of San Juan (sluices, etc.).
Total Ochoa Dam
SAN CARLOS EMBANKMENT LINE.
Clearing and grubbing
Clearing only.
Earth excavation at sites of embankment
Earth excavation for sluices.
Earth embankments
Wales, ties, etc..
Stone pitching on embankments.
Weirs
2 sluices, each 2 openings, 20 by 25 feet:
Sheet piling.
Concrete.
Gates and machinery
•
Total San Carlos embankment line
SAN JUAN RIVER.
Clearing and grubbing.
Earth excavation above water.
Dredging
Rock excavation under water.
Telegraph line...
Total San Juan River.
LAKE NICARAGUA.
Dredging, east side of lake.
Rock excavation under water, west side of lake
Piers at entrance to canal, western division
..do.
.number.
620, 090
3
.25
10,000.00
157, 273,00
120,000.00
600,000
.50
10
15, 000. 00
977, 273.00
380,000.00
150,000.00
550, 000. 00
100,000.00
1, 500, 000. 00
4, 000, 000.00
.acres..
..do....
cubic yards..
15
100.00
1,500.00
15
100.00
a 1, 500.00
22
50.00
1, 100.00
22
50.00
31, 092
.50
15, 546. 00
49, 362
50
a 1, 100. 00
24, 681. 00
do.
--
25, 367
.50
12, 684.00
25, 367
50
12, 683.50
..do..
195, 131
.40
78, 052.00
275, 229
70
192, 660.30
.square yards..
32, 128
3.00
96, 384. 00
47, 391
3.00
142, 173.00
.linear feet..
1, 200
414, 540.00
4,000
600.00
2,400,000.00
.feet, B. M..
..do..
cubic yards..
800, 000
.07
56,000.00
925, 000
.07
64, 750.00
125,000
.06
7,500. CO
135,000
.06
8, 100.00
44, 517
6.00
267, 102.00
49, 277
10.00
492, 770.00
50,000.00
1,000, 408. 00
120,000.00
3, 460, 417.80
.acres..
cubic yards..
.do...
do..
miles.
377
422, 540
2, 150, 900
398, 613
70
100.00
.40
37, 700.00
. 25
3.00
500.00
169, 416.00
537, 725.00
1, 195, 839. 00
35,000.00
377
1,500,000
10, 163, 000
2, 199, 000
100.00
50
.30
5.00
a 37, 700.00
750,000.00
3,048, 900.00
10, 995, 000. 00
70
500.00
a 35, 000.00
1,975, 280.00
14, 866, 600. 00
..cubic yards..
..do.
4, 720, 078
.20
945, 215.00
176, 832
3.00
530, 496. 00
12, 300, 000
190, 723
.20
5.00
493, 710.00
2, 460,000.00
953, 615.00
a 493, 710. 00
1, 969, 421.00
Total Lake Nicaragua.
RECAPITULATION, LAKE AND RIVER DIVISION.
Ochoa Dam
San Carlos embankment line.
San Juan River
→
Lake Nicaragua
Total lake and river division
977, 273.00
1, 000, 408. 00
1, 975, 680. OU
1, 969, 421.00
5, 922, 782. 00
a Company's estimate assumed.
3, 907, 325.00
4, 000, 000. 00
3, 460, 418. 00
14, 866, 600.00
3, 907, 325.00
26, 234, 343.00

100
NICARAGUA CANAL.

Estimate-Continued.
WESTERN DIVISION.
[From Lake Nicaragua to the Pacific Ocean.]
Company's estimate, 1895.
LAKE NICARAGUA TO TIDE LOCK AT BRITO.
Tola Basin line-
Clearing and grubbing for canal.
Clearing and grubbing for La Flor Dam.
Earth excavation for canal
Earth excavation for locks..
Earth excavation for La Flor Dam
Rock excavation for canal.
Earth excavation for diversion of Lajas.
Rock excavation for Locks Nos. 4 and 5.
Rock excavation for Lock No. 6.
Rock excavation for diversion of Lajas
Stone pitching sides of canal..
Sheet piling.
Piles for trestles.
Earth embankment at head of Lock No. 4
La Flor Dam:
Wales, ties, etc
Trestle for dumping materials
Concrete in core wall
Rock fill for dam..
Earth fill for dam....
Weir
Locks: a
Concrete
Gates
Machinery.
Buildings.
Pumping at Lock No. 6
Foundation for Lock No. 6
Fender piles
Quantity.
Unit price.
Board's estimate, 1895.
Unit price.
Cost.
Quantity.
acres.
.do....
cubic yards..
.do..
1,033
$50.00
$51, 650.00
17
50.00
850.00
5,594, 809
.35
1, 958, 183.00
324, 800
40
.do...
320, 000
40
129, 920.00
128,000.00
.do.
299, 508
.40
119, 803.00
.do..
6, 597, 517
1.00
6, 597, 517.00
do.
·
664, 194
1.00
664, 194. 00
.do..
61, 698
1.25
77, 122.00
do...
164, 786
1.25
205,983.00
do.
20, 753
2.00
41, 506. 00
do...
189, 016
.50
94, 508.00
.feet B. M..
796, 800
.075
59, 760. 00
.do.
50,000
.05
2,500.00
number..
322
5.00
1, 610. 00
linear feet
1,600
22.00
35, 200.00
.cubic yards.
86,000
6.00
516, 000.00
..do..
do..
linear feet..
830,000
50
415, 000. 00
918, 000
20
183, 600. 00
250
93,000.00
cubic yards..
376, 000
6.00
number..
2,040
cubic feet.
7, 397
13.50
.50
4,800
2.00
19,080
10.00
Fender wales
•
Stone pitching in basins.
Masonry wall at head of Lock No. 4..
cubic yards.
.do...
Guard gates in west divide cut
Right of way.
3 drawbridges.
Cost.
2, 256, 000.00
364, 935. 00
200,000.00
75, 000, 00
100, 000. 00
250,000.00
27,540.00
3,699.00
9, 600.00
190, 800.00
300,000.00
100, 000. 00
60.000.00
·
NICARAGUA CANAL.
101
Railroad, single track, narrow gauge
Telegraph
Total Lake Nicaragua to tide lock at Brito, via Tola Basin line.
..miles..
18
.do
18
25,000.00
500.00
450,000.00
9,000.00
15, 772, 480.00
Low level line:
Clearing and grubbing for canal.
.acres..
1,033
50.00
51, 650.00
1,033
$100.00
Earth excavation for canal..
cubic yards..
9, 864, 730
.35
Earth excavation for Locks Nos. 4, 5, and 6..
do....
340,828
.35
3, 452, 655.00
119, 290.00
10, 025, 000
.40
Earth excavation for Lock No. 7.
.do....
124, 800
.40
49, 920.00
Earth excavation for weir and dam.
do...
Earth excavation for diversion of Lajas.
.do..
299, 508
.40
119, 803.00
1, 489, 000
94, 000
299, 508
.40
40
•
40
$103, 300.00
4, 010, 000. 00
595, 600.00
37, 600.00
b 119, 803. 20
Earth excavation for diversion of lower Rio Grande.
do.
643, 392
.35
225, 187.00
1, 370. 000
.40
548, 000. 00
Earth excavation for diversion of Upper Rio Grande.
Rock excavation for canal.
do.
1,592, 435
.35
557, 352.00
.do...
7, 179, 949
1.00
7, 179, 949.00
7, 179, 949
1.25
8, 974, 936. 25
Rock excavation for Locks No8. 4, 5, and 6
do..
569, 422
1.00
569, 422.00
Rock excavation for Lock No. 7.
do...
61, 698
1.25
77, 122.00
207,000
1.25
Rock excavation for weir and dam
do..
42,000
1.25
258, 750.00
52,500.00
Rock excavation for diversion of Lajas
do.
164, 786
1.25
205, 983.00
164, 786
1.25
b 205, 982.50
Rock excavation for diversion of Upper Rio Grande
..do.
403, 649
1.00
403, 649.00
Stone pitching sides of canal.
do..
62, 370
2.00
124, 740. 00
62, 370
2.00
b 124, 740. 00
Locksc-
Sheet piling
Concrete
Granite quoins
Steel in foundations
Steel in culverts..
Gates.
Gate anchors
Machinery
.feet, B. M.
2,700,000
.07
d 189, 000. 00
cubic yards.
486, 132
6.00
2, 916, 792. 00
506, 056
9.00
4, 554, 504.00
.do.
.pounds..
..do...
do.
.do..
3, 600
60.00
11, 520, 000
.03
216,000.00
345, 600.00
•
4, 112, 000
.04
164, 480.00
•
459, 738.00
8, 000, 000
.07
560, 000. 00
1,200,000
.01
48,000.00
❤
Buildings..
Pumping at lock No. 7
Foundation for lock No. 7
Stone pitching in basin
Fender piles
Fender wales....
Back filling at locks..
Dam across Rio Grande.
Concrete dam and weir at Lock No. 4.
Movable dam.
Paving in bed of channel below weir
Guard gates in west divide
3 drawbridges
Receiving basin for Espinal
Receiving basin for Guachipilin
Receiving basin for La Flor Creek
Culvert or weir for Tola
Drains at foot of canal banks...
400,000.00
120,000. 00
100, 000. 00
250,000.00
450,000.00
150, 000. 00
cubic yards
number..
.cubic feet..
.cubic yards.
.linear feet..
square yards.
·
9,600
4,080
2.00
19, 200.00
9,600
2.00
b 19, 200.00
13.50
55, 080. 00
4, 080
13.50
b 55, 080. 00
14,795
.50
7,398.00
14,795
50
600, 000
.60
b 7, 397.50
360, 000.00
140, 000, 00
•
7,700
133
9.00
69, 300.00
D
a 3 locks, with lifts of 25, 42.5, and 42.5 feet, from mean tide to summit level.
b Company's estimate assumed.
22, 000. 00
b 300, 000. 00
100,000.00
b 7,000.00
b11,000.00
b 35, 200.00
e In company's estimate, 4 locks with lifts of 25, 30, 30, and 25 feet from mean tide to summit level. In Board's estimate, 4 locks with lifts of 20, 30, 30, and 30 feet from mean
tide to summit level.
d For 2 locks.
4, 400
100.00
5.00
13, 300.00
300, 000. 00
·
60,000.00
7,000.00
...
·
11,000.00
11,000.00
90,000.00
35, 200.00

102
NICARAGUA CANAL.

Estimate-Continued.
WESTERN DIVISION-Continued.
[From Lake Nicaragua to the Pacific Ocean.]
Company's estimate, 1895.
LAKE NICARAGUA TO TIDE LOCK AT BRITO-continued.
Low level line-Continued.
Right of way
Railroad, single track, narrow gauge.
Railroad, double track, standard gauge.
Sidings..
Stations, shops, etc.
Telegraph..
Total Lake Nicaragua to tide lock at Brito, via low level line.
Tide lock to Pacific:
Dredging
Stone in breakwaters
Stone pitching.
·
Wharves
Machine shop
Warehouse
BRITO HARBOR.
Total Brito Harbor
RECAPITULATION, WESTERN DIVISION.
(1) Via Tola Basin line:
Lake Nicaragua to tide lock at Brito.
Brito Harbor
Total, western division, via Tola Basin line
(2) Via low level line:
Lake Nicaragua to tide lock at Brito
Brito Harbor...
Total, western division, via low level line.
Quantity.
Unit price.
Board's estimate, 1895.
Unit price.
Cost.
Quantity.
Cost.
18 | $50, 000. 00
4
10, 000. 00
500.00
a $50,000.00
900, 000.00
40, 000. 00
81,000.00
9, 000. 00
23, 788, 273, 45
.miles
18 $25, 000. 00
$50,000.00
450,000 00
.do.
.do..
miles
18
500.00
9, 000. 00
18
18, 628, 130. 00
.cubic yards.
.do...
square yards..
6, 725, 564
383,899
.20
1.50
1, 345, 113. 00
575, 848.00
6,750,000
1,690, 000
.25
1.50
23,000
2.00
1, 920, 961. 00
15, 772, 480. 00
1, 920, 961. 00
(c)
(c)
흐흐
​17, 693, 441. 00
1,687, 500. 00
b 2, 535, 000. 00
46,000.00
100,000.00
20, 000. 00
10,000.00
4,398, 500.00
@Q
(c)
(c)
(c)
(c)
흐흐
​18, 628, 130. 00
1, 920, 961. 00
20, 549, 091. 00
23, 788, 273. 00
4,398, 500. 00
28, 186, 773. 00
NICARAGUA CANAL.
103




LIGHTS AND BUOYS.
From the Caribbean to the Pacific.
$373, 000. 00
MANAGEMENT AND ENGINEERING.
From the Caribbean to the Pacific.
(d)
From the Caribbean to the Pacific.
Eastern division.
Lake and river division.
Western division
Lights and buoys.
Management and engineering
Hospital service
Contingencies, 20 per cent.
Grand total
HOSPITAL SERVICE.
(d)
GRAND RECAPITULATION.
$500,000.00
$4, 000, 000. 00
$1, 000, 000. 00
Company's
estimate, 1895,
Tola Basin line.
$31, 399, 844. 00
5, 922, 782. 00
17, 693, 441. 00
373,000.00
Company's
estimate, 1895,
low level line.
$31, 399, 844. 00
5, 922, 782.00
20, 549, 091. CO
373, 000, 00
55, 389, 067. 00
11,077, 813.00
66, 466, 880. 00
58, 244, 717,00
11, 648, 943. 00
69, 893, 660. 00
Board's
estimate, 1895,
low level line.
$51, 306, 295.00
26, 234, 343. 00
28, 186, 773.00
500,000.00
4, 000, 000.00
1, 000, 000. 00
111, 227, 411.00
22, 245, 482. 00
133, 472, 893. 00
a Company's estimate assumed.
b Price includes cost of trestle.
• No estimate.
d Included in contingencies.
!
!
}
1
i
APPENDIX A.
MINUTES OF THE NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD.
Washington, D. C., Tuesday, April 23, 1895.-The members of the Board met at the
State Department for informal conference.
Wednesday, April 24.-In the forenoon reported in person to the Hon. W. Q.
Gresbain, Secretary of State.
At 4 p. m. called upon Comptroller Bowler at the Treasury Department in refer-
ence to the general subject of expenditure and accounts.
Thursday, April 25.-In the forenoon received commissions and letter of instruc-
tions from the Secretary of State, and took oath of office.
At 2.30 p. m. reported in person to the President.
Friday, April 26.-In the forenoon called upon the Hon. Hilary A. Herbert, Secre-
tary of the Navy, who tendered the use of the U. S. S. Montgomery as a means of
transportation to and from Central America.
Engaged Mr. F. P. Davis, C. E., to accompany the Board to Nicaragua as chief of
party.
At 4 p. m. Messrs. Ludlow and Noble left Washington for New York; Mr. Endi-
cott to follow on Monday.
New York, Saturday, April 27, 1895.—By the courtesy of Lieutenant-Colonel Gilles-
pie, Corps of Engineers, were permitted use of an office room on the seventh floor of
the Army Building.
At the offices of the canal company, No. 54 Broad street, examining plans, etc.,
with the aid of Mr. Menocal, chief engineer of the company, and Mr. Bennett, his
assistant.
Monday, April 29.-Mr. Endicott arrived from Washington, and Mr. Davis reported
for duty.
The Board organized, and upon nomination of Mr. Endicott, Brevet Lieutenant-
Colonel Ludlow was elected chairman. Mr. Davis appointed secretary pro tempore.
Official account opened with the assistant treasurer at New York in the name of
the chairman, who had been designated by the Secretary of State to act as disburs-
ing officer for the Board.
Tuesday, April 30.-Board at canal company's offices with Mr. Menocal examining
plans and records. Met Mr. Atkins, secretary of the company.
Wednesday, May 1.-Stenographer engaged temporarily. Mr. Chester Donaldson
engaged as clerk to accompany freight and supplies by steamer to Greytown.
Passed Assistant Surgeon Stitt, U. S. N., under orders from the Navy Department to
accompany and attend the Board and party to and from Central America, reported
by letter and telegram, and was instructed to report in person at Mobile on May 7.
Board at canal company's offices examining plans, etc. Mr. Davis making pur-
chases of outfit, stores, etc.
Thursday, May 2.—Bought $4,000 letter of credit from Brown Bros. & Co., of New
York, for use in Nicaragua. Ordering supplies and engaging party.
Friday, May 3.-Mr. Reading Stoddart engaged as secretary to the Board.
Saturday, May 4.-Shipped supplies, instruments, provisions, and general outfit on
board the steamer Wylo, which sailed for Greytown, Nicaragua, at 5 p. m., with Mr.
Donaldson in charge of the Board's freight, and Mr. Bennett in charge of the canal
company's maps and plans intended for use in the field.
Sunday, May 5.—Having completed its preparations, the Board left New York for
Mobile, where the Montgomery was waiting with orders for Greytown.
Tuesday, May 7.-The Board and party reached Mobile at 5 a. m. Personnel as
follows: Messrs. Ludlow, Endicott, and Noble, of the Board; P. A. Surg. Edward
R. Stitt, U. S. N.; Reading Stoddart, secretary; F. P. Davis, chief of party; B. A.
105
106
NICARAGUA CANAL.
Wood, assistant engineer; H. R. Stanford, transitman; L. L. Parke, levelman; Charles
Williams, porter.
The Board was also accompanied by Mr. A. G. Menocal, chief engineer of the canal
company, and his son, Mr. Edward Menocal.
The Montgomery lay at the wharf, and the Board advised Commander Davis of its
arrival and readiness to come on board at any time. A steam launch, which was
en route from Norfolk, arrived at 10 a. m., and the Board was informed that the ship
would sail at 4 p. m.
At 3 p. m. Commander Davis called on the Board at the hotel, and at 4.30 p. m. the
Montgomery left for Greytown.
Monday, May 13.-After fine weather throughout the voyage, the Montgomery
anchored in 7 fathoms off the Greytown entrance at 12.30 p. m., and at 3 p. m. the
Board and party were landed with their luggage, under guidance of a local cock-
swain, over a tolerably smooth bar, with 4 to 4 feet of water, in two of the ship's
cutters and the whaleboat.
The Board was received with a salute of 11 guns, and met at the steamboat land-
ing by General Rivas, the governor of the Free Zone; the United States consul,
Thomas O'Hara; the British consul, Mr. H. F. Bingham; Messrs. Sonnenstern and
Weist, commissioned by the minister of public works to meet the Board, and by
Messrs. Weiser and Von Braida, of the canal company.
The Board had offices and quarters at the house of Messrs. Hoadley, Ingalls & Co.,
represented by Mr. E. Z. Penfield; the remainder of the party in other lodgings, and
board was engaged at the Victoria Hotel.
Tuesday, May 14.-At 10 a. m. the Board, accompanied by Mr. O'Hara, made a
formal call on the governor; were received with great courtesy, and on leaving were
given a salute of 6 guns.
Throughout Central America the hours of meals are almost invariably, coffee at 6
a. m., breakfast at 11, and dinner at 5 p. m., and work of all kinds arranges itself
with reference to these hours.
At noon the Board, with Mr. Menocal, visited the "breakwater," and made inspec-
tion of that and other features of the entrance and harbor, including the short piece
of canal.
Wednesday, May 15.-Started the party on a transit and stadia survey of the shore.
line eastward of the entrance. The Board examined the company's buildings north
of the canal and the shore line in frout of them.
At 2 p. m. the Wylo, with freight from New York, arrived; but in the absence of
the tug Coburg, which, with a lighter, constitutes the means of landing freights at
Greytown, the Wylo was unable to discharge, and therefore sailed again for Blue-
fields, to return later.
At 6.30 Governor Rivas, with the secretary and interpreter, Mr. Barton, called
on the Board at its quarters, and at 7 Mr. Weist called to present the following
credentials:
[Translation.]
NATIONAL PALACE,
Managua, April 20, 1895.
Engineers Don MAXIMILIANO SONNENSTERN and Mr. JULIUS WEIST, Present:
On the 25th of the present month you will proceed to San Juan del Norte (Grey-
town) as commissioners of this Government, in order to receive, accompany, and
give any information they should like to the engineers of the United States Govern-
ment sent to this country to study the route of the interoceanic canal and inform
their Government of everything concerning it.
The present note is sufficient credential to you for the commission of engineers and
all the authorities of the Republic to carry out your commission.
ALONZO,
I am, sincerely,
Minister of War and Public Works.
The Board was glad to avail itself of the minister's attention, and were indebted
later to Mr. Weist for much assistance and information.
Thursday, May 16.-At 7.40 a. m. the Board, accompanied by Messrs. Menocal and
Von Braida, made an inspection of the railroad line westward from the machine
shops, for 11 miles, to beyond Camp No 7, between the sites of Locks Nos. 1 and 2.
The party were conveyed on a pump car and a flat car, propelled by poles, and
made the outward journey in three hours, returning under a pouring rain at 2.30
p. m.
At 7 p. m. the Board called on Don Maximiliano Sonnenstern, who was confined to
his room by an accident.
Friday, May 17.-Board inspected the west shore line to the Indio River.
Saturday, May 18.-Examined the Harbor Head Lagoon at outer beach. Party
surveying the west beach.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
107
At 1 p. m. the Wylo returned, and the chairman of the Board went off to her in the
Coburg, and thence to the Montgomery to inform Captain Davis that the shore lines
east and west had been surveyed in readiness for the hydrographic survey which the
Navy Department had directed for the use of the Board. Lieutenant Lyman, the
navigating officer, was instructed by Captain Davis to take charge of the survey.
At 2 p. m. Messrs. Endicott, Noble, and Menocal inspected the company's dredges
lying in the lagoon near the entrance.
In the evening, arranged a provisional itinerary for the inspection of the eastern
division of the canal between Greytown and the San Juan River, at Ochoa, to cover
a period of about three weeks.
Sunday, May 19.—Lieutenant Lyman came ashore to arrange in reference to survey,
etc. Party engaged in platting the coast line from the transit and stadia line. Called
on Mr. Pellas, proprietor of the River Transportation Company. A boat, the Irma,
expected down to-day, and arrived at noon, but would sail again early Monday
morning.
Monday, May 20.-The party finishing the platting of the coast line: The Irma
sailed at 6.30 a. m., but a larger boat, the Hollenbeck, arrived at 2 p. m., and arrange-
ments were completed with Mr. Pellas for the transportation of the Board and party
to the west shore of the lake.
Tuesday, May 21.—The Hollenbeck left at 7.45 a. m. with the Board and party, accom-
panied by the Messrs. Menocal, Bennett, and Wieser, of the canal company, and Mr.
Weist, of the Nicaragua department of public works.
The river steamers are of the Pittsburg type, and built there-sternwheel, high
pressure, light draft and open decks, the lower for freight and steerage passengers,
the upper for cabin passengers.
The junction with the Colorado River, 18 miles from Greytown, was reached at
12.30; the mouth of the Sarapiqui at 3.45.
At 6 p. m. stopped at Maineri's ranch on the right (Costa Rican) bank, opposite
the mouth of the San Francisco River, and met Mr. Perez, of the canal company, who
is engaged in cutting out the lines on the eastern division, and expected to have it
done in about ten days.
At 8.30, tied up for the night to the right bank, below the mouth of the San Car-
los River.
Wednesday, May 22.-Under way at 4.30 a. m., passing the broad mouth of the San
Carlos, and at 7.40 stopped at the foot of the Machuca Rapids, where transfer had
to be made to a lighter for ascent of the rapids, the depth being insufficient for the
steamer.
At El Guis, at the head of the rapids, transferred again to the Adele, and at 2 p. m.
left for Castillo.
At 4, when nearing Castillo, which is a Nicaraguan military station and custom-
house, the Nicaraguan flag was hoisted on the jackstaff and the United States ensign
on the quarter. Arrived at Castillo at 5 p. m., and were met by the commandante,
Colonel Pacheco, and by the intendente, Don Ignacio Vosconcelos, who invited us to
occupy quarters for the night on shore, and were very hospitable.
Thursday, May 23.-The Castillo Rapids can not be ascended by steamer, and
transfer is effected by a tramway.
Left Castillo 6.45 a. m. in the small steamer Norma, with a lighter alongside, for
the Toro Rapids. At 9.15 a. m. reached the lower end of Toro Rapids, and dropped
the lighter to be poled up; and at 9.45 the Norma reached the head of the rapids at
the mouth of the Savalo, where another transfer was made to the larger steamer, the
Managua, en route to Fort San Carlos on the lake shore, where, at 5 p. m., the com-
maudante, Colonel Saenz, came on board to extend official welcome. San Carlos is
also a military post, and commands a fine view of the broad expanse of the lake and
the ranges of Costa Rican Mountains in the distance.
At San Carlos, the Board had to await the arrival of the lake steamer Victoria, and
meanwhile occupied the time, as at every other point where opportunity offered, in
making full observations relative to the physics of the route, leveling to water
marks, and noting other matters of interest.
The Board returned Colonel Saenz's visit, and were entertained at his headquarters.
Friday, May 24.-Examined the Rio Frio in the Managua; leveled to water bench
mark for high and low stages of lake, and in the afternoon took soundings and
observations of bottom in lake offshore channel.
Saturday, May 25.-Current and gauge observations of the San Juan.
Sunday, May 26.-Made a second gauging of the river. The Victoria arrived at
3.15 p. m., and at 11.30 sailed for San Jorge, the landing on the west shore near Rivas.
Monday, May 27.-At 6.30 a. m. passed Madera and Ometepe, and at 9.20 landed the
party at San Jorge, the Board continuing to Granada, which was reached at 3 p. m.
By the courtesy of the Government, a special train took the Board to Managua at
8 p. m.
Tuesday, May 28.—At 9 a. m., had a special audience with the President and the
108
NICARAGUA CANAL.
members of his cabinet, at the palacio, and were tendered the freedom of the State
telegraph and the use of the Government steamer El 93.
At 10.15 a special train returned the Board to Granada, and at 11.30 the Fictoria
sailed again for San Jorge, and arrived at 6.40 p. m. The Board proceeded by tram-
way to Rivas, and were quartered at the capacious house of the Señora Runnels,
with the entire party.
Wednesday, May 29.-The freight and provisions were sent out in five caretas, three
to the hacienda Gamas, near Brito, and two to the intermediate camp that had been
prepared at Paraiso.
After breakfast the Board and party left Rivas on horse and mule back for Brito,
and reached the hacienda at 4.30 p. m.
Thursday, May 30.-Occupied the day in inspecting the Brito harbor and vicinity.
Friday, May 31.-Examined the canal route up the Rio Grande Valley, giving
special attention to the La Flor Dam and adjacent lock sites, and camping at Paraiso.
Saturday, June 1.-Followed canal line to lake shore, examining proposed sites for
dams, etc., for diversion of the upper Rio Grande, and at 4 p. m. left the lake for
Rivas, where we arrived at 7.
Sunday, June 2.-Party taking levels and other measurements on lake shore.
Monday, June 3.-Telegraphed minister of public works asking for use of El 93
for to-morrow.
Tuesday, June 4.—El 93 did not come till 3 p. m., and arranged for trip in lake for
to-morrow. Telegraphed to ascertain as to arrival of Victoria to take Board back to
San Carlos.
Wednesday, June 5.—At 7.30 a. m. took El 93 and examined harbor under lee of
Ometepe Island. Took soundings, etc. Landed at Moyagalpa, an Indian village on
northwestern end of Ometepe, and returned to Rivas at 6.30 p. m.
Thursday, June 6.-Arranged for departure. Victoria arrived at 3.30 p. m. and
sailed at 7.30, anchoring for the night off Moyagalpa.
Friday, June 7.-Left Moyagalpa, and reached San Ubaldo on the east shore of
the lake at 6 a. m. Arrived at San Carlos at 4 p. m.
Saturday, June 8.-Left in the Managua down river at 3.30 a. m. At head of Toro
Rapids transferred to the Norma, and left for Castillo at 10. At 11.45 reached Cas-
tillo. Transferred to the Adele below the rapids, and lay for the day and night.
Sunday, June 9.-Left in the Adele at 6.15 a. m. Reached El Guis, at head of
Machuca Rapids, at 7.45; lightered down, and transferred to Hollenbeck, and sailed
again at 9 a. m.
At 11.15 landed at the camp on left bank at site of the Ochoa Dam. Was met by
Messrs. Perez and Von Braida, of the canal company, and by Professor Pittier, of
Costa Rica, with greetings from the President and letters from United States Minister
Baker.
Messrs. Stoddart, Wood, and Parke, of the Board's party, continued down river to
Greytown to make survey of the lagoon.
At noon the Board inspected the canal line for 1 miles; then crossed to embank-
ment line, and thence back to camp-about 4 miles of very hard travel in four hours.
Monday, June 10.—At 6.30 a. m. crossed the San Juan to right bank, and went out
on line of Ochoa Dam and San Carlos Ridge. At 4.30 made camp 7 miles out.
Tuesday, June 11.-Left camp at 6.40 and went over 3 miles of crest line. Struck
down to the San Carlos, and returned in two canoes to the Ochoa camp at 2 p. m.
Wednesday, June 12.-Left camp at 7 a. m. Said farewell to Professor Pittier, and
followed canal and embankment line to camp on west bank of Danta. Tried to
examine the Florida Lagoon in a small canoe, but heavy grass prevented.
Thursday, June 13.-Inspected canal and embankment line, and reached camp on
left bank of San Francisco at 12.30.
Friday, June 14.-Inspection of line and streams in vicinity of San Francisco camp,
returning to same at night.
Saturday, June 15.-Examined line from San Francisco camp to Camp Carmen, ou
the right bank of the Limpio, the west slope of the east divide.
Sunday, June 16.-Route from Camp Carmen to Camp Alice, on the Lindo, near sum-
mit of divide.
Monday, June 17.-Crossed divide to Camp Miller, passing the summit at 8 a. m.,
and following down the Deseado.
Tuesday, June 18.—Trail to Camp Menocal, where stopped for breakfast only, and
thence to Camp 7.
At 3 p. m. took flat car and went to Greytown, arriving there at 5 p. m. Engaged
the Hollenbeck for trip to-morrow to mouth of Colorado River, and made arrange-
ments for Messrs. Davis and Stanford, of the Board's party, to make a reconnoissance
in the vicinity of the Serapiqui.
The harbor tug Coburg, constituting the only means of landing and shipping
freight, was beached on the 17th outside the entrance and became a total wreck.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
109
Wednesday, June 19.-The Board left at noon in the Hollenbeck; reached the Colo-
rado junction at 5 p. m. and the mouth of the Colorado at 7.15, and lay for the
night.
Thursday, June 20.-Board examined and surveyed mouth of the Colorado, and
returning sketched the river to the junction, reaching Greytown at 4 p. m.
Friday, June 21.-Messrs. Davis and Stanford left in the Hollenbeck for the Serapiqui.
The Montgomery not yet returned from Colon, where she had gone on the 15th for coal.
The "bar" is ugly, and several little schooners are unable to get out.
Saturday, June 22.-Finished survey of lagoon and shore line.
Sunday, June 23.-Sent word to Captain Davis by canoe that the Board and party
would come on board as soon as the transportation of freight and personnel by
canoe could be accomplished. Got part of freight delivered and arranged for final
transfer to-morrow.
Monday, June 24.-By aid of a small steam launch inside and a large canoe over
the bar, which was formidable, got off safely, and sailed at 2 p. m. for Port Limon,
arriving there at 11 p. m.
Tuesday, June 25.—Landed, and after conference with Mr. Walter Ingalls, arranged
to leave in special car for San Jose in the morning.
Wednesday, June 26.-Left at 6.15 and arrived at San Jose at 1.30. Were received
by United States Minister Baker and cabinet officers, and quartered as guests at the
hotel. At 4 a special audience by the President, and at 7 the President and cabinet,
with other guests, did the Board the honor of dining at the hotel.
Thursday, June 27.-Heavy rain during the night and landslides reported on rail-
road line. Carriages to inspect San Jose, its public buildings, schools, museum, and
hospitals. Met Mr. Keith and Colonel Church of the Costa Rica Railroad.
Arrangements made to start down the line in the morning, notwithstanding the
landslides and interruption to travel.
Friday, June 28.-Left at 6 a. m., under guidance of Mr. Williamson, superintend-
eut of the railroad. Train to Juan Vinas, 29 miles from San Jose; thence hand car
and walking. Met Mr. Hodgson, general manager of the railroad, to whose kindness
and efforts the Board is indebted for getting through to Port Limon. Reached
Turrialba at 1.30, and remained over night, sleeping on cots in the station.
Saturday, June 29.-At 6 a. m. started again with hand car and on foot. Reached
Madre de Dios at 5.35 p. m. Left the party to follow, and Board pushed on to San
Jose Creek, where got engine and car, and reached Port Limon at 10 p. m.
Sunday, June 30.-Party arrived at 8.20 a. m., and at 10 on board of Montgomery;
sailed for Colon at noon.
Monday, July 1.-Arrived at Colon at 6.15 a. m. United States Consul Pearcy
came on board, and, at his invitation, the Board accompanied him to his very com-
fortable quarters on shore.
Tuesday, July 2.-By the kindness of Colonel Rives, general superintendent of the
Panama Railroad, the Board had a special train from Colon to Panama. stopping to
examine certain points on the way. At Panama the canal company's engineers had
proffered the use of one of the canal launches for inspection of the sea-level end of
the canal.
Board returned to Colon by the special, having had an excellent opportunity,
under Colonel Rives's personal guidance, to see the canal and railroad works.
Wednesday, July 3.--The Board, with Colonel Rives and Captain Davis, took a
canal tug to the mouth of the Chagres River, and thence upstream and into the
canal section, which was carefully examined.
Thursday, July 4.-The collier Stag arrived and the Montgomery was again able
to coal.
Friday, July 5.-The Montgomery coaling.
Saturday, July 6.-The Montgomery coaling.
Monday, July 8.—The Montgomery completed coaling, and Board and party got
baggage on board in readiness to sail.
The State quaran-
Tuesday, July 9.-Montgomery sailed at 7.45 p. m. for Key West.
Sunday, July 14.-Anchored in Key West Harbor at 1.15 p. m.
tine refused all communication with shore except by the health officer's boat, but
permitted the navy coal barges to come off and fill the Montgomery's bunkers again.
The Board not allowed to go to Tampa and thence northward.
Tuesday, July 16.-Montgomery finished coaling.
Wednesday, July 17.-Montgomery sailed for New York at 4.45 p. m.
Sunday, July 21.-Montgomery anchored off Forty-second street in the North River,
New York, at 2.30 p. m., and the Board and party landed the same afternoon.
The Board's party was disbanded, Messrs. Davis, Stanford, and Stoddart being
retained for the work of preparing the report.
The members took a brief vacation to see their families, the chairman proceeding
to Washington to report the roturn of the Board to the United States.
110
NICARAGUA CANAL.
Tuesday, July 30.-The Board reassembled at the Army Building in New York, and
by the courtesy of Colonel Moore, of the Quartermaster's Department, was tem-
porarily allotted offices on the fourth floor, as well as the drafting room, on the
seventh floor.
Until October 31 the Board was engaged in the laborious work of a thorough
investigation of the canal company's maps and data, and all other available sources
of information, and in the preparation of its report, which was completed on the
night of October 31, and on November 1 submitted through the State Department
and delivered to the President.
Throughout the entire investigation the officers of the canal company have fur-
nished every assistance in their power.
APPENDIX B.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, July 31, 1895.
DEAR SIR: The Nicaragua Canal Board is now in New York, prepared to enter at
once upon the examination of the data requisite for the preparation of its final report
to the President.
The time allotted is but brief, and a very large amount of material must be exam-
ined. The Board would be much indebted if you would give such instructions as
may be necessary to place at our disposition any of the company's data that may be
of record in New York or elsewhere; and I beg to suggest that, in order to facilitate
our labor as much as possible, at the least inconvenience to the company's officers,
you authorize the secretary of the company, Mr Atkins, who evinces every dispo-
sition to accommodate us and to whom we are already indebted for courtesies, to
permit us to make requisition upon him from time to time for such material as we
may need, and to retain it in our possession while the data in question are under
consideration.
As chairman of the Board, I will give memorandum receipts for such maps and
other data as we need from time to time, and the Board will be responsible for their
safe return to the company's offices.
The temporary offices of the Board are in the Army Building, in Whitehall street,
which, as you are probably aware, is a fireproof structure, and whatever material
we have in our possession will be securely kept under lock and key.
Very truly, yours,
HIRAM HITCHCOCK, Esq.,
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
President Maritime Canal Company, 54 Broad Street, New York.
THE MARITIME CANAL COMPANY OF NICARAGUA,
54 and 56 Broad Street, New York, August 1, 1895.
DEAR SIR: I have your favor of July 31, and in reply will say that it gives this
company much pleasure to comply with the request therein contained.
Mr. Atkins, the secretary of the company, will gladly respond to the requisitions
your committee may make upon him from time to time.
Please command me personally if I can at any time be of service to you.
Very truly, yours,
Col. WILLIAM LUDLOW,
Chairman of the Nicaragua Canal Board.
HIRAM HITCHCOCK, President.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, August 2, 1895.
DEAR SIR: I beg, in behalf of the Board, to thank you for your very kind letter
of yesterday, placing at our disposition any information in the possession of the
company.
If at any time you are down town in the vicinity of the Army Building, it would
give the members of the Board much pleasure to meet you personally.
Very truly, yours,
President, 56 Broad Street, New York.
HIRAM HITCHCOCK, Esq.,
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
111
112
NICARAGUA CANAL.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, August 3, 1895.
DEAR SIR: Will you be good enough to send to me for the use of the Board one
copy of profile of location line of lower route from Ochoa to San Juanillo, survey of
1888?
Very truly, yours,
THOMAS B. ATKINS, Esq.,
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
Secretary Maritime Canal Company, 56 Broad Street, New York.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Room R 4, Army Building, New York, August 7, 1895.
DEAR SIR: The Board would be glad to take up at once the question of the con-
struction of the Ochoa Dam, and would be very much obliged to you if you could
come over to-morrow at any time after 10 o'clock, or, if to-morrow would be imprac-
ticable for you, at any time Friday morning between 10 and 1.
The subject is one of such magnitude and importance to the canal project that it
is expedient to consider it as fully as possible, and the Board will be glad to avail
itself of your assistance in considering details of construction and investigating the
circumstances of similar constructions elsewhere.
I have written to the office to ask Mr. Bennett to bring over all the data he has
with reference to the matter.
With much regard, very truly, yours,
Mr. A. G. MENOCAL,
Chief Engineer, etc., Brooklyn Navy-Yard.
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, August 7, 1895.
DEAR MR. BENNETT: The board would be glad to have you bring over to-morrow
all the data appertaining to the Ochoa Dam, including such drawings, borings, esti-
mates, and reports as there may be bearing upon the subject of its location and con-
struction.
Very truly, yours,
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
(Care Maritime Canal Company,)
56 Broad Street, City.
Mr. F. W. BENNETT,
Nicaragua CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, August 7, 1895.
DEAR MR. BENNETT: The Board would be glad if you would let us have all the
data relating to river gaugings, including field notes, computations, and reports.
I fear that we shall be making a good many demands upon your time, and I would
suggest that you might, if you please, be getting the information together, en bloc,
relating to the various subjects. For example, the drawings, notes, plans, reports,
borings, cross sections, etc., with reference to the San Carlos Ridge-a subject sus-
ceptible of being considered by itself. If all the information with regard to those
were collected, examination of it would be much facilitated.
If practicable we would like to have the gauging data as early to-morrow as it
would be convenient for you to deliver it, and in particular we would like to have
the gauging of the San Juan River, to which you and Mr. Menocal referred the
other day.
Very truly, yours,
Mr. F. W. Bennett,
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
56 Broad Street, New York.
(Care Maritime Canal Company,)
NICARAGUA CANAL.
113
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, August 13, 1895.
DEAR SIR: Will you please furnish the Board with the following: Baldwin's sur-
vey of beach from La Fe to Indian River; Ehle's survey of same, showing property
lines?
Very truly, yours,
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
Mr. F. W. BENNETT,
(Care the Maritime Canal Company,)
54-56 Broad Street, New York.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, August 14, 1895.
DEAR SIR: Will you please send to the Board the following: San Carlos Ridge
plan and profile, with cross sections, etc.; plans, profiles, and cross sections from
Ochoa to Locks; Estimates of January 31, 1890, seo Senate Report No. 1142, of
December 22, 1892), as revised to date?
Very truly, yours,
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
Mr. F. W. BENNETT,
(Care Maritime Canal Company,)
54-56 Broad Street, New York.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, August 14, 1895.
DEAR SIR: Could you conveniently furnish the Board with your latest revision of
the estimates for the canal?
The most recent data that we have for dimensions and cost are those given in your
report on final location, corrected to January 1, 1890.
Several modifications and revisions have been made since that date, and we would
be glad to have the results.
Very truly, yours,
Mr. A. G. MENOCAL,
Chief Engineer, etc., Brooklyn Navy-Yard.
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman,
UNITED STATES NAVY-YARD,
New York, August 15, 1895.
DEAR SIR: Replying to your letter of the 14th instant, I beg to say that I will have
a copy of the revised estimates for the canal made and forwarded to you at an early
date.
Very truly, yours,
Col. WILLIAM LUDLOW,
United States Engineer, Chairman Nicaragua Canal Board.
A. G. MENOCAL.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, August 17, 1895.
DEAR SIR: The sundry civil act, approved March 2, 1895, under which the Nicara-
gua Canal Board was organized, contains the following provisions:
"For the purpose of ascertaining the feasibility, permanence, and cost of the con-
struction and completion of the Nicaragua Canal by the route contemplated and pro-
vided for by an act which passed 'the Senate January 28, 1895, entitled 'An act to
amend the act entitled "An act to incorporate the Maritime Canal Company of Nica-
ragua," approved February 20, 1889,'
*
And the said Board, under such arrangements and regulations as shall be made
by the Secretary of State, with the approval of the President of the United States,
shall visit and personally inspect the route of the canal, examine and consider the
plans, profiles, sections, prisms, and specifications for its various parts, and report thereon
to the President."
H. Doc. 279———8
$
114
NICARAGUA CANAL.
The Board has complied with the requirement for a personal inspection of the
route, and is now engaged upon the second stage of the investigation, viz, the
examination and consideration of the plans, specifications, etc., for the several parts
of the canal and its adjuncts, as indicated by underlinings in the quotations above
made from the act, in order to the formation of an adequate judgment as to the
feasibility, permanence, and cost of the constructions as proposed by the company.
In entering upon the consideration of these data, it is found that your "Report on
the final location of the canal," revised to January 31, 1890, is the latest official
paper that states the general plan of the company, with explanations of the engineer-
ing features of the projected constructions and estimates of their cost.
It is known to the Board, from your Columbian Congress paper entitled, "The
Nicaragua Canal," from conversations with you and otherwise, that several material
modifications have been made since the date of your report of 1890, in locations,
methods of construction, and other engineering data, and it is essential, in order
that the Board may conform to the purpose of the act, that it should know spe-
cifically, definitely, and in detail what the company now proposes to do, according
to its latest information and study, and how it proposes to do it.
The Board suggests, as a convenient means of accomplishing this with the least
trouble to you, that you review the report of 1890, page by page, and where the
present plans, purposes, data, and computations of the company vary from those
given, the differences be noted and fully stated in writing, and the results traced to
their conclusions as affecting both engineering methods and details of construction,
and the final estimates of cost.
In the case of important constructions also, such as heavy embankments and dams,
and the locations and dimension of weirs and sluices, etc., data and computations
of the natural forces in question and their effects, are needful to the proper under-
standing of the matter, as well as detail drawings of the work proposed, and the
specifications for the construction of their several parts.
The Board regrets to trouble you, when otherwise engrossed with work in your
charge, but the requirements of the act, the limited time available, and the magni-
tude and public importance of the task imposed upon the Board must serve as its
excuse.
Very truly, yours,
Mr. A. G. MENOCAL,
Chief Engineer, etc., Brooklyn Navy-Fard.
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, August 17, 1895.
DEAR SIR: Will you please furnish the Board with tracing of the western division.
scale 400 feet to an inch, from which the blue print which we have was made?
If convenient, the messenger will bring it.
Very truly, yours,
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
Mr. F. W. Bennett,
(Care Maritime Canal Company,)
56 Broad Street, New York.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOArd,
Army Building, New York, August 19, 1895.
DEAR SIR: Will you be kind enough to furnish the Board with a copy of the
detailed report made by Asst. Engineer H. C. Miller in July, 1893, and any other
reports you may have on the subject of borings?
Very truly, yours,
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
Mr. F. W. Bennett,
(Care the Maritime Canal Company,)
56 Broad Street, New York.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARd,
Army Building, New York, August 19, 1895.
DEAR SIR: The Board desires to use for a few days the original map of the eastern
division which we saw at Greytown for the purpose of reproducing it on a smaller
scale for the use of the Board.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
115
It is understood that this map is very valuable, and it will be practicable to arrange
for its return to you at the close of each day's work, if that is considered necessary.
Very truly, yours,
Mr. F. W. BENNETT,
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
(Care the Maritime Canal Company,)
56 Broad Street, New York.
NAVY-YARD, New York, August 21, 1895.
DEAR SIR: I beg to forward herewith copy of the revised estimates of the Nicara-
gua Canal, as requested.
Your letter of August 17 has been received, aud I will give it my consideration at
the earliest opportunity.
Yours, very truly,
Col. WILLIAM LUDLOW,
Corps of Engineers, Chairman Nicaragua Canal Board.
A. G. MENOCAL.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, August 23, 1895.
DEAR MR. BENNETT: The readings of the river gauge and records of rainfall at
Camp Carazo are probably the most important that were taken by the company, and
will be extremely useful in the consideration of the river physics.
The Board would be glad if you would make special endeavor to procure this rec-
ord and let us have it.
Very truly, yours,
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
Mr. F. W. BENNETT,
(Care Maritime Canal Company,)
54 Broad Street, City.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, August 23, 1895.
DEAR SIR: I beg to acknowledge with thanks the receipt of your note of August
21, forwarding, in compliance with the request of the Board, revised estimates for
the canal.
Very truly, yours,
Mr. A. G. MENOCAL,
Chief Engineer, etc., Brooklyn Navy-Yard.
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, August 23, 1895.
DEAR MR. BENNETT: Much obliged for the profile you sent of the rainfall at Carazo
for the six months ending December, 1888.
Are there not records prior to this, filling out the full year, and possibly back
of that? My understanding was that there was a complete record from December 1,
1887. Please see if you can recover this.
Very truly, yours,
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
Mr. F. W. BENNETT,
(Care Maritime Canal Company,)
54 Broad Street, City.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, August 24, 1895.
DEAR MR. BENNETT: If practicable, the Board would like very much to know
what was the actual cost of the work of construction done by the company, say
under the following heads:
What did the railroad, as built, cost per mile?
116
NICARAGUA CANAL.
What did the dredging done cost per yard?
What did the pier cost per foot?
What did the telegraph line cost per mile?
If you have this information, please furnish it, and at the same time indicate what
items of cost are included in the several totals.
Very truly, yours,
Mr. F. W. BENNETT,
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
54-56 Broad Street, New York.
(Care Maritime Canal Company,)
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, August 24, 1895.
DEAR SIR: It is observed that the revised estimates which you were good enough
to send the other day provide for the La Flor Dam practically as heretofore pro-
posed, but with the addition of a masonry core and the waste weir.
Will you please supplement this information by the alternative estimate for a
canal in the western division without the aid of the La Flor Dam?
I understood you to say when we were in Nicaragua that you had made plans and
estimates for this, in anticipation of the necessity for abandoning the La Flor Dam
project. If so, the Board would be glad to receive this at your early convenience.
Very truly, yours,
Mr. A. G. MENOCAL,
Chief Engineer, etc., Brooklyn Navy-Yard.
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
NAVY-YARD, Brooklyn, N. Y., August 25, 1895.
DEAR SIR: Your favor of yesterday received and contents noted. I leave this
afternoon for Washington on official business, to be gone, I think, one or two days,
and can not give the matter my immediate personal attention, but I have instructed
Mr. Bennett to furnish you the profile and computations for the alternative plan for
a canal in the western division without the aid of the La Flor Dam.
In this connection I beg to say that while the result of the borings lately taken at
La Flor shows that the original plan for a dam at that point must be considerably
changed to meet the conditions, as shown by the borings, the company has not yet
abandoned the idea of the dam, and will resort to a canal wholly in excavation
through the valley of Tola only when more exhaustive investigations of the physical
conditions prove the latter to be the safest and best plan.
The difference in the cost of the two plans under consideration would not in any
case materially alter the total in the estimates.
I had expected to be able to send you before now the information called for in
your communication of August 17, but pressing official duties and inability to do
work in the evening for the last few days compel me to ask your indulgence for a
short time more.
Yours, truly,
Col. WILLIAM LUDLOW,
A. G. MENOCAL.
United States Engineers, Chairman Nicaragua Canal Board, New York.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, August 28, 1895.
DEAR MR. BENNETT: Will you be good enough to let us have the following data:
1. Any tide, current, or wind observations made at Brito, showing maximum
range, direction, etc.
2. (a) The abstract of bids received for dredging, pursuant to specifications;
(b) name of contractor and amount of contract; (c) how much work was done
thereunder.
3. Any data of record with reference to the alternative location of the canal
between Greytown and the divide, as proposed by Mr. Davis.
It is important, if practicable, to procure the additional data with reference to the
San Juan River gauging. Please make every effort to find this.
Very truly, yours,
Mr. F. W. BENNETT,
(Care Maritime Canal Company,)
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
54 Broad Street, City.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
117
THE MARITIME CANAL COMPANY OF NICARAGUA,
54 Broad street, New York, August 29, 1895.
DEAR SIR: In reply to your letter of August 24, asking for prices of work actually
executed by the canal company I give you the figures below:
The 11.5 miles of railroad built cost $372,728.73, or $32,411.19 per mile. This
includes material, freight, labor, subsistence, superintendence, and location, but
does not include rolling stock. The rolling stock cost $62,789.
727,861 cubic yards of dredging was done at a cost $80,029.07, or 11 cents per yard.
This includes labor, subsistence, fuel, oil, waste, etc., material, and every cost inci-
dental to the work.
937 linear feet of pier and approximately 200 feet of jetty were built for $174,507.85.
Allowing $10,000 for cost of jetty, which is not reported separately, the pier cost
$164,507.85, or $175.57 per linear foot.
66 miles of telegraph was built at a cost of $19,719.76, or $298.78 per mile. Labor,
subsistence, material, superintendence, and maintenance of the line for about a
year are included in this amount.
No contracts were let under the dredging specifications that you have.
Respectfully,
Col. WM. LUDLOW,
Chairman Nicaragua Canal Board, New York.
F. W. BENNETT.
NAVY-YARD, Brooklyn, N. Y., September 2, 1895.
DEAR SIR: Your requests by favor of August 17 have my attention.
Owing to the fact that all proposed modifications of the original plans and location
of the canal have always been held, together with the original plans themselves,
subject to such further modifications as increased knowledge of the problem should
canse to appear desirable, we have only calculated the variation of the original
estimate made by such modifications as have yet been proposed, both as to quan-
tities and costs, without making in all cases final detail drawings of them.
In revising the estimates we have in some cases allowed, as is proper, a diminution
of the unit values used in the original estimate, to make them approximate some-
what to the unit values established by recent inventions, discoveries, and appliances
in dredging and in earth and rock work. They are not, however, reduced in any
case to points warranted by the recognized cost to-day of similar work, but are
maintained at a sufficiently high figure to assure the amplitude of the estimate.
In view of the fact stated in the earlier part of this communication, I am not pre-
pared to give you the detail drawings for which you ask, but I am glad to furnish
herewith such notes on the report of January 31, 1890, together with references to
certain data of various kinds and computations pertinent thereto, as with that
report and with the plans and drawings, etc., which have already been furnished
yon, will, I trust, present in an intelligible form "what the company at present
proposes to do, and how it proposes to do it."
If in any respect I should fail to make either of these points clear I shall gladly
respond to your further inquiries.
[Notes showing modifications made in location, methods of construction, and other engineering data,
in Nicaragua Canal since the report of 1890.]
Pages 1 to 5 of report of January, 1890: Extensive additional surveys were made
during the years 1890 and 1891. Also numerous borings in rock and earth on the
axis of the canal and at the sites of the locks, dams, and embankments.
As the result of these investigations important local improvements were intro-
duced in the original location of the canal, and in the locations and dimensions of
the embankments, especially in the valleys of the Deseado and San Francisco.
The railroads from Greytown to Ochoa and from the lake to the Pacific were located
more in detail.
The sites of all the embankments, dams, and locks were the subject of careful
studies, as is attested by the numerous cross sections shown in the detail drawings.
These local changes have greatly improved the project, but the salient features of
the original design remain practically as proposed in the report of 1890.
Page 6: There has been no change in the location of Locks Nos. 1 and 2. The lift
of Lock No. 1 remains as originally proposed, 31 feet; but that of Lock No. 2 has
been increased from 30 to 35 feet. The valley of the Deseado from Lock No. 1 to
Lock No. 2 is partially flooded by the construction of nine low earth embankments
and a concrete dam with two sluices. Diversion channels leading to and from these
sluices will take the flow of the Deseado during the construction of the embank-
ments, and the sluices, together with the weirs, will be ample to discharge the flood
118
NICARAGUA CANAL.
1
waters of the stream. The sluices will have two openings, 20 by 25 feet. Two con-
crete weirs, with an aggregate length of crest of 500 feet, have been placed in two
gaps of the surrounding ridge. (For the discharge of weirs see Water Congress
paper.)
A
Three embankments, one across the Deseado bottom and two in the gaps of the
confining ridge, at Lock No. 2, form the Middle Deseado Basin, 4.4 miles long.
sluice with two openings and diversion channels, as in the case of the lower basin,
will be built at this point. There will be wiers with 400 feet length of crest in the
dividing ridge.
Lock No. 3 has been finally located just below Virginia Creek. At this point the
hills approach so closely the banks of the Deseado that a single dam of about 700
feet crest length will close the valley, forming the Upper Deseado Basin. Lock No.
3, with a lift of 40 feet, is located on the south side of the stream at this point. This
upper basin is at the summit level of the canal; it is not so large as formerly pro-
posed, but it has ample superficial area to prevent undue fluctuations in the level of
the water in the basin and in the canal while the lock is being operated. This upper
dam will be built of concrete and will contain sluices with two openings 20 by
25 feet. A weir 400 feet long will be built in the adjoining hill to the north.
Page 7: The width of the divide-rock cut has been increased from 80 to 100 feet
at the bottom, the slopes remaining as originally proposed for rock and earth.
Instead of rock-fill dams, it is now proposed to build clay embankments having in
every case a top elevation of 8 feet above the surface of the water in the basins.
They will have a top width of 12 feet if not over 8 feet high, 18 feet if not over 15
feet high, and 20 feet for all heights exceeding 15 feet. Water slopes of 3 to 1; dry
slopes 2 to 1. Top and water slopes to be paved with 2 feet of well-laid stones. All
mud and surface soil to be removed, and all embankments resting on the valleys or
swamp level will have three parallel rows of sheet piling between abutments. (See
detail drawings.)
Page 9: See remarks on page 7 for embankments.
Six gaps will have to be closed with embankments, aggregating 3,440 feet in length,
In addition to the above,
measured on the valley floor, and 13,685 feet on the crest.
there will be 51 smaller embankments, with a total length of crest of 16,745 feet.
Three waste weirs, of total length of 600 feet, are proposed to be built in favorable
gaps in the confining ridge. Three sluices, with diversion channels low enough to
drain the basin, are proposed for the flow of the Danta, San Francisco, Nicholson,
and Chanchos during the construction of the embankments, each sluice to have two
openings 20 by 25 feet.
Page 13: Remarks on page 7 apply to heights, sections, and method of construction
of San Carlos embankments. The two large embankments spoken of in the text are
to be replaced by dams of concrete, with sluices having bottom elevation of 62 feet
above sea level, each dam to have two openings of 20 by 25 feet.
Three weirs, with 1,200 feet total length of crest, are provided at an elevation of
103.5 feet above sea level.
The total number of embankments required on the San Carlos ridge is 18, having a
total length of 4,775.
See page 32 of paper on Nicaragua Canal, World's Columbian Water Congress.
All rock cuts on both the eastern and western section to be 100 feet wide at bottom.
Revised estimates to conform to these changes and provide for 10 additional miles
of railroad from Greytown to Lock No. 1, not estimated for in the report of 1890,
have been furnished to the Board as requested.
I will be pleased to forward any further information desired.
Yours, very truly,
Col. WILLIAM LUDLOW, U. S. A.,
Chairman of the Nicaragua Board, New York.
A. G. MENOCAL, Chief Engineer.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, August 29, 1895.
DEAR SIR: The Board would be glad to receive information with regard to the
following points, to which I beg to invite attention:
(1) According to Childs's survey, the surface level of the river at Ochoa was 56.2;
according to Lull's survey, the elevation was 53.75, and, as nearly as we can at
present determine it from the company's data, the elevation at the time of Covode's
gauging was 48.7.
These elevations show considerable disparities; but, with regard to Childs and
Lull, the discharge reported by Childs is about double that reported by Lull at the
time of their respective observations. These two, therefore, may be considered as
fairly comparable.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
119
The Covode's datum, however, is so much lower as to make it needful to get an
explanation, if practicable, of the difference.
Covode's observed flow is nearly the same as Childs's, but his surface level is about
74 feet less and 5 feet less than Lull, who was noting a much lower stage of the river.
(2) The following discrepancies in distances are noted:
Childs gives the distance from the lake to Ochoa at 67.72. In your part of Lull's
report, at pages 76 and 84, this distance is given at 61.52, and on page 77 at 68.31.
The canal company's project gives it as 69, and the table of distances at 65.4. Some
of these notations may be printer's errors.
We would be glad also to have information with reference to certain matters here-
tofore discussed orally, but not, as is observed, carried into the estimates.
(3) Is the diversion of the Upper Deseado during construction considered necessary;
and if so, what plans have been made for it, and what is the cost?
(4) Similar information with regard to the Rio Frio.
(5) Similar information with regard to the Upper Rio Grande.
(6) What arrangements and cost to provide for the flow of the Tola in case a low-
level canal is constructed.
(7) Similar data with regard to the Lower Rio Grande, to prevent, if needful, the
discharge of the valley and the weir overflow at the Tola Dam from entering the
sea-level canal or harbor.
(8) What is the estimated cost of the alternative low-level canal for the western
division and its necessary adjuncts?
With much regard, very truly, yours,
Mr. A. G. MENOCAL,
Chief Engineer, etc., Brooklyn Navy-Yard.
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, September 6, 1895.
DEAR SIR: I beg to invite your attention to the following:
Your report of 1890 gives the amount of rock excavation under water in the river
section at 398,613 cubic yards and the earth excavation under water at 2,150,900 cubic
yards, and these same quantities are carried forward into the revised estimate recently
furnished.
It has been understood that the deepening to be made in the river would have a
base width of 125 feet, with slopes of 1 on 1 in rock and in earth 3 to 1, and that the
depth of the finished channel was to be 28 feet, with the Ochoa Dam crest at 106 feet
and the lake at 110.
A computation of the quantities above referred to made in this office, according to
the company's cross section, shows 1,424,000 cubic yards of rock and 3,464,000 cubic
yards of earth to be excavated.
The Board would be glad if you would have the computation remade according to
the company's data, and advise me of the result, in order, if possible, to reconcile the
very considerable disparities existing between our computation and the estimates.
Very truly, yours,
Mr. A. G. MENOCAL,
Chief Engineer, etc., Brooklyn Navy-Yard.
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
UNITED STATES NAVY YARD,
New York, September 10, 1895.
DEAR SIR: Referring to your letter of the 6th instant, relative to the amounts of
rock and earth excavation in the River San Juan, I beg to say that I have no reason
to question the correctness of the computations made in your office.
The amounts given in the report of 1890, and transmitted to the revised estimates
lately furnished you, were taken from the Government Report of Surveys of 1885,
and any errors that may have been made in the computations have been carried inad-
vertently from the report into the new estimates.
It may be proper to say in this connection that excavations of rock under water
should be estimated for only at Toro and Castillo rapids, where solid ledges are
known to exist, the rock reported by the soundings at other places in the channel
of the river being, in our opinion, loose stones or probably only pebbles and gravel.
With much regard, yours, truly,
Col. WILLIAM Ludlow,
A. G. MENOCAL,
Civil Engineer, United States Navy.
United States Engineers, Chairman Nicaragua Canal Board.
120
NICARAGUA CANAL.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, September 10, 1895.
DEAR SIR: Referring to your letter of September 2, furnishing certain data with
regard to the revised estimates recently prepared, the Board regrets that final detail
and construction drawings can not be furnished, and that no reference is made to
the methods of construction to be employed in the case of the Ochoa and La Flor
dams and the San Francisco embankments, but desires to avail itself of your offer
of further information on the following points, viz:
(1) What are the reasons for adopting 120 feet as the bottom width for the Grey-
town Canal and other sections, and would not a less bottom width of, say, 100 feet,
with turn-outs at suitable intervals, answer the purpose as well as the broader sec-
tion without turn-outs?
(2) Why is 28 feet estimated at the full depth in the Greytown Canal and Harbor,
the remainder of the navigation being apparently designed for a depth of 30 feet?
(3) What are the full depths and widths proposed for the several sections of the
navigation from sea to sea, and from what datum plane of reference are the depths
measured in the several cases?
་
(4) What are the depths and widths as actually provided for in the estimates, and
to what datum plane are the computations made in the several sections? If the
estimates in any case do not provide for securing the full depth, as proposed, what
additions should be made to them for this purpose?
(5) In the outer harbor dredging at Greytown and Brito, is additional deepening
considered necessary to allow for the rise and fall of waves, and what additions to
the estimates are needed to provide for this?
(6) What is the minimum radius allowed for curvature in the navigation; what
bends are to be cut off in the River San Juan, and what are the cross sections, bor-
ings, or other data on which the estimate of 422,500 cubic yards of earth excavation
above water in the river valley is based?
(7) What terminal and landing facilities, if any, are to be provided at the two har-
bors and on the lake prior to the completion of the Brito and Greytown entrances,
for the purpose of delivering and forwarding construction material, machinery, etc.;
also, what wharves, shops, roundhouses, storehouses, etc., is it expected to construct,
and at what estimated cost?
(8) What are the details of railways, sidings, etc., required to handle and distrib-
ute the materials of the two divides?
(9) What are the plant, appliances, organization, and methods to be used in the
construction of the Ochoa and La Flor dams, including the deposit and arrangement
of the materials, and what special means, if any, are proposed to secure the stability
and permanence of these dams?
(10) What are the similar details with regard to the construction of the San Fran-
cisco and other embankments, and what precautions are to be taken to secure the
solidification, impermeability, and maintenance of these structures?
(11) What are the present plans of the company with regard to the proposed change
in position of the Chanchos embankment, it being understood that a new line has
been found more advantageous than the present one?
(12) Has any change been made in the section of earth cuts between the east divido
and Ochoa, scheduled as 80 feet wide in the report of 1890?
(13) Why are the fender wales, etc., omitted in the recent estimates in the rock cuts?
(14) Is it still intended to use the Ochoa Dam as a weir; and if not, what provision
is to be made for the flow of the river?
(15) In the 1895 estimate for the Ochoa Dam it is observed that all the sheet piling,
guides, etc. included in the 1890 estimate, and amounting to some $65,000, are
omitted. Is this omission intentional?
(16) The 1890 estimate includes an item of over $600,000 for trestles to be used in
the construction of the San Francisco embankments, and $55,000 in the Deseado
embankment. The 1895 estimate omits these items without making any change in
the unit price of earth embankment. Should not this price be increased if no
provision is made for depositing the material?
(17) It would be desirable to have full details of the recently proposed San Carlos
sluices, showing construction as well as their relation to the valley contours north
and south of them, with elevations of the river and canal surfaces, etc.
(18) Final detailed drawings of the locks are desired, if procurable, with the view
to the consideration of their dimensions and arrangements.
(19) Also such final detailed drawings as have been made of any portion of the
work.
(20) In case of a low-level canal in the western division, what are the sections in
various portions of it, and what passing places, if any, are to be provided, and with
what width and length and at what distances apart?
(21) What further changes, if any, are proposed in the position of locks, with
NICARAGUA CANAL.
121
.
special reference to the position of Lock No. 6, in view of the deep mud bottom at
that point as shown by the borings.
(22) Referring to your letter of August 25, and particularly to the statement that
the construction of the La Flor Dam would only be abandoned when more exhaust-
Ive investigations of the physical conditions prove that it would be safer to do so,
the Board would be glad to be advised as to what further and additional surveys,
ggings, borings, etc., the company proposes at the site of the La Flor Dam and
elsewhere, and at what points and for what special purposes these are to be made.
(23) What is the area of the lands above the La Flor Dam which would be over-
lowed by its construction, and what is the estimate of the damages to be paid?
(24) It is understood that the purpose of building the Ochoa Dam to elevation
106 is to maintain the level of the lake permanently at not less than 110. Upon
what basis is it computed that the dam will accomplish this?
(25) With the lake maintained at 110 as a minimum elevation, what elevation is
it expected to reach at maximum high water, and how is this computed?
(26) With the lake at 110, what area will be overflowed in the lake and river
valleys, and what additional area during high lake, and what would be the damage
as computed?
(27) What are the proportionate components to be used in the concrete for which
estimates have been made?
(28) Frequent reference is made in the canal publications to the engineers and
boards of engineers, American and foreign, other than the Bogart Board, who have
made reports on the company's plans and estimates. If such reports have been
made, can they be furnished?
(29) In replying will you be kind enough to refer to the individual paragraphs by
their number?
The information reguested is important, as having a direct bearing upon the con-
struction and estimates of cost of the canal, and the Board would be glad to receive
it at your early convenience.
Very truly, yours,
Mr. A. G. MENOCAL,
Chief Engineer, etc., Brooklyn Navy-Yard.
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
UNITED STATES NAVY-YARD,
New York, September 10, 1895.
DEAR SIR: Referring to your letter of August 29, relative to reported discrep-
ancies in the level of the river San Juan at Ochoa, and also to distance of that
point from the lake, and other information, I beg to say:
(1) That I have not the report of Childs's survey before me but if I had it I could
not attempt to explain discrepancies or errors in the levels given by him.
(2) That the levels given on the plan and in the reports of the Nicaragua Canal
Company have been repeatedly checked between the sea level and the river San
Juan at Ochoa, and are believed to be correct.
(3) Lull's levels were not checked, yet it appears from his profile that the level of
the San Juan at Ochoa, at low water, does not differ materially from that given by
the company,
(4) I have been unable to find on pages 76 and 84, of my part of Lull's report, the
distances from the lake to Ochoa as given in your letter. The canal company's pro-
file was made from the Government survey of the river and should very nearly coin-
cide with that given by Lull. The distance of 64.50 miles given in the table of dis-
tances does not agree with the profile, and is either a printer's error, which by an
oversight has been carried forward, or the result of scaling off the distances along
the sailing line on the old Government plan, much shrunk by age and exposure. The
error might be traced back if desired, but I regard it of no practical importance in
considering the practicability and estimated cost of the canal.
(5) The diversion of the upper Deseado may be found necessary during the prog-
ress of the excavations in the "divide." If so, it can be done at little cost, and
should be paid for by the contractor as part of his work of preparation.
(6) The diversion of the Rio Frio, if found necessary after raising the level to 110
feet (which is regarded as very doubtful), would be an inexpensive work, and in
my opinion should not be undertaken until its necessity has been demonstrated by
experience.
(7) Plan and estimates for the diversion of the upper Rio Grande, should such work
be found necessary, have been forwarded you.
(8) In case a low-level canal is constructed in the valley of Tola, the small stream
of that name can be taken into the canal by a weir and discharged into the Riv
2012 mark? VÁZASSÁKALONGAROU
122
NICARAGUA CANAL.
Grande just below the Tola. The cost of this weir has been included in the esti-
mate for the canal.
(9) I see no reason why the lower Rio Grande should be prevented from discharg-
ing into the upper harbor of Brito.
(10) Estimated cost of the alternative low-level canal for the western division has
been sent to you.
Yours, truly,
Col. WILLIAM LUDLOW,
A. G. MENOCAL,
Civil Engineer, United States Navy.
United States Engineers, Chairman Nicaragua Canal Board.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, September 11, 1895.
DEAR SIR. Referring to the recent estimates for the construction of the La Flor
Dam and Locks 4 and 5, will you please give the Board information as to the fol-
lowing points:
(1) What provision is to be made for the discharge of the valley drainage during
the construction of the dam, including excavation, sheet piling, concrete core
wall, etc.?
(2) What is the composition of the masonry walls at the head of Lock 4, which is
charged at $10 per cubic yard?
(3) The item for machinery for Locks 4 and 5 is reduced from $150,000 in the 1890
estimate to $100,000 in the 1895 estimate, which is the estimate for each of the single
locks. Is the reduction intentional, or does the item need correction?
Very truly, yours,
Mr. A. G. MENOCAL,
Chief Engineer, etc., Brooklyn Navy-Yard.
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
NAVY-YARD, New York, September 16, 1895.
DEAR SIR: Referring to your letter of the 11th instant, I beg to answer the ques-
tions therein contained, as follows:
(1) No definite plans have yet been adopted for the La Flor Dam, the final solution
of the problem being still under consideration, pending more exhaustive investiga-
tions of the physical conditions at the site. No provisions for the discharge of the
valley drainage during construction of the rock-fill dam, originally estimated for,
were regarded necessary, but the deep borings made later show that this system of
construction is not well adapted at that point, and the estimates for that work as it
now stands should be taken as a rough approximation.
(2) The wall at the head of Lock No. 4 is estimated as rubble, built in cement
mortar.
(3) The estimate for machinery for Locks 4 and 5 was intentionally reduced from
$150,000 to $100,000, an amount regarded as ample for this case and excessive for the
single locks. If a correction is made in the estimate, the latter amount should be
reduced, I think, to $80,000 for single locks.
Yours, very truly,
Col. WILLIAM LUDLOW, U. S. A.
Chairman of the Nicaragua Cunal Board, New York.
A. G. MENOCAL.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, September 11, 1895.
DEAR SIR: Have you any plans or other data with reference to the system of
lighting the navigation which will indicate the position and arrangement of the
lights, buoys, etc., included in the estimate?
Very truly, yours,
Chief Engineer, etc., Brooklyn Navy-Yard.
Mr. A. G. MENOCAL,
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
123
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, September 14, 1895.
DEAR MR. BENNETT: Will you be good enough to send the Board the original plan
and profile of the Peary survey, and any other data you have in connection with it,
including estimates, and if there is a report on the line we would like to have that
also.
Very truly, yours,
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
Mr. F. W. BENNETT,
(Care Maritime Canal Company,)
54 Broad Street, City.
THE MARITIME CANAL COMPANY OF NICARAGUA,
54 and 56 Broad Street, New York, September 14, 1895.
DEAR SIR: Your letter of this date is received.
You have already a portion of the data of the "Lower" route, and I will get
together the remainder as soon as I finish the drawing of the San Carlos sluices, etc.
This data is very much scattered, as the company deemed this route less practi-
cable for its purposes than the other, and therefore did not consider it necessary to
embody it in any complete map and profile.
It will be a matter of considerable time to get this data together.
Yours, respectfully,
Col. WM. LUDLOW,
Chairman, Nicaragua Canal Board.
F. W. BENNETT.
NEW YORK, September 14, 1895.
DEAR SIR: Referring to your communication of the 10th instant, I beg to trans-
mit herewith the information called for, as follows:
(1) It is believed that a canal 120 feet wide at the bottom will offer greater facil-
ities to the passage of ships traveling in opposite directions than a less bottom width
with turn-out at intervals, as the latter system would compel ships to come to a
stop at the meeting places. The plan suggested by you would be more economical
and might be adopted at the start, having in view the final enlargement of the
prism, as has been done at Suez, when the traffic requires it.
(2) The harbor of Greytown has been estimated at a depth of 30 feet, using as a
basis for the computations the soundings given and the datum established by Lieu-
tenant Maxwell in his survey of the harbor, which is low water. In this connection
it is proper to explain that in the revision of the estimates made in 1890 the amount
of excavation computed for 30 feet depth over the whole area was included, but
through oversight the text of the original report made in 1888 was not corrected to
conforin to the depth as increased in the estimate. In the Greytown section of the
canal, in the river San Juan, and between Lock No. 6 and Brito Harbor, a depth of
28 feet has been estimated, for the reasons, firstly, that such a depth is regarded as
quite sufficient for the traffic, as has been shown by experience in the modern ship
canals of the world; and, secondly, because the depths therein can be readily
increased to 30 feet later on, if found necessary.
(3) Attached please find a table showing the full depth and widths proposed for
the several sections of the navigation from sea to sea, with expression of the datum
plane of reference, from which the depths in the several sections are measured.
124
NICARAGUA CANAL.
Table showing the dimensions of the several sections of the proposed canal.
Section of canal.
Greytown to Lock No. 1
•
Length.
Width, Width,
top. bottom.
Depth.
Area of
prism.
Miles. Feet.
Feet.
Feet. Sq. feet.
9.297
288
120
28.5
Datum plane of
reference.
Lock No. 1 to Lock No. 2, canal...
Lock No. 2 to Lock No. 3, canal..
1.203
210
120
30
4,950
Mean level of Grey-
town lagoon, which
is 0.271 feet above
mean sea level.
+31 feet above mean
sea level.
.165
210
120
30
4,950
+66 feet above mean
Lock No. 2 to Lock No. 3, basin
4.263
sea level.
Do.
Lock No. 3 to western end of Eastern
Divide Cut, canal.
2.917
100
100
20
3,000
+106 feet above mean
sea level.
Lock No. 3 to western end of Eastern
.649
Do.
Divide Cut, Descado Basin.
Western end of Divide Cut to Ochoa,
1.337
184
80
30
3. 673
Do.
canal.
Western end of Divide Cut to Ochoa,
11. 163
Do.
San Francisco Basin.
River San Juan to Toro Rapids.
37.22
The inclined plane
between 110 feet at
lake and 106 feet
at Ochoa.
River San Juan where dredging is
needed.
29.25
125
28
Lake Nicaragua
150
+110 feet above mean
sea level.
Lake to Western Divide Cut, canal………
1.544
210
120
30
4,950
Do.
Western Divide Cut, canal.
4.924
100
100
30
3,000
Do.
Divide Cut to east end of Tola Basin,
2.519
181
80
30
3,673
Do.
canal.
East end of Tola Basin to Lock No. 4,
basin.
5.455
Do.
Lock No. 5 to Lock No. 6, canal.
1.591
184
80
30
3,673 +25 feet above mean
Lock No. 6 to harbor of Brito, canal
570
120
28
•
sea level.
Mean low water.
(4) The depth and width as actually provided for in the estimates, and the datum
plane to which the computations are inade, are given in the table referred to in
answer 3. As the estimates provide for securing the whole depth proposed no
addition to the estimates are requisite.
(5) Dredging in the outer harbors at Greytown and Brito has been estimated at 30
feet depth below low water, and no additional deepening is regarded as necessary to
provide for the rise and fall of the waves. The entrance channel at Greytown is
proposed to be excavated to the 5-fathom curve and the breakwater has been estimated
to extend also to that depth, or a distance of about 2,100 feet from the coast line at
the time of Maxwell's survey. At Brito the depth at the entrance between pier heads
will be about 40 feet. The additional length of pier to the 6-fathom curve has not
been estimated for.
(6) The minimum radius of curvature in the canal in excavation is 3,820 feet or
1° 30' curve.
In the river San Juan there is one curve or bend above Castillo with
a radius of curvature in the sailing line of 2,250 feet, and others of about 3,000 feet
radius. The amount of 422,500 cubic yards estimated above water in river section is
intended to provide for cutting off the bends at Castillo and Toro. This estimate is
not based on actual cross sections and borings. The quantities are only approximate,
but they are believed to be liberal enough to cover all contingencies, should the
cutting off of the bends be determined necessary. The necessity is regarded as
doubtful.
(7) Temporary terminal and landing facilities at the two harbors and the lake,
prior to the completion of the Brito and Greytown entrances, have not been estimated
for separately; they, together with shops, etc., form part of the work of installa-
tion, and their cost is included in the estimates and should be charged to the various
works as part of their cost. For shops, hospitals, etc., provision is made in the
large amount allowed for contingencies partly to cover these items of expense and
others, which can not be enumerated and described in detail at the present stage of
the project. At Brito ships can lie offshore with safety and comfort, and it is
believed that good lighters and tugs of light draft, material, machinery, etc.,
can be brought into the river section at every high tide with little trouble and
expense. Considerable mahogany and other lumber has been shipped from that
place, and I have the testimony of those engaged in the business that they expe-
rienced but little inconvenience. At Greytown the canal company has had experience
in the past in landing material under difficulties, but, while comparatively expensive
NICARAGUA CANAL.
125
and inconvenient at times, the system of lighters and tugs employed gave satisfactory
results.
(8) No attempt has been made to enter into the details of branch railways, tracks,
idings, etc., required to handle and dump the materials of the two divide cuts. The
estimates provide for railroad from Greytown to Ochoa and from the lake to the Pacific,
by which materials from the excavations needed for the various works can be dis-
tributed along the line, but the temporary sidings and tracks are considered part of
the contractors plant and will have to conform to the methods employed by them
for doing the work.
(9) The plant and appliances for the construction of the Ochoa Dam will consist
in the necessary sidings to receive and dispatch trains, and in cableways, slings,
chain nets and boxes, buckets or platforms, etc., to handle the material. The mate-
rial will consist of large and small rock. The large blocks of stone, weighing from
1 to 10 or more tons to form the main body of the dam, the smaller material to fill
the voids, and the whole to make up a closely compacted mass.
The abutments are to be protected against erosion by sheet piles, penetrating into
the bills, and below the bed of the river to hard material. Well-rammed concrete
will be deposited in trenches between the rows of sheet piles.
To shorten this communication I beg to invite your attention to the following,
pages 28, 29, and 30 of my paper presented to the World's Water Congress at Chi-
cago, in which is explained the method proposed for depositing the material during
construction of dam.
The Ochoa and Tola dams are the keys controlling this great problem at the cast
and west ends of the summit level, and should not be passed without special notice,
particularly so the former, in which a novel method of construction is contemplated.
This work has been for years the subject of long study and careful consideration.
The diversion of the river San Juan is well nigh impossible; and construction by the
usual methods, with either cut stone or concrete, of so important a work in oppo-
sition to the mighty power of the stream, is a problem involving the most serious
difficulties. It was at first proposed to build a stone dam upon a series of arches
supported by tiers starting from the foundation, through which the water could flow
freely during the construction of the main part of the structure, these openings to
he closed by gates in the upper side when the upper part of the dam, its approaches,
nd aprons, were completed; and then to be filled with masonry from the lower side
while the water was rising in the basin.
This was, perhaps, as a practical solution, probably the best under the circum-
stances for that style of dam, but its execution would be tedious, difficult, and
expensive, and there was to be always present an element of doubt not easy to elim-
mate as to the final success. The building of the foundations and pilasters for the
support of the arches in constant contention with the whole river would be a most
difficult undertaking, in which the items of time and cost would remain unknown
quantities to its completion. Another idea has since been suggested, which seems
to embody simplicity, economy, and safety. It consists in dumping from an aerial
suspension conveyor large and small material, properly assorted, across the river
from bank to bank until a barrier is created sufficiently high and strong to arrest
the flow and hold the water at the required level; the body of the dam to be made
up of large blocks of stone, weighing from 1 to 10 tons, and smaller material to fill
the voids. Its base will be quite broad as compared with the height, probably from
400 to 500 feet between the foot of the upstream slope and the end of the apron.
The top is estimated 30 feet wide, the rock upstream slope 1 to 1, and the apron
downstream slope 4 to 1, with the lower portion flattening down to 5 or 6 to 1. On
the upstream side small material, such as stone fragments, gravel, clay, etc., selected
as circumstances may require, will be deposited, as the work advances, in sufficient
quantity to make the dam as tight as wanted. It is not expected or even desirable
to have a water-tight structure, the object sought being simply to oppose such an
obstruction to the river as may be necessary to hold the water at the required level.
The minimum flow of the river is about ten times the water needed for working the
canal; consequently, nine-tenths of it can be wasted with advantage. That the
dan will oventually become tight there can be no doubt, as the small drifts and
detritus forced in by the currents will gradually fill the voids and consolidate the
structure.
"The method of coustruction will be quite simple. After protecting the abut-
ments against possible erosion, large pieces of rock will be dumped in the bed of the
stream from three to four cableways spanning the valley. The material should be
distributed uniformly over the area under the main portion of the dam, commencing
upstream, and keeping up, as nearly as possible, an even level. Scouring will soon
cause settling of the blocks into firmer soil, the upper level in the meantime being
constantly raised by depositing more stone, while the small material is being forced
by the current into the voids, and the overflow dislodging and rearranging the
uustable blocks until they reach a final resting place. This process to be continued
126
NICARAGUA CANAL.
until the resistance at the bottom becomes so great as to check scouring due to
maximum pressure, when the dam will be carried up to the desired level. The river,
in the meantime running over the mound, will readjust the material in and adapt
the apron to the necessary conditions of stability to withstand the effect of the fall
and carry off the water safely. If the dam is then raised so as to shut off a whole or
the largest part of the river flow, which can by that time be discharged over the
waste weirs, the structure will be permanent.
"If the river is not able to prevent the completion of this work, having, on the
contrary, greatly contributed to its construction by a better distribution and con-
solidation of the material, now that the waters are diverted to another outlet, no
fear need be entertained as to injury from that source. There may be some set-
tlement and final readjustment of the component parts for some time after comple-
tion, but that can be easily remedied by depositing more material where needed.
It is believed that this dam will be safer, as it is by far more economical, than a
stone dam. An earthquake may cause serious damage to a masonry dam, but it can
do no harm to this. On the contrary, it may add to its consolidation by bringing
the parts in closer contact. There are no cemented joints to be opened, and a
seismic disturbance would have a tendency to compact rather than to disintegrate
the large mass. The rock for the dam will be brought by rail from the divide and
delivered immediately under the wire cables, each one of which will be capable of
handling and depositing about 1,000 tons in ten hours. Consequently, the work can
be completed in from four to five years and, if it need be, in less time."
The stability and permanence of this dam is inherent in the mass and weight and
in the great friction or resistance opposed to the flow of water through the mass or
under its foundation.
There will necessarily be some modifications in the details of construction during
the progress of the work, but it is believed that the plan suggested will meet the
requirements.
As regards La Flor Dam, no detailed plan for its construction can be finally
decided upon until a more extensive study of the physical conditions at the site have
been made and the type and height of dam to be built decided upon. As I had occa-
sion to explain to the Board while on the ground, this matter is still under considera-
tion, and the estimates for the work are only approximate. If the dam is built, it
will probably consist of an earth embankment with a concrete core, and, with the
exception of some special precautions in the foundations, its plan and method of con-
struction need not differ materially from similar work elsewhere.
(10) The embankments in the San Francisco and other sections of the canal are
proposed to be of solid clay, compacted by rolling in layers of from 6 to 9 inches
thick, or by other approved engineering methods best adapted to meet the require-
ments in each case, the site being previously stripped of roots and loose soil and well
drained.
In the high embankments all the mud will be removed until the stiff clay bottom
is laid bare, the pit being kept dry by pumping, if necessary, and the streams drained
through the adjoining sluices. Two rows of tongued and grooved sheet piles, 8 inches
thick and 40 feet long, will then be driven in the bottom of the trench between and
up the slopes of the abutment hills. The filling will then be started, as described,
until it reaches a height of about 20 feet above the bottom, when another row of
sheet piles will be driven in the center of the embankment, penetrating about 20
feet below the bottom and extending into the abutting hills, the trench to have a
bottom width corresponding to the base of the embankments with the slopes pro-
posed, the triangular sides in the pit to be filled with the same material and by the
same methods employed in building the embankments against the natural slopes of
the ground, or the bulkhead that may be needed in some cases, to keep off the water
and loose soil from the excavations.
The smaller embankments proposed to close gaps in the surrounding ridges will
also be built of clay, the ground being previously cleared of roots and loose soil and
stepped off, so as to prevent slides and to break joints. I will not occupy your time
with a minute description of these low embankments. They need not differ from
similar works properly built for similar purposes elsewhere, and call for no special
methods in engineering.
The water slopes and the top of the embankments will be paved with hand-packed
stone 2 feet thick, and the dry slope will be planted with grass as fast as the material
consolidates. No additional precautions, it is believed, are needed to insure the
impermeability and maintenance of these structures.
(11) The company has reached no final conclusions with regard to the proposed
change in the position of the Chanchos embankments. A new and more favorable
location as to foundation and height of embankment has been found some distance
up the valley, but work by the company was suspended before the final survey of
the site was completed, and no change has yet been made in the plans and estimates.
(12) There has been no change made in the sections for earth cuts between the east
divide and Ochoa. The original estimate of 80 feet wide at bottom is still retained.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
127
(13) Fender wales are not regarded as necessary in the rock cuts 100 feet wide.
(14) I can see no reason why a portion of the surplus water should not be dis-
charged over the Ochoa Dam. This, however, is not a necessary condition of the
problem, as the dam can be raised above flood level and all the surplus water dis-
charged by the sluices and weirs provided in the estimate.
(15) The omission of the sheet piling, guides, etc., in the revised estimates of 1895
was unintentional and a clerical error. The amount of $65,000 should be added to
the estimate on account of it.
(16) The trestles estimated for in 1890 in connection with the San Francisco and
Deseado embankments were intended for dumping rock into the rock fills and not earth
for the embaukments. As all the embankments are now estimated of earth, the
trestles are no longer needed. This involves no change in the unit price of earth
embankment.
(17) Copy of drawings of the San Carlos sluices will be furnished you as soon as
they can be gotten ready.
It is proper to say in this connection, and in reference to your queries (18) and (19)
that the company suspended operations and discharged its force of engineers and
draftsmen just as the final detailed surveys at the site of dams, locks, embankments,
etc., were being completed, the borings at La Flor being the last work done after
operations on the canal had been stopped. For these reasons many detail drawings
of the work, such as you call for, were not completed, and in some instances not
even commenced. To go into the labor and expense of preparing working drawings
for such important works before the field of improvement had been exhausted and
all necessary data accumulated was regarded as a useless expense.
(18) and (19) Attention invited to (17).
(20) In case of a low-level canal in western division the sections will be as follows:
From the lake to Station 449 + 12 the prisms are identical for both the high and low
level routes.
From 44912 to the tidal lock the width at bottom is 120 feet with slopes 1 to 1,
except for 1,975 feet below Lock No. 4a, in which the width is 100 feet. No special
provision is made for turn-outs. The wide section affords ample space.
(21) The changes contemplated in the positions of locks are, first, for Lock No. 6,
near Brito. It is believed that by changing the location up the valley nearer to
La Flor, or by diverting the present location of the canal so as to bring the lock
close to the foothills of the coast range, more favorable foundations can be obtained
than is shown by the last borings taken on the present site. These changes would
not alter materially the estimate of canal excavation. Secondly, changes in Locks 4
and 5 contingent on modifications of the plan for the La Flor Dam.
(22) Additional investigations at the site of the La Flor Dam will consist mainly
in sinking pits and borings for the purpose of obtaining more extensive information
as to the geological formation than acquired by the borings already taken there.
If the dam plan is adhered to, some survey will be needed to locate a diversion
channel, tunnel, and sluice for the flow of the Rio Grandle during construction, and
for better control of the surplus waters afterwards. The diversion of the stream
was not regarded necessary in connection with the originally proposed rock-fill dam,
a construction not well adapted to the physical conditions shown by the last borings.
The last clause of this question is too broad to admit of an answer in detail. I
should say that the company should make additional local surveys, borings, gaug-
ings, etc., at all points where its information concerning what is now proposed is not
thoroughly conclusive.
In a work of this magnitude. involving the construction of numerous works of
various kinds, and under different conditions, in a new country, there is a vast field
for investigation by the engineer, both while planning and during construction,
which can not be regarded as exhausted until his work is finished. It is impossible,
therefore, to state at the present stage of the enterprise what additional surveys,
gaugings, borings, etc., the company proposes along the whole route, nor at what
points nor for what special purposes these are to be made.
(23) The area of the lands above the La Flor Dam which would be overflowed by
its construction is 4,126 acres. The estimated cost of the damages for the area in
excess of the right of way through the basin, already paid for by the company under
a stipulation of the concession, is $50,000.
(24) Owing to the constant changes in flows and section of the river, its slope
when dammed can not be established with mathematical precision. The slope
assumed to determine the elevation of not less than 110 at the lake is mainly based
on observations of the fall of the river from the lake to Toro and from Machuca,
through the Aguas Muertas, to the confluence of the San Carlos, which in both cases
is determined by natural obstacles. From the data thus obtained is mainly estimated
the elevation which the obstruction of the dam at Ochoa will produce at the lake.
(25) With the lake maintained at 110 as a minimum elevation, its fluctuations
128
NICARAGUA CANAL.
above that level can be controlled and kept within desired limits. With oxisting
conditions at Toro, which may be regarded as the weir controlling the lake, the lake
and river have necessarily to rise considerably in order to create sufficient sectional
area to carry off the flow at high water.
These conditions will be greatly modified by the proposed excavations in the lake and
river, which will add about 2,000 square feet to the channel at Toro, or about 80 and
per cent, respectively, at low and high water, thereby increasing in the same propor-
tion the lake discharge without a proportional increase of head. But the main con-
trolling element of lake level is to be found on the west side, where about 60 per
cent of the difference of the lake discharge between low and high water can be dis-
charged through that section of the canal, with a velocity not exceeding 2 miles an
hour in the narrow sections, and by weirs and sluices and through the locks dis-
charged in the lower Rio Grande and through the latter and the canal into the
Pacific. It is believed, therefore, that with exercise of sound judgment in the appli-
cation of these means the lake can be so controlled that its level need not vary more
than a foot or two.
(26) No attempt has been made to ascertain what area will be overflowed in the
lake and river valleys when the lake is at 110 or above that level. No awards for
damages are anticipated.
(27) The proportionate components to be used in the concrete for which estimates
have been made will be controlled by the nature of the components and the condi-
tions of the work and of the locality in which the concrete is to be used. If the
object is to find the basis for the price given in the estimate, I will say that the aver-
age proportionate components will be 1, 2, 5, best Portland cement being used.
(28) The reports made by engineers, American and foreign, other than the Bogart
Board, have been made to the parties who employed them and not to the canal com-
pany. They are not accessible to the company, and although we have been informed
of their favorable character we can not furnish them.
I remain, with much regard, very truly, yours,
Col. WILLIAM LUDLOW,
A. G. MENOCAL, Chief Engineer.
United States Engineers, Chairman Nicaragua Canal Board.
NAVY-YARD, New York, September 16, 1895.
DEAR SIR: Replying to your letter of the 11th instant, relative to the estimate
for lighting the navigation, I beg to say that the preliminary arrangements and
estimates for lights, buoys, etc., were made by Lieut W. I. Chambers, U. S. N.,
and that as his work could only be regarded as an approximation, his plans and
other data with reference to the system were not retained by the company, and if
in existence they are in his possession.
Very truly, yours,
Col. WILLIAM LUDLOW, Esq.,
Chairman of the Nicaragua Canal Board, New York.
A. G. MENOocal.
THE MARITIME CANAL COMPANY OF NICARAGUA,
54 and 56 Broad Street, New York, September 20, 1895.
DEAR SIR: Your request, by favor of 14th instant to Mr. F. W. Bennett, has my
attention.
Mr. Bennett has made careful search through all the company's maps, etc., and
reports that there does not exist any original plan and profile of the lower route,
and from such little knowledge as I possess I am entirely sure that none was ever
made.
All that he finds pertaining to it are the original field charts and profiles in sec-
tions, which Mr. Bennett will hand you herewith. Even these are not continuous,
some sections in swamps being omitted. The datum of levels differs in each, and
they have not been reduced to sea level, as you will at once perceive.
It appears that after the report made by the board of engineers upon the two
routes, of which Mr. Menocal has spoken to you, but which, by the way, I am
unable to find, the company considered the lower route so manifestly inferior that
they adopted the upper, the route now under consideration, and from that time
abandoned further study of the lower route.
Yours, respectfully,
Col. WILLIAM LUDLOW,
THOS. B. ATKINS,
Secretary.
Chairman of the Nicaragua Canal Board.
[
NICARAGUA CANAL.
129
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, September 27, 1895.
Dear Mr. BENNETT: In going over the borings for the eastern divide, the original
notes for many of these are missing. Will you be kind enough to see if the remain-
der can be furnished? I am informed also that all of the borings were copied out of
the notebooks into a special record book. Will you please see if this can be recov-
ered, and let us have it?
Very truly, yours,
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
(Care Maritime Canal Company),
54 Broad Street, City.
Mr. F. W. Bennett,
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, September 27, 1895.
DEAR SIR: In checking the computation for the lake dredging on the basis of 30
feet depth with the company's cross section, it is found that the quantity exceeds
that stated in the estimate of 1890 and 1895 by nearly a million of yards.
The discrepancy may perhaps be accounted for on the supposition that the depth
assumed in the company's estimate was 28 feet instead of 30, conforming to the pro-
posed depth in the San Juan River below.
Please let us know if this be the fact, and at what reference above mean sea level
or below 110 the bed of the lake channel is provided for.
With much regard, very truly, yours,
Mr. A. G. MENOCAL,
Chief Engineer, etc., Brooklyn Navy-Fard.
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
UNITED STATES NAVY-YARD,
New York, September 30, 1895.
DEAR SIR: Replying to your favor of the 27th instant, relative to dredging in the
lake, I beg to say that the company's computations were made for a channel extend-
ing 72,000 feet into the lake to a depth of 22.6 below lake level at 102.6, or for a depth
of 30 feet below 110.
I have not before me the original computation for the dredging required, but I have
directed Mr. Bennett to show you the chart of the lake, showing soundings made by
Lieutenant Maxwell, and the proposed channel laid thereon; and I trust that a veri-
fication of the computations made in your office, based on this data, will show that
the discrepancy, as compared with the company's statement, is not so large as it
appeared from the first computations.
With much regard, very truly,
Col. WILLIAM LUDLOW,
United States Engineers, Chairman Nicaragua Canal Board.
A. G. MENOCAL.
NICARAGUA CANAL COMPANY,
Army Building, New York, October 1, 1895.
DEAR SIR: The Board is recently in receipt of copies of a pamphlet on the Nic-
aragua canal by William L. Merry, purporting to be published by authority of the
Chamber of Commerce of San Francisco and other responsible bodies.
The description of the canal is evidently obtained from the company's records, and
on page 26 the following statement appears:
"The cost of the canal has been very carefully estimated by Engineer Menocal
and by two boards of consulting engineers, one in the United States and one in
England. Menocal makes a cost of $65,084,176, exclusive of bankers' commissions,
discounts on securities, and interest during construction. The English board
exceeded this by $600,000, a remarkable concurrence."
Will you be kind enough to give the Board such information as you may have rel-
ative to the composition or personnel of the English board of engineers, to whose
report reference is made, the nature of its investigations of the canal project, when
it was made, and what were the unit prices upon which the board's estimate of
$600,000 more or less of excess of the company's estimate was based.
Very truly, yours,
Mr. A. G. MENocal,
Chief Engineer, etc., Brooklyn Navy-Yard.
H- Doc. 279—9
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
130
NICARAGUA CANAL.
UNITED STATES NAVY-YARD,
New York, October 2, 1895.
DEAR SIR: Referring to your letter of the 1st instant regarding the statement
contained in a pamphlet on the Nicaragua Canal published by William L. Merry, in
which he states that the estimated cost of the canal as computed by a board of Eng-
lish engineers exceeds the estimates made by me by $600,000, I can only say, in reply
to your inquiries, that in my opinion Mr. Merry refers to the report made by Mr. H.
F. Donaldson, chief engineer of the London and East India Dock Company, to the
syndicate that employed him to visit Nicaragua and examine the route of the canal,
the proposed plans, estimates, etc., and to report bis conclusions thereon.
Mr. Donaldson was at the time engineer in charge of a section of the Manchester
Ship Canal.
He visited Nicaragua with another engineer of the Manchester Canal Company,
Mr. Gooch, associated with him in the investigation in 1891, and inspected the route
of the canal, the plans, the work then in progress, etc., spending about one month in
the country. Then they went to Costa Rica and examined the location of a railroad
in that country in the interest of the same syndicate, after which they came to the
United States, visited the Sault Ste. Marie Canal, and spent considerable time in the
Nicaragua Canal Company's office in New York examining the plans, records, etc.,
of the company.
I am not at liberty to say, regarding his report, beyond his unreserved statement
to me, and I think to others in London, to the effect that he had fully indorsed the
project as proposed in the company's plans, and that his estimate of cost was very
close to the one made by me. Whether the difference was $600,000 or £600,000 I am
not prepared to state. His report is private property of the syndicate that employed
him, and, as far as I know, has not been published.
Very truly, yours,
Col. WILLIAM LUDLOW,
United States Engineers, Chairman Nicaragua Canal Board.
A. G. MENOCAL.
NICARAGUA CANAL COMPANY,
Army Building, New York, October 8, 1895.
DEAR SIR: (1) Referring to paragraph No. 2 on pages 2 and 3 of the final report
of 1890, the Board would be glad to have the observations made for determining the
currents inside and outside the Greytown and Brito harbors, the direction of the
winds and the rise and fall of tides at those points, and the plane of reference to
which the soundings are reduced, which is not noted on the charts.
(2) Referring to paragraph No. 3 on page 3, the Board would be glad to have the
data of all the local surveys made in the river San Juan, in order to arrive at a close
estimate of the amount and cost of excavation, and to determine with some precision
the means of constructing dams, etc. As so far furnished, the only data are the
Lull survey and the few borings made in the river bed at Ochoa.
(3) It is observed that the estimates for lock construction contained in the report
of 1890 are carried forward into the recent estimates for 1895. The locks of 1890
were to be 650 feet long by 70 feet wide, but in the Chicago paper of 1893, it is
observed that this width is increased to 80 feet. In view of the fact that the esti-
mates are not changed, will you be kind enough to furnish the Board with detailed
estimates for each of the locks, showing quantities and composition of the several
materials used and the unit prices employed in the computation of cost?
With much regard, very truly, yours,
Mr. A. G. Menocal,
Chief Engineer, eto., Brooklyn Navy-Yard.
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
NAVY-YARD, New York, October 10, 1895.
DEAR SIR: I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 8th instant, and to
say in reply thereto :
(1) I have directed Mr. Bennett to furnish the Board with all the note books con-
taining the information called for in (1) of your letter. The soundings were reduced
to the plane of low tide.
(2) Mr. Bennett will also deliver to the Board the note books, sections, and plans
of local surveys made by the company in the river San Juan. I would say in this
connection that the computations for excavations contained in the company's esti-
mates were based on the Government surveys of the river.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
131
(3) The company has had under consideration for some time an increase of width
in the locks from 70 to 80 feet, but no final action has been taken in the matter, and
the estimates for 70 feet width, with a length of 650 feet, have been retained. In this
connection I beg to refer to previous communications on this subject, in which the
Board has been informed that the company is not prepared to submit, at this time,
desailed final drawings of locks, and that the composition of the concrete and other
materials to be used in the construction will necessarily be controlled by the condi-
tions and circumstances attending each particular case. Consequently, the detailed
estimate you ask for now can not be furnished. The estimates contained in the
reports were made with that degree of approximation regarded as sufficient in esti-
mating for work at the stage the Nicaragua Canal is now.
With much regard, yours very truly,
Col. WILLIAM LUDLOW,
United States Engineers, Chairman Nicaragua Canal Board.
A. G. MENOCAL.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, October 10, 1895.
DEAR MR. BENNETT: Will you be kind enough to send us any maps you may have
showing the location of Hunt's borings at the Chauchos, Nicholson, and San Fran-
cisco? I find we have no maps locating the stations named.
Very truly, yours,
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
Mr. F. W. BENNETT,
(Care Maritime Canal Company,)
54 Broad Street, City.
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
Army Building, New York, October 14, 1895.
DEAR MR. BENNETT: May I ask you to be good enough to separate the estimate for
the canal in excavation, western division, so as to give us the quantities from Station
152+50, from Lajas to Lock No. 7 A?
Very truly,
Mr. F. W. BENNETT,
WILLIAM LUDLOW, Chairman.
(Care Maritime Canal Company,)
54 Broad Street, City.
132
NICARAGUA CANAL.
APPENDIX C.
RECORD OF RIVER GAUGINGS FOR VELOCITY AND VOLUME.
Area of Velocity Discharge
River.
Locality.
Date.
Authority.
cross sec- per
tion. second.
Remarks.
per second.
Sq. feet.
Feet.
San Juan
Fort San Carlos
June 5, 1850 O. W. Childs
Cubic feet.
11, 930
Do
Immediately above mouth of San Carlos
River.
July 15, 1850
.do
19, 300
Lake Nicaragua at elevation
103.07; low stage.
Medium stage.
Do
Immediately below mouth of San Carlos
...do
..do
35,747
Do.
River.
Do
Immediately above mouth of Serapiqui Aug. 8, 1850
River.
.do
39, 526
Do.
Do
Immediately below mouth of Serapiqui
do
do
52, 792
Do.
River.
Do
Immediately above head of Colorado River.
Aug. 20, 1850
.do
54, 380
Do.
Colorado.
.do
...do
42, 050
Do.
Lower San Juan
.do
.do
12, 324
Do.
San Juan
Above Toro Rapids
Apr. 26, 1873
Lull
12, 096
Elevation of Lake Nicaragua
Sept. 19, 1850, 105.62.
Lake Nicaragua at elevation
102.28; low stage.
Do.
Do
Below mouth of Poco Sol.
Above mouth of Santa Cruz..
Apr. 30, 1873
.do
11,390
Do.
May 1, 1873
..do
11, 630
Do.
Do.
Do.
Below mouth of Santa Cruz.
Above Mico Rapids...
May 2, 1873
.do
12, 453
Do.
May 6, 1873
.do
12, 943
Do.
Do
Do.
Do
Above mouth of San Carlos.
Above mouth of Serapiqui..
Below mouth of Serapiqui.
May 10, 1873
..do
13, 200
Do.
May 16, 1873
.do
14,572
Do.
..do
.do
16, 770
Do.
Colorado,
May 19, 1873
..do
16, 190
Do.
Lower San Juan.
May 20, 1873
...do
607
Do.
San Juan
Do..
Between mouth of San Carlos and Ochoa.
May 21-26,
Canal Co., by J. H. Covode.
11, 310
3.665
41, 451
Medium stage.
1888.
Fort San Carlos
May 27, 1895
Nicaragua Canal Board
7,480
9, 420
Lake at elevation 101 07.
Velocities measured with
floats immersed 5 feet; low
stage. Coefficient, 0.9.
Using surface velocity; low
stage; coefficient, 0.8.
Medium stage.
Do.
Low stage.
764 | High stage.

June 20, 1895
.do
21,500
3.5
60, 200
July 15, 1850
O. W. Childs
Canal Co., by J. F. Le Baron
|
O. W. Childs
16, 447
7, 844
13, 266
Canal Co., by J. F. Le Baron
87.5
do
611
.4
1.25
35

Do.
San Carlos.
Do..
Serapiqui..
Danta
Do...
•
Below mouth of Sarapiqui
Immediately above mouth.
Immediately above mouth.
300 feet above mouth.
do
Nov. 20, 1888
Aug. 8, 1850
Mar. 21, 1888
July 16, 1888
NICARAGUA CANAL.
133
*
San Francisco
Do..
Do...
Do
Below mouth of the Chanchos.
Camp San Francisco
200 feet below Camp San Francisco.
Below mouth of the Chanchos
Embankment crossing
..do...
Just below Camp Carmen
Mar. 23, 1888
.do
290
.6
174 | Using
suriace
velocity;
June 14, 1895 |
Nicaragua Canal Board.
221
1.7
376
low stage.
Using surface velocity.
....do
do
303
1.05
318
Do.
June 15, 1895
.do
515
1.3
669
Do.
June 14, 1895
.do
100
1.7
170
Do.
June 15, 1895
do
209
1.6
334
Do.
...do
1
do
45
1.3
58
Do.
..do
.do
34
1.9
65
Do.
June 16, 1895
.do
9
1.8
16
Do.
...do
.do
10.4
1.6
17
Do.
June 17, 1895
.do
50
3.0
150
Do.
June 18, 1895
..do
277
2.3
637
Do.
..do
.do
484
1.5
727
Do.
Dec. 14, 1892
Canal Co., by Boyd Ehle.
285
Water
surface; elevation
12.28; medium stage.
At Camp Carmen
Just above the junction with the Lindo.
Just above junction with the Limpio.
Near site of Virginia Dam.
►
1,500 feet below Camp Menocal.
Near Camp No. 7...
Near Lock No. 1.
Nicholson
Chanchos.
Limpio
Do.
Do.
Lindo..
Deseado
Do...
Do..
Do.
134
NICARAGUA CANAL.
River.
APPENDIX D.
SUMMARY OF WATER-GAUGE READINGS FOR ELEVATION.
Locality.
From-
To
Zero of
gauge
above
mean
tide.
Highest Lowest
gauge gauge Range.
reading. reading
•
Remarks.
1888.
San Carlos
Do
San Juan
At mouth.
Aug. 25
1888.
Sept. 8
1.2
-0.8
2.0
At St. Helena Island
Sept. 11
Nov. 12
0.8
-3.2
4.0
1889.
1889.
Camp Carazo, San Francisco Island
Mar. 13
Mar. 31
6.75
-7.60
Do.
..do
Apr. 1
Apr. 30
-5. 30
-7.70
Do
.do
May 1
May 31
-3.00
-7.85
Do
.do
June 1
June 30
1.80
5.30
Do
.do
July 1
July 31
+2.10
-5.30
12.85
Do
.do
Aug. 1
Aug. 31
+0.60
-3.50
Do
.do
Sept. 1
Sept. 30
-2.60
-4.50
Do.
do
Oct. 1
Oct. 25
+5.00
-3.70
Do.
.do
Dec. 15
Dec. 31
+3.50
1.80
1890.
1890.
Do
.do
Jan. 1
Jan. 31
+4.60
-1.40
1888.
1888.
Do.
Ochoa.
Jan. 7
0.00
62.07
Do..
...do
Mar. 14
0.00
47.6
14.40
Observed by F. W. B.
Danta
Camp Philomena
Apr. 21
May 26
3.2
-0.4
3.6
Chanchos
Embankment crossing
May 22
Julv 21
42.37
7.9
-1.7
9.6
1889.
1889.
Deseado
Near Lower Falls, station 890.
June 27
Oct. 29
2.5
0.25
2.25
Do....
Near Camp Menocal, station 650
Apr. 26
June 9
16.84
12.7
3. 1
9.6
1889.
1890.
Do.
.do
Nov. 7
Jan. 26
16.5
4.6
11.9
Do.
Near Camp Ammen, station 520.
Oct. 2
Nov. 7
13.0
3.0
10.0
Do.
Do
South Branch, near station 470
South Branch, near station 420.
Apr.
9
Apr. 26
6. 1
2.0
4. 1
Apr. 5
Apr. 9
Do
.do
June 10
June 15
Do..
.do
June 21
July 1
.78
9.6
-0.2
9.8
Do.
.do
July 3
Sept. 12
Do..
do
Sept. 18
Sept. 21
Do.
San Juanilio.
At mouth of Benard Creek.
Near mouth of Benard Creek.
July 21
Oct.
2
..do
..do
7.35
0.65
6.7
7.45
0.9
6.55
NICARAGUA CANAL.
135
APPENDIX E.
RECORD OF RAINFALL OBSERVATIONS.
Camp No.
4,93 miles
Month.
Greytown. by railroad
line from
Atlantic.
1887.
December....
17.59
1888.
January
27.94
February
2.78
•
July.
August.
September..
October..
November
December.
Camp
Menocal,
13 miles by
canal line
from
Atlantic.
Silico
Lake, 9
miles from
Camp
Carazo, on
San Juan
Remarks.
Atlantic.
River, 11
miles below
Ochoa.
Last 12 days-Maxwell.
Entire month-Max-
well.
34.55
First 17 days-Maxwell.
Canal company.
19.41
19.8
22.51
12.9
15.86
11.02
20.08
2.24
Last 19 days.
5. 13
9.24
7.39
18.35
20.64
11. 69
18.11
Eight days missing
from record.
15.47
b 26.59
Greytown last 24 days.
9.48
27.20
1889.
March
April
May
·
June.
July
August.
September
October...
1889.
November
December...
1890.
January
February
March
April
May
June.
July
August..
50.70
a 61.39
24. 29
51.55
c 26.80
6.36
d 29. 24
5.93
9.06
18. 11
22.46
4.93
8.25
41.56
30.04
e 2.26
52.59
33.51
36.61
26.56
September
13.29
13.73
-
October..
24.36
19.01
November
25.55
18.99
December..
41.65
ƒ34.78
1891.
January
19.89
(g)
February
2.66
(g)
March
1.95
(g)
April.
10.40
(g)
May
13.78
(g)
June..
26.95
31.57
July
23.57
20.53
August..
19.49
16.31
September..
14.16
October.
20.21
November
28.18
December.
32.74
a From London Engineer.
b Nine days missing from record.
c Actual record said to be twice this amount.
d First 26 days.
e First 5 days only.
f First 27 days.
g I do not know why there is no record for these months.-F. P. D.
136
NICARAGUA CANAL.
Month.
Record of rainfall observations--Continued.
Camp No.
4, 94 miles
Greytown. by railroad
line from
Atlantic.
Camp
Menocal,
13 miles by
canal line
from
Atlantic.
Silico
Lake, 9
miles from
Camp
Carazo, on
San Juan
Remarks.
Atlantic.
River, 11
miles below!
Ochoa.
1892.
January
February
March
28.57
11.33
4.98
April
18.38
·
May
50.88
June.
11.52
July.
38.96
Angust.
23.63
September
11.33
-
October
27.95
November
36.93
December.
24.65
1893.
January
17.70
February
7.53
March
4.93
April
9.99
May
2.77
June.
19.70
Total rainfall at Greytown during the year-
1890...
1891..
1892..
Mean
In 6 days there was
reported a fall of 30
inches.-F. P. D.
First 21 days.
Inches.
297.74
213.98
289.11
266.94
LARGE MONTHLY RAINFALLS AT GREYTOWN.
Month.
Inches.
November, 1889 (in 24 days)
50.70
December, 1890..
December, 1889
64.39
December, 1891..
January, 1890.
May, 1892.
June, 1890
41.56
July, 1892..
July, 1890...
52.59
November, 1892
August, 1890
·
36. 61
Date.
Month.
Inches.
LARGE DAILY RAINFALLS AT GREYTOWN.
Inches.
41.65
32.74
50.88
38.96
36.93
Date.
Inches.
July 1, 1890..
July 2, 1890..
July 11, 1890..
4.20
May 1, 1892.
5.08
4.31
May 2, 1892.
4.95
4. 18
May 3, 1892...
4.57
July 12, 1890
2.19
May 4, 1892..
1. 62
July 13, 1890
5.02
May 5, 1892.
5.10
July 14, 1890..
4.66
May 6, 1892.
5.80
July 15, 1890 ...
2.57
May 7, 1892.
4.10
September 7, 1890..
4.05
May 8, 1892..
4.20
October 9, 1890……….
4.00
November 5, 1890...
4.10
35.42
December 27, 1890.
7.65
July 23, 1892.
5.30
January 20, 1891.
4.35
Do.
8.70
April 28, 1891...
5.75
October 29, 1892.
5.78
June 5, 1891.
3.83
October 30, 1892.
3.50
June 6, 1891..
1
4.95
October 31, 1892..
8.02
17.30
8.78
November 20, 1892.
1
5.12
June 22, 1891 (9 hours).
July 18, 1891 (9 hours).
December 8, 1891…….
4. 51
December 5, 1892…….
8.95
8.17
-
•
June 3, 1893.
4.00
4.05
June 19, 1893.
5.00
NICARAGUA CANAL.
137
July, 1890
July 5, 1891....
June 27, 1888…….
December 4, 1888.
May 21, 1889...
October 20, 1889.
April, 1890..
Date.
Record of rainfall observations-Continned.
LARGE DAILY RAINFALLS AT CAMP NO. 4.
Inches.
Date.
5.25
7.70
July 6, 1891..
LARGE DAILY RAINFALLS AT CAMP CARAZO.
Date.
Inches.
Date.
4.60
December 19, 1889.
4.00
December 28, 1889..
2.90
January 22, 1890.
3.00
LARGE DAILY RAINFALLS AT SILICO LAKE.
Date.
Inches.
6.70


Inches.
2.90
3.50
3.00

Inches.
7.12
APPENDIX F.
OFFICE OF THE NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD,
New York, August, 1895.
GENTLEMEN: I have the honor to submit the following report of my examinations
of the country on the south or right-hand bank of the San Juan River, in the vicinity
of the Serapiqui River.
As it will be easier to follow, I will present it in the form of a journal.
Friday, June 21, 1895.—Mr. H. R. Stanford and I left Greytown at 6 a. m. on the
steamer Hollenbeck and arrived at Maineri's ranch about 4 p. m.
I had arranged with Captain Maineri to furnish men and canoes for the expedition.
The remainder of the afternoon was spent in getting things in readiness for a start
in the morning.
Saturday, June 22, 1895.—We left Maineri's at 7 a. m., with eight men and our mess-
ing outfit, in two canoes.
We entered the Serapiqui at 10 a. m., and paddled up it one hour, an estimated
distance of 2 miles, in a southwesterly direction to the mouth of the Caño Ceiba,
which enters from the right bank of the stream. The Ceiba at this point is a stream
of about the same volume as the San Francisco at Camp Frisco, it having a discharge
of about 350 cubic feet per second. We paddled up the Ceiba two and a quarter
hours, a distance of about 5 miles, and pitched camp on the right bank.
For about three-quarters of a mile from its mouth the water of the Ceiba was of a
dark wine color, indicating swamps. Above that it was of a clay color, indicating
little swamp drainage. All the tributaries between its mouth and our camp are
small.
The banks of the stream are of clay and from 10 to 12 feet high. The bottom is a
hard clay, running into telpetate. At no point did silico swamp come to the stream.
After landing, we left our men to build a camp, while Mr. Stanford and I started a
picket line approximately east by the needle, and went as far as we could and return
to camp at night. We covered a distance of about half a mile. In this distance we
passed over two small ridges of dry land, 4 to 6 feet in height. The balance of the
distance was covered with water from recent rains to a depth of from half a foot to
11 feet.
The bottom all the way was hard clay.
Sunday, June 23, 1895.-It rained a great deal last night. Mr. Stanford and I, with
five men, left camp at 7 a. m. We traversed our line of yesterday to the end, and
continued on in the same easterly direction, most of the way through suita flats
covered with 6 or 8 inches of water. At 9.30 we struck a stream about two-thirds
the size of the Ceiba flowing north. This stream I knew to be the Caño Maria,
which enters the San Juan River above the head of Paraiso Island.
We estimated the distance from the Caño Ceiba to be 11 to 13 miles. Continuing
our line to the east, we followed up the right bank of the Maria a distance of per-
haps one-third of a inile. We then entered a nasty swamp with water and mud from
2 to 3 feet in depth.
The timber was mostly gavilan. At 11 a. m. we struck a small hill, 20 to 25 feet in
height.
After passing this hill we again entered the swamp, and crossed several small but
well-defined brooks flowing to the north.
The character of these brooks would seem to indicate that hills would be found at
no great distance to the south. At 12.15 we crossed a brook flowing to the north, and
struck a hill about 35 to 40 feet in height extending north and south. We followed
this hill to the north about 1,000 feet, and struck a stream about one-third the size of
the Ceiba. This stream I knew to be the Caño Tigre, which empties into the San
Juan near the Cuellos. As we now had barely time to reach camp at night, we
retraced our steps.
Monday, June 24, 1895.-Rained in torrents all night. I estimate that not less than
6 inches of water fell. The Ceiba rose over 6 feet.
138
મે |
NICARAGUA CANAL.
139
I left camp at 7 a. m. in a canoe to examine the Ceiba higher up. Going up the
stream about one-third of a mile a large brook entered from the west, and in a dis-
tance of about a mile several streams entered from the east, some of them as large
as the Limpio at Cape Carmen.
At a distance of about a mile from camp I left the canoe, and cut a picket to the
east. passing over three small ridges running north and south, where I came to a
swamp with much water. I went back to my canoe, and proceeded up the stream
about 14 miles from this point, and again started a picket in an easterly direction.
I found low ridges running north and south with well-defined valleys and streams
between them. Owing to the heavy rains the night before the streams were all so
high that they could not be forded, and it was with difficulty that they could be
crossed.
The banks of the Ceiba at this point are from 20 to 30 feet above the water.
Mr. Stanford left camp at 7 a. m. to examine the country westward from the camp
between the Ceiba and the Serapiqui. He cut a picket a distance of about 2 miles
over low hills surrounded by swamps and lagoons.
Judging from the velocity of the current in the Ceiba, I estimate the level of the
swamps at our camp to be at least 40 feet above the water in the San Juan at the
mouth of the Serapiqui.
Tuesday, June 25, 1895.-As the country in the vicinity of where we quit work on
the 23d seemed to offer the best prospect of finding hills, I decided to move camp to
the San Juan River or to some point on the Caño Tigre. I left camp at 7.30 with
both canoes and all our outfit.
Mr. Stanford and two men went over the line of the 23d to take it up where we
left it and cut out to the San Juan River in a northerly direction.
After reaching the San Juan at the point where I expected Mr. Stanford would
come, I patrolled the river until dark, but he did not appear. I spent the night at
the house of Senor Juan Hernandez.
Wednesday June 26, 1895.-I engaged a son of Mr. Hernandez and another man to
go up the Caño Maria on approximately the line Mr. Stanford was to follow, to find
him, if possible, and pilot him in.
As the streams were so swollen, I thought it possible Mr. Stanford had not been
able to cross the Tigre, and was following down its right bank. I therefore went to
its mouth, and attempted to ascend it in a canoe. I found the current so strong that
with six paddles we could not make any headway. The Tigre at this point was 100
feet wide, 10 to 12 feet deep, and had a velocity of about 6 miles an hour. I there-
fore left the canoe, and started up the south or right bank of the stream. Much of
the way the water was over the flats, and whenever any side drainages came in they
were from 4 to 8 feet in depth. At a point a little over a mile from the mouth I
struck a hill 30 to 50 feet in height bearing off in a southeast direction. Just above
was Suita Flat, covered with water from 3 to 5 feet in depth. In several places we
had to swim to cross the deeper parts. I continued this reconnoissance as far as I
could and get back to Hernandez's house at night, but did not strike any more hills,
nor did I reach the hill where I quit work on the 23d.
On arriving at Hernandez I found Mr. Stanford, who had been brought in about
half past 9 in the morning by a young man whom I sent to look for him. The dis-
tance which he had to travel proved to be greater than we had estimated, and prog-
ress through the swamp was slow owing to the high water. In many places the
water was too deep to be waded.
Mr. Stanford reports finding hills 50 to 150 feet in height at short intervals all the
way through. These appear to be isolated hills surrounded by silico swamps.
Thursday, June 27, 1895.-Moved to a vacant house about 2 miles below the
Serapiqui.
At a point about 3 miles below the Serapiqui there is a high hill on the north bank
of the San Juan River. This hill is separated from a range of hills which runs off to
the north by a swamp about 400 feet wide. Mr. Stanford and I followed this range
of hills out some distance. Most of the way it is 150 feet or more in height.
In 1888 I examined this country and made a survey of a line down the Rio Negro,
which lies to the north of the San Juan and flows east into the San Juanillo.
At that time I followed the ridges out much farther than we are now able to. The
topography, as shown on the map which will accompany this report, indicates a
stream rising in the swamp near the San Juan River to the west of this hill and run-
ning north into the Negro. This stream was never traced out, but was assumed to
go as shown in dotted lines. I am inclined to think that it flows to the north, and
then doubles and flows west and south into the small lake shown on the map, and
finally into the San Juan River.
Friday, June 28, 1895.-Started a picket line from a point opposite the hill exam-
ined yesterday, on a course south 10° west magnetic. For about one-fourth of a
mile this was over good hard ground, 15 to 20 feet above the river. We then dropped
into a silico swamp, with water from 2 to 4 feet deep. At one time I put down a
140
NICARAGUA CANAL.
palm stem to a depth of 20 feet in the mud. We passed through one-half a mile of
this to a small hill about 20 feet high lying east and west. After crossing this we
entered a sacate swamp, with water too deep to pass. We tried to follow a recent
trail through to the Tigre, but found the water over our heads, and were forced to
turn back.
A more extended examination of the silico swamp might show other ridges of hard
land and a more favorable crossing.
I
Saturday, June 29, 1895.-We went by canoe to the mouth of the Tigre, and found
the water had fallen about a foot. After a hard struggle we succeeded in getting
up to a point which we identified as the spot where we ended our line yesterday.
should judge it to be not over 500 or 600 feet from the bank of the Tigre, and nearly
in a direction to hit the hill on the south bank. We went up to the point of the hill,
where we left our canoe, and followed the hill in a southeasterly direction about a
mile, when it ended in a swamp. We came back to where there appeared to be a
spur putting off to the southwest. We followed this until we came to a place where
the swamp to the westward was only about 200 feet wide, and crossed to another
hill 150 feet in height, which we followed for half a mile or more.
When we ended, we were at swamp level, but I think at an elevation above the
flowage line of a dam to raise the water so as to give slack water to Ochoa.
These hills are very irregular in shape, and it would be necessary to follow out every
spur to say that they were not continuous, but I think the swamps between them are
at an elevation sufficient to render hills unnecessary at this point.
Owing to the excessive rains and the extreme high water, it was impossible to do
any instrumental work, and explorations were rendered well-nigh impossible where
there was any swamp.
Sunday, June 30, 1895.-Made a cross section of the Sau Juan River at a point from
which we started our line on the 28th. The river at this point is 1,550 feet wide, and
had a surface velocity of 3.5 feet per second.
Beginning at the south side, the first third of the distance has a depth of 9 feet, the
middle third 12 feet, and the north third 20 feet. At this time it was passing approxi-
mately 60,000 cubic feet per second.
After making this cross section we returned to Greytown.
I desire to supplement this by saying that in the year 1889 I made an examination of
the country immediately south of the Serapiqui Hills. At that time I started from the
river at a point which would carry me over the high hills on the south side below
the Serapiqui in a southerly direction. After following the hill for nearly a mile I
came down to swamp. I then traced the foot of the hill around to the San Juan on
the east, and to the Serapiqui on the west. I then continued my original line to the
south, across a suita flat, to a hill about 20 or 25 feet in height. This I traced into
the swamp at the east end, and to the Serapiqui at the west. I then went up the
Ceiba some distance, and found the point of a low hill which I ran into swamp in all
directions. From this hill I went across a silico swamp to another hill about 100
feet in height. Following this in a southwest direction, it ended near the Ceiba.
I then went back to the Caño Maria, which enters the San Juan from the south
and below the Serapiqui Hills. I went up this some distance and started a picket
in a westerly direction, which passed over a low hill and down to the swamp. I
followed the swamp to the Caño Ceiba. Returning I followed the swamp all the
way from the Ceiba to the Maria.
At the time of this reconnoissance it was with a view to raising the water of the
river to the level of not less than 80 feet above tide. I did not deem this practicable,
and made a report to this effect.
This reconnoissance, together with my former one, would seem to show that a
careful survey of the country south of the San Juan River ought to be made before
any definite location of the canal is decided upon.
The map which accompanies this will show at least two sites for a dam well worthy
of a more careful study.
In connection with this, I will add that in the early part of 1893 I sent Mr. Boyd
Ehle to make an examination of the south bank of the San Juan in the vicinity of
Tamborgrande.
He started in at a point some 4 miles above Tamborgrande and found a range of
hills about a mile or a mile and a half back from the river. He followed this range
down the river until it finally faded out into isolated hills, with suita flats between.
He finally crossed from these hills to the hill at Tamborgrande. These were sep-
arated by a narrow lagoon. I requested permission from the general manager to
have a compass survey made of these hills, but was not allowed to have it done on
account of lack of funds.
Very respectfully,
The NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD.
FRANK P. DAVIS.
+
NICARAGUA CANAL.
141
APPENDIX G.
TABLE OF UNIT PRICES USED IN FORMER ESTIMATES.
Childs.
Canal company.
Nica-
New
Lull,
1871. a
Menocal.
185.b
ragua,
York,
1890. 1895.
1852.
1852.
GREYTOWN HARBOR.
Stone in breakwater.
$5.00
6.00
$3.00
$5.00
$1.50 $1.50
Dredging and excavation.
c$1.50
.80
.20
1.00
.30
.30
. 25
.20
. 15
CANAL.
Dredging.
Earth excavation
Earth embankment.
Rock excavation..
IS
.25
.20
.20
.15
12.30-1.00
.15-.25
.35
.40
.40
.40
.25
.12
.10
1.50
.70
1.50
1.25
LOCKS AND DAMS.
Rock excavation...
1.50
.70
1.50
2.00
1.25.
d 5.00
1.00
.50
Earth excavation
.45
.20
.25
.35
.16
.35
.40
.40
.40
.25
.12
.40
Gravel excavation
Mud excavation
Earth embankment
Stone, gravel, and clay embankment.
Hydraulic concrete..
Dressed stone…..
Rubble masonry
1.00
2.00
.25
.10
·
w
1.00
.25
.30
.12
.30
.30
1.00
.50
1.00
8.00
4.50
12.00
7.00
4.00
8.00
6.00
6.00
6.00
12.00
15.00
6.75
18.00
16.50
6.00
Dry stone wall..
Puddle
Rock fill..
7.00
4.00
9.00
4.00
.20
.10
.75
.75
.40
Rock excavation.
Earth excavation.
DIVIDE.
Fender wales.
·
.per foot.
SAN FRANCISCO BASIN.
Rock excavation.
Earth excavation.
Earth embankment
Rock fill...
Surface-soil excavation
Mud excavation..
Concrete...
Rock fill
Earth, etc., fill..
OCHOA DAM.
Stone and gravel fill
Earth, etc., excavation...
1.50
1.50
1.25
.40
.40
.40
4.00
1.50
1.50
€ 5.00
1.50
.40
.40
.40
ƒ.50
.30
.30
.40
.30
.50
.40
1.00
6.00
(g)
.50
.50
50
.25
.25
2.00
50
2.00
.40
1.00
.30
8.00 110.00
9.00
λ 10.00
Concrete..
a The 1874 prices assume cost not greater than in the United States. (See p. 81 of Lull's report.)
The 1885 prices assume greater cost than in the United States. (See p. 39 of report.)
In 1874 stone for breakwater was to come from Monkey Point; in 1885, from Divide.
Tunnel. No dams in east division in 1885.
e Tunnel.
f Clay embankment in 1885 to be rammed in 9-inch layers.
The Ochoa Dam in 1885 to be of concrete, with earth. stone, gravel, etc., backing.
h Concrete in 1890–1835 for abutments.
NOTE.-Columns 2 and 3 represent Childs's prices in Nicaragua and Now York, respectively. (Seo
his reports.)
142
NICARAGUA CANAL.
Table of unit prices used in former estimates-Continued.
SAN CARLOS.
Earth excavation
Earth embankment
Concrete.
•
Childs.
Canal company.

Nica-
New
Lull,
1874.a
Menocal,
1885. b
ragua,
1852.
York,
1890.
1895.
1852.
c $0.35
$0.50
.70
$0.50
.40
6.00
SAN JUAN RIVER.
Rock under water
$5.00
$2.00
2.50
Earth under water..
1.00
5.00
$5.00
5.00
3.00
.60
.20
Gravel, sand, etc., under water
.40
1.00
Earth excavation above water
.50
.40
.30
.25
.40
.40
.40
LAKE.
Rock under water.
Gravel dredging
Mud, etc., dredging
5.00
(d)
5.00
3.00
1.00
.35
2.00
.50
.20
.20
.40
.20
.20
Stone filling in cribs
2.00
1.00
LAKE TO BRITO.
1.00
.70
Rock excavation.
1.50
1.50
.75
1.50
1.25
1.25
1.00
2.50
1.25
Earth excavation
. 25-.60
.13-.25
.35
.40
.40
.35
Earth embankment
.10
DIVERSION OF LAJAS, ETC.
Rock excavation….
Earth excavation.
LA FLOR DAM.
Surface-soil excavation
Earth and gravel fill….
Rock fill
Concrete.
LOCKS.
1.50
.95
1.50
1.50
1.25
1.25
.25
.30
.12
.40
.40
.40
.40
.40
.40
.20
.20
.20
.50
6.00
Rock excavation.
Earth embankment.
Earth excavation
1.50
1.00
2.00
1.25
1.25
e 1.25
.30
.12
.35
.15
.40
40
40
.40
Concrete.
8.00
4.00
ου
7.00
6.00
8.00
6.00
6.00
Rubble masonry
7.50
4.00
ƒ 10.00
ƒ 10.00
BRITO HARBOR.
Dredging
1.50
.40
.35
.20
Earth excavation
.20
.20
-
1.00
.30
.35
.20
.20
.20
Stone in breakwater
3.00
Minimum depth of navigation
fect..
17
1.25
17
4.00
1.50
1.50
1.60
26
26
28
28
a The 1874 prices assume cost not greater than in the United States.
b The 1885 prices assume greater cost than in the United States. (See p. 39 of report.)
(See p. 81 of Lull's report.)
c For diversion.
d No rock in 1885. All dredging is at 40 cents.
e Lock 6.
ƒ Above Lock 4.
APPENDIX H.
NOTES ON VOLCANOES AND EARTHQUAKES IN
COSTA RICA.
(For the United States Nicaragua Canal Board.)
I.-ACTIVE VOLCANOES OF COSTA RICA.
Although the whole of the main mountain range which runs from the shores of the
Lake of Nicaragua to the southern boundary of Costa Rica is probably of igneous
origin, it may be asserted that the volcanic phenomena are in their latest period of
activity, as seems to be generally the case all throughout Central America. Instead
of the twenty volcanoes given for Costa Rica by Montessus de Ballore in his work,
"Tremblements de terre et éruptions volcaniques au Centrale-Amérique" (Dijon,
Eugène Tobard, 1888), there are in reality only four peaks or small mountain groups
still showing signs of activity, viz, Miravalles, Poas, Irazú, and Turialba. There is
not a single active crater south of a line going along the railway and main road from
Limon to Puntarenas. I do not know of any record of an eruption of the Miravalles
since the times prior to the Conquista. The Poas is a geyser subject to great varia-
tions in the intensity of its manifestations. The last eruption of Irazú, which took
place in 1888-89, was altogether insignificant.
Turialba is probably the most recent and most lively of our fire mountains. From
May, 1864, to the end of February, 1866, it kept throwing at intervals an enormous
amount of cinders or volcanic sand, which was carried as far as the Pacific Coast by
the trade wind. When I visited Turialba, in 1879, I only found a large chimney
opened in the wall of an old crater, and through which escaped continuously a hiss-
ing column of sulphurous steam. But all through the surrounding region there
were scattered evidences of far more active phenomena.
Since the foundation of our meteorological observatory, good series of seismic
observations have been taken at San Jose, and it is well to note here that, according
to them, most of the shocks seem to be propagated in an undulatory way, and in such
a direction as to allow it to be supposed that they derive their origin in the volcanoes
of Poas and Irazú. However, in the actual state of our knowledge concerning the
Costa Rican seismology, it would not be prudent to draw any positive conclusion as
to that point.
As to the geological age of our volcanoes, it can be asserted that the more ancient
among them are posterior to the middle of the secondary period and that their greater
activity took place posterior to the Pliocene epoch.
II. LIST OF THE EARTHQUAKES RECORDED IN COSTA RICA.
In relation to its completeness this list may be divided into three groups: First,
great earthquakes from 1723 to 1865, registered by chroniclers on account of the
havoc they caused; second, series of F. Maison and G. Molina, including all sensible
shakes felt in San Jose from 1866 to 1887; and third, series of the Instituto físico-
geográfico-nacional, including all macro and micro seismic shocks registered auto-
matically by means of the Ewing pendulum seismograph from 1888 to this day.
To a superficial observer it would appear that the number of earthquakes has been
increasing at a rapid rate from 1723 up to the present date. But it is evident that
the increase is simply the consequence of more attention having been gradually paid
to the study of seismic phenomena. It is also unnecessary to add that the three
groups are not comparable.
GREAT EARTHQUAKES FROM 1723 TO 1865.
1723-May.-Strong eruption of the volcano Irazú or Turialba, accompanied by
violent and repeated earthquakes. (Diego de la Haya, Informe.)
1726-May.-Violent eruption of the volcano Irazú, with earthquakes all around.
(Off. doc.)
143
144
NICARAGUA CANAL.
1756-July 14.-Between 2 and 3 p. m. Terremoto de San Bueneventura. Several
very severe shocks, lasting about four minutes. (Fco. M. Iglesias.)
1803.-According to G. Molina, a strong earthquake was felt in that year, which
damaged Cartago considerably.
1822-May 7.-Terremoto de San Estanislao. Strong earthquake in San Jose at a
time when İrazú showed signs of unusual activity.
1835-January 20-23.-Severe earthquakes felt all over Central America and simul-
taneous with the eruption of the Coseguina volcano in Nicaragua.
1841-September 2.-At about 6.15 a. m. a violent earthquake was felt which
destroyed completely the old city of Cartago and badly damaged part of Tres Rios
and San Jose. This shock was the strongest of a long period of seismic disturb-
ances, which began about two months before and continued afterwards for several
weeks.
1847-May 18.-Eruption of Irazú, simultaneous with strong earthquakes felt from
Panama to Rivas de Nicaragua. (Off. doc.)
1851-March 18.-At about 7.15 a. m. a disastrous earthquake caused again the ruin
of Cartago, and was felt with less intensity in San Jose, Barba Alajuela, and in the
Guanacaste region. The shocks were undulatory and their direction at Cartago was
from north to south. Several other shocks were felt during the following days." (Off.
doc.)
1853—October 8.-At 12.30 p. m., strong earthquake in San Jose; felt also in Guana-
caste, where it damaged the villages of Las Canas and Bagaces. In San Jose the
wave path was directed from north northwest to south southeast. (Off. doc.)
1854-August 4.-At 10 p. m., very strong earthquake in the central plateau.
Much damage in San Jose and Cartago. According to the chroniclers of the time
the movements were succusatori (trepidatory) and lasted for about two minutes.
1860.-According to G. Molina a severe earthquake was felt at some time during
that year, but that observer, generally very accurate in his notes, does not give any
details.
Yoar.
Series of Francisco Maison and Gullermo Molina, 1866-1887.


Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May. June. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Total.
1866.
1867
-
2
8
1
1
1
5
1
1868..
4
1
3
3
342
3
2
12
16
15
2
1
14
1869
4
2
1
7
4
2
3
2
1
26
1870
1
1
1
1
4
1871
3
1872
5
1
1873
132
322
3
4
2
1
2
1
20
4
1
3
19
1
3
2
3
3
4
20
1874
1875
1876
1877
1878..
3
1
2
143H
4
0
3
1
1
3
1
2
12
1
1
11
1
2
17
1
1
1879.
6
1880
2
1222
2
1
4
2
130 1∞ ∞
5
3
2
2
2
22
1
3
1
13
2
1
7
4
2
4
1
27
8
9
2
1
1
1
34
3
1
1
1
12
•
1881
1
1
4
2
1
9
1882
3
19
2
1
1
2
1
29
1883
1
2
1
1
1
6
1884
1885
3
1
1886
1887
1
1
12
CARA
1
1
1
3
1
4
1
1
1
12
1
2
2
6
2
1
1
1
9
Mean..
1.55
1. 18 1.96 1.18 2.45
1.55
1.09 0.91 1.23 0.86 1.04 0.63 15.64
In this period of twenty-two years the frequency and distribution through the
year of the earthquakes were very variable and the intensity of the motion never
was of an alarming character but once, the 3d of March, 1882. On that day at 7.48
and 12 a. m. several violent shocks were felt in San Jose, Alajuela, Grecia, Heredia,
and Cartago, causing a little damage. The first shock was also observed at Punta-
renas at 8 a. m. exactly; another occurred at this last place at 11.30 a. m. of the same
day, and a third at 4.30 a. m. on the following day, just at the time of high water.
We have no indications as to the directions followed by the seismic waves in the
earthquakes of that period.
I took every pains to find an instance of shocks having been felt at Limon or in the
settlements along the Sarapiqui and San Carlos rivers during that period, but per-
sons of sound judgment and perfect honesty, most of them foreigners, who lived for
years in those places, could not refer to even a single case. Therefore I consider it
NICARAGUA CANAL.
145
a safe conclusion to say that the seismic disturbances were almost invariably limited
to the Cordillera and its immediate vicinity.
Nicaragua does not seem to have experienced particularly severe earthquakes dur-
ing those same years, extending from 1866 to 1887. At least, only a few scattered
indications of no special gravity are found. The Ometepe volcano had eruptions in
May and June, 1883, but I do not find any mention of simultaneous earthquakes in
its neighborhood. In June and July, 1894, strong shocks were reported at Managua.
On the 1st of October of the same year, several others at Rivas and San Juan del
Sar. In October, 1885, a severe earthquake was felt at Leon and Chinendega, which
caused considerable material damage. In May, 1886, there was an eruption of the
Momotombo, with strong shocks at Managua.
The center of seismic activity during that period of time seems to have been in
Salvador, where they experienced disastrous and well-known earthquakes in 1866,
1869, 1870, 1879-80, and 1884-85.
Series of the Instituto físico-geográfico-nacional de Costa Rica, 1888–1895.

Year.
ne.
g. Sept.
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May. June. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Total.
1888
1
1889
13
1890
5
1891
5
1892
5
1893
6
1894
1
1895 a.
13
10
1 LO CO CO LO M N O
5
3
3
5
3
2
6237505
4
4
7
3
12
9
3
8
3
1
12
9
144H A CR
4
1
137521
1
3
4
11
9
1
1
7
9
1
12
LO SÍ LO DI
5
18
36
4
2
43
5
4
46
15
89
1
3
4
37
5
8
40
4
8
7
3
4
77
1
13
42
7
(?)
(?)
a Up to October 20.
Of these earthquakes only those which began about the middle of October, 1888,
and lasted up the 18th of February, 1889, reaching their maximum intensity during
the night between 29th and 30th of December, 1888, were of a dangerous character.
If we class them all according to the generally accepted scale of intensity of Rossi-
Forel, in which the minor shocks correspond to factor I and the strongest to X, we
see that the great majority does not pass over IV, which means "a light shock, sen-
sible for man, and producing slight movements of the doors, windows, small pieces
of furniture, and other minute objects."
As to their origin, that is to to say, to the point of the horizon whence they come
for an observer placed at San Jose, the same series may be classed in the following way:

Year.
Doubtful.
N.
NNE.
NE.
ENE.
E.
ESE.
SE.
SSE.
S.
SSW.
SW.
WSW.
W.
1888.
1889..
1890..
1891...
1892..
1893.
23
24257
1894
1895..
Sum
2 5 6 ON
1
9
3
1024
9
1
LO CO
5 1
3
2
2
2
6
2
1
19 1 9 1
1
13 2 6 31
1
110
27 21 49
3 12
1
ΔΙ ΝΑΙ
NW.
NNW.
Sum.
00 3 LO CO 21
2
36
12
1
43
6
8 4
9 31
1
14
3
26
1
1
1 11
NON-] OTH H
46
5
89
37
2
40
9
42
+2
67
21
21
105 30
400
Most of the shocks inscribed in the column "Doubtful" were microscisms of inde-
terminable elements.
The main conclusion to be drawn from this last table is that all our earthquakes,
without exception, have their origin somewhere north of San Jose. The great fre-
quency of the shocks coming from the northwest and northeast quarters seems to
point to the volcanoes Poas and Irazú, respectively, as the centers wherefrom these
earthquakes are propagated.
We possess but a few data concerning the extension of the area of each earthquake,
but it can be considered as a certain fact that the isoseismic curves never reach to a
great distance from their epicentrum, or, in other words, from the main cordillera
where this may be invariably localized. Of the 400 shocks under consideration,
only one, that of 4.20 a. m. of December 30, 1888, was felt at Limon and Greytown,
and at both places it was almost imperceptible.
H. Doc. 279-10
146
NICARAGUA CANAL.
Another fact proves the limited extension of seismic areas in this region and the
extreme localization of the shocks. In the list I have at hand there are many earth-
quakes noticed at Puntarenas, Esperza, or in Guanacaste which were not felt at
San Jose. Even at Cartago, at about 14 miles from the last-named city, they have
often slight shocks which are not perceived here.
Finally, if I had to draw any conclusions out of the facts I have been able to
gather concerning the seismic phenomena along the line of the projected canal of
Nicaragua, I would do it in the following form:
First. The epicentra of the Central American earthquakes are situated most gen-
erally in or near the active volcanoes of the main cordillera or its prolongations.
The wave paths never reach to a great distance from their origin and the intensity
of the motion is very seldom of an alarming character.
Second. Owing to its great distance from the main cordillera, the eastern division
of the projected canal would be safe from any serious accident as far as ordinary
earthquakes are concerned.
Third. The western division, situated in the proximity of active centers, as
Ometepe and Mombacho, would be less safe, and provision should be made in order
to secure the strength of the walls against occasional slides and to prevent any
distortion prejudicial to the good working of the locks. I do not know whether
there is any canal built for the purpose of navigation in the neighborhood of Charles-
ton, but if it were so, a practical study of the effects of earthquakes on such kind of
works ought to be made by its means previous to the drawing of any definitive
conclusion.
Considered by themselves only, earthquakes can not, in my opinion, be taken as
a serious obstacle to the building of canals or railways in these countries. But it is
not so when they occur in connection with the copious rains which characterize our
climate. In itself, the rain is a dangerous element, which penetrates the soil, loosens
the clay or argillaceons strata, and very often produces considerable landslides.
The soil may be soaked with water without giving way, but a sudden seismic shock
can easily bring on a catastrophe. However, the general topography of the zone
crossed by the western division of the canal, as far as my knowledge of the region
allows me to state, does not seem to admit the possibility of easy movements of the
superficial strata, and, moreover, the rain is much less in the Isthmus between Lake
Nicaragua and the Pacific Ocean than on the eastern slope, as may easily be seen in
the last paper of Professor Harrington on "Central American Rainfall."
San Jose de Costa Rica, October 20, 1895.
H. PITTIER.
APPENDIX I.
REPORT ON FINAL LOCATION OF THE CANAL.
By A. G. MENOCAL, Chief Engineer.
NEW YORK, January 31, 1889.
To the President and Board of Directors of the Nicaragua Canal Construction Company.
GENTLEMEN: I have the honor to submit the following report of the results of the
final surveys for the location of the canal through the territory of the Republic of
Nicaragua and in that of Costa Rica by the Nicaragua Canal Construction Company
under contract with, and on account of, the Nicaragua Canal Association.
These surveys were commenced in the early part of the month of December,
1887, and were conducted with marked ability and uniform devotion to duty by
eight well-equipped parties, supplemented by a well-organized and efficient medical
department, and the necessary force of draftsmen, artists, clerks, stenographers, and
other subordinate assistants.
The eight parties comprising the regular field working force were divided as fol-
lows:
Six land surveying parties, each composed of one engineer in charge, four assist-
ants, and from fifteen to twenty laborers.
One hydrographic party, with one engineer in charge, three assistants, and ten men.
One boring party in charge of an engineer, with ten laborers.
In addition to this permanent force, two or three smaller parties, each composed
of one or two engineers and a sufficient number of assistants and laborers, were con-
stantly employed in carrying ont local surveys, and reconnoissances, either in advance
of the locating force or supplementing the location by local detailed surveys at places
where additional information was regarded as necessary for a more perfect knowledge
of the complicated topography.
This large and efficient force was kept constantly employed from the 15th of Decem-
ber until the latter part of June, when the advanced state of the work made neces-
sary a reduction in the number of employees. In fact, at this time the canal had
been located from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and but little information, and this not
essential to the solution of the problem, but desirable only in order to arrive at the
degree of accuracy prescribed by the company, remained to be obtained. Some of
the engineers were then ordered to the company's office, in New York, to be engaged
in plotting and developing in a comprehensive and concise form the results of the
field operations. The field working force was reduced to three surveying parties and
the boring party, which force has been actively at work, and is still engaged in mak-
ing local surveys, cross-sectioning in the vicinity of the canal work, locating the
flowage line in the San Francisco Basin and in the valley of the river San Carlos, and
surveying for a canal between lakes Managua and Nicaragua.
The work accomplished to the present time may be summed up as follows:
First. Location of the canal from the Pacific to Lake Nicaragua, with numerous
cross-sections, and the survey of the flowage line in the proposed basin in the val-
leys of the rivers Grande and Tola. Through these valley's two locations have been
made, one for a canal in excavation throughout, and the other for a canal partly
through a deep basin. Both have been located with the same care and attention to
detail. The estimate submitted with this report is based on the latter plan.
The proposed flooded area contains over 4,000 acres of grazing land, and the rela
tive cost of the two methods of canalization can only be ascertained after this land
has been legally condemned. Borings having been made at numerous points along
the route, including the basin, the curves having been actually located on the ground
and detailed surveys for artificial drains, embankments, and weirs, and of the sites
of the locks, etc., having been elaborated for both plans, there need be no delay in
the progress of the work when a final decision is reached.
147
148
NICARAGUA CANAL.
Second. The hydrographic party has completed the survey of the harbor of Brito,
of the west coast of Lake Nicaragua in the vicinity of the mouth of the river Lajas,
of the east coast of the lake at Fort San Carlos, several local surveys in the river
San Juan, and the survey of Greytown and adjacent coast and lagoons. These sur-
veys have been carried out with remarkable skill and accuracy and very much in
detail. In the lake the soundings have been carried out beyond the 40-foot contour,
and off shore at Brito and Greytown to the 9-fathom line. In the inner harbors and
in the rivers in the vicinity thereof the exact contour of the bottom can be deter-
mined by the numerous soundings taken. Observations for determining the currents,
both inside and outside the harbors, for the direction of the winds and for the rise
and fall of the tide have also been taken. All this comprises a mass of most valuable
data, which has been used to great advantage in designing the necessary work for the
improvement of the harbors and in estimating the amount and cost of the dredging
required therein.
Third. Local surveys have been made in the river San Juan at all places where the
data on hand were deemed insufficient for a close estimate of the amount and cost of
excavation needed, or to determine with reasonable precision the difficulties likely to
be encountered in the construction of dams, embankments, or other works entering
as important factors in the general scheme.
Fourth. The river San Carlos has been surveyed from its confluence with the San
Juan to a point about 3 miles above its tributary, "Tres Amigos," where the contour,
106 feet above sea level, was reached. From that point this 106 feet contour has been
instrumentally located east of the main river and up both banks of all its tributaries
coming from that side, following all the sinuosities in the expansions and contrac-
tions of the valley until Ochoa was reached, at the south abutment of the proposed
dam across the river San Juan, thus establishing beyond a doubt the practicability,
at a comparatively small cost, of impounding the waters of the San Carlos at the
elevation of 106 feet above sea level, as raised by the proposed dam at Ochoa.
Fifth. The survey of that region from the valley of the Machado, above the site
of the dam at Ochoa, to Greytown, has been the subject of much labor and serious
consideration, and has consumed much time, and not less than four-fifths of the
labor of the expedition. The primeval condition of the country, covered as it is
with dense vegetation and high forest growth, through which no extended view can
be obtained from any point, of itself renders an accurate knowledge of its topo-
graphical features, both laborious and difficult to obtain; but, if I add to this the
absolute want of means of communication, except by canoe through capricious water
courses, of which but little information has been acquired by previous explorations,
and an unusually complicated topography, in which extensive swamps and more or
less connected ranges of hills are constantly met with in such an irregular and
unexpected manner as to baffle completely all calculation as to its actual condition
without an instrumental examination of every inch of the ground, some idea may
be gathered of the difficulties with which we have been confronted.
Two routes through the last-mentioned region had been proposed by previous sur-
veys, and it was the object of the association to make a thorough examination of the
entire area, so as to eliminate all doubtful questions, and with a perfect knowledge
of all the conditions involved to select that route presenting the greatest facilities
for the construction of the canal, both in regard to the econoiny and permanency of
the work.
One of the routes extends on a nearly direct line from Ochoa to Greytown, and has
been designated the "Upper Route" by reason of its being located in the upper part
of the valley and its most striking feature of retaining and extending the summit
level to within a short distance of Greytown itself.
The other is known as the "Lower Route," since it descends to the valley level of
the San Juan a short distance below Ochoa, stretches along, and at several points
runs in close proximity to the bank of the river, until it reaches Punta Petaca, above
the San Juanillo, where it turns to the north, and by a straight line reaches Grey-
town at about the same point as the "Upper Route." This route was located by the
United States Surveying Expedition of 1872-73, and the former was the result of my
surveys of 1885, conducted by order of the same Government. The work of reloca-
tion was undertaken for both routes from end to end with the whole force of the
expedition, previous explorations and surveys being ignored except for the informa-
tion to be derived therefrom and for purposes of comparison, the object being to
improve, if possible, on what had already been done. It required the constant labors
of six surveying parties, and the boring party six months, before the location of the
two routes had been elaborated and advanced to the point where a fair comparison
of their relative merits could be made; and, since the selection of the "Upper Route,"
two parties have been engaged for five months in perfecting the location and gather-
ing such a mass of valuable information as to leave no doubt whatever regarding
its superiority, and the amount and character of all the work involved in the
NICARAGUA CANAL.
149
construction of the canal. No problem has been left unsolved, and what is now
presented as the result of these arduous labors is an actual representation of the
ratural conditions.
THE PROPOSED ROUTE.
The proposed route from the Atlantic to the Pacific is in general direction and,
with but slight modifications, identically the same as that proposed by me in 1885.
The changes introduced consist principally in the addition of two new basins and
the extension of free navigation in the San Francisco Basin, by which the length of
canal in excavation has been considerably reduced, with proportionally increased
facilities to navigation, and the problem of draining the country traversed by the
canal satisfactorily solved.
San Juan del Norte (Greytown) on the Atlantic and Brito on the Pacific are the
termini of the canal, the total distance from port to port being 169.448 miles, of
which 26.783 miles will be excavated canal and 142.659 miles free navigation by
Lake Nicaragua, the river San Juan, and through basins in the valleys of the
streams Deseado, San Francisco, and Tola. Lake Nicaragua is necessarily the sum-
mit level of the canal, and its elevation above mean sea level is taken at its mean as
110 feet. It will be connected with the Pacific by two sections of canal in excava-
tion and the Tola Basin, and with the Atlantic by slackwater navigation through
the valley of the river San Juan, and a series of basins in the valleys of the San
Francisco and Deseado, connected by short sections of canal, the sea level on each
side being reached by three locks, which have been located as near as possible to the
extremities of the canal, viz, 34 miles from Brito and 124 miles from Greytown,
thereby giving a clean summit level of 153 miles in extent out of a total dis-
tance of 169 miles, as stated above. For the purposes of this report the whole
route has been divided into four divisions, viz, Eastern, San Francisco, Lake and
River, and Western.
EASTERN DIVISION.
FROM THE INNER HARBOR OF SAN JUAN DEL NORTE (GREYTOWN) TO THE SAN
FRANCISCO BASIN, 18.864 MILES.
The line selected and located starts from the inner harbor of San Juan del Norte
and extends in a southwesterly direction for a distance of 9.297 miles to Lock No. 1,
in the valley of the small stream Deseado, which descends from the high ridge sepa-
rating the valley of the San Juanillo from that of the Caño San Francisco. Where
the stream Deseado interferes with the course of the canal it is to be diverted by
artificial channels. These first 9.297 miles of canal will be at the level of the sea,
forming practically a prolongation of the harbor of Greytown, the width proposed
allowing ample room for the passage of vessels going in both directions. The exca-
vation will be entirely through flat alluvial deposits, as shown by the numerous
borings taken along the whole line.
The first lock from this reach will have a lift of 30 feet and the uniform dimen-
sions of chamber adopted for all the locks, viz, 650 feet long and 70 feet wide. A
suitable bit of high ground for the site of the lock is met with in the lower valley
of the Deseado. From the head gate of Lock No. 1 to Lock No. 2 the canal follows
the valley of the Deseado, which is here partially flooded by the construction of
four low embankments, connecting the site of Lock No. 1 with the sides of the val-
ley. In this manner the canal excavation, which here consists chiefly of a stiff red
clay underlying a thin strata of loam, is much reduced, and the drainage econom-
ically and efficiently controlled by suitable weirs of maximum flood capacity.
Lock No. 2, located 1.258 miles above the head gate of Lock No. 1, has a lift of 31
feet, and will rest on solid ground, a hill on the south side of the valley affording
an excellent site for it.
Lock No. 3, with a lift of 45 feet, is located 124 miles from Greytown and 1.927
miles from the head gate of Lock No. 2. This section of the canal occupies the lower
basin, made in the valley of the Deseado by the erection of a dam 38 feet high and
1,300 feet long across the stream, and two embankments of an aggregate length of
1,400 feet and about 20 feet high on the top of the confining ridges. The only
excavation needed through this basin is in cutting across three low hills of red clay.
At this point the valley of the Deseado is spanned by an embankment 70 feet high
and 1,050 feet long, resting on two high bills, and the gaps on the ridge connecting
this embankment with the sides of the valley are closed with smaller embankments,
aggregating 5,800 feet on the crest, with an average height of 20 feet to the level, 112
feet above sea level. By this means a basin 3.086 miles long is created in the valley
of the stream, in which a depth of from 30 feet to 70 feet is obtained without exca-
150
NICARAGUA CANAL.
vation for a distance of 2.598 miles. It is proposed to retain the water in this basin
at an elevation of 106 feet above sea level; in other words, the summit level of the
canal is carried across the "Divide" and extended to Lock No. 3, or to within 124
miles of the Atlantic, and but 3 miles from the sea level, which, as stated above,
reaches 91 miles up from Greytown. The advantage of these two large reservoirs in
close proximity to the locks used need not be commented upon, and the facilities
afforded as a "turn out" for ships in waiting and traveling in opposite directions.
can not be overestimated. The dam is proposed to be built of stone, or what is
termed "rock fill," with earth backing, and will have a weir 600 feet long on the
crest and a fall of 45 feet for the discharge of the surplus water into the lower
basin. This will be supplemented by another weir 800 feet long located on the south
side of the valley in a gap between the hills inclosing the upper basin, giving a total
length of weir of 1,400 feet.
At the western extremity of this basin begins the "Eastern Divide Cut," connect-
ing the valley of the Descado with that of the Caño San Francisco. This cut is
2.917 miles long, has a maximum cut of 298, and an average depth of 111.2 feet above
the level of the water, the depth in the canal being 30 feet, and contains about 21
per cent of the total excavation estimated for the whole canal.
The magnitude of this work grows less striking as we proceed to examine its
importance as a factor in the solution of the problem; the local advantages for its
execution, its permanency when finished, and the advantageous and economical dis-
position of the material to be excavated.
First. It will be observed that this cut is almost in a direct line between Ochoa
and Greytown, which are the two objective points of the canal; the former being
the point at which it must of necessity leave the San Juan River, and the latter
equally necessary as its terminus on the Atlantic.
Second. It is the lowest point along the whole ridge which intervenes between
those two points, and nearly equidistant from each.
Third. It is also the narrowest pass, by several miles, of any other on the ridge,
the valleys of the Deseado on one side and the San Francisco on the other, here pen-
etrating it farther than elsewhere, thus allowing the greatest possible extension of
their basins with the least excavation.
Besides the above, there are several other important advantages connected with this
particular pass entitled to much consideration.
First. The material to be removed is in the main solid rock, therefore the volume
of excavation is reduced to a minimum, and the cut when made will remain so
forever without further expense.
Second. The material is needed for the construction of the dam at Ochoa, for the
embankments between Ochoa and Greytown, for the construction of the locks, for
the breakwater at Greytown, and for pitching the sides of the canal, and whatever
is left over can be dumped in the immediate vicinity.
Third. The center of distribution is most conveniently located, and were not this
material available, at the sole expense of transportation down grade, it would have
to be obtained at considerable cost from quarries in.the vicinity, as there is no rock
easy of access between Ochoa and Greytown, except in this ridge.
Fourth. The locality is one of the healthiest in Nicaragua, the drainage is perfect,
and water abundant and excellent for domestic uses.
Fifth. There is close at hand on both sides of the ridge an inexhaustible water
power for the economical and convenient operation of all the machinery required to
do the work.
Possessing, therefore, as it does, this truly marvelous coincidence of favorable cir-
cumstances, it would seem as though the very hand of nature had made this particu-
lar spot with the view of facilitating the execution of the greatest undertaking of
this or any other age. With proper appliances and good management, so much of
the work in the adjacent sections being dependent upon the material to be got from
this cut, an even rate of progress can easily be maintained and the whole work be
pushed to completion well within the six years estimated as the time for completing
the canal.
SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION 12.500 MILES.
FROM THE WESTERN END OF THE DIVIDE CUT TO THE RIVER SAN JUAN AT OCHOA.
On the western slope of the divide the canal follows the valley of the Limpio for
1.477 miles to the end of the cut. Before falling into the San Francisco Basin it passes
for 0.738 mile through a rolling country in the lower valley of the Limpio, the aver-
age depth of the cutting for this distance being 16 feet above the bottom of the canal.
Passing into the basin of the Caño San Francisco, it follows the valleys of the Lim-
pio and Chanchos to near the confluence of the latter with the San Francisco, and
then up the valley of the stream, skirting the hills on the west, to a favorable pass
in the range separating this valley from the swampy region, called Florida Lake,
NICARAGUA CANAL.
151
extending toward Ochoa. The line of location follows this swamp to its western
extremity, where it strikes the high rolling country intervening between this low
region and the valley of the Machado, and following a tributary of the latter it
strikes the river San Juan 1,600 feet above the mouth of the Machado. The distance
from the western end of the Divide Cut to the bank of the river San Juan is 12.500
miles, of which 7.481 miles are tangents and 5.019 miles comprised in eleven curves of
from 4,000 to 11,459 feet radius. The hills surrounding the basin on the south do not
form an unbroken range rising at all points above the level of the water, which in
this section also is maintained at 106 feet above sea level. Eight gaps will have to
be closed by embankments aggregating in length to 2,440 feet measured on the val-
ley floor, and 12,260 feet on the crest, the maximum depth being 60 feet below the
level of the water in the basins.
In addition to the above, 59 smaller embankments, aggregating in length 18,280
feet on their crest, rising 6 feet above water level and varying in height from 1 to 50
feet, will be required from Ochoa to the main ridge of the divide. All the embauk-
ments resting on the valley or swamp level are designed of rock fill and earth backing,
with three parallel rows of sheet piling between abutments.
The total length of basin secured by this plan is 11.267 miles from flowage line to
Lowage line, of which 8.697 miles is in water varying from 30 to 60 feet in depth;
that is, of the 12.500 miles in the division but 1.233 miles will be wholly and 2.570 miles
partly in excavation. This is not, however, the only advantage gained by the crea-
tion of this basin. Without it the cut across the Divide would be of such propor-
tions as to make the route commercially impracticable, and the basin of the Deseado
au impossibility. Not less important are the additional considerations of free navi-
gation through a wide and deep basin, instead of a restricted excavated channel. In
the former, vessels can travel at full speed, lie at anchor, or pass each other at all
points, while in the latter the position and speed of all ships must conform to rigid
regulations.
Attention is also invited to another striking feature of this work, as compared with
that close to the bank of the San Juan.
In a country subject to observed rainfalls of more than 6 inches in twenty-four
hours, the problem of drainage involves dealing with forces of nature, whose enor-
mous destructive powers are a constant menace to engineering works, however care-
ful and skillful their design and execution. And it is of the utmost importance,
therefore, to reduce these forces to a minimum before the construction of works to
withstand them. The large territory embraced between the ridge confining the basin
to the south and the "Lower Route" is, by the adoption of the "Upper Route,"
entirely eliminated from the problem of drainage, leaving only that portion of the
watershed north of the ridge, from the Divide to the valley of the Machado, to be pro-
vided for. The area of this catchment basin is about 65 square miles.
It is proposed to build all embankments across the valleys in the disconnected por-
tions of the ridge of "rock fills" and earth backing, the crest to be 107 feet above
sea level, and with the top and outer slope so shaped and paved with large stones as
to admit the free flow of water over the surface without danger of injury, all other
embankments to be 112 feet above sea level. All these embankments will be, in fact,
so many wasteweirs for the discharge of the surplus water at several points in the
basin, with an aggregate length of 4,720 feet of spillway; and assuming that the
embankments are perfectly tight, which will not be the case until several years after
construction, and therefore that all the surplus water passes over the weirs, the
maximum thickness on the crest will not exceed 15 inches.
An extraordinary freshet in the San Juan above the dam would probably cause
some of the river water to flow toward the basin, but it will be observed that the
weirs in the basin alone are capable of discharging 90,200 cubic feet per second before
the water reaches the top of the higher embankments, and that, in such extreme
cases, the basin would also be discharging through the Divide Cut, over the Deseado
Dam and weirs, and, if need be, through the culverts of Lock No. 3. As an addi-
tional precaution, a guard gate is provided in the first cut east of the Machado, by
which the waters of the river San Juan may be shut off from the basin. With these
ample provisions the destruction of the smaller earth embankments by an overflow
of the basin seems to be well guarded against.
LAKE AND RIVER DIVISION 121.04 MILES.
FROM OCHOA TO THE WESTERN COAST OF LAKE NICARAGUA.
This division extends from the western extremity of the San Francisco Division in
the valley of the Machado to the entrance of the canal on the west shore of Lake
Nicaragua. The total distance is 121.04 miles, divided as follows: Navigation by the
river San Juan, 64.54 miles; lake navigation, 56.5 miles. The section of the river
from Ochoa to the lake is to be made navigable by the construction of a dam at
Ochoa, just below the Machado, maintaining the water at the summit level of 106
152
NICARAGUA CANAL.
feet above sea level. It may here be explained that this elevation, hitherto treated
as the summit level, is 4 feet below the lake, a fall of three-fourths of an inch to the
mile being allowed for the slope necessary to discharge its waters, although for all
the purposes of navigation that portion of the river is converted into an extension of
the lake.
The dam is located between two steep hills, and its length of weir on the crest
will be 1,250 feet, and abutments 650 feet. The average depth of the water in the
river was at the time of the survey 8 feet, and the maximum depth, close to the
southern abutment, 14 feet, the width between banks being 950 feet. With a mean
flow in the river of 20,000 cubic feet per second the thickness of water on top of the
weir will be about 33 feet.
The dam is proposed to be built of rock fill and earth backing, in all respects sim-
ilar to all the other large embankments and weirs already described. Its average
height above the river bottom is 61 feet, its thickness at the top 25 feet, and at the
bottom 500 feet. The core of the rock portion will be made of smaller stones, gravel,
and refuse from the rock cuts, with three rows of sheet piling from abutment to
abutment, and substantial concrete core walls from the ends of the sheet piling car-
ried well into the abutment hills and up along the slope beyond the maximum flood
level. The upper portion and long flat apron will be composed of stones of the
largest dimensions that can be properly handled and arranged, the interstices being
filled from behind with small stones, gravel, and earth dumped from suitable trestles.
By this dam, slack-water navigation in the river San Juan will be obtained in the
whole distance from the lake, in which, with the exception of the 28 miles above
Toro Rapids, the navigable channel will be at no point less than 1,000 feet wide, with
depths varying from 28 to 130 feet. Between the lake and Toro Rapids, rock blast-
ing under water and dredging to an average depth of 4 feet will be required at
several places, amounting in all to 24 miles, most of the rock blasting occurring at
Toro. The average depth of water as raised by the dam over the shallow places
where deepening has been estimated for is 23 feet, and the excavated channel is 125
feet at the bottom, the slopes varying with the character of the material.
A further important effect of the dam will be to raise the water of the river San
Carlos to the level attained by the San Juan at their confluence above Ochoa, con-
verting the valley of that stream into a spacious lake or port, and an integral part of
the summit level and of the canal itself. Thousands of square miles of the territory
of Costa Rica now inaccessible by land or water will thus become the richest portion
of that Republic; and the sediment now being brought down by the rapid cur-
rent of the river will then be deposited, for want of transporting power, at the mouths
of the ravines and mountain torrents emptying into the basin. In fact, the area
now scoured will be so much reduced that comparatively little material will be
transported.
The confining ridge to the east of the valley of the San Carlos is a generally high
range extending in a nearly straight line from the south abutment of the Ochoa Dam
about south 15° west 7 miles to the foot of the high mountains of the interior. The
length of the ridge following its crooked crest line is about 10 miles. The hills form-
ing the ridge do not form an unbroken range at all points higher than the level of
the water, which is here also maintained at 106 feet above sea level. A number of
short depressions will have to be closed by embankments, the tops of which will be
at an elevation of 112 feet.
The total number of embankments necessary is 21. Of these, 8 will be very small,
the ridge being now above the water line but below 112 feet. Only 2 will reach the
floor of the valley, having a depth of 48 feet. The remaining 11 have an average
depth of 19 feet. The aggregate length of embankments on crest is 5,540 feet; on
floor of valley, 130 feet.
The embankments proposed will be entirely of clay, 15 feet wide on top, with slope
of 3 to 2 on both sides.
It is proposed to build a large waste weir in the ridge about 2 miles from the
Ochoa Dam. This weir, having its crest of 106 feet elevation, will discharge the flood
waters of the San Carlos into the San Juan independently of and below the dam.
The valley of Cureño Creek runs directly from the site of the proposed weir to the
San Juan 5 miles below Ochoa; hence no channel for the discharged waters need be
provided.
In the east side of Lake Nicaragua, dredging, in soft mud, will be needed for a
distance of about 14 miles to reach the depth of 30 feet, the average depth of the cut
being 9.8 feet, and the proposed channel 150 feet wide at the bottom, with side slopes
of 3 to 1 to the present bottom of the lake.
From the end of this cut to within 1,400 feet of the west coast, at the entrance of
the canal, the depth in the lake varies from 30 to 150 feet. The excavation on the
west side is estimated as rock. No borings were taken on this side of the lake, but
the indications on the shore and the result of the borings in the vicinity, point to
rock as predominating in the submarine excavation.
In view of the nature of the bottom and the prevailing winds on that coast of the
NICARAGUA CANAL.
153
lake, it has been deemed advisable, if not essential, to estimate for two crib piers or
breakwaters at the entrance of the canal and extending to deep water, a distance of
1,800 feet and 2,400 feet, respectively. These piers will have the effect of arresting
débris traveling along the coast by the action of the waves, insure smooth water at
the entrance of the canal, and serve as guides to approaching vessels.
WESTERN DIVISION.
FROM THE LAKE TO BRITO 17.04 MILES.
This section of canal connects the lake with the Pacific Ocean. It is 17.04 miles
long from the shore of the lake when at 102.5 feet above sea level, the elevation at
the time the surveys were made, to the port at Brito.
As the canal is now estimated for, 11.44 miles of that distance will be wholly in
excavation and 5.60 miles through a basin in the valleys of the rivers Grande and Tola.
In this basin from 30 to 70 feet of water can be had for a distance of 4.568 miles.
The basin has an area of 4,000 acres, an extreme width of 12,500 feet, and an average
of 5,500 feet. An alternative route has been located through the valleys proposed
to be flooded, for a canal in excavation, should it be found more economical on
account of the value of the land through which it passes. The only new feature of
this division is the basin now introduced.
The first section begins at the mouth of the river Lajas, on the west shore of Lake
Nicaragua, and follows the valley of that stream for a distance of 8,260 feet, in which
the width of the canal is 120 feet at the bottom and the side slopes 1 to 1, both in
rock and earth. The river Lajas here turns to the south, and it is proposed to divert
it and make it discharge into the lake a short distance south of its present mouth.
The canal continues on the same straight line, crosses a plain about three-quarters
of a mile wide, and enters the valley of the Guiscoyal, a small tributary of the Lajas,
and at 4.7 miles from the lake it crosses the highest elevation on the line between
the lake and the Pacific. This point is 42 feet above high lake, or 152 feet above
mean tide in the Pacific, and is situated in a valley about 2 miles wide, deserving
special mention by reason of the fact that it is the lowest depression of the main
ridge between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans on the American continent.
After crossing this divide, the line gradually descends at the rate of about 9 feet
per mile, and in 14 miles farther it meets the Rio Grande, a mountain stream which
drains an extensive area of the western slope of the Cordillera. The line of the
canal follows the tortuous channel of the Grande, cutting across some of its sharp
bends, or occupying the channel in short reaches. In 1 miles in frees itself from
this contracted valley and cuts across a broad plain as it turns to the westward and
enters the basin of Tola, 9 miles from the lake. The distance across the basin by the
sailing line is 5.504 miles. This basin is formed by the construction of an embank-
ment 1,800 feet long and 70 feet high, resting on two high hills at a place called
La Flor. The method of construction of this embankment is in all respects similar
to that adopted for the construction of the Ochoa Dam, and embankments in the
San Francisco Valley. The rock for the fill will be obtained from the excavations
for Locks Nos. 4 and 5, in the north abutment, and the earth from the canal excava-
tion east of the basin.
The level of the lake will be extended through the divide cut and the basin to this
dam, the top of which is established at 112 feet above sea level. Therefore, the lake
will have to rise more than 2 feet above the proposed summit level before any water
runs over the weir. With a length of weir of 1,300 feet and the lock culverts capa-
ble of discharging not less than 4,500 cubic feet per second, the level of the lake can
be kept under control, even in extraordinary floods. Yet a guard gate is proposed
in the section of canal between the lake and the "Divide" to shut off the water
from the lake in case of necessity. No special provision has been made for the con-
trol of the rivers Grande and Tola, and none is deemed necessary. These streams
will flow into the summit level, one between the lake and the Tola Basin, and the
other at the northern extremity of the basin. The waters will be distributed between
the basin and the lake, or partly used for feeding the locks, and should both rivers
be in flood while the water in the basin is below the crest of the weir, and therefore
most of the combined flow discharging into the lake, the current in the canal
through its narrowest portion in the "Divide" will not exceed 2 miles an hour,
which can do no harm in the rock cut, while in the larger portions of the canal the
velocity would of course be proportionally less.
From the western end of the valley of Tola to Brito, the canal, after leaving Locks
Nos. 4 and 5, cuts across a broad flat country, with an inclination of about 9 feet per
mile, to the port, a distance of 2.28 miles, in which the excavation does not exceed
that required for the canal prism.
These locks are proposed to overcome the difference of level between the summit
and the Pacific. Locks Nos. 4 and 5 are located in the hill north of La Flor Dam;
154
NICARAGUA CANAL.
their chambers are 650 feet long and 70 feet wide, and the lifts 42 feet in each.
Lock No. 6, of the same dimensions of chamber, is situated 1.58 miles below, its lifts
being 21 feet and 29 feet, respectively, at high and low tides. Between this lock and
the port of Brito, a distance of 0.57 miles, the canal will be at the level of the sea,
with an enlarged section, and may be regarded as an extension of the harbor similar
to that at the Greytown end of the route.
HARBORS.
GREYTOWN.
The observations and surveys conducted by the hydrographic party and subse-
quent investigations by other engineers of the company have fully confirmed the
theory based on previous surveys as to the nature and magnitude of the forces which
caused the destruction of this harbor, and consequently the plan heretofore recom-
mended for resisting these forces and restoring the harbor is now adhered to with
but slight modifications in the details.
The plan of restoration involves the construction of a jetty or breakwater 1,700
feet long, nearly normal to the shore of the outer bar, and extending to the 6-fathom
curve, and dredging from this latter depth off shore across the sand bank now clos-
ing the harbor and in the inner bay. The jetty is located to the windward of the
excavated channel which it is intended to shelter from the sea and protect from the
wash of the waves and the traveling sands of the coast.
The first section of the jetty extending from the shore to 15 feet of water is pro-
posed to be built of creosoted timber, fascinage, and stone, and that portion in deep
water to be of "pierre perdue" or rubble, the stone to be obtained from the "Divide
Cut." The entrance channel is estimated to have a depth of 30 feet and a width of
500 feet at the bottom, and the inner basin is designed of sufficient dimensions to
afford easy access to the canal and to accommodate a large number of vessels, its
excavated area on the bottom being 206 acres, which, with the area of the enlarged
section of the canal at sea level to Lock No. 1, gives a total area of 341 acres of water
28 feet deep exclusive of slopes of 3 to 1 and the remaining portions of the inner
bay not deepened, yet having in many places a depth of 20 feet, in which a large
number of vessels of ordinary size can lie.
BRITO.
The recent surveys have greatly added to previous information as to the natural
conditions of this locality, which, by reason of its being of necessity the terminus
of the canal on the Pacific coast, has been spoken of as "the harbor," when, as
remarked by Professor Mitchell, it is not even a roadstead. Yet the practicability
of constructing a harbor at this point has not been disputed, the only difference of
opinion being confined to details. The plan now proposed combines, as nearly as
possible, the most economical form of construction with that best adapted to the
physical conditions, and meets, it is believed, most effectually the objections raised
against former designs.
The broad valley of the Rio Grande stretches to the coast at this point through a
wide gap in the main range of hills extending along the Pacific coast. This valley,
it is believed, formed once a considerable bay, but is now filled up for a distance of
about 6,000 feet from the beach to about the level of high water. The proposed plan
for the construction of the harbor consists, first, in a breakwater, 900 feet long,
extending from a rocky promontory projecting from the beach at the western extrem-
ity of the range of hills, and, second, another jetty, 830 feet long, normal to the
beach, nearly opposite the extremity of the one before mentioned. The proposed
harbor will be partly in deep water confined by the jetties, but its main portion is
proposed to be excavated in the alluvial valley, the whole forming a deep and broad
basin penetrating 3,000 feet from the present shore line at high water and 3,900 feet
from the entrance between jetties. As an extension of the harbor, the canal itself is
excavated at sea level with an enlarged prism for a distance of 3,000 feet farther
inland, where the tide lock has been located. It is believed that, with the basin as
designed and the prolongation of the sea level through the canal, sufficient tranquil-
lity will be secured at the lock and in the harbor; but should this prove not to be the
case, an enlargement of the main basin by dredging in soft material would be a ques-
tion of but comparatively small expense.
The breakwaters, as estimated for, are of "pierre perdue," the material to be
obtained from the rocky promontory or from the western divide cut, the price
allowed being on the latter basis. The harbor has an area of 95 acres on the bottom,
or excavated portion, and with the sea-level section of the canal the total area is
1034 acres of water, 30 feet deep, exclusive of the slopes of 3 to 1.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
155
MATERIALS FOR CONSTRUCTION.
As has been stated in previous reports, the whole line of the canal is well supplied
with timber, generally of excellent quality, though in 'some sections of the eastern
division it has been deemed advisable to estimate for its use only on temporary
works during construction, such as trestles, laborers' dwellings, etc., the sheet piling
and most of the bearing piles being imported from the Southern States, and creosoted
where necessary. On the western division however, the wood, growing on ground
less moist, is of a very superior quality, and it is proposed to use it for all purposes,
its durability having been amply proved in every class of construction throughout
the country.
The rock proposed to be used for the dams, weirs, and breakwaters will be got from
the divide cuts, which consist chiefly of basalt and various descriptions of trap of
excellent quality for the purpose.
Lime of the best quality is obtainable in the western division at many places, and
the numerous specimens of work on which it has been used have stood the test of many
generations, and are to-day in a state of perfect preservation; but it is calculated
to supplement this supply with imported cement, which will be used largely in the
form of concrete in the construction of locks, etc., clean, sharp sand being found in
great abundance in the beds of most of the streams in the vicinity of the canal.
DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITY OF THE CANAL.
In establishing the dimensions of the canal it has been my purpose to profit by the
experience of the Suez Canal, where a yearly traffic of 6,000,000 tons could not be
carried through without serious delays to navigation. The reduction in the length
of excavated canal accomplished by the last location in Nicaragua through the sub-
stitution of free navigation in deep and broad basins for a restricted channel gives
additional facilities for the construction of a waterway capable of accommodating
not less than 12,000 vessels, with a net tonnage of 20,000,000 a year, at but a small
increase cost as compared with the advantages secured, both for the commerce of
the world and the economical administration of the enterprise. In fact, the imme-
diate and prospective benefits obtained by the enlargement in the increased facilities
for passing vessels and a considerable decrease in the cost of maintenance and preser-
vation of the work fully justify, it is believed, the additional expense in the original
cost. It will be seen, on examination of the subjoined table, that of the 169.448
miles, the total length of the canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific, 121.04 miles is
unimpeded navigation in the river San Juan and in Lake Nicaragua, and 21.619
miles through basins, making a total distance of 142.659 miles in which ships can
travel with little or no restriction as to speed. Of the remaining 26.789 miles, 0.759
is taken up by the six locks, leaving but 26.030 miles of canal actually in exca-
vation. Of this latter distance 18.189 miles are of canal large enough for vessels
traveling in opposite directions to pass each other, the sectional area being in excess
of the largest area of the Suez Canal. The two sections of canal with contracted
prisms are in the eastern and western divide cuts. The first is 2.917 miles and the
other 4.924 miles in length, and located as they are, almost at the extreme ends of
the summit level and in close proximity to the upper locks, it is believed that the
slight additional facilities to navigation secured by enlarging the dimensions of the
canal in these heavy rock cuts and the inconsiderable gain in the time of transit
would not compensate for the larger outlay necessary.
Table showing the dimensions of the several sections of the proposed canal.
Section of canal.
Width
Length.
of top bottom.
Width
of Depth.
Area of
prism.
Miles.
Feet.
Fect. Feet.
Greytown to Lock No. 1……….
9.297
288
120
28
Sq.feet.
5,712
Lock No. 1 to Lock No. 2, canal
Lock No. 2 to Lock No. 3, canal
1.258
210
120
30
4,950
.165
210
120
30
4, 950
Lock No. 2 to Lock No. 3, basin..
1.762
a 30
Lock No. 3 to western end of eastern divide cut, canal....
Lock No. 3 to western end of eastern divide cut, Deseado
Basin
2. 917
80
80
30
2,400
3.086
a 45
Western end of divide cut to Ochoa, canal..
1.233
184
River San Juan where dredging is needed.
Western end of divide cut to Ochoa, San Francisco Basin..
River San Juan to Toro Rapids.
80
89
(b)
30
3,673
11.267
40
(b)
37.040
a 52
(b)
27.500
-
125
a 28
(8)
Lake Nicaragua.
56.500
150
a 50
(0)
Lake to western divide cut, canal...
1.565
210
120
30
4,950
Western divide cut, canal.
4.924
80
80
30
2,400
Divide cut to east end of Tola Basin, canal.
2. 519
184
80
30
3,673
East end of Tola Basin to Lock No. 4, basin.
5.504
a 50
(b)
Lock No. 5 to Lock No. 6, canal.
1.582
184
80
30 3,673
Lock No. 6 to harbor of Brito, canal..
.570
288
120
28 5,712
a Mean.
b Undetermined.
156
NICARAGUA CANAL.
Table showing the dimensions of the several sections of the proposed canal-Continued.
RECAPITULATION.
Section of canal.
Miles. Length.
Remarks.
Miles.
Canal in excavation, east side.
14.870
Canal in excavation, west side
11.160
Six locks, both sides.
.759
26.789
Total canal in excavation.
Basins of the Deseado.
4.848
Basin of the San Francisco.
11.267
Basin of the Tola.
River San Juan..
Lake Nicaragua.
From the Atlantic to the Pacific.
5.504
64.540
56.500 121.040
169.448
21.619
Total length of basins.
Total natural waterways.
Total length of canal.
In the lake and in the greater part of the river San Juan vessels can travel with
unrestricted speed, and in some sections of the river and in the basins, although the
channel is at almost all points deep and of considerable width, the speed will be
somewhat checked by reason of the curves.
Official reports show that in the Suez Canal steamers of 4,400 tons can travel at an
average speed of 6 statute miles per hour, and that smaller vessels travel through the
canal at the rate of from 6 to 8 miles an hour. On this basis the following estimate
of the time of transit has been prepared:
Estimated time of through transit by steamer.
26.030 miles of canal, at 5 miles an hour
21.619 miles in three basins, at 7 miles an hour
64.540 miles in the river San Juan, at 8 miles an hour
56.500 miles in Lake Nicaragua, at 10 miles an hour.
Six lockages, at 45 minutes each.
Allow for detentions, in narrow cuts
Total time of transit.
h.
m.
5 12
3 05
8 04
5 39
4 30
1 30
28 00
The traffic of the canal will be limited by the time required for a vessel to pass a
lock, and on the basis of forty-five minutes, and that but one vessel will pass in each
lockage, the number of vessels that can pass through the canal in one day will be 32,
or in one year 11,680, which, at the average tonnage of vessels going through the Suez
Canal, will give an annual traffic of 20,440,000 tons. This estimato is on the assump-
tion that the traffic will not be stopped during the night, for with abundant water
power at the locks and at the basins the whole canal can be economically illuminated
by electricity, and with beacons and range lights in the lake and river there seems
to be no good reason why vessels should not travel day and night with perfect safety,
and the outlay necessary for the illumination has consequently been included in the
estimates.
WATER SUPPLY.
Lake Nicaragua has a surface area of about 2,600 square miles, and a watershed of
not less than 8,000 square miles. Gauges of its outlet, the river San Juan, at its
lowest stage between the lake and Toro Rapids showed a minimum flow of 11,390
cubic feet per second. Colonel Childs estimated the discharge with full lake in the
wet season at 18,059 cubic feet per second, which gives a mean flow of 14,724 cubic
feet per second, or 1,272,530,600 cubic feet per day.
Water required for-
One lockage on the east side.
One lockage on the west side
One lockage on both sides.
Thirty-two lockages per day
Water required for lockage.
-
Cubic feet
2,047, 500
1,933, 750
3,981, 250
127, 400, 000
This gives a daily excess for the lake supply only of 1,144,753,600 cubic feet.
To the latter amount must be added the flow of the several tributaries of the San
Juan River between the lake and the Ochoa Dam, and also the tributaties of the
basins forming part of the summit level, which would fully compensate for leakage
and evaporation.
It is expected that considerable leakage will take place at the rock-fill dams and
embankments before they consolidate and become tight, but this may well be accepted
NICARAGUA CANAL.
157
as a desirable condition to aid in gradually disposing of the surplus water without
a large discharge over the weirs.
The above statement shows that the lake discharge is about ten times larger than
the maximum amount needed for the canal, and it may be safely estimated that for
many years after the canal is opened for traffic the surplus from that source alone
will be double that amount, while at the confluence of the rivers San Juan and San
Carlos, above the Ochoa Dam, the excess may even reach forty times the quantity
needed for the canal. It is evident, therefore, that as long as the summit level can
be maintained at the required elevation, the leakage through the rock fills, acting as
safety valves, may be regarded as an element of security rather than one of danger,
especially as the tightening of the dam can be regulated by depositing suitable mate-
rial on the upstream side or by dumping more stone on the lower slopes or on the
crest, so as to preserve the desired elevation of the surface of the water.
ESTIMATES.
The estimate of the cost of the canal submitted with this report is the result of
careful computations of all the works required for the completion of the canal and
its accessories, based upon the data obtained by the last location, with numerous bor-
ings along the whole route. Where no rock was met with the borings were carried
to the bottom of the caual, and all material which the auger or hand drills could not
penetrate has been assumed to be, and estimated for, as rock. The result is a much
larger amount of rock in proportion to the cube to be removed than had been esti-
mated before; and although the length of canal in excavation has been reduced by
13.5 miles and the total amount of excavation by 3,567,565 cubic yards, in that por-
tion covered by the report of 1885, yet the cost of that item of expense is now put
down at $31,936,136.05 as compared with $33,447,338.80 in 1885. It is believed that
when a more effective system of drilling is applied in certain portions of the line a
much smaller amount of actual work will be found than now appears on the estimate.
lu the meantime, the error, if any, is made on the safe side. The eastern "Divide
Cut," of but less than 3 miles in length, is represented in the estimate with 7,000,230
cubic yards of rock in place and 22 per cent of the cost of the whole work, and refer-
ence has been made, in describing the eastern division, to the existing facilities for
doing this work and to the several purposes to which the material to be removed can
be advantageously applied in the construction of the canal for the expense of trans-
portation alone.
In the western division the excavation in rock through the divide cut is estimated
at 5,696,507 cubic yards in a distance of 9 miles, but that work presents no serious
difficulties, the maximum depth of excavation being only 42 feet above the surface
of the water in the canal, and the mean only 20 feet, with ample facilities for dis-
posing of waste material not needed for construction of the breakwaters, the locks,
the embankments, and pitching the slopes of the canal.
A comparison of the figures given in the estimate with those of the 1885 report
discloses what at first sight appears to be an inconsistency, viz, an increase in the
total estimated cost of the canal of $1,047,978.25, and a decrease in the length of
actual canal to be excavated of 13.5 miles, and in the cube to be removed of 3,567,565
cubic yards, as stated before. It will, however, be observed that the surveys made
by the expedition of 1885 were confined exclusively to the land portions of the canal,
the estimates for the other portions being based on previous incomplete hydrographic
surveys, while the recent location, covering, as it does, the whole line from ocean to
ocean, has produced the following results:
First. A reduction of the quantities in all the sections actually located by the 1885
expedition by the introduction of basins, etc., and certain modifications in detail in
the location, thus: 54,015,602 cubic yards excavation in caual proper in 1885 report,
and 50,448,037 cubic yards by present estimate, a difference of 3,567,565 cubic yards
in favor of the new location; though with regard to cost this has been more than
balanced by the increase in the proportion of rock now estimated, as already explained.
Second. In all the work connected with the lake and harbor of Greytown the
increase in consequence of the more accurate data now obtained is for excavation in
the lake of 4,902,908 cubic yards against 877,675 cubic yards in 1885, and in the harbor
of Greytown of 9,550,000 cubic yards against 4,080, 100 cubic yards. Besides, the addi-
tion of certain other improvements, which have been spoken of in the copy of this
report, fully explaining the apparent contradiction between the claims and the
results of the recent expedition and giving further evidence of its extensive scope
as well as its minute attention to detail, making it, as claimed, an improved location,
the estimated cost only increased by more accurate knowledge of the country and
conditions.
Of the 26.789 miles of canal in excavation, more than 12 miles will be done by
dredging, the material to be deposited directly on both sides of the cut, and the
short cuts in the San Francisco division, amounting in the aggregate to 13 miles, are
158
NICARAGUA CANAL.
subdivided in small sections across narrow ridges separating deep valleys, where the
excavated material not needed for embankments can be dumped in the immediate
vicinity.
A railroad has been estimated for from Lock No. 1 to the dam at Ochoa, and between
Lake Nicaragua and the Pacific, which, together with the lake and river and the
smaller streams penetrating into the valleys of the Deseado and San Francisco, will
afford easy and economical communication along the whole route. These small
streams will be of special value at the start, as they proved to be in the prosecution
of the surveys. It is admitted that the prices adopted in estimating the cost of this
work should be greater than would be required for similar work located in any well-
developed section of this country. A large percentage of the increased cost is charge-
able to the transportation of tools and machinery and to the difficulty in obtaining
and providing for the workmen, the country from Greytown to the lake being unin-
habited, and that between the lake and Brito but sparsely populated. The erection
of houses for the protection of the property and accommodation of employees will be
a necessary item of expense; but the country is exceptionally healthy, and these
structures need not be either substantial in character or expensive. The majority
need be but temporary sheds built with material gathered along the line of the
canal, at but little more cost than the labor in handling it; yet, some delay and
expense may be found unavoidable in the preliminary preparations for commencing
the work.
Another contingency which may cause a marked increase in the cost of the work
is the physical inability of the imported workmen to perform the ordinary labor, as
compared with that accomplished in a more temperate climate. The laboring classes
of Nicaragua when under proper control are capable of an activity and endurance
under great fatigue and exposure to the elements scarcely equaled in any other
country, and with no apparent injury to health; yet the same capabilities can not be
expected in unacclimated foreigners, accustomed to different conditions of life. It
is believed that not less than 6,000 excellent laborers can be obtained from the Cen-
tral American States, and that with a judicious management all the help needed can
be had from the Gulf States in this country where the climatic conditions are in
many respects similar to those prevailing over a large portion of the canal route.
The number of skilled laborers employed will be comparatively small. On the west
side of the lake, where the greater number of laborers will be employed, the climate
is not excelled for salubrity by any other portion of Central America, and in that
portion of the eastern section from Ochoa to Greytown, which is the only locality
where trouble from climatic causes might be expected, the unexceptional good
health enjoyed by the employees of the company during more than six months of
constant exposure to the influence of the climate, while undergoing all kinds of hard-
ships and privations, seems to be an evident demonstration that no apprehensions
need be entertained as to the climate. It will be observed that in this section the
work is divided into two large classes, viz, the divide cut and dredging. The first
is located in the most elevated and healthy portion of the line, and in the second
the number of employees is reduced to a minimum, as manual labor is almost entirely
excluded. The small force necessary to handle and care for the machinery will be
either housed on the dredges or in quarters in the "Divide" where, with the purest
of waters from the mountain streams and the cool "Trades" constantly sweeping in
from the sea, the slightest sanitary regulations will insure perfect health at all times.
The prices adopted are believed to be ample to cover all possible contingencies,
provided the work is conducted by an intelligent and business-like management.
It is estimated that the canal can be completed in six years, of which time one
year will be expended in marking out the line and clearing the ground and in mak-
ing the necessary preparations to commence active operations.
CONCLUSION.
In closing this report I beg to express my firm convictions, the result of several
years of constant labor and careful investigations, that the route here described and
recommended is perfectly practicable, free from complicated engineering problems,
and the most economical as well as the safest for interoceanic ship communication
between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, across the American isthmus.
In making this location, the information obtained by previous surveys and explora-
tions has been utilized with much saving of time and labor, and has greatly con-
tributed to the thorough knowledge of the country traversed by the canal now in
possession of the company; and it may be safely stated that the present location can
not be materially improved upon.
I take pleasure in expressing my high appreciation of the valuable services ren-
dered by the officers of the expedition, to whose untiring energy and devotion to
duty, under many adverse conditions, is due the success of the surveys. With such
a large and efficient staff, in which the prevailing sentiment of each seems to have
NICARAGUA CANAL.
159
been to excel in the discharge of his duties, it is not in my power to make individual
references to merit, but my sincere thanks are extended to all; yet I feel confident I
can make two exceptions with the unanimous approval of all concerned.
Subchief R. E. Peary, on whom devolved the onerous duty of taking the surveying
expedition to Nicaragua, displayed from the moment of his arrival in the country the
most untiring energy, perseverance, and ability in the proper management and dis-
tribution of the force under his charge and in pushing the work forward, deserving
the highest commendation. After I took charge of the work his cooperation was
equally valuable.
The other is Mr. J. Francis Le Baron, who has been for the last six months in charge
of the surveying parties left in Nicaragua, and has rendered very valuable services
in completing and perfecting the location of certain portions of the route where addi-
tional information was deemed necessary.
The medical corps rendered most important services, both in attending to the sick
It
and in giving preventive advice, which proved both valuable and effective.
shared also in the field work and in the drafting at headquarters.
Respectfully submitted.
A. G. MENOCAL, Chief Engineer.
NICARAGUA CANAL.-ESTIMATES OF COST ON LOCATION OF 1887-1890.
EASTERN DIVISION, 18.864 MILES.
[From Greytown to the eastern limit of the San Francisco Basin.]
Section 1.-From Greytown to the Divide, 15.947 miles.
1,819,820 cubic yards excavation in earth above water, at 40 cents.
13.547,597 cubic yards dredging, at 20 cents.
172,288 cubic yards stone pitching sides of canal, at $2
925 acres grubbing and clearing, at $100...
Lighting canal (at one-half mile intervals) 24 incandescent electric
beacons and plant..
Lighting locks, 30 electric arc lights with separate dynamos for each
lock
$727,928.00
2,709, 519. 40
344, 576.00
92,500.00
67, 000. 00
9,000.00
3,950, 523.40
Total....
Section 2.-The Divide, 2.917 miles.
7,000,230 cubic yards excavation in rock, at $1.50...
3,034,904 cubic yards excavation in earth, at 40 cents.
169 acres grubbing and clearing, at $100.
Lighting canal (at one-half mile intervals), six incandescent electric
beacons and plant...
11,600 linear feet of narrow section of canal to receive double fender
wales each side, at $4.
Total
$10, 500, 345.00
1, 213, 961. 60
16,900.00
8,500.00
46,400.00
11, 786, 106.60
Railroads and telegraphs.
12 miles railroad from Lock No. 1 to San Francisco Basin, at $60,000..
22 miles telegraphs, Greytown to San Francisco Basin, at $500..
Total.....
$720,000.00
11.000.00
731,000.00
Lock No. 1.
463,603 cubic yards excavation in earth, at 40 cents..
120,044 cubic yards concrete (rock obtained from the Divide Cut), at $6.
2,400 cubic yards stone pitching in basin, at $2.
3,699 cubic feet fender wales, at 50 cents.
1,020 fender piles 45 feet long, at $13.50..
Gates...
Machinery
Buildings.
Pumping
Total....
$185, 441.20
720, 264.00
4,800.00
1,849.50
13, 770.00
114,934. 40
100,000.00
30,000.00
100,000.00
1,271, 059. 10
160
NICARAGUA CANAL.
Lock No. 2.
308,918 cubic yards excavation in earth, at 40 cents.
120,430 cubic yards concrete (rock obtained from the Divide Cut), at $6.
2,400 cubic yards stone pitching in basin, at $2.
3,699 cubic feet of fender wales, at 50 cents
1,020 fender piles 45 feet long, at $13.50.
Gates.
Machinery.
Buildings.
Total..
Lock No. 3.
528,673 cubic yards excavation in earth, at 40 cents.
147,627 cubic yards concrete (rock obtained from the excavation), at $6
32 fender cribs, at $500..
Gates.
Machinery.
Buildings
· ·
Total
-
-
·
Harbor of Greytown.
Brush-and-pile pier, 900 feet long..
225,907 cubic yards stone in breakwater (from Divide Cut), at $1.50..
9,550,000 cubic yards dredging sand, at 20 cents.
Piers at entrance to canal.
Lighting and buoying.
$123, 567. 20
722, 580.00
4,800.00
1,849.50
13, 770.00
114, 934. 40
100, 000. 00
30,000.00
1, 111, 501. 10
$211, 469. 20
885, 762.00
16,000.00
188, 440.00
100, 000.00
30,000.00
1,631, 671. 20
$190, 214.50
338, 860.50
.910, 000.00
100,000.00
$100, 000. 00
One first-order light-house complete
Three range beacon lights...
One breakwater beacon light and signal tower.
Two pier-head lights....
One first-class (middle channel) Nun buoy
Two second-class (side channel) Nun buoys
Two third-class (side channel) Nun buoys
-
Total
Auxiliary works.
1,000.00
7,000.00
2,000.00
200.00
200.00
100.00
2, 649, 575. 00
105,500 cubic yards dredging in earth and sand in diversion of De-
seado, at 20 cents
-
Embankment and weirs in valley of the Deseado:
210,625 cubic yards rock fill (from the Divide Cut), at 40 cents.
836,329 cubic yards earth in embankments and backing of weirs, at
30 cents..
$21, 100.00
84, 250.00
79,658 cubic yards excavation of surface soil for embankments, at 40
cents
250, 898. 70
250,000 feet, B. M., timber for cross-ties and guides for sheet piling, etc.,
at $60..
200 bearing piles for trestles and guides to sheet piling, at $10.
2,500 linear feet of trestles for dumping stone, etc., at $22
5,100 linear feet of sheet piling 30 feet long, 8 inches thick, say,
1,350,000 feet, B. M., at $70.
31, 863. 20
94,500.00
15,000.00
2,000.00
55,000.00
Total ..
RECAPITULATION, EASTERN DIVISION.
Section 1, from Greytown to the Divide.
Section 2, the Divide.
Railroad and telegraphs.
Lock No. 1.
Lock No. 2.
Lock No. 3.
Harbor of Greytown
Auxiliary works
Total...
554, 611.90
$3,950, 523. 40
11, 786, 106. 60
731,000.00
1,271, 059. 10
1, 111, 501. 10
1, 631, 671. 20
2,649, 575.00
554, 611.90
23, 686, 048. 30
NICARAGUA CANAL.
161
SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION, 12.5 MILES.
[From the western end of the eastern "Divide Cut" to the River San Juan.]
725 acres, clearing trees from line of canal, at $100...
30,309 cubic yards excavation in rock, at $1.50.
2,698,195 cubic yards excavation in earth, at 40 cents
Lighting canal at one-half mile intervals, 24 incandescent electric
beacous and plant
Guard gate or movable dam to control waters of the San Juan
Total
$72, 500.00
45, 463.50
1,079, 278.00
65,000.00
300,000.00
1,562, 241.50
Railroad and telegraphs.
15 miles railroad, at $60,000.
40 miles of telegraphs from Divide to Castillo, at $500
Total.....
Embankments and weirs in the valley of the San Francisco.
3,239,705 cubic yards earth in embankments from canal excavation, at
30 cents.
-
1,575,459 cubic yards rock fill from the "Divide Cut," at 40 cents.
192,415 cubic yards excavation of surface soil for embankments, at
50 cents..
12,600 linear feet of sheet piling 40 feet long, 8 inches thick, say,
1,500,000 feet, B. M., at $70...
1,458 guide piles for sheet piling and for bearing trestles, average 30
feet long, at $8..
524.000 feet, B. M., of timber in guides and cross-ties for sheet piling,
etc., at $60..
27,585 linear feet of trestles for dumping rock and carrying railroad,
at $22..
178 acres grubbing and clearing for embankments, at $100.
$900,000.00
20,000.00
920, 000. 00
$971, 911.50
630, 183.60
96, 207.50
315,000.00
11, 664.00
31, 440.00
606, 870.00
17, 800.00
Total
2,681, 076.60
RECAPITULATION, SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION.
Excavation, lighting, clearing, etc..
$1,562, 241.50
Railroad and telegraphs..
Embankments and weirs in valley of the San Francisco..
920,000.00
Total
LAKE AND RIVER DIVISION, 121 MILES.
2,681, 076. 60
5, 163, 318. 10
[From Ochoa to the western shore of Lake Nicaragua at the mouth of the Rio Lajas.]
Section 1.-Rio San Juan, 64.5 miles.
398,613 cubic yards excavation in rock under water, at $5.
422,540 cubic yards excavation in earth above water, at 40 cents.
2,150,900 cubic yards dredging in earth at, 30 cents
377 acres grubbing and clearing across bends, at $100
Lighting and buoying.
10 middle channel spar buoys (Fort San Carlos to Toro), at $25
80 Western River light beacons, at $50....
One electric arc lamp in signal tower at dam
Three incandescent electric-light beacons at dam basin
70 miles telegraphs, at $500...
Total
$1, 993, 065. 00
169, 416.00
645,270.00
37, 700.00
$250.00
4,000.00
3.000.00
1,000.00
35,000.00
2,888, 701.00
Section 2.-Lake Nicaragua, 56.5 miles.
176,832 cubic yards submarine rock excavation (west shore of lake),
at $5...
4,726,076 cubic yards dredging (east side of lake), at 20 cents
H. Doc. 279—11
$884, 160.00
945, 215. 20
162
NICARAGUA CANAL.
Lighting and buoying.
One fourth-order lens in signal tower at mouth of Rio Lajas
One 2-mile range beacon
One fourth-order lens in keeper's dwelling at end of Solentiname Island.
One second-order lens on hill, old Fort San Carlos
One fourth-order range light in signal tower (old Fort San Carlos)
One second-class (middle channel) Nun buoy (at mouth of Lajas)
Two third-class (side channel) Nun buoys (at mouth of Lajas).
Five third-class (middle channel) Nun buoys (at entrance Rio San
Juan)
Total..
$7,000.00
100.00
6,000.00
8,000.00
--
7,000.00
100.00
100.00
150.00
1,857, 825. 20
Dam across Rio San Juan at Ochoa.
18,500 cubic yards excavation in earth, at 40 cents.
1,550 cubic yards concrete in core walls of abutments, at $10.
830 bearing piles for trestles and sheet piling 45 feet long, at $13.50..
3,330 lineal feet of sheet piling 30 feet deep by 8 inches thick, 800,000
feet, B. M., at $75
1,180,000 feet, B. M., of timber in trestles, guides for sheet piling, cross-
ties, etc., at $60..
807,920 cubic yards rock fill (from Divide cut), at 50 cents
629,090 cubic yards earth filling from excavation, at 25 cents
Total....
$7,400.00
15, 500.00
11, 205.00
60, 000.00
70,800.00
403, 960.00
157, 272.50
726, 137.50
Embankments on San Carlos Ridge line.
293,240 cubic yards earth in embankments (borrowed), at 70 cents..
22,370 cubic yards excavation of surface soil, at 50 cents.
450 lineal feet sheet piling 40 feet long 8 inches thick, 144,000 feet,
B. M., at $70.
45 guide piles for sheet piling, averaging 30 feet long, at $8.
18,000 feet, B. M., of timber in guides and cross-ties, for sheet piling,
etc., at $60
34 acres grubbing and clearing for embankments, at $100..
$205, 408.00
11, 185.00
1,510.00
360.00
1,080.00
350.00
Total....
219, 893. 00
RECAPITULATION, LAKE AND RIVER DIVISION.
Section 1, river San Juan..
$2,888, 701.00
Section 2, Lake Nicaragua.
1,857, 825. 20
Embankments in San Carlos Ridge line.
Dam across Rio San Juan at Ochoa..
219, 893.00
726, 137.50
Total...
5,692, 556.70
WESTERN DIVISION, 17.04 MILES.
5,696,507 cubic yards excavation in rock above water, at $1.25...
5,399,316 cubic yards excavation in earth above water, at 40 cents..
1,066,666 cubic yards dredging in sand, at 20 cents.
20,753 cubic yards store pitching sides of caual, at $2.
1,033 acres grubbing and clearing, at $50...
Section 1. From Lake Nicaragua to Brito, 17.04 miles.
$7, 120, 633. 75
2, 159, 726. 40
213, 333. 20
41, 506. 00
51, 650.00
Lighting 20 incandescent electric beacons and plant.
30 electric arc lights and 2 separate dynamos at locks.
26,000 lineal feet of narrow section of canal to have double fender
wales each side, at $4...
Total
-
54, 000.00
9, 000. 00
104,000.00
9,753, 849. 35
Diversion of the Rio Lajas into the lake.
249,508 cubic yards excavation in carth, at 40 cents.
164,786 cubic yards excavation in rock, at $1.25..
Total
$99, 803. 20
205, 982.50
305, 785.70
NICARAGUA CANAL.
163
Railroad and telegraphs.
18 miles narrow-gauge railroad, at $25,000..
18 miles telegraphs, at $500...
Total...
La Flor Dam.
$450,000.00
9,000.00
459, 000.00
17 acres grubbing and clearing, at $50
320,000 cubic yards excavation of surface soil, at 40 cents.
3,320 lineal feet of sheet piling in two rows 30 feet long 8 inches thick,
796,800 feet, B. M., at $75..
222 bearing piles for trestles and guiding sheet piling 20 feet long,
at $5..
50.000 feet, B. M., of lumber for guides and cross-ties for sheet piling,
t $50..
1
1.600 meal feet of trestles for dumping material, at $22.
918,000 cubic yards earth from canal excavation, at 20 cents.
$30,000 cubic yards rock till from excavation for locks, at 20 cents...
Total....
Locks Nos. 4 and 5.
664.194 cubic yards excavation in rock, at $1.25
127,646 cubic yards excavation in earth, at 40 cents
100,000 cubic yards concrete (rock from the excavations), at $6.
1,020 fender piles, at $13.50..
3,699 cubic feet fender wales, at 50 cents.
2,400 cubic yards stone pitching in basin, at $2.
Gates.
Machinery
Buildings.
Total
$850.00
128, 000.00
59, 760.00
1,610.00
2,500.00
35, 200.00
183,600.00
166, 000.00
577, 520.00
$830, 242.50
51.058.40
600, 000.00
13, 770.00
1, 849.50
4.800.00
250.000.00
150,000.00
45,000.00
1, 946, 720. 40
Tidal Lock No. 6.
61,698 cubic yards excavation in rock, at $1.25.
124,800 cubic yards excavation in earth, at 40 cents.
126,000 cubic yards concrete (rock obtained from the Divide cut),
at $6...
1,020 lender piles, at $13.50.
3,698 cubic feet of fender wales, at 50 cents.
2,400 cubic yards stone pitching in basin, at $2
Gates.
Machinery.
Buildings.
Pumping
Total..
$77, 122.50
49, 920.00
756,000.00
13, 770.00
1, 849.00
4.800.00
114,934.40
100, 000, 00
30,000.00
100,000.00
1, 248, 395.90
Other auxiliary work.
Guard gate or movable dam in the Divide.
Crib piers at lake entrance to canal.
Three swinging bridges over canal.
189,016 cubic yards embankment near site of locks, at 50 cents..
19,080 cubic yards masoury walls at head of Lock No. 4, at $10..
Total..
$300,000.00
493, 710.00
60, 000. 00
94,508,00
190, 800.00
1, 139, 018. 00
Harbor of Brito.
5,658,898 cubic yards dredging, at 20 cents.
383,899 cubic yards stone in breakwaters (stone from Divide cut), at
$1.50...
Lighting and buoying one second-order lens in sigual tower on prom-
ontory.
$1, 131, 779.60
575, 848.50
10,000.00
164
NICARAGUA CANAL.
One range-light beacon, inner base of promontory
Two pier-head lights..
One first-class (middle channel) Nun buoy.
Four third-class (side channel) Nun buoys.
Total..
Right-of-way indemnity
Section 1, canal.
·
RECAPITULATION, WESTERN DIVISION.
Diversion of the Rio Lajas into the lake
Railroads and telegraphs.
La Flor Dam
Locks Nos. 4 and 5.
Tidal Lock No. 6...
Other auxiliary works..
Harbor of Brito.
Right-of-way indemnity.
Tipitapa Canal.
Total....
Eastern Division..
San Francisco Division.
-
Lake and River Division.
Western Division...
GRAND RECAPITULATION.
$100.00
2,000.00
200.00
200.00
1, 720, 128. 10
100,000.00
$9,753, 849. 35
305, 785.70
459,000.00
577, 520.00
1,946, 720. 40
1, 248, 395.90
1, 139, 018. 00
1, 720, 128. 10
100,000.00
275,000.00
17, 525, 417. 45
$23, 686, 048.30
5, 163, 318. 10
5, 692, 556. 70
17, 525, 417. 45
52, 067, 340.55
Surveys, hospitals, shops, management, and contingencies, 25 per cent. 13, 016, 835. 45
Grand total..
Respectfully submitted.
65, 084, 176.00
A. G. MENOCAL, Chief Engineer.
NOTE. January 31, 1890. These estimates have been revised to conform to infor-
mation obtained to date.
APPENDIX K.
THE WORLD'S COLUMBIAN WATER COMMERCE CONGRESS, CHICAGO, 1893.
THE NICARAGUA CANAL.
By A. G. MENOCAL, M. A. S. C. E., Etc.
It is assumed that the reader is sufficiently acquainted with the early history of
isthmian transit and the various tentative explorations and surveys conducted
under the auspices of the United States Government, and by private individuals,
from Tehuantepec to the southern limits of the Isthmus of Darien, with the view of
ascertaining the most practicable route for the safe and economical construction of
the canal, and that, after several years of most careful and thorough investigation,
regardless of expense and labor, the field of inquiry was narrowed down to Panama
and Nicaragua.
In 1876 a high Commission appointed by the Government gave its final decision in
favor of the latter route as possessing the greatest facilities for the economical and
safe construction of a waterway between the Atlantic and the Pacific. This decision
was later on disregarded by the Paris International Canal Congress, for in May, 1879,
it voted in favor of a sea-level canal at Panama as the most advantageons and desir-
able route for a profitable enterprise and a safe waterway. The sad history of that
unfortunate undertaking is ample justification of the action of the Commission and
an unquestionable proof of the soundness of their conclusions. And yet it may be
proper to say that the plans now under consideration are far more complete than
those considered and indorsed by the Commission.
THE SURVEYS.
Government investigation and American enterprise did not rest with that decision.
There was a restless desire to improve, if possible, on what was already known to
he good; and, regardless of the attempt (which it was believed would prove fruit-
less) to overcome insurmountable difficulties at Panama, Government expeditions
and private surveying parties succeeded each other at Nicaragua from 1880 to 1890,
and the whole ground was gone over again. Every river, water course, valley, swamp,
or hill likely to affect the construction of the work was carefully examined. Thou-
sands of miles of transit and level lines were run in some sections of the route before
a mile of canal location was finally decided upon; and this data, together with
numerous borings, penetrating to the bottom of the canal, and at the sites of dams,
locks, and embankments, comprise a vast store of exact knowledge, from which a
final location has resulted, as perfect in its details, it is believed, as the natural con-
ditions will permit. The greatest obstacles met with at other localities are high
elevations in the Cordillera separating the two oceans, requiring tunneling, or a high
summit level with a large number of locks for which an adequate water supply was
not obtainable, or torrential streams are encountered whose control within econom-
ical limits defies the skill of the engineer.
Nicaragua is free from all these obstacles.
NICARAGUA LAKE AND RIVER.
The great lake, a veritable inland sea, 110 miles in length by an average of 40 in
width, is the recipient of a watershed of 8,000 square miles, of which its water area
represents nearly one-half. Its outlet, the river San Juan, is a noble stream. Its
source is at the southeastern extremity of the lake, and flows through a broad valley,
almost due east, for a distance of 119 miles, to its mouth in the Caribbean Sea, south
165
166
NICARAGUA CANAL.
of Greytown. Its minimum flow is 12,000 cubic feet per second; the width varies
from 800 feet to 2,000 feet, and the average fall is 11 inches per mile. It main source
of supply is the lake, which, by reason of its large area, restricted watershed, and
ample outlet, is not subject to sudden or large fluctuation in level. Both the lake
and river are therefore free from floods; and it is this important, invaluable feature
which distinguishes this route from all others, and which enables us to make use of
the lake and a large portion of the river as parts of the canal. The lake is separated
from the Pacific by a narrow strip of land, a true isthmus, but 12 miles wide at its
narrowest point. It is at this point, also, that is found the lowest depression in the
Cordillera all the way from the Arctic region to Cape Horn, and the summit, or crest,
of the ridge rises but 42 feet above the lake, or 152 feet above the sea. Through
this gap will be cut that section of the canal connecting the lake with the Pacific,
and terminating on the coast at Brito, a small roadstead where a harbor is to be con-
structed. From the lake eastward the river San Juan supplies the transit route to
a point below its confluence with the San Carlos tributary, where the canal leaves
the channel of the stream by a series of short sections in excavation, connecting a
chain of artificial basins, and stretches in a well-maintained straight line to Grey-
town, the Atlantic terminus of the waterway. This general outline and an inspec-
tion of the map and profile will materially assist in arriving at a clear understanding
of the route and engineering works proposed, which will now be described in detail.
THE CANAL ROUTE.
The lake, which is the controlling feature of the whole problem, is necessarily the
summit level of the canal. The average yearly fluctuation of level due to wet and
dry seasons is about 5 feet, its highest watermark being 110 feet above the sea; and
that is the elevation assumed for the highest summit level of the canal. A direct
sailing line between the outlet at Fort San Carlos, on the east coast, and the mouth
of the River Lajas on the west, a distance of 56.5 miles, comprises the lake naviga-
tion proper. On that line the 30-foot contour (below the assumed level of 110 feet)
is met with, about 14 miles from the outlet and 1,200 feet from the west shore.
Between those points the depth gradually increases to 150 feet or more, the free
navigable portions comprising the greater part of the lake area. Dredging in mud
to an average depth of 9 feet will be required in the 14 miles on the east, and rock
blasting and dredging in the 1,200 feet near the west shore. Two piers are proposed
on the west coast to protect the canal entrance.
While the isthmus separating the lake from the Pacific is at its narrowest point
not more than 12 miles in width, the most economical route connecting the lake
shore with Brito has a length of 17.04 miles. It starts from the mouth of the Lajas,
a small stream draining a limited watershed to the south of the line, and trends
westerly through a broad valley slightly rising toward the "Divide," which it
reaches at a distance of 4.7 miles from the lake. Descending thence on the Pacific
slope, at the rate of about 9 feet per mile, at a farther distance of 1 miles it falls
into the narrow, tortuous valley of the Grande, a dry creek during the dry season,
but a stream of considerable flow in the rainy portion of the year. Its maximum
volume has been estimated as high as 10,000 cubic feet per second; but this is attained
only in times of extraordinay precipitation. In this narrow valley, confined by spurs
of considerable elevation projecting from the highlands on both sides, there is not
room for the canal and for an independent channel for the stream. A very favorable
location has been made for the former, and it will be shown later on what disposi-
tion is proposed to be made of the stream. In 13 miles the Grande makes a detour to
the westward; and the canal, free from the confining hills on the north, cuts across
a broad valley to fall again into the stream at a distance of 9 miles from the lake.
At this point the surface of the ground is 30 feet below the assumed level of the lake.
The valley continues its uniform descent of about 8 feet to the mile, and gradually
expands until, at the junction of the Tola tributary, it attains the maximum width
of 12,500 feet. At milepost 14, near a place called La Flor, the Grande passes through
a narrow gap, flanked by high hills, into the more extensive plain of Brito, border-
ing on the Pacific. It was the original plan to cut a canal through this valley of
Tola, and four locks were contemplated, with the aggregate lift of 110 feet; but
another scheme has since been adopted, by which the valley in question is flooded
and converted into an extensive navigable basin. This will be accomplished by clos-
ing the gap at La Flor by a dam 1,800 feet long and 70 feet high, so forming a basin
whose surface level will be the same as that of the lake and, in fact, forming a part
of it. The basin thus created will be 5.6 miles long on the sailing line, with a
depth of water varying from 30 feet to 70 feet, and will have a superficial area of
4,000 acres.
The advantage gained by this plan consists not so much in saving canal excavation
for a distance of over 5 miles (which is partly offset by the cost of the dam) as in
the increased facilities offered to traffic by the large, deep, and safe inner harbor,
NICARAGUA CANAL.
167
within 3 miles from the Pacific port, where ships can lie at anchor, or pass each other
with safety and freedom when moving in opposite directions. A better control and
disposal of the surface drainage is provided by this treatment. Two locks will be
placed at the western end of the dam, by whose combined lift the level of the water
will be lowered 85 feet, namely, from 110 feet above sea level to 25 feet. From
these locks the canal route traverses the valley of Brito, a distance of 1.58 miles, to
Lock No. 6, where the last drop of 25 feet is made to sea level. But as a tide of 8
feet must be provided for the lock will have a variable lift of from 21 to 29 feet.
From this last lock to the harbor will be about one-half mile of canal, but the prism
has been so enlarged as to make that portion of the waterway an extension of the
harbor itself.
BRITO.
The only well-founded criticism of the Nicaragua route for an interoceanic canal
is the lack of good harbors; but an examination of the existing physical conditions
will show that while the construction of ample and safe ports will necessarily
involve important and expensive works, yet the cost is not out of proportion to the
nagnitude and importance of the undertaking, and the engineering problems do not
present more serious difficulties than those readily mastered elsewhere for objects
Jess important.
Brito, barely a roadstead, is an indentation of the coast formed by a projecting
spur from the coast range. About 1 miles to the southward another headland juts
into the sea. Between lies a cove now filled to about sea level with river silt and
sand, but this opening, it is believed, was once an arm of the sea. The Grande
traverses this lowland through a narrow channel, and in it the tide ebbs and flows,
with a depth at the entrance of about 10 feet at high water. The designs for the
creation of this harbor contemplate the construction of two breakwaters-one about
1,000 feet long, projecting from the rocky promontory on the west, and the other 850
feet long and nearly normal to the beach on the east side. (See plan of harbor.)
The entrance will be between the jetties, and a considerable deep-water area will be
confined, but the main portion of the harbor will be excavated in the alluvial valley
of the Grande, the whole forming a broad basin penetrating 3,000 feet from the
present shore line and about 4,000 feet from the entrance. Beyond this basin an
enlarged section of the canal, about 3,000 feet long, extends to the nearest lock and
forms a substantial portion of the harbor itself.
DRAINAGE.
The proposed route of the canal, from the lake nearly to the summit of the Divide
Cut, pursues a right line. The Lajas has its source in the hills to the southward,
and in its course to the lake intersects the canal line at a distance of 1.25 miles from
its mouth. At this point the stream will be diverted through an artificial channel,
carried along the south side of the canal and discharged into the lake. A small
tributary empties into the Lajas near the point of proposed division of the latter.
This brook, called the Guiscoyol, will drain the country to the south as far as the
highest point of the line, and the canal follows the general course of this brook. It
will be observed that the Rio del Medio, to the north of the canal, drains the coun-
try on that side from the vicinity of the Tola Basin to the lake, leaving but a small
watershed to be drained into the canal or, if preferred, by a small ditch which may
be diverted to the lake. West of the Divide the canal, including the Tola Basin,
lies within the watershed of the Grande. With the canal wholly in excavation, no
doubt could be entertained as to the necessity of diverting that stream, and careful
surveys have been made with that object in view. It was found that to make a
diversion channel on the south bank of the Grande would be a work involving some
difficulties and heavy expense. A safer, less expensive, and far more satisfactory
plan was found to be the diversion of the stream into the Juan Davila, a tributary
of the Lajas, and through the latter into the lake, and a careful location has been
made to that end. (See plan of western division.) The plan requires the construc-
tion of a dam near "El Carmen," and the opening of a canal of diversion from above
the dam, through the valley of Jobite and the water course Cumalcagua to the
Davila, beyond which no other work will be needed. With the adoption of the basin
plan, however, the additional expense demanded by this work seems to be of doubt-
ful expediency. With a large reservoir acting as equalizer of floods, possessing ample
facility for discharging the surplus waters over a weir in connection with the dam,
through the lock culverts capable of discharging 5,000 cubic feet per second, and
through the canal itself eastward into the lake, it does not seem that any injurious
results need be feared by receiving the waters of the upper Grande into the basin,
especially as the extraordinary floods, which seldom occur, are of but brief duration;
and, except at such times, the flow of the stream is insignificant, while for nine
months in the year it is nil. The problem, in any case, admits of a practical and
168
NICARAGUA CANAL.
satisfactory solution, and perfect immunity from all danger can be secured by the
expenditure of, say, $1,500,000. From the Tola Basin to the harbor the canal trav-
erses a flat valley, with no water course to provide for.
THE RIVER SAN JUAN.
From the lake eastward this river will be made navigable for a distance of 64.5
miles by the erection of a dam at Ochoa, and by dredging for the first 28 miles below
the lake. Rock blasting will also be needed for a short distance at Toro rapids.
The dam at Ochoa will there raise the water 56 feet. It will be 1,250 feet on the
crest and 1,900 feet between abutments, with a maximum height of 70 feet. The
river in its natural condition from the lake to the Atlantic, a distance of 119 miles
by its course, has an average fall of 11 inches per mile, but this slope is not uniform.
There are rapids at Toro, Castillo, and Machuca, with an aggregate fall of about 20
feet in a total distance, for the three, of not more than 24 miles, the fall at Castillo
being 4 feet in a distance of 1,000 feet. On the other hand, between the lake and
Toro, and for 15 miles below Machuca, the fall is not more than 1 inch per mile.
Two rapids, where the first rock ledge across the river is met with, is the natural
weir which maintains the present lake level, the crest being 9 feet above the pro posed
bottom of the navigable channel. At Castillo, where the ledge is 7 feet lower, 3 feet
of rock excavation for a short distance will be needed; and over the present Machuca
rapids, 12 miles below, the depth of water as raised by the dam will be not less than
34 feet. Between the lake and Toro dredging to an average depth of 44 feet will be
required throughout an aggregate distance of 24 miles, the material to be removed
being gravel, clay, and loose stones. Below Toro no excavation will be needed in
the bed of the river, except at the ledge at Castillo. Between the rapids the depth
of water attained will vary from 30 to 50 feet, and from Machuca to the dam from 60
to 130 feet. The width of the navigable channel, where no excavation is required,
will average 1,000 feet, and, in excavation, 125 feet at the bottom. The surface
width will at no point be less than 1,200 feet, expanding in places to 2,500 between
the banks, and in the flooded adjacent valleys to 1 mile or more. A fall of three-
fourths of an inch to the mile has been allowed from the lake to the dam as the nec-
essary slope to discharge the surplus waters. Consequently, the level of the river
at the dam is estimated at 106 feet above sea level, or 4 feet below the lake. For the
purpose of navigation, however, that portion of the river may be regarded as an
extension of the lake, in which the maximum current will probably never exceed
one-half mile an hour.
THE SAN CARLOS.
A short distance above the dam the river San Carlos debouches into the San Juan
from the south. This stream drains a large area in Costa Rica, and possesses in
marked degree the general characteristics of a tropical torrential river, namely,
extreme fluctuations in volume from a nearly dry bed, with barely enough water to
float a canoe, to a discharge of possibly 3,000 cubic feet per second. Its upper
channel and tributaries, confined by high banks and flowing from mountain slopes,
gradually broaden and flatten as they approach the lowlands near the San Juan, and
the flanking hills recede from the banks, so that for a few miles above the confluence
the San Carlos flows through a wide valley, elevated but a few feet above the bed
of the stream. This valley will be flooded to the same level as the San Juan (106)
feet), and thus converted into a large basin or artificial lake, constituting a part of
the summit level of the canal, navigable for some 20 miles toward the Costa Rica
capital. The San Carlos will discharge into this basin or artificial lake at a locality
some 20 miles distant from the nearest point of the canal navigation. The San
Carlos is the only sand-bearing stream emptying into the waters of the canal.
Discharging its waters into a basin of still water, it will deposit all the heavier sand
and silt now brought from the highlands by the rapid current 20 miles from the
canal line. The lighter material held in suspension will be carried along with the
slowly moving current, which will always seek the nearest outlet, and be discharged
over the vast weirs to be built in the confining ridge several miles south of the San
Juan, and will never reach the channel of the latter stream. The lower part of the
valley of the San Carlos will be flooded to a width of from 1 to 2 miles, and to a
depth of 60 feet. It will require a long term of years to fill this basin so as to
encroach on the canal navigation. When that time does come, the San Carlos waters
can, if desired, be diverted entirely by throwing an embankment across the valley
and discharging the waters over the weirs previously built, and through existing
water courses in the San Juan far below Ochoa.
The confining ridge to the east of the valley extends from the south abutment of
the proposed dam in a southerly direction for a distance of 10 miles to the foot of
the high mountains of the interior of Costa Rica. There are, however, several
depressions in which the ground falls below the contour 114, adopted as top of the
NICARAGUA CANAL.
169
confining barrier. These gaps will be closed by embankments, 7 of which will be
built wholly above the normal water level in the basin, 11 will have an average
height of 21 feet, and 2 of 50 feet, with an aggregate base length of 130 feet, the
total length of embankments on crest being 5,893 feet.
THE SAN FRANCISCO.
The canal, as it leaves the river channel a short distance above the Ochoa Dam, is
located in the lower valley of Machado Creek. Continuing easterly, it will cross
the ridge dividing the valley of the Machado from a swampy region known as Florida
Lagoon. It crosses the latter, and then, by a short cut, enters the valley of the San
Francisco; and, skirting some foothills to the south, it enters the valley of the
Chanchos, follows this stream to its junction with the Limpio, and thence via the
valley of the latter to the foot of the dividing ridge. An examination of the plan
will be necessary to a clear idea of the topographical conditions existing in this
region. It has required much time, labor, and perseverance to develop this topog-
raphy, and the most careful study to make profitable use of the information thus
acquired.
It will be observed that the canal traverses four adjacent valleys. The Florida
Lagoon drains into the basin of the San Juan by a small water course, the Danta;
the San Francisco Valley by the stream of the same name, and the Limpio and
Chauchos by the brook Chanchos, tributary of the San Francisco, the latter, as well
as the Danta and Machado, being tributaries of the San Juan. All these valleys are
to be converted into large, deep, navigable basins by extending through them the
summit level from Ochoa. Their outlets must therefore be closed by embankments;
and the foothills, wherever their crests fall below the contour 114, must be raised to
that level. The main embankments will have to sustain a water pressure of about
60 feet, the level of the valleys being about 46 feet above the sea. Six embankments
will have an aggregate base length of 3,440 feet, and on the crest, of 13,685 feet.
The embankments to close gaps in the chain vary considerably in height. Many of
them are wholly above the ordinary water level in the basin-i. e., from 1 to 8 feet
high-while other gaps require embankments of much greater height. They are 61
in number, with a total length on the crest of 17,835 feet. (See profile showing
development of the San Francisco embankment line.)
Several important advantages are gained by this treatment. The total length of
basin created is 11.267 miles, of which 8.697 miles will have a water depth varying
from 30 to 60 feet. In other words, of the 12.50 miles from the bank of the river
San Juan to the deep cut to the eastward of this section, but 1.233 miles will be
wholly and 2.570 miles partly in excavation. The economy, however, is not confined
to the saving in excavation, against which must, of course, be charged the cost of
the embankments, but is principally in the enormous saving in the deep rock excava-
tion following, and in the valley of the Deseado beyond, by carrying the summit
level through into the valley of the stream. The increased cost to result from a
plan contemplating a much lower level would have been so great as to seriously
handicap the undertaking financially. The gain in facilities of navigating and
maintaining the canal is also important. Through wide and deep basins vessels can
move at full speed, lie at anchor, or pass each other at all points, while in the
restricted channel the position and speed of ships must conform to rigid regulations.
The problem of drainage also admits of a more favorable solution. A low, level
route from Ochoa to the Atlantic would be longer by about 12 miles, and wholly in
excavation. In order to avoid the high ridges and projecting spurs, it must keep
close to the banks of, and be but a little elevated above, the San Juan. The canal
would therefore be in constant danger of destruction-on the south by the river
floods, and on the north by the accumulated drainage of an extensive watershed,
presenting at all points complicated engineering problems of most difficult solution.
By the high-level plan, the largest portion of that watershed is eliminated; and, of
the balance yet affecting the canal, a large area is converted into extensive reser-
voirs, from which the surplus waters cau, without difficulty, be discharged over waste
weirs on the confining ridges into the low valley on the south, and through the
numerous water courses traversing the same into the San Juan.
THE EASTERN DIVIDE CUT.
Proceeding eastward, the route, on leaving the basin, cuts across a narrow neck of
the intervening ridge, which is a spur of the main Cordillera bounding the San Juan
watershed to the north. The topographical conditions here are remarkable and
extremely favorable.
This ridge, as a broad mass of hills, extends on the south to the banks of the river
San Juan, often rising to elevations of 1,500 feet, and on the north it merges into the
main Cordillera; but at the point selected the spur is nearly divided on the west by
170
NICARAGUA CANAL.
the valley of the Chanchos and Limpio, and on the cast by that of the Deseado. It
will be observed that the axes of these two valleys lie on a generally direct line
between Ochoa and Greytown, and that their floors are at about the same level.
The ridge is thus greatly contracted; and here is also the lowest gap in the range
for many miles on either flank, its highest point being about 299 feet above sea level.
The cut through this pass will be 2.91 miles long, with an average depth to the canal
bottom of 141 feet; but at one point projecting a spur must be severed that requires
a maximum depth of cut of 328 feet. The summit or lake level is carried through
this excavation and 3.08 miles beyond into the valley of the Deseado.
THE DESEADO.
At this point the valley is spanned by a dam 70 feet high and 1,050 feet long, which,
together with several small embankments in the gaps of the ridge, aggregating in
length 5,800 feet and having an average height of 20 feet, incloses a basin over 3
miles long, in which a depth of from 30 to 70 feet is obtained without excavation for
a distance of 2.60 miles. The summit level, therefore, stretches from the upper lock
on the Pacific slope to this point, a total distance of 154 miles, or from within 24 miles
of the Pacific to within 12 miles of the Atlantic.
The upper lock in the eastern slope is located close to this dam. It will drop the
level, 45 feet, into another basin formed by a second dam, 43 feet high and 820 feet
long, and five embankments with total lengths of 1,763 feet by about 20 feet high, to
close depressions in the confining ridges. The length of this basin is 1.95 miles, the
water level 61 feet above datum, and the depth 30 feet or over. By Lock No. 2,
at the lower end of the second basin, the water level is again lowered 30 feet into a
third basin extending for a distance of 1.25 miles to Lock No. 1. By connecting this
last lock with the flanking hills by ten small embankments, the lower section of the
valley is partially flooded and the excavation materially reduced thereby. Lock
No. 1 drops the canal 31 feet to sea level. From this point to the harbor of Greytown
(San Juan del Norte), a distance of 9.30 miles, the canal traverses an alluvial sandy
and swampy plain, but little elevated above the sea, with no features deserving
special mention.
THE PORT OF GREYTOWN.
The harbor of Greytown some thirty years ago was yet a good and safe port, with
an inner bay of about 500 acres area, with from 20 to 30 feet of water inclosed from
the sea by a narrow sand spit extending from the main shore on the east to within a
few hundred feet of the mainland to the west. The westerly advance of the spit
by the shifting sand, under the influence of the northeast winds and waves, had been
gradually contracting the entrance for a long period, so that at the time referred to
the channel was already quite narrow, with but 25 feet depth of water opposite the
extremity of the spit or "hook." Nothing being done to check its progress, the spit
continued to encroach upon the inlet, and about 1860 the harbor became a lagoon,
separated by a narrow sand bank from the sea. After long-continued observations
and investigations, and due consideration of experience gained elsewhere in analo-
gous conditions, the following plan has been adopted for the restoration of the
harbor:
To build a jetty, perpendicularly to the shore line, projecting seaward about 3,000
feet to the 6-fathom curve, and dredging under the lee of this breakwater an entrance
into the lagoon, which will also be deepened over an area of 200 acres to the uniform
depth of 30 feet. The shifting sands, arrested by the jetty, will gather in the east
angle formed by it and the coast, will cause a gradual advance seaward of the new
shore line, and in the course of time shoaling at the end of the pier, with tendency
to move around and form a new bank across the entrance. This can be avoided by
short extensions of the jetty from time to time as may be required, until the new
coast line on the east becomes, in its general direction, perpendicular to the prevail-
ing northeast winds. No further change on the coast need then be apprehended,
and the permanent restoration of the harbor will be accomplished.
The breakwater is to be built of "pierre perdue," the stone to be brought by rail
from the Divide Cut. But in order to start the work, pending the construction of
the railroad as far as the Divide, and the beginning of active operations there, it
was decided to build the shore end of the pier of a creosoted timber frame filled with
fascines and rock, or concrete blocks, leaving it to the shifting sands to fill the voids
and form a compact structure. It was expected by this means to afford enough pro-
tection to permit the opening of a sufficient entrance channel, which was impera-
tively demanded for the safe and economical landing of the stores and plant neces-
sary for commencing the main work on the canal. The wisdom of this plan is shown
by the results obtained, surpassing the most sanguine expectations. By the time
the pier had been extended 600 feet into the sea, and without any assistance by
NICARAGUA CANAL.
171
dredging, a channel with 8 feet of water was obtained, and a short time later vessels
drawing 12 to 15 feet of water had no difficulty in entering the inner bay. The
first 1,000 feet of the jetty have already been thus built, and it is expected that the
woodwork will soon be protected by stone from the excavation, and the work thus
made permanent. It is proposed to dredge the entrance channel to a depth of 30
feet, with a bottom width of 500 feet, increasing gradually to the 34-foot curve
opposite the head of the breakwater.
RAINFALL.
The total annual rainfall in Greytown in 1890 was 296.94 inches; in 1891, 214.27
inches, and in 1892, 291.15 inches. The maximum rainfall recorded is about 6 inches
in twenty-four hours. The amount of precipitation decreases rapidly from the
Atlantic coast to Lake Nicaragua. Records kept in 1890 at Greytown and at the
foot of the Eastern Divide, about 10 miles inland, show a decrease of 34 per cent.
Records kept at Rivas, west of Lake Nicaragua and 5 miles from the canal line,
from 1880 to 1889, show a maximum annual rainfall of $7.21 inches in 1886 and a
minimum of 34.54 inches in 1885. Practically no rain falls from November to May
on the west side, while on the Atlantic slope more or less rain falls every month, but
from February to May it is comparatively dry. Ample provision has been made for
the disposal of the surplus water in designing the works.
DRAINAGE.
The problem of disposing of the surplus waters in that portion of the route from
the basin of the San Juan to the lower Deseado will now be considered. The flow of
the San Juan at Ochoa at high flood in both the San Carlos and San Juan has been
found by careful gauging to be 42,000 cubic feet per second. The river is known to
have risen somewhat higher, but, as no gauging was made at the time, the above
figures will be increased by 50 per cent, making the possible maximum flow 63.000
cubic feet per second, of which not less than two-thirds would probably come from
the San Carlos, the upper San Juan not being subject to great alternatives of flow.
The combined basins of the San Francisco region have a watershed of about 65,000
square miles, and assuming a maximum rainfall of 12 inches in twenty-four hours-
about twice the greatest rainfall-there will result a possible discharge of 21,000
cubic feet per second from the San Francisco basins. The watershed of the upper
Deseado Basin is about 12 square miles, which on the above basis will yield a dis-
charge of, say, 4,000 cubic feet per second, making a total of 88,000 cubic feet per
second, for the discharge of which provision must be made. No deduction will be
made on account of consumption in lockage, which may reach 1,500 cubic feet per
second, nor for leakage, which may take up a much larger amount. Considerable
allowance should, however, be made for the new conditions established by the intro-
duction of large reservoirs, which will hold the waters back and regulate their grad-
ual discharge in lieu of rapidly inclined streams fed by precipitous watersheds,
which collect and discharge the rain water almost as fast as it is precipitated. Yet
all these considerations will be for the present kept in reserve as a large margin of
safety.
Provisions will first be made for the discharge of 63,000 cubic feet per secoud from
the basin of the San Juan. In doing so care will be taken to prevent any large dis-
charge at any one point, which is likely to cause serious accidents by undermining
and scouring or undue sudden changes in the level of the water. A large overflow
in the vicinity of a dam will be avoided, and in the San Juan Basin the current
should be directed for its outlet toward the southern end of the San Carlos Basin, or,
at any rate, the water of that river must be excluded from the navigable channel of
the canal as much as possible. This can be done by placing three or four weirs, with
au aggregate length of crest of 1,200 feet, as far south on the eastern confining ridge
as practicable. Their discharge will be led off into the swamps and lagoons imme-
diately to the east of the ridge, and thence by Curena Creek into the San Juan about
5 miles below Ochoa Dam. In this manner the sediment-laden waters of the San
Carlos will be discharged directly, before reaching the San Juan, and the heavy
deposits of silt so excluded from the valley. The crest of the weirs will be placed 18
inches below the crest of the Ochoa Dam, and in ordinary conditions the surplus
waters will escape through these weirs, which will be the lowest outlets.
It is proposed to place the crests of the Ochoa Dam (1,250 feet long) at 105 feet
above datum, or 1 foot below the water level of the canal at that point. The dis-
charge under varying conditions of level will then be approximately as follows:
At normal level, 106 feet...
At 110 feet level
At 111 feet level..
.cubic feet per second.. 2,900
..do.... 32, 000
32,000
...do.... 42, 500
42,500
172
NICARAGUA CANAL.
The crests of the weirs on the ridge will be placed at 103.5 feet above datum, and
their discharge for the total length of 1,200 feet may be estimated as follows:
At normal level..
At 110 feet level
At 111 feet level
cubic feet per second.. 11, 300
do.... 47,700
.do.... 65, 300
The combined discharge over the dam and weirs at normal, 110, and 111 foot levels
will therefore be, respectively, 14,200, 79,900, and 107,800 cubic feet per second; that
is to say, the maximum floods will be discharged before the level of the basin rises 4
feet above normal. In fact, it is unlikely that the level will ever rise nearly to that
height as assumed, as a rise in the San Carlos Basin will have the effect of checking
the flow of the San Juan, and possibly reverse the current temporarily toward the
lake. For the drainage of the San Francisco Basin, three weirs, with a total length
of overflow of 600 feet, will be built on the bordering ridge, so placed as to carry off
the surplus water without producing injurious currents in the basins.
By placing the crests at the uniform level of 104 feet the discharge will be:
At normal level.
At 110 feet level
At 111 feet level
cubic feet per second..
4,100
.do.... 21, 200
.do.... 26,700
In the upper Deseado Basin 300 feet of overflow at 104 foot level will give the fol-
lowing discharges in round numbers:
At normal level.
At 110 feet level
At 111 feet level
.cubic feet per second.. 2,000
....do.... 10, 600
..do.... 13, 300
These provisions are more than ample to meet the maximum requirements in each
of the basins without causing undue current in the short cuts connecting them.
The possible accumulated discharge from the summit level at a given time may
therefore be put down as follows:
At normal level.
At 110 feet level
At 111 feet level
cubic feet per second.. 20, 300
do.... 111, 700
..do.... 147, 800
It may be confidently asserted that the second figures will never be reached, and
that the crest of the Ochoa Dam may be raised above the water level in the San
Juan, and yet the highest floods will not reach the 110-foot contour, the weirs being
ample to so limit it.
Other provisions, however, have been made with the view to aid in construction,
to facilitate repairs, and, as additional precautions, to meet possible contingencies,
especially in the series of embankments in the San Francisco Ridge, which it is frankly
admitted is the weakest feature in the whole route. These safeguards consist of a
guard gate to be placed in the cut connecting the valley of the Machado with Florida
Lagoon, by which the flow of water from the San Juan toward the San Francisco
Basin can be shut off, and two antifriction gate sluices, one in the San Francisco
Ridge and the other in that of the upper Deseado, by which the water in these basins
can be drained off to 30 feet below normal level, thus relieving the embankments of
that pressure during construction and enabling repairs in the cuts and embankments
afterwards.
These sluices have openings of 25 by 20 feet, with the lower sill 30 feet below the
normal level. Their capacity of discharge will vary with the head, being 12,500 cubic
feet per second for each when the water stands at the 106-foot contour.
By these means 25,000 cubic feet per second additional can be drawn from the sum-
mit level, regardless of the lock culverts, through which 4,500 cubic feet per second
more can be spilled.
The middle Deseado Basin will be drained by weirs, with 400 feet length of crest,
which will be 2 feet below ordinary level, and capable of discharging from 2,700 to
14,100 cubic feet per second at 61 and 65-foot levels, respectively.
In the lower basin 500 feet lengths of weir are provided for, the estimated dis-
charge being from 3,400 to 17,000 cubic feet per second, respectively, at normal and
35-foot levels. Beyond the lower basin the surplus waters are diverted by a short
cut into the San Juanillo, and through the latter into the San Juan to the sea.
From Lock No. 1 to the harbor no special provision need be made to drain tho
adjacent country, The canal traverses a swamp with numerous natural drains, and,
being flanked on both sides by high embankments made by the earth spoil, it needs
no additional protection.
།
NICARAGUA CANAL.
173
OTHER CANALS.
It will be interesting to compare the sections first proposed for the Nicaragua
Canal with those of other ship canals existing and proposed:

Suez:
Canal.
Original dimensions, earth
Eularged dimensions, earth
Nicaragua:
Rock section.
Earth section
Do....
Manchester:
Earth section
Rock section.
Amster an, earth section.
Corinth, rock section.
Panama:
Earth section.
Rock section.
North Sea and Baltic, earth
Bruges...
Depth.
Surface Bottom Area of
width. width. | prism.
Length.
Remarks.
Feet.
Feet.
Feet.
Sq.ft.
Miles.
26.20
328
72.2
4, 170
100
27.90
-
328
112.9
5, 412
SExisting.
Enlarging.
*** **** Nang
184
80
2,400
7.8
184
80
3, 960
9.7 Proposed.
288
120
5, 212
9.3
172
120
3,796
35
130
120
3,250
Nearly completed.
186
88.5
3, 156
15.5 Existing.
77.4
72.2
1, 945
4
Nearly completed.
27.80
160
72.2
3,227
47
29.50
91.8
78.7
2,513
Proposed.
28
26.26
197
85
3,930
60
Constructing.
223
65. 6
3,789
6.5
Proposed.
N. B. The dimensions given are taken at mean low water.
The Suez Canal cost $100,000,000, and in 1883 passed 3,307 vessels, with net ton-
rage of 5,775,861 tons, before its enlargement was undertaken. This was accom-
plished, notwithstanding the fact that the channel was so narrow that sidings had
to be constructed into which one vessel had to be placed while another was passing.
In the Nicaragua Canal the narrow rock sections are divided into two and the east
sections into many short lengths, separated by broad and deep basins, through which
the largest vessels can steam and meet others without slacking speed.
It was originally planned that some sections of the canal in earth would be 80 feet in
bottom width, with side slopes of 1 to 1 and in the rock cuts with vertical sides. This
would accommodate the traffic for several years, and then the areas in cross section
could be increased out of the earnings, as at Suez, but at a greater ultimate cost.
It has been decided to make provision in the designs for the ultimate requirements,
and the following table shows the length of the different sections of the canal in
excavation in the lake, the river San Juan, and through the basins, and also the
dimensions of prism for the same as now proposed:
Canal in excavation:
East sido
West side...
Six locks, both sides
Basins of the Deseado..
Basin of the San Francisco..
Basin of Tola
•
River San Juan
Lake Nicaragua.
Longth (miles).
Remarks.

14.870
11.160
.759
26.789
Total canal in excavation.
4.848
11.267
5.504
21.619
Total length of basins.
64, 540
56.500
121.040
From the Atlantic to the Pacific.
169.448 Total length of route.
The dimensions of the canal in excavation in the several sections are as follows:

Width.
Length.
Depth. Slope.
Top. Bottom.
Area of
prism.
Miles.
Feet. Feet. Feet.
From Greytown to Lock No. 1..
Sq.fet.
9.297
288
120
28
3 to 1
From Lock No. 1 to Eastern Divide Cut...
5,712
1.423
210
120
30
Eastern Divide Cut..
13 to 1
4,950
2.917
100
100
30
0
3,000
In eastern San Francisco Basin
1.233
210
120
30
1 to 1
4,950
From lake to Western Divide Cut..
1.565
210
120
30 1 to 1
4,950
Western Divide Cut….
4. 294
100
100
30
0
Western Divide Cut to Tola Basin..
3,000
2.519
210
120
30 1 to 1
4,950
Lock No. 5 to Lock No. 6..
1.582
210
120
30
Lock No. 6 to Brito Harbor
River San Juan where dredged
Lake where dredged..
* Variable.
1 to 1
4,950
.570
(*)
30
2 to 1
(*)
27.500
125
128
(1)
14.250
150
30
(4)
(±)
† Mean.
t Undetermined.
174
NICARAGUA CANAL.
THE EXCAVATIONS.
The character of the material to be removed, both wet and dry, has been accu-
rately determined on the whole route by numerous borings penetrating to the bottom
of the canal and on the site of the dams, embankments, and locks, to the depth
required to ascertain in each case the nature of the foundations. In the harbor of
Greytown and its approaches clean, sharp sand is the only material met with. From
the harbor to Lock No. 1 and through Benard Lagoon the materials are sand and
sandy clay, underlying a thin, loamy stratum and decomposed organic matter, and
from the lagoon to the lower lock, stiff clay. The harbor and this sea-level portion
of the canal will be made with the floating dredge. Slopes of 3 horizontal to 1 ver-
tical have been allowed in the estimates; but past experience gained in dredging by
the company in the first mile of canal shows that the material stands perfectly for
several months at a much less inclination, and in the excavation for the railroad
through the stiff, tenacious clay predominating in this region the material stands
nearly vertical. However, slopes of 1 to 1 have been estimated for. From the
lower lock to the Divide Cut this hard clay, with occasional bowlders, is the only
material found by the boring tool on the axis of the canal throughout, and also at
the site of the three locks and the embankment. This clay is impervious to water,
and has a large sustaining power, so that no apprehension is felt as to the character
of the foundations. In the deep cut the geological formation is clay, overlying
solid volcanic rock. (See geological profile.) Diamond-drill borings have been
taken along the whole length of the cut to the bottom of the canal at intervals of
about 1,000 feet; and the cores brought up settle beyond doubt the character of the
material to be removed, and dispel all apprehension that this cut might be a repeti-
tion of the disastrous experience in the great Culebra cut at Panama. The slope
allowed in clay is 1 to 1 and in rock to I to the level of the water, and below that
point vertical. In fact, there is no good reason why the whole rock excavation
should not be made with vertical sides. In the Corinth Canal, where the excavation
is longer and deeper and the rock less homogeneous and softer, a slope of to 1 has
been carried down to the water level, and the sides do not crumble or slide. From
the Divide to Ochoa homogeneous clay has been found at all points; and, as shown
in the preceding table, the standard section in soft material has been adopted through-
out. At the site of the Ochoa Dam gravel, clay, and rock, in the order named, are
shown by the borings.
EMBANKMENTS AND DAMS.
The embankments in the valleys and on the crest of the confining ridges are pro-
posed to be made water-tight of the clay, which is of excellent quality for this pur-
pose, prevailing everywhere in those hills and valleys, but taken principally from
the excavations. The embankments rise 8 feet above the water surface, with top
widths of 12 feet if not over 8 feet high, 15 feet if not over 15 feet in height, and 20
feet for heights above 15 feet. Water slope, 3 to 1; dry slope, 2 to 1. Top and water
slopes to be paved with 2 feet of well-laid stones. Of these embankments, two in the
valley of the Deseado and six in the San Francisco Basin, will be of considerable
height, especially the latter, as the surface earth will be removed to form depths so
as to insure a solid and secure foundation.
The maximum water pressure against the Deseado dams will be 45 feet, and in the
San Francisco but little more than 60 feet, as water always lies on the surface, or but
little below it, in the valleys. These embankments, intended to impound so large a
volume of water, are important works, and in their construction sound judgment and
great care must be exercised; but they present no more serious difficulties than have
already been successfully met at many other localities. In a paper like this details
of construction, which belong entirely to the specifications for the works, can not be
treated at length; but it may be proper to remark that with good bottom to build
upon and excellent material of construction and with proper execution, no apprehen-
sion need be felt for the safety of works. The small embankments are numerous, it
is true, but they deserve no special mention. They constitute a number of such ordi-
nary jobs as the practical engineer is constantly called upon to handle.
The Ochoa and Tola dams are the keys controlling this great problem at the east
and west ends of the summit level, and should not be passed without special notice,
particularly so the former, in which a novel method of construction is contemplated.
This work has been for years the subject of long study and careful consideration.
The diversion of the river San Juan is well nigh impossible, and construction by the
nsual methods, with either cut stone or concrete, of so important a work in opposition
to the mighty power of the stream is a problem involving the most serious difficulties.
It was at first proposed to build a stone dam upon a series of arches supported by tiers
starting from the foundation, through which the river waters could flow freely during
the construction of the main part of the structure, these openings to be closed by
gates in the upper side when the upper part of the dam, its approaches and aprons,
NICARAGUA CANAL.
175
were completed, and then to be filled with masonry from the lower side while the
water was rising in the basin. This was, perhaps, as a practical solution, probably
the best under the circumstances for that style of dam, but its execution would be
tedious, difficult, and expensive, and there was to be always present an element of
doubt not easy to eliminate as to the final success. The building of the foundations
and pilaster for the support of the arches in constant contention with the whole river
would be a most difficult undertaking, in which the items of time and cost would
remain unknown quantities to its completion. Another idea has since been suggested,
which seems to embody simplicity, economy, and safety. It consists in dumping from
an aerial suspension conveyor large and small material, properly assorted, across the
river from bank to bank until a barrier is created sufficiently high and strong to arrest
the flow and hold the waters at the required level, the body of the dam to be made
up of large blocks of stone, weighing from 1 to 10 tons, and smaller material to fill
the voids. Its base will be quite broad, as compared with the height, probably from
400 to 500 feet between the foot of the upstream slope and the end of the apron. The
top is estimated 30 feet wide, the rock upstream slope 1 to 1, and the apron or down-
scream slope 4 to 1, with the lower portion flattening down to 5 or 6 to 1.
On the upstream side small material, such as stone, fragments of gravel, clay, etc.,
selected as circumstances may require, will be deposited as the work advances, in
sufficient quantity, as tight as wanted. It is not expected or even desirable to have
a water-tight structure, the object sought being simply to oppose such an obstruction
to the river as may be necessary to hold the waters at the required level. The mini-
mum flow of the river is about ten times the water needed for working the canal.
Consequently, nine-tenths of it can be wasted with advantage. That the dam will
eventually become tight there can be no doubt, as the small drifts and detritus
forced in by the current will gradually fill the voids and consolidate the structure.
The method of construction will be quite simple. After protecting the abutments
against possible erosion, large pieces of rock will be dumped in the bed of the stream
from three or four cableways spanning the valley. The material should be distrib-
uted uniformly over the area under the main portion of the dam, commencing
upstream, and keeping up, as nearly as possible, an even level. Scouring will soon
cause settling of the blocks into firmer soil, the upper level in the meantime being
constantly raised by depositing more stone, while the small material is being forced
by the current into the voids, and the overflow dislodging and rearranging the unsta-
ble blocks until they reach a final resting place. This process to be continued until
the resistance at the bottom becomes so great as to check scouring due to maximum
pressure, when the dam will be carried up to the desired level. The river, in the
meantime running over the mound, will readjust the material in and adapt the
apron to the necessary conditions of stability to withstand the effect of the fall and
carry off the water safely. If the dam is then raised so as to shut off a whole or the
largest part of the river flow, which can by that time be discharged over the waste
weirs, the structure will be permanent. If the river is not able to prevent the com-
pletion of this work, having, on the contrary, greatly contributed to its construction
by a better distribution and consolidation of the material, now that the waters are
diverted to another outlet, no fear need be entertained as to injury from that source.
There may be some settlement and final readjustment of the component parts for
some time after completion, but that can be easily remedied by depositing more
material where needed. It is believed that this dam will be safer, as it is by far
more economical, than a stone dam. An earthquake might cause serious damage to
a masonry dam, but it can do no harm to this. On the contrary, it may add to its
consolidation by bringing the parts in closer contact. There are no cemented joints
to be opened, and a seismic disturbance would have a tendency to compact rather
than to disintegrate the large mass. The rock for the dam will be brought by rail
from the Divide, and delivered immediately under the wire cables, each one of which
will be capable of handling and depositing about 1,000 tons in ten hours. Conse-
quently, the work can be completed in from four to five years, and, if need be, in
less time.
DEEPENING THE RIVER BED.
Another work of some magnitude is rock blasting under water at Castillo and
Toro Rapids, amounting to about 400,000 cubic yards, the quantity to be determined
by the side slopes found necessary. This work can be more ecomically done before
the water is raised to the assumed summit level, but not before the lower section of
the river has been raised by the Ochoa Dam to the level of the upper rapids. Other-
wise, the excavation in the upper rock ledge might cause an undue fall in the lake
level, which would greatly interfere with navigation and the progress of the works
in river and lake. This work presents no unusual difficulties, and the estimated
cost of $5 per cubic yard will more than cover the cost. Above Toro Rapids dredg-
ing will be needed in the bed of the river for about 24 miles. The average depth is
4 feet. The material is mud, clay, silt, and some loose bowlders.
176
NICARAGUA CANAL.
LAKE DREDGING AND PIERS.
At the east side of the lake dredging will be needed for about 14 miles from the
outlet. The material is soft mud. The bottom width of the navigable channel here
proposed is 150 feet, and the slopes three to one. That side of the lake being shel-
tered from the prevailing northeast winds, no provisions are needed to protect the
channel.
On the west side rock excavation in the lake, amounting to 176,000 cubic yards, is
estimated for, also at $5 per cubic yard. This shore of the lake is exposed to the
prevailing winds and waves, and the canal entrance must be protected by two piers
projecting to deep water in the lake. They are proposed of crib, for which the
native hard wood is admirably suited, and ought to be filled with stone from the
excavations.
THE WESTERN DIVIDE.
From the lake shore to the Tola Basin the excavation is in rock and clay, rock
predominating through the Divide and clay in the valley of the Grande. Borings
have been made from the bottom of the canal all the way to the sea, and the amount
and character of the material to be removed accurately ascertained. From the basin
to Lock No. 6 clay is the material met with, and in the harbor area principally sand,
with some mud and clay in the upper section.
THE LA FLOR DAM.
Numerous deep borings have been lately made at the site of La Flor Dam, the
results showing the solid rock ledge to lie much deeper than the first earth auger
borings indicated, and that the original plans for that work must be materially
modified to adapt them to existing conditions.
It was contemplated to build this dam of rock fill, on the same principle adopted
at Ochoa; but the great depths of soft earth overlying the rock ledge, reaching in
places to 96 feet below the valley, renders that plan inapplicable to this case, espe-
cially as here, nnlike the San Juan, there is no large flow of water to assist in scour-
ing the soft soil and in consolidating the fill. A dam with solid masonry core and
earth slope is now proposed, spanning the valley with a length of about 2,000 feet,
an extreme depth for 1,000 feet length of 170 feet from crest to foundation of core, of
which 70 feet will be above ground, and in addition to core walls aggregating about
500 feet in length, penetrating the abutment hills to the rock ledge. Locks Nos. 4
and 5 will also rest in this bed of rock, forming part of the dam abutment, and con-
necting with the core wall at its western end. A waste weir, about 300 feet long,
will be cut on the east side for the discharge of surplus water into the lower bed of
the Grande. All this comprises a very important piece of work; but with good
rock foundations and suitable material at hand, although its cost will be propor-
tional to the magnitude of the enterprise, there is nothing to intimate serious engi-
neering obstacles. Concrete will be used for the core walls and locks, the rock to be
obtained from the Divide Cut. The earth for the puddle fillings and embankments
can be had from the canal excavation or from the valley in the vicinity of the works.
THE LOCKS.
The locks are to be 650 feet long by 80 feet wide in the chamber. The lifts, as now
proposed, will vary from 30 to 45 feet; and a change is under consideration by which
the lift of Lock No. 3 may be reduced to 40 feet and that of No. 2 increased from 30
to 35 feet. These high-lift locks must not be regarded as necessary features of the
project imposed by existing conditions. The gradual descent of the Pacific and
Atlantic slopes to sea level after leaving the Divide Cuts, combined with the highly
favorable topography of the country traversed by the canal, present many admira-
ble sites for locks, the number of which could be so increased as to greatly diminish
all the lifts. Such a plan, however, is not regarded as the best with a view to
economy in original construction and future maintenance, or in facility to the traffic
through the canal. Of course, the matter of safety is of first consideration; but,
with the exercise of proper care and engineering skill, the plans proposed can be
successfully carried out. In the proposed plan for a lock canal at Panama, lifts of
36 feet, with a possible maximum of 46 feet at high water, were adopted by the com-
mission; but we can not recall any ship-canal lock in actual operation with lifts
approaching these figures. Yet, in working out the problem, the mechanical details,
although necessarily of large proportions, have not so far developed any insur-
mountable difficulties, either in construction or manipulation afterwards. The body
of the lock is to be of concrete, with cut stones in the miter sills, the hollow quoins,
and such angles as need protection from shocks, The gates will be of steel, to be
NICARAGUA CANAL.
177
manipulated by hydraulic machinery, of which we have an admirable example at
the St. Marys Falls Canal, where a lock 519 feet long by 80 feet wide, and a lift of
18 feet, is filled in 11 minutes and emptied in 8 minutes, the time consumed in open-
ing or closing the gates more than 40 feet high being but 14 minutes. Another lock
800 feet long and 100 feet wide, with 21 feet minimum depth of water over the miter
sill, is here under construction, and the time of filling and emptying the chamber
will be shortened by enlarging the size of the culverts.
TIME OF LOCKAGE.
The traffic passing through the canal will be limited by the time required for a
vessel to pass a lock. In the St. Marys Falls Canal vessels of over 3,000 tons capac-
ity are put through the lock inside of 20 minutes; and the writer has seen the
whole operation of opening the lower gates, entrance of the steamer, filling the
chamber, opening the upper gates, and exit of the vessel from the lock, inside of 19
minutes. In the Nicaragua Canal the operation of filling the lock and handling the
gates will consume no more time, yet 45 minutes have been estimated as the average
required for lockage. On that basis, and allowing but one vessel in each operation,
the number that can pass the canal in one day is 32, or in one year 11,680. At the
average tonnage of vessels using the Suez Canal, these would supply an aggregate
of 20,440,000 tons. The traffic through the St. Marys Falls Canal lock in seven
months in 1891 was nearly 9,000,000 tons, and in the same time in 1892 it exceeded
11,000,000 tons, or at the rate of 19,000,000 tons annually; and the maximum capacity
of the lock has not yet been reached. The vessels taking the Nicaragua route will
be much larger than those upon the Great Lakes, and the tonnage per lockage will,
consequently, be proportionately greater. For this reason a single system of locks
has been proposed at the start; and, when the business requires it, parallel locks can
be built and the capacity of the canal doubled. Attention is called to the impor-
tant feature of having all the locks connected with large basins, which will greatly
facilitate the movement and allow the withdrawal of a large volume of water in a
short time without injurious current or marked fluctuations of level in the basins.
The question of water supply needs but a passing reference, the maximum amount
required for the 32 lockages, on the improbable basis of 1 lock full for each oper-
ation, namely, 127,400,000 cubic feet, being but one-tenth of the minimum daily
discharge of the lake.
TIME OF TRANSIT.
In estimating the time of transit from ocean to ocean, the speed in the excavated
sections of the canal has been limited to 5 miles an hour, although in the Suez Canal
steamers of 6,000 tons are allowed to move at 6 miles an hour and smaller vessels
proceed at the rate of 7 or 8 miles an hour. In the lake and in the greater part of
the river San Juan vessels can travel with unrestricted speed, hence:
Estimated time of through transit by steamers.
26.030 miles of canal, at 5 miles an hour..
21.619 miles in basins, at 7 miles an hour..
61.540 miles river San Juan, at 8 miles an hour
56.500 miles in lake, at 10 miles an hour.
Six lockages, at 45 minutes each....
Allow for detentions
Total time of transit.....
TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES.
h. m.
5 12
3 05
8 04
5 39
4 30
1 30
28 00
Railroad lines have been projected from Greytown to the river San Juan at Ochoa,
a distance of 37 miles, and from the lake to Brito, 18 miles. Of the former distance
12 miles are already finished, from Greytown toward the Divide, and are now in
excellent condition and in operation in connection with the canal works.
As soon
as the rock is reached, the road will be extended across the Greytown Lagoon to the
breakwater at the harbor entrance, upon which the rock from the excavation will
be brought and dumped directly, as at Galveston, Tex.
PERIOD FOR CONSTRUCTION.
The time in which the canal can be finished will be controlled by the time needed
to complete those important works without which the traffic can not be established.
It has been pointed out that the Ochoa Dam can be finished in four or five years.
H. Doc. 279—12
178
NICARAGUA CANAL.
The Tola Dam, the locks, and the harbors can also be done in that time. The West-
ern Divide Cut contains about 11,000,000 cubic yards of rock and earth; but the
excavation is about 9 miles long, and the greatest depth but 72 feet, consequently
this work is of lesser magnitude than the Eastern Divide, in which a probable total
of 12,000,000 yards will have to be extracted and removed from a trench less than 3
miles long at an average depth of 141 feet. It is, therefore, to this latter work that
we will have to look for a limitation in estimating the time in which the whole
route can be opened to the world's traffic. On the basis of 12,000,000 cubic yards,
of which two-thirds will be rock, assuming six years' continuous work, at the rate
of ten hours a day, there will be an output of 6,700 cubic yards per day. This amount
of material can be lifted and landed on the cars by 22 overhead wire cables at the
moderate rate of 300 cubic yards each per day, and can be hauled to the dump or
place of destination by 112 train loads of but 120 tons each, or, say, 11 train loads
an hour.
About one-eighth of this will go as far as Ochoa, for the construction of
the dam, and about the same amount for the breakwaters and the locks Nos. 1, 2,
and 3. Of the balance, one-half will probably be needed for the embankments in
the valleys of the Deseado and San Francisco; and the rest can be deposited in the
vicinity of the excavation, but a few hundred yards away. Allowing for repairs,
accidents, and other unavoidable delays, it may be estimated that a plant comprising
30 cableways, with attachment and machinery, 50 locomotives, and 1,000 cars will
be ample for this work. The above would be a rather heavy traffic to handle, if
sent out over the main line, but, distributed as suggested above, with a large por-
tion of it sent off on spur tracks from both sides of the 3 miles of excavations, to be
deposited in the numerous ravines and valleys in the vicinity of the work, it does
not look unmanageable. But, if need be, work can be carried on without interrup-
tion by the aid of electric lights. Therefore, as regards the disposition of material,
six years seem to be ample; and as to the work of digging and blasting, it will be
admitted that the mind capable of organizing and carrying out the former will have
no difficulty in mastering the latter. Consequently, the previous estimate that the
canal can be completed in six years after the works are fairly started is adhered to.
On one section 23 miles one way of the Manchester Canal, now under construction,
the contractor has taken out for two or three months continuously at the rate of
20,000 tons per day in one shift of nine hours. This includes ballasting, loading in
wagons, hauling, and depositing. The plant employed consists of 59 locomotives
and 1,400 wagons.
The contractor has been much restricted and embarrassed in his
operations by limited dumping grounds, which would not be the case in Nicaragua.
ESTIMATES.
In estimating the cost of the canal, the following prices per cubic yard have been
adopted: Dredging, 20 cents and 30 cents; excavation in earth, 40 cents; excavation
in rock, $1.50 and $1.25; excavation under water, $5; embankments, 40 to 70 cents;
concrete, $6 to $10; rock fill, 50 cents; breakwater, pierre perdue, $1.50; grubbing
and clearing, $100 per acre; railroads, $60,000 and $25,000 per mile; telegraph, $600
per mile. The total cost of the canal is estimated at $65,000,000, inclusive of 25 per
cent for contingencies, but exclusive of interest, commissions, and other charges not
coming under the cognizance of the engineer, and on the basis that the work will be
prosecuted with vigor along the whole line and without intermission.
APPENDIX L.
NICARAGUA CANAL CONSTRUCTION COMPANY.
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF CONSULTING ENGINEERS, MAY 9, 1889.
To the Nicaragua Canal Construction Company.
GENTLEMEN: The undersigned were requested by your letter of January 10, 1889,
to examine the plans and estimates prepared by your chief engineer, Mr. A. G.
Menocal, for a ship canal between the two oceans at Nicaragua, and to indicate the
cost, in their judgment, of constructing a canal along the line proposed and follow-
ing, in general, the plans of your chief engineer. You also requested an opinion
upon the practicability of the canal as now proposed, with due reference to the end
in view, namely, the safe and convenient passage of seagoing ships from ocean to
ocean. We beg to present the following report:
We have carefully examined the unusually full maps, profiles, borings, samples of
materials, etc., which have been prepared and collected under the directions of your
chief engineer, and the completeness and excellent form of which reflect credit upon
your engineering staff.
We find certain elements of the designs submitted which may probably be advan-
tageously modified. This would, in some cases, reduce, and in others increase, the
quantities. It is also altogether likely that some parts of the work may be let at
lower, and other parts at higher prices than are estimated. We, however, are dis-
posed to base our conclusions on quantities and prices which should prove sufficient
to accomplish it upon the assumption of good and honest management, backed by
an ample treasury. We have necessarily borne in mind the fact that the cost of the
notable precursors of this canal project, both at Suez and Panama, has greatly
exceeded the amount of the original estimates, and that this has been true of many
other important works. While this might be, perhaps in a large measure traced to
unfortunate management as well as the lack of such careful preliminary studies as
have been laid before us in this case, we have nevertheless endeavored to guard
against a similar result by a liberal allowance for every apparent contingency.
Acting on this principle, we have not deemed it wise to reduce the quantities or
prices of your chief engineer's estimates in any instance, even when it appeared
possible that this might prudently be done. His figures are, of course, founded
upon a better knowledge of the local conditions than we can now possess. But to
the extent to which it has appeared at all doubtful we have liberally increased one
or both. Our conclusions are as follows:
The project, as a whole, appears to have comparatively few elements of doubt
about it, as contrasted with other works of at all similar magnitude, and we con-
sider it to be unquestionably feasible. The great area of Lake Nicaragua offers
immunity from serious floods by regulating flow. Much of the earth excavation
and dredging, the rock drilling, and the concrete mixing can be done by mechanical
means, to that extent reducing the need of manual labor. The dams and embank-
ments are proposed to be made largely from the immense mass of otherwise useless
rock spoil. Under the climatic conditions, as we understand them, an adequate sup-
ply of labor should be obtainable. The project in detail consists of the following
elements:
First. Of 10 miles on the east end and 0.57 mile on the west end of sea-level canal
dredged in from the coast. The borings submitted seem to warrant the opinion that
this will be entirely through alluvial deposits, as is also the case in certain parallel
river diversions. The samples of material taken from these borings all appear
favorable for dredging, and the cost of such dredging can be foreseen with the
greater precision, because less influenced by climate, weather, and rates of wages
than most other engineering work.
Second. Of a flight of three locks on each end, all within a distance of about 14
miles at one end and 2 miles at the other, by which the ascent is made from the sea
179
180
NICARAGUA CANAL.
level to the summit level of 110 feet (this elevation being some 4 feet less on the
eastern end to allow for a necessary fall of three-fourths of an inch per mile in the
San Juan River). These locks are shown by the borings submitted to be all founded
on rock. The proposed size for locks, 650 by 70 by 30 feet deep, seems sufficient for
all demands.
Third. Of a very long summit level of 155.98 miles, consisting of four main parts:
(a) The great Divide cuts of 3 and 8 miles in length, respectively, which are shown
by the evidence submitted, to consist chiefly of rock, overlaid with a few feet of
earth.
(b) The Deseado, San Francisco, Machado, and Tola basins formed by dams, fur-
nish 21.57 miles of slack-water navigation, 18.13 miles of which require no excava-
tion, and the remaining 3.44 miles earth dredging only.
(c) The river San Juan, raised in level by a dam at Ochoa so as to furnish slack-
water navigation, and Lake Nicaragua furnish, together, 121 miles of free naviga-
tion, of which 36.5 miles require some earth dredging, and 3.83 miles some rock
dredging.
(d) An inconsiderable amount (1.63 miles) of canal section in earth, chiefly to
connect the San Francisco and Machado basins.
The two great rock cuts are by far the heaviest features of the work. In consider-
ing the plans for them and determining the proper amount and cost of work we have
felt that every provision should be made to secure permanent slopes and to provide
a section suitable for any vessels which can pass the locks. We think that the esti-
mates, as modified by us, will secure these results.
The four great basins present a most admirable feature of the plans. As compared
with a restricted canal channel, they facilitate navigation as well as reduce the cost.
They are made, as is also the slack-water navigation of the San Juan River, by dams
and embankments of considerable extent, none, however, of very great height.
The plans submitted provide for forming these dams and embankments chiefly of
heavy rock filling, the proximity of the great rock cuts (from which material must
otherwise be wasted) to the sites of these dams and embankments facilitating their
permanent construction at moderate cost. While we are not ready to say that the
details of the plans submitted may not be, in some respects, modified, we regard the
estimates adopted as sufficient to attain the results desired, subject to the following
contingency:
There is the possible hazard in respect to the San Francisco and other basins, that
they may not prove sufficiently retentive, owing either to leakage around the ends
or under the bases of the dam and embankments, or to concealed permeable strata
beneath the natural surface. We deem this a remote danger, since both the surface
and subterranean formations, so far as revealed by borings and by the reports of the
observations of reliable men familiar with the locality, are favorable.
For a work of ordinary magnitude we would accept such evidence as ample, but
in view of the great area and volume of the basins, we agree that the possibility
ought to be covered by the estimate. The probability is great that there are no
permeable strata beneath the surface; if they exist they might not necessarily causo
leakage, and even if leakage resulted, it would not necessarily do serious harm.
Concentrated leakage, if it occurred, might possibly be remedied, and, if it should
develop at all, would be likely to occur at an early stage of the work of construc-
tion. The worst result to be feared is that it might impel a modification of the
original features of the project enforcing a lowering of the water level at certain
points, and at an additional cost of about $7,000,000. Under the circumstances, we,
out of abundant caution, have deemed it wise and right to make the general con-
tingency of allowance ($14,633,262) largo enough, in our opinion, to cover this
amount.
The requisite depth in the San Juan River and in Lake Nicaragua is obtained by
a considerable amount of dredging, largely of earth, but also with an amount of
rock blasting under water, the precise extent and cost of which it is exceptionally
difficult to foresee. We have therefore made an allowance for this work.
We have included in the estimates the sum of $1,035,000 for the diversion of the
Rio Grande, as it seems proper to provide for the possible necessity of the diversion
of this important stream from the canal. We have also included in the estimate
the amount named by the chief engineer for the work that may be necessary in the
valley of the San Carlos and in the construction of the canal between Lake Managua
and Lake Nicaragua, this construction being a requirement of the concession.
The estimates for the harbor improvements at Brito and Greytown we leave
unchanged. It appears probable that the amounts estimated may prove ample for
all requirements other than gradual enlargement of basin areas, but whether so or
not (and it is always extremely difficult to anticipate with certainty what may be
the ultimate requirements for work of this class), we do not see the necessity in this
work, as we do in the canal proper, for the endeavor to provide at the outset for all
future demands of commerce. Sufficient expenditure prior to the opening of the
NICARAGUA CANAL.
181
canal to meet reasonable requirements for the first year or two after opening is all
that we have taken into consideration in our estimates. The canal once opened,
adequate harbors can certainly be provided at a moderate percentage on the total
cost of the canal, even should the sum herein estimated for harbors and coutin-
gencies prove insufficient. We must not be understood as implying by this state-
ment, however, that we now see reason to fear that the present estimate for harbor
work will probably prove inadequate. Such is not the fact.
It may not be regarded as improper to mention also that while the cuts, locks,
dams, etc., should be completed for the full depths at the outset, something like one-
fifth of the total amount of the estimate is for dredging and earth excavation under
water, which is not required to afford 20 feet draft, and which can be completed with
little or no disadvantage after the canal has been so far constructed as to pass vessels
of that draft, making it possible-if found advisable to open the canal for 20 feet
draft for about four-fifths of the final cost.
Our estimate, which is intended to represent the maximum sum which the canal
ought to cost, assuming, as aforesaid, integrity, good management, and no interrup-
tion of work from financial or other causes, is as follows:
Auxiliary railways, double track, standard gauge, from Divide Cut east to
Greytown, and from Divide Cut west to Ochoa Dam, 20 miles, and tele-
graph, temporary and permanent systems...
Same on Pacific sìope, Rio Lajas to Brito, 18 miles.
Harbor works:
Greytown.
Brito..
Eastern division:
Section 1, from Greytown to the Divide.
Section 2, the Eastern Divide..
Locks Nos. 1, 2, and 3..
Diversion of the Deseado and San Juanillo.
San Francisco division.
Lake and river division:
Rio San Juan..
Lake Nicaragua
Dam at Ochoa.
Western division:
From Lake Nicaragua to the Pacific.
Diversion of Rio Lajas.
La Flor Dam...
$1, 110, 000
459,000
1,569, 000
$2,550, 667
1, 720, 128
4, 270, 795
Auxiliary work-guard gates in Divide, piers at lake, bridges, etc....
Embankments and weirs in the valley of the San Carlos, and canal
5, 298, 527
18, 3:3, 639
4, 195, 828
982, 016
5, 411, 551
3,685, 701
2, 211, 825
726, 137
12, 133, 849
346, 786
577,520
3,899, 116
100,000
1, 139, 018
Locks 4, 5, and 6 and guard gates.
Right of way indemnity.
between Lakes Managua and Nicaragua.
Diversion of the Rio Grande..
1,000,000
1,035, 000
For engineering management, labor agencies, shops, police, sanitary
service, and incidentals..
6, 250,000
Add to cover specified and unspecified contingencies of construction, 20
per cent
73, 166, 308
14, 633, 262
Grand total of estimate.....
87, 799, 570
In conclusion, we think it proper to express our opinion that the exploration and
studies of the region have been sufficient to warrant the conclusion that, unless hin-
dered by obstacles or sinister influences such as would, if permitted to weigh, forbid
the success of all veutures, this enterprise is full of promise.
Respectfully,
JOHN BOGART.
E. T. D. MYERS.
A. M. WELLINGTON.
H. A. HITCHCOCK.
I concur in the foregoing estimates as being in the aggregate ample for the pur-
poses stated.
MAY 9, 1889.
CHAS. T. HARVEY,
APPENDIX M.
SPECIFICATIONS FOR DREDGING REQUIRED IN THE NICARAGUA
CANAL AND ITS TERMINAL HARBORS.
The dredging required to be done in the whole canal, including the terminal har-
bors, the river San Juan and Lake Nicaragua, is divided as follows:
(1) Harbor of San Juan del Norte (Greytown).
(2) Section of canal from San Juan del Norte to Lock No. 1.
(3) River San Juan.
(4) Lake Nicaragua.
(5) Harbor of Brito and section of canal from harbor to Lock No. 6.
(1) HARBOR OF SAN JUAN DEL NORTE (GREYTOWN).
The plan for the restoration of the harbor of San Juan del Norte involves—
(a) The construction of a breakwater or jetty, 2,000 feet long, nearly normal to
the seashore and extending to the 5-fathom curve.
(b) Dredging from this latter depth offshore to and across the sand bank closing
the harbor.
(c) Dredging in the inner bay.
The jetty is located to windward of the excavated entrance channel, which it is
intended to shelter from the sea and protect from the wash of the waves.
The proposed harbor forms a curved oblong figure, with its southern end resting on
the entrance to the canal and its northern end, or sea entrance, contracted to a narrow
throat just outside of the beach, and then enlarged again to the 5-fathom curve.
At the extreme north end of the excavation, or 5-fathom curve, the excavated
channel will have a width of 1,400 feet. This width gradually decreases toward the
narrowest part, or throat, which is 500 feet wide at a point 1,450 feet distant from
the 5-fathom curve, where the excavation begins. From this narrow entrance to the
shore line the distance is 350 feet, and across the sand bank from the seashore line to
the water line in the inner bay about 250 feet, making a total distance of about 2,050
feet from the 5-fathom line to the shore line in the inner bay.
The distance across the inner bay along the sailing line or axis of the harbor, from
shore to shore, is 3,750 feet.
The width of the harbor where it crosses the present southern shore line of Grey-
town Lagoon is 1,300 feet, and the length of the extension of the harbor southwesterly
from this line is 2,400 feet to the end of the regular canal section.
The maximum width of the excavated channel is 2,800 feet on the bottom and the
total length from the 5-fathom line to the canal entrance is 8,200 feet.
All slopes are assumed outside of beach line as 6 horizontal to 1 vertical, and inside
as 3 to 1, extending from the bottom of the excavated basin to the natural bottom
or to the surface of the ground.
The borings taken show the material to be removed to consist of sand, offshore
and across the beach or sand bank, and sand with a slight mixture of clay in the
inner bay. The contractor, however, is expected to examine and decide for himself,
as no allowance will be made should any of it prove to be of a different kind. The
total amount of material to be removed, measured in place, is about 9,550,000 cubic
yards, divided as follows:
Excavation from 5-fathom curve to seashore line..
Excavation from shore line to shore line across beach.
Excavation in inuer bay to south shore of lagoon...
Excavation from south shore of lagoon to canal entranco.
Total
182
Cubic yards.
824, 500
195, 300
6,748, 700
1,781, 500
9,550,000
NICARAGUA CANAL.
183
These quantities are only approximate, due to the constant shifting of the sand
offshore, and may be increased or diminished as the conditions may require. All
material to be removed will be measured in place from careful surveys and cross
sections made before and after dredging, and will be paid for by the cubic yard.
The contractor shall have the right of verifying the measurements, and the decision
of the chief engineer as to the amount of material excavated and deposited shall
be final.
A margin of 1 foot in excess of the depth stipulated will be allowed and paid for.
All shoals, lumps, or ridges left by the dredges must be removed.
All the material excavated must be deposited on the lowlands in the vicinity of
the harbor, on the pier or jetty at the entrance or east of that jetty, or at sea, north
of the harbor and at depths not less than 12 fathoms.
In case the material be put ashore through pipes by any hydraulic process, all
embankments, fences, drains, or any other work needed for confining the material
and preventing its sliding into the excavated channels, or for draining the banks,
must be provided for and paid for by the contractor.
It is estimated that not less than 1,000,000 cubic yards will be needed in connection
with the construction of the jetty or pier, and the contractor must deposit this
material at such time and at such places as the chief engineer may desiguate. All
dumping grounds must be selected by the chief engineer.
The limit of dredging will be staked out by the company, and any dredging done
outside these limits will not be paid for.
All stakes and tide gauges must be furnished by the contractor, under the direction
of the engineer in charge of the work, and the cost of the same, together with that of
the boats and men for setting them up, is to be included in the price of dredging.
The work is to be carried on at such points and in such order of precedence as may
be directed by the engineer.
Any doubt as to the meaning of these specifications and any obscurity in the word-
ing of them will be explained by the chief engineer, who shall have the right to
correct any errors or omissions in them when such correction is necessary for the
proper fulfillment of their intentions.
No claims for extra work or for delay of any kind will be considered or paid unless
an agreement therefor shall be made in writing and approved by the company. The
contract price is to be full compensation for furnishing all the materals, labor, and
appliances necessary and for all the work herein specified, including the removal of
any logs or snags which may be encountered.
All machinery to be used must be of approved make, kept in good repair, and the
whole apparatus maintained in good working order at all times. Scows, if used,
must be sound and tight and of a draft adapted to the work.
Inspectors shall be appointed by the chief engineer to see that the tide gauges,
stakes, etc., are kept in proper order and to enforce a strict compliance with the
terms of the contract. The contractor shall furnish each inspector with subsistence
when he is on duty and with such facilities as are necessary for the proper execution
of his duties without extra charge.
Bidders will state in their proposals the time when the work shall be commenced,
the amount to be done monthly, and the time when the work will be completed.
(2) SECTION OF CANAL FROM THE HARBOR OF SAN JUAN DEL NORTE (GREYTOWN)
TO LOCK NO. 1 OF THE CANAL.
This section of the canal is about 9 miles long, and is to be excavated to a uniform
depth of 28 feet below the level of low tide at Greytown. The channel will have a
uniform width at the bottom of 120 feet and slopes of 3 horizontal to 1 vertical
extending from the bottom of the excavation to the surface of the ground or bottom
of wet swamps or lagoons. A margin of 1 foot in excess of that designated to be made
will be allowed. Dredging below a depth of 1 foot in excess of that designated will
not be paid for.
All shoals, lumps, or ridges left by the dredge must be removed.
The elevation of the ground varies at every point along the line from 1 to several
feet above or below sea level.
The material to be excavated is believed to be mud, loam, sand, and clay. Each
bidder, however, is expected to examine the ground and decide for himself, as no
allowance will be made should any prove to be of a different kind, except that solid
rock and large bowlders will not have to be removed. No buried logs have been
discovered by the borings, but if any are found they shall be removed by the con-
tractor without extra charge.
All excavated material must be deposited on the sides of the excavation and
not less than 195 feet from the axis of the canal, and all embankments, bulk-
heads, fences, or whatever else may be needed for confining the material beyond the
limit specified (195 feet from the axis of the canal), must be maintained at the
184
NICARAGUA CANAL.
contractor's expense. All material deposited inside of that limit will not be paid
for, it being understood that in no case the excavated material will be allowed to be
deposited at a distance of less than 25 feet from the crest of the slopes of the canal
prism as staked out by the engineer in charge. The contractor will also be required
to provide for draining off the water, and must deposit the material as required
by the chief engineer so as to facilitate drainage.
The estimated amount of material to be removed in these 93 miles of canal is about
13,550,000 cubic yards, but the amount is approximate only, and may be increased or
diminished.
The company reserve the right to change the location of all or any portion of the
line without affecting the contract price, provided the conditions as to the nature of
the material and general character of the work remain the same.
The dredging or excavation will be paid for by the cubic yard, and will be meas-
ured, in place, by cross sections taken before and after dredging.
The measurements will be made, as the work advances, in sections of 400 feet in
length, these sections to be not less than 200 feet in the rear of the dredge.
Any filling that may take place as the result of sliding of the banks to a flatter
slope than 3 horizontal to 1 vertical, after acceptance of a section, if required to be
removed by dredging, shall be removed by the contractor and paid for at contract
price.
Any material sliding into the excavation from the deposited bank shall be removed
by the contractor without charge.
The contractor, in his proposal, shall describe fully his method of depositing mate-
rial on the sides of the excavation, and he must satisfy the chief engineer that his
method is adapted to the work.
All machinery to be used must be of approved make, kept in good repair, and the
whole apparatus maintained in sound working order at all times.
The limits of dredging will be staked out by the company, and any dredging done
outside those limits will not be paid for.
All stakes and tide gauges must be furnished by the contractor, under the direction
of the engineer in charge of the work, and the cost of the same, together with that
of the boats and men for setting them up, is to be included in the price of dredging.
Inspectors shall be appointed by the chief engineer to see that the tide gauges,
stakes, etc., are kept in proper order, and to enforce a strict compliance with the
terms of the contract. The contractor shall furnish each inspector, when he is on
duty, with such facilities as are necessary for the proper execution of his duties
without extra charge.
The work is to be carried on at such points and in such order of precedence as may
be directed by the chief engineer.
Any doubt as to the meaning of these specifications and any obscurity in the
wording of them will be explained by the chief engineer, who shall have the right to
correct any errors or omissions in them when such correction is necessary for the
proper fulfillment of their intention.
No claims for extra work or for delay of any kind will be considered or paid for
unless an agreement therefor shall be made in writing and approved by the company.
The contract price is to be full compensation for furnishing all the materials, labor,
and appliances necessary and for doing all the work herein specified, including the
removal of any logs or snags which may be encountered.
Bidders will state in their proposals the time when the work shall be commenced,
the amount to be done monthly, and the time when the work will be completed.
(3) RIVER SAN JUAN.
The dredging required in the river San Juan is comprised between the river
Savalos and Lake Nicaragua, a distance of about 28 miles by the course of the river.
It will consist in deepening and widening the river channel, the depth to be made to
be 28 feet below the level of the water in Lake Nicaragua when raised to 110 feet
above the mean level of the sea, and the width to be 125 feet at the bottom of the
excavated channel within such limits as the chief engineer may designate.
A margin of 1 foot in excess of that designated will be allowed. Dredging below
a depth of 1 foot in excess of that designated to be made will not be paid for.
All shoals, lumps, or ridges left by the dredge must be removed. The depth of the
excavation varies at the different places of dredging.
The material to be removed is believed to be mud, sand, clay, gravel, and loose
stones. Each bidder, however, is expected to examine and decide for himself, as no
allowance will be made should any of it prove to be of a different kind, except that
solid rock and large bowlders will not have to be removed.
All the excavated material must be deposited on the banks of the river or in such
places in the river as the chic engineer may designate.
The contractor, in his proposal, will describe fully his method of depositing the
NICARAGUA CANAL.
185
material on the banks or in the river channel, as he may be directed, and he must
satisfy the chief engineer that his method is adapted to the work.
In case the material be put ashore through pipes by any hydraulic process, all
embankments, fences, bulkheads, etc., needed for confining the material and per-
mitting the water to run off must be made at the contractor's expense. The con-
tractor must also provide all necessary drains and deposit the material as required
by the engineer so as to facilitate drainage and prevent the material sliding back
into the river channel. Scows, if used, must be sound and tight and of a draft
adapted to the work.
The estimated amount of dredging to be done is about 2,150,000 cubic yards. This
amount is approximate only, and may be increased or diminished.
The dredging will be paid for by the cubic yard, and will be measured in place
(in the river) by cross sections taken before and after dredging. The measure-
nents will be made and the work accepted in sections of about 400 feet in length,
measured not less than 200 feet back from the rear of the dredge.
The decision of the engineer in charge as to the amount of material excavated and
deposited shall be final.
The limits of dredging will be staked out by the company, and any dredging done
outside those limits will not be paid for.
All stakes and tide guages must be furnished by the contractor under the direction
of the engineer in charge of the work, and the cost of the same, together with that
of the boats and men for setting them up, is to be included in the price of dredging.
Inspectors shall be appointed by the chief engineer to see that the tide ganges,
stakes, etc., are kept in proper order, and to enforce a strict compliance with the
terms of the contract. The contractor shall furnish each inspector with subsistence
when he is on duty, and with such facilities as are necessary for the proper execution
of his duties, without extra charge.
The work is to be carried on at such points and in such order of precedence as the
engineer in charge may direct.
Any doubt as to the meaning of these specifications and any obscurity in the word-
ing of them will be explained by the engineer in charge, who shall have the right to
correct any errors or omissions in them when such correction is necessary for the
proper fulfillment of their intention.
No claims for extra work or for delay of any kind will be considered or paid for
nuless an agreement therefor shall be made in writing and approved by the company.
The contract price is to be full compensation for furnishing all the materials, labor,
and appliances nocessary and for doing all the work herein specified, including the
removal of any logs or snags which may be encountered.
All machinery to be used must be of approved make, kept in good repair, and the
whole apparatus maintained in sound working order at all times.
Bidders will state in their proposals the time when the work shall be commenced,
the amount to be done monthly, and the time when the work will be completed.
(4) LAKE NICARAGUA.
The dredging required at the east side of Lake Nicaragua extends from Fort San
Carlos, at the outlet of the lake, about 72,500 feet, or 13.50 miles, west to the depth
of 30 feet, when the water in the lake stands at 110 feet above mean level of the sea.
It will consist in excavating a channel along that distance, the depth to be made to
be 30 feet below the level of the water when raised 110 feet above mean sea level, and
the width at the bottom of the excavated channel to be 150 feet.
The slopes of the proposed channel are assumed as 3 horizontal to 1 vertical,
extending from the bottom of the excavated channel to the bottom of the lake.
A margin of 1 foot in depth in excess of that designated will be allowed. Dredging
below a depth of 1 foot in excess of that designated will not be paid for.
All shoals, lumps, or ridges left by the dredge must be removed.
The depth of the excavation varies at different places along the length of the
channel. The average depth of the cut to 30 feet depth is about 9.8 feet and the
greatest depth is about 17.3 feet.
In case the excavated channel assumes a natural slope flatter than 3 to 1, as herein
specified, the filling that may take place as the result of sliding of the banks, if
required to be removed, shall be done by the contractor and will be paid for at
contract price.
Any material sliding into the excavated channel from the deposited bank shall be
removed by the contractor without charge.
The material to be excavated is believed to be mud, sand, and clay. Each bidder
is expected, however, to examine and decide for himself, as no allowance will be made
should any of it prove to be of a different kind, except that solid rock and large
bowlders will not have to be removed.
186
NICARAGUA CANAL.
All the excavated material must be deposited in the lake in such places as the chief
engineer may designate.
The contractor, in his proposal, will describe fully his method of depositing the
material, and he must satisfy the chief engineer that his method is adapted to the
work.
No material will be allowed to be deposited at any point distant less than 1,500
feet from the axis of the channel.
In case the material be deposited through pipes by any hydraulic process, the con-
tractor must provide the necessary means to prevent its being washed back into the
channel. Scows, if used, must be sound and tight and of a draft adapted to the work.
The estimated amount of dredging to be done is about 4,726,000 cubic yards. This
amount is approximate only, and may be increased or diminished.
The dredging will be paid for by the cubic yard, and will be measured in place (in
the lake) by cross sections taken before and after dredging. The measurements will
be made and the work accepted in sections of about 400 feet in length and measured
not less than 200 feet back from the rear of the dredge.
The decision of the engineer in charge, as to the amount of material excavated
and deposited, shall be final.
The limits of dredging will be staked out by the company, and any dredging done
outside these limits will not be paid for.
All stakes and tide gauges must be furnished by the contractor, under the direc-
tion of the engineer in charge of the work, and the cost of same, together with that
of the boats and men for setting them up, is to be included in the price of dredging.
Inspectors shall be appointed by the chief engineer to see that the tide gauges,
stakes, etc., are kept in proper order and to enforce a strict compliance with the
terms of the contract. The contractor shall furnish each inspector with subsistence
when he is on duty, and with such facilities as are necessary for the proper execution
of his duties, without extra charge.
The work is to be carried on at such points and in such order of precedence as the
engineer in charge may direct.
Any doubt as to the meaning of these specifications and any obscurity in the word-
ing of them will be explained by the chief engineer, who shall have the right to
correct any errors or omissions in them, when such correction is necessary for the
proper fulfillment of their intentions.
No claims for extra work or for delay of any kind will be considered or paid for
unless an agreement therefor shall be made in writing and approved by the company.
The contract price is to be full compensation for furnishing all the material, labor,
and appliances necessary for doing all the work herein specified, including the
removal of any logs or snags which may be encountered.
All machinery to be used must be of approved make, kept in good repair, and the
whole apparatus maintained in sound working order at all times.
Bidders will state in their proposals the time when the work shall be commenced,
the amount to be done monthly, and the time when the work will be completed.
(5) HARBOR OF BRITO.
The plans for the creation of a harbor at Brito involve the construction of two
breakwaters or jetties, one projecting from the promontory west of the entrance and
the other nearly normal to the coast line to the east of the proposed entrance, and
dredging in the valley of the Rio Grande, extending to the beach at that point.
The dredging extends for a distance of 6,700 feet from the 5-fathom line to Lock
No. 6 of the canal, which is regarded as the inner end of the harbor. This total dis-
tance is divided as follows:
From the 5-fathom curve to low-water line
From low-water line to end of main harbor
From this latter point to Lock No. 6...
Feet.
700
3,000
3,000
The dredging will consist in excavating a basin, as shown in the plans of the har-
bor, and its extension to Lock No. 6, the depth to be made to be 30 feet below low
water in the Pacific throughout, and the width at the bottom of the excavated chan-
nel in the extension from the basin to Lock No. 6 to be 120 feet.
The slopes of the proposed channel and basin are assumed as 3 horizontal to 1 ver-
tical, extending from the bottom of the excavation to the bottom of the sea or to the
natural surface of the ground. A margin of 1 foot in depth in excess of that desig-
nated will be allowed. Dredging below a depth of 1 foot in excess of that designated
will not be paid for.
All shoals, lumps, or ridges left by the dredge must be removed.
In case the excavated channel assumes a natural slope flatter than 3 to 1, as herein
specified, the filling that may take place as the result of slidings of the banks, if
required to be removed, will be paid for at contract price.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
187
All the excavated material must be deposited at sea or ashore at such places as the
chief engineer may designate.
The contractor will describe fully the method of depositing the material, and he
must satisfy the engineer that his method is adapted to the work.
No material will be allowed to be deposited at any point distant less than 200 feet
from the foot of the slope in the excavated channel or basin. In case the material is
deposited through pipes by any hydraulic process, the contractor must provide the
necessary means to prevent its being washed into the channel or basin. Scows, if
used, must be sound and tight and of a draft adapted to the work.
The borings taken show the material to be removed to consist of sand, or sand and
mud, and mud in the swamps. The contractor, however, is expected to examine and
decide for himself, as no allowance will be made should any of it prove to be of a
different kind, except that solid rock and large bowlders will not have to be removed.
The amount of material to be removed, measured in place, is about 6,700,000 cubic
yards, more or less, divided as follows:
From 5-fathom line to low-water line.
From low-water line to end of basin.
From end of basin to Lock No. 6..
Total.
•
This amount is approximate only, and may be increased or diminished.
Cubic yards.
860, 580
4,798, 318
1,066, 666
6, 725, 564
The dredging will be paid for by the cubic yard, and will be measured in place (in
the harbor) by cross section taken before and after dredging. The measurements
will be made and the work accepted in sections of about 400 feet in length and not
less than 200 feet from the rear of the dredge.
The decision of the engineer in charge as to the amount of material excavated and
deposited shall be final.
The limit of dredging shall be staked out by the company, and any dredging done
outside those limits will not be paid for.
All stakes and tide gauges must be furnished by the contractor, under the direc-
tion of the engineer in charge of the work, and the cost of the same, together with
that of the boats and men for setting them up, is to be included in the price of
dredging.
Inspectors shall be appointed by the chief engineer to see that the tide gauges,
stakes, etc., are kept in proper order and to enforce a strict compliance with the
terms of the contract. The contractor shall furnish each inspector with subsistence
when he is on duty, and with such facilities as are necessary for the proper execution
of his duties, without extra charge.
The company reserves the right to change the design of the harbor and thereby
increase or diminish the amount of material excavated. In case of increase, the con-
tract price will be paid for the additional work; provided, however, that the change
in plan does not change the general character of the material to be excavated.
The work is to be carried on at such points and in such order of precedence as the
engineer in charge may direct.
Any doubt as to the meaning of these specifications and any obscurity in the word-
ing of them will be explained by the chief engineer, who shall have the right to
correct any errors or omissions in them when such corrections are necessary for the
proper fulfillment of their intentions.
No claim for extra work or for delay of any kind will be considered or paid for
unless an agreement therefor shall be made in writing and approved by the company.
The contract price is to be full compensation for furnishing all the material, labor,
and appliances necessary for doing all the work herein specified, including the
removal of any logs or snags which may be encountered.
All the machinery to be used must be of approved make, kept in good repair, and
the whole apparatus maintained in sound working order at all times.
Bidders will state in their proposals the time when the work shall be commenced,
the amount to be done monthly, and the time when the work will be completed.

PACIFIC OCEAN
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NICARAGUA CANAL
GENERAL PLAN
showing
LOCATION OF SHIP CANAL
from the
ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC
1890
A.G.MENOCAL, CHIEF ENGINEER
SCALE OF MILES
Copied under direction of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD
October, 1895.
CANAL IN EXCAVATION
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To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD, Nov. 1st 1895.
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SE
A
Lower San Juan River
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Channel
1000
GREYTOWN HARBOR
from Survey made by
NICARAGUA CANAL COMPANY
1891.
Drawn under direction of
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD
August, 1895.
Scale of Feet .
NOTE.
Outside soundings are expressed in fathoms.
Inside soundings are expressed in feet.
2000

EASTERN DIVISION
In 6 Sheets - Sheet No. 1
To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD, Nov. 1st 1895.
H Doc279264 1
UNIL
3
OF

PLATE III.
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CANAL
NICARAGUA CANAL, EASTERN DIVISION
reduced from map submitted by the
NICARAGUA CANAL COMPANY .
Drawn under direction of
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD
October, 1895.
Scale of Feet.
1000
500
10:00
2000
3000
4000
5000
In 6 Sheet s
Sheet No. 2
To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD, Nov.1st 1895.
H Doc279,#254 1
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EASTERN DIVISION
In 6 Sheets-Sheet No. 3
-(60)-
60
(60.
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601
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(80)
To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD. Nov. 1st 1895.
H Doc274, 42.54 1
OF
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[(40)
(20.
(40).
·(40)
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-1500)
(360)
To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD, Nov. 1st 1895.
-540.
-550Y
(300)
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año
indo
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400
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180
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200-
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160
89
MACHADO
·Go.
SAN
CAÑO
PROPOSED DAM
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140
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60
30
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30
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80
09
90
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(140)
120
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FRANCISCO
NOMBRE
RIQ
DANTA
EASTERN DIVISION
In 6 Sheets - Sheet No. 5
To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD, Nov. 1st 1895
60
45
PLATE VI.
H Doc279.54 1
UNIL
OF
CH
PLATE VII.

Photo-Lith, by A. HOEN & CO., Balto., Md.
90
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60
30
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30
30
30
60
90
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120
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20
120
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140
120
·100-
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(ره)
2

150--


EASTERN DIVISION
In 6 Sheets - Sheet No. 6
To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD, Nov. 1st 1895.
H Doc274/42.54-1
N/
OF
Photo-Lith. by A. HOEN & CO., Balte., Md.
វ
:
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2
140
140
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==
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120
С
140.
LAKE
CRIB FENDER
CRIB
FENDER
SHO
LINE
·110
ROCK
OUTER
LIMIT
LAKE
NICARAGUA
WESTERN DIVISION
In 4 Sheets - Sheet No. 4
To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD, Nov. 1st 1895.
H Doc2292.54 1
CF
蕊
​2
PLATE VIII.

100
PLATE IX.

Photo-Lith, by A. HOEN & CO., Balto., Md.
06
60
60
30
30
Var. E. 53
30
60
90
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60
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30
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|。
110
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W
LEVEL
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110
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110
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140.
r160
180
200
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160
160
160
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120-
110
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16
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40.
140
140
120
120
160
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Creek
160
160
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180
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220
180
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or
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CANAL
"
74
Güiscoya
Creek
180
WESTERN DIVISION
In 4 Sheets - Sheet No. 3
R!
JUAN
DAVILA
14
140
160.
་།
160
To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD, Nov. 1st 1895.
H Doc2/9/p2.54 1

Photo-Lith, by A. HOEN & CO., Balto., Md.
30
州
​リ
​09
06
60
小
​30
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30
60
30
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60
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LOCATION SUGGESTED
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140
160
180°
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NICARAGUA
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LINE
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140
200
180
160
200
140
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80
110
120.
GRANDE
WESTERN DIVISION
In 4 Sheets - Sheet No.2
LOCK 5A
CANAL
COOK'
BOARD
110
140-
160
فاده
.160
140
PLATE X.
"
To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD, Nov. 1st 1895.
H Doc272254 1
ル
​PLATE XI.

06
60
60
30
Photo-Lith, by A. HOEN & CO., Balto., Md.
!
:
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30
30
60
09
90
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Brito
R!
Lock 6
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60
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===============
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===
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17
"
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#1
80
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20
140
60
160
180
200
220
240
300-
360
400-
LOCATION SUGGESTED BY
LINE
CANAL
CANAL
COMPANY'S LOW LEVEL
GRANDE
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Mangrove Swamp
10
40
2.0
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160-
180-
NICARAGUA CANAL,WESTERN DIVISION
reduced from map submitted by the
NICARAGUA CANAL COMPANY .
Drawn under direction of
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD
1000
500
October, 1895.
Scale of Feet
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
In 4 Sheets-Sheet No. 1
To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD, Nov. 1st 1895.
H Doc272 254 1

150.
200
250-
250
PROPOSED
CENTER
LINE OF CANAL
200
150
150
200
250
О
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RAND
།
• 29
LA FLOR
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350
100
300
;
300
250
200
150
50
100
50
PROPOSED
CATION. FOR THE DAM.
• 25
OUTCROP
100
200
150
. 2
RECORD OF BORINGS
AT
LA FLOR DAM SITE
COMPILED FROM RECORDS OF THE CANAL COMPANY
SCALE OF PLAN 1" = 400'
19 1 7 2 4
7
10
100
NOTE - Drawn under the direction of the Nicaragua
Canal Board. October 1895.
Photo-Lith. by A. HOEN & CO., Balto., Md.
50
0,0 = MEAN SEA LEVEL
-50
BORINGS SOUTH OF PROPOSED LINE OF DAM
PROJECTED ON TO VERTICAL PLANE THROUGH CENTER LINE OF DAM
#6
DISINTEGRATED
LIMESTONE AND
EARTH
LAYERS OF LIME
STONE AND CLAY,
*A
#5 25
SANDY CLAY
LOAM
LIMESTONE
NOAMI
SAND SAND GRAY
SAND GRAVE"
& MUD
CLAY
SAND
SAND
GRAVEL
SANDY CLAY
SAND GRAVEL
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26
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SANDY CLAY
BLUE CLAY
GRAVEL
& SAND
SAND
CASCAJO
CLAEY SAND
CLEAR RIVER SAND
LAYERS OF CLAY
AND ROCK
WARD BLUE LIMESTONE
SANDY CLAY
SANDY CLAY
CLAY SLATE WITH
CLAY SEAMS
CA$CAJO
CLAY
ROCK
YELLOW CLAY
LAYERS OF STONES
ROCK
AND CLAY
-100
ROCK
F150
1200
-250
-300
WHITE CLAY
AND STONES
ARGILLACEOUS SCHIST
WHITE CLAY
ARGILLACEOUS SCHIST
CROSS SECTION ON LINE OF PROPOSED DAM
CROSS
PROPOSED ELEVATION OF WATER IN BASIN 110
TELPETATE
TELPETATE &
ROTTEN STONE
IN LAYERS
HARD
YELLOW CLAY
10
CLAY
CASCAJO
CASCAUP
TELPETATE AND SAND-
STONE IN LAYERS.
ROCK
LOAM
SAND &
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LOAM
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13
SANDY CLAY
SANDY TBLUE MUD
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CLAY
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CLAY &
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DEPTH
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IN LAYERS
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ARGILLACEONS SCHIST
CLAY IN LAYER &
CLAY & SAND-
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IN AYERS
CAP ROCK
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ROCK
ROCK WITH
CLAY SEAMS
ROCK
ARGILLITE
TELPETATE
SOFT ARGILLITE
BROKEN ROCK AND
CLAY IN LAYERS
ARGALLITE STRATA
PLATE XII.
BORINGS NORTH OF PROPOSED DAM LINE
PROJECTED ON TO VERTICAL PLANE THROUGH CENTER LINE OF DAM
LOAM
癖​JA
29
LOAM
AM
SANDY LOAM
CLAY LOAM
SANDY LOAM CLAY &
LOAM
CLAYEY
YELLOW CLAY
SAND
SANDY GRAY CLAY
CLAY CORRSE SANG
COARSE
RIYER
SAND
SAND & GRAVEL
SANDY MUD
SAND GRAVEL & CLAY
CEMENTED SAND,GRAVEL & GLAY
BLUISH CLAY & SAND
SAND
SANDY MUD
CLAY &
FINE SANG!
YELLOW
CLAY & ROCK
IN LAYERS!
COARSE
SAND
YELLOW CLAY WITH
PIECES OF SANDSTONE
AND BLUESTONE
YELLOY
CLAY
YELLOW
CLAY
YELLOW GALİY
&ROCK IN0
LAYERS
CLAY
ROCK IN
CLAY &
LAYERS
TELPETATE
ROCK
CLAY, SAND & PIECES OF ROCK-
CLAY WITH
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LAYERS
OF HARD
ROCK
CAP ROCK WITH
WHITE CLRY SEAMS
TELPETATE
WHITE CLAY WITH PIECES OF ROCK
100
50
50
-100
-50
-200
-250
на
210
310
-300
To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD, Nov. 1st 1895.
H Doc2/2, 2.54
1
PLATE XIII.
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Photo-Lith, by A. HOEN & CO., Balto., Md.
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5
6
32
5+
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4호
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10
10
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GREYTOWN HARBOR
from Survey made by
GEORGE PEACOCK
1832.
showing accretions to sand spit to 1859.
Drawn under direction of
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD
August, 1895.
Scale of Feet
1000
500
1000
2000
3000
4000
31½
4호
​31/2
3.0
3.0
1
1
5

NOTE.
This chart is taken from the Report of the Committee
of the National Academy,made in 1866, as given in the Report
of Lieut. John T. Sullivan, U.S.N., 1883.
Outside soundings are expressed in fathoms.
Inside soundings are expressed in feet.
-N
3
To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD. Nov. 1st 1895.
H Doc2/2pt 254
1
Photo-Lith, by A. HOEN & CO., Balto., Md.
90
09
60°
30°
30°
Magnetic
North 1865.
30°
30
60°
90°
C
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31
3/2/
44
31/1
}
21
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15-0
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21.0
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9.0
13.5
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1 3.0
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18-0
13-5
270
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3.0
30-0
Greyt o w n
27.0
18.0.
19.5
22.5
22:5
21.0
-13.5
21.0
120-
15.0
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16.5
19.5 /
15.0
7.5
4.5
1.5
3.0
12.0
III-
(ID
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3-0
3
4.5
30
9-0
4.5
3.0
3.0
4.5
7.5
9.0
*
SE
A
6-0
15-0
10-5
12:0
12.0
3.0
9.0
6-0
10.5
9.0
9.0
9.0
4-5
3.0
GREYTOWN HARBOR
from Survey made by
P.C.F.WEST
1865 .
Drawn under direction of
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD
August, 1895.
PLATE XIV.
Scale of Feet
1000
500
1000
2000
3000
GOOD

7.5
22.5
27.0
18-0
33-0
Harbor
Head
33-0
36-0
37.5
L
16.5
15-0
30-0 a
(III)
9
AID-
9-0
6.0-
0.6
Lower
9.0
7.5 Channel
4-5
7.5
60 Animas
7.5
3.0
6.0
GREYTOWN
Shepherd's
Lagoon
10.5
10.5
San
3-0
Juan River
9.0
9.0
9.0
1-5
6.0
3.0
60
પ
4.5
1.5
4.5
4.5
NOTE.
Outside soundings are expressed in fathoms.
Inside soundings are expressed in feet.
To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD, Nov. 1st 1895.
H Doc279,2,54 1
PLATE XV.
Photo-Lith, by A. HOEN & CO., Balto., Md.
06
09
milu
60
30°
30
North 1872.
Magnetic
30°
30
60
60
90
C
A
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I
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51
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21
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10.5
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7:5
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13.5
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A
S
91
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92
34
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92
81
9
91
8×
8
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74
71
71
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61
61
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71
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6
6.
--6--
31
5
5+
21
21
21
21
5/
3
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3
(II)-
1.5
30
1-5
9.0
3.0
30
4-5
2-
13
3.0
3-0
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7.5
7.5
15.0
10-5
3.0
7.5
-(ID--
12.0
9.0
7.5
4D-
9.0.
9.0
4.5
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9.0
-90
4-5
4-5
15.0
'13-5'
18-0
13-5
9.0
4.5
15-0
16-5
G
4.5
16-5
13.5
15-0
16.5
13.5
rey town
120-
15-0
13.5
7.5
60
6.0
16-5
16-5
Lagoon
4.5
16.5
15-5
15.0
13.5
15-0
15-0
16.5
13.5
4.5
13.5
4.5
10.5
(D)
10.5
7.5
7.5
9.0
(I)--
10-5
10%
nimas
6-0
6:0
4.5
3-0
3.0
GREYTOWN
30,
11
-10-
---
33
A
10
GREYTOWN HARBOR
from Survey made by
LIEUT. JAMES M.MILLER,U.S.N.
1872.
Drawn under direction of
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD
August, 1895.
Scale of Feet
10
1008
500
1000
-10-
91
9½
82
(VII)-
..8.
(VT)-
5
(IV)--
31
3
4$
31
3
4
21
9.0
(III)-
16-5
22.5
16.5
18-0
17.5
10.5
9.-0
22.5
21-0
20
12-0
18-0-
3.0
· 16-5
12-0
4.5
9.0
10-5
9-0
105 Channel
Lower
2 San
12-0
12.0
uan
9.0
9.0
180
J0.5
19.5
18-0
-6-0-
4.5
3.0
3-0
jrer
10.5
9-0
(II)
3000
4000

NOTE.
Outside soundings are expressed in fathoms.
Inside soundings are expressed in feet.
To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD, Nov. 1st 1895.
H Doc27, 2.54 1
UNIL
OF
Photo-Lith, by A. HOEN & CO., Balto., Md.
---
06
09
30
Magnetic
North 1884
}
1
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60°
60°
1
3½
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5
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21-0
5
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7
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6½
5
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6
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7½
6
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6
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N
8
2-
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6
2
9.0
12.0
62
7
7
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6
3
6
3
3.0
3.0
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12.0
4.
72
8
7
&#
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8
7
S
73
61
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30
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12:0
3.0
16.5
15-0
3.0
15-0
19.5
15-0
3-0
3-0
15-0
13.5
21.0
21-0
G
reytown
Lagoon
16-5
16.5
16.5
18-0
16.5
15.0
13.5
10-5
9.0
亨
​4-5
6.0
105
3.0
3.0
7-5
7.5
3:0
75
1.5
4.5
3.0
9.0
3-0
1-5
3-0
#
7.5
7.5
75
90
GREYTOWN
10-5
1
E
A
16:5
13.5
10-5
105
12-0
10-5
~ Lower
12-0
12-0
San
6+0
Animas 60
Channel 6.0
1-5
12-0
9
9
8/2
81
8½
-8-
-(VIII)-
-8-
-(VI)--
5
૩.
·-(IV)-·
N
21
-(II)--
3
9
1000
PLATE XVI.
GREY TOWN HARBOR
from Survey made by
PASSMORE AND CLIMIE
1884.
Drawn under direction of
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD
August, 1895.
Scale of Feet
2000
Harbor
Head
Lagoon
12-0
Juan
A River
120
NOTE.
Outside soundings are expressed in fathoms.
Inside soundings are expressed in feet.
To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD, Nov. 1st 1895
:

H Doct2 54 1
UNIL
OF
PLATE XVII.

90
19
30'
60
30
Var. E.535
30*
Photo-Lith, by A. HOEN & CO., Balto., Md.
პე"
60
09
.06
FENCE
4
312
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51/2
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6½
61
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5
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C
61
r
6
71
A
64
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6/
51
61
51
42
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6+
6
8312
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8
8/2
B
5
64
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51
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5
4
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100
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81
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4.8
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162
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170
3.8
15-5
69
1.3
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13-8
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138
38
3.8
10
94
A
E
81
9
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1
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(VIII)
7
5
-(VD-
-(IV)-
-21.
(ID)-
102
12.2
96
1.5 Lower
12-0
San
14
Juan
7.0
7.4
7.3
a
8.7
m
GREYTOWN
1
River
86
GREYTOWN HARBOR
from Survey made by
ENSIGN W. J. MAXWELL.U.S.N.
1888.
Drawn under direction of
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD
August, 1895.
Scale of Feet.
1000
500
1000
3000
4000
1
}
1
}
}
MAIL
NOTE.
Outside soundings are expressed in fathoms .
Inside soundings are expressed in feet.
To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD, Nov. 1st 1895.
UNIV
H Doc/254 1
CF
CH
Rio Indio
PLATE XVIII.
51
9
61
74
912
9
06
Photo-Lith, by A. HOEN & CO., Balio.. Md.
30
FENCE
Magnetic
North 1895.
30
30°
90
09
41
51
5
32
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(1855)
61
61
5
3
FR-
5
41
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?
64
51
5
51
61
71
74
64
71
71
82
81
81
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71
61
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71
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74
61
61
7
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71
71
82
B
B
61
61
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6
7
51
52
41
5호
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51
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6
6
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41
51
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51
41
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HEADQUARTERS
• WRECK
(1871)
BUILDINGS
54
4/2
3
5.
512
12
24
12
STOREHOUSE
La Fé
-(HID)--·
-21-2
CANAL
12:0
21
18.5
160
16-0
18-0
175
90.
61
7
74
74
61
51
Pally
61
62
63
31
12
21
11
10-0
2.0
4.0
10-0
14:5
y to
125
18-0
MACHINE SHOP
ROP
15-5
BREAK
70
7.5
PROPOSED
HARBOR
10-0
Area of Harbor
160
12.5
120
OF
170
237 Acres
9:00 17
19.0
14-0
15.5
14-0
16-5
12·0
13-0
40
OUTLINE
RAIL ROAD
-(II)-
ADF OF
95
J
81
10 1
9
9
81
1
E
92
92
3
101
-8
8호
​9/1
91
A
821
N
91
8/2
7}
71
71
ក
51
31
6
3
૩૪
Steamboat Channe
PROPOSED
2.5
HARBOR
6.0
1-5
NAVIGATION Co.
GREYTOWN
91
101
101
કૈ
و
-10-
૭º
91
91
1
S
101
10
101
E
(X)-
A
91
91
1
10
GREYTOWN HARBOR
from Survey made under direction of
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD
1895.
SHOWING HARBOR WORKS PROPOSED BY NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD IN DOTTED LINES.
Scale of Feet.
1000
500
101
101
81
81
87
-(VIII)-
91
821
61
71
-(VI)
·~(IV)-
4
5+
41.
41
4
3/1/2
31
600
31
રા
3
22
IN
·(II)-·
21
3/1/2
21
7700
-(I)--
80
90
3-5
BILL
a n
ne
1000
71
2000
11-5
10-0
(D)
8-5
130
3.0
-(III)
22-0
8.0
Harbor
12.0
Hé a d
3.5
85
(II)-
--13.0
50
9.5
Lagoon
4-0
75
7.5
8-0
3.0
-(D)---
3.0
4-0
4-0
60---- 5.5
3-0
Lower
San
Juan
2-5
River
3000
4000

NOTE.
Soundings are reduced to mean low tide. The off-shore
soundings were made by Lieut. Chas. H. Lyman, under the
direction of Capt. Chas. H. Davis, U.S.S.Montgomery, June, 1895.
Outside soundings are expressed in fathoms.
Inside soundings are expressed in feet.
To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD, Nov. 1st 1895.
UNIL
OF
/CH
H Doc2/254 1
芯
​PLATE XIX.
60
.06
mp up
30
60
30°
Magnetic
North
30
30°
94°
09
180184
84190
72
400
Photo-Lith, by A. HOEN & CO., Balto., Md.
PACIFIC
96*
G
B
A
N
TO HAVE I/FT. DEPTH AT LOW TIDE
33.8 ACRES.
ABOR
* 78
D
HIGH
TIDE.
LOW
O WILDE
.84
O
* 84
CE A N
190
* 72
LANDET
8 250
LOCK Nº 14-
CANAL
BRITO HARBOR
from survey made by
COL.O.W.CHILDS,
1850.
Drawn under direction of
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD
October, 1895.
Scale of Feet
1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100
500
1000
1500
To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD, Nov. 1st 1895.
H Doc2722.54 1
CF
1


1
Photo-Lith, by A. HOEN & CO., Balto., Md.
į
90
.09
.8,
30
30
Magnetic
North
30
30
09
90
10
RIO
GRANDE
028'rk.
60
40.
.02.
Oto Nork.
045 'Nork.
045 No rk.
030 Nork.
030'No rk.
Off
AO NOTK.
030 Nork.
034 No k.
003
100
Q22'1k
025 Nork.
No rk.
87 sd. k md.
LOCK Nº6.
024 Nork.
·300.--
53'Nork.
Q30'Nork.
038'Nork.
028 'No rk
Let'sdam
10-
10
0 8'rk.
015'rk..
013rk
Oll'rk.
03'rk.
022'rk.
be
103 ik.
035 Nark.
35
QO'Nork.
23 Nork.
028 Nork.
025 boders.
Man
035'Nork.
Area of Harbor
100 Acres
08'Norrk.
Oźs'Nork.
035 Nork.
O15 Nork.
r
0
24 Nork.
np.
Swam
034 Nork.
033 rk.
026 Nork.
་་
3 Fathoms
PACI EIC
7
1
1
J
10
1
O 10'Nork.
O CE A
800.---
1
1
10
PLATE XX .
BRITO
HARBOR
from survey made by
ENSIGN W. J.MAXWELL .U.S.N.
1888,
SHOWING HARBOR WORKS
proposed by
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD
October, 1895 .
Scale of Feet.
1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0
500
1000
1500
HIGH WATER
INE
LOW WATER LINE.
To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD, Nov. 1st 1895.
H Doc2/92.54 1
M
*
OF
PLATE XXI.
Photo-Lith, by A. HOEN & CO., Balto., Md.
1
}
¿
R
IBBEAN
14
25
27
26 22
3011
4½
Rio
20
SEA
5%
412
33
22
2½
5.12
22
5/GREYTOW
REYT
4%
4h
San
Juan ill
2000
S
Rio
Tauro
送​迎
​N
SA
30
14
13
Q

26 54
15
13
18
24
12
18
20
18
20
30
13
12
26
18
15
10
Ꮴ
ER
R
JUA
N
16
ធា
18
7
10
14
14
10
Caño
в
R
10
10
Bravo
S
17
17
12
27
24
24
5
30
13
20
7
A
62
6
C
L
10
13
13
R
10
15
D
14
25
24
12
15
RYO Blan
:
!
SAN JUAN AND COLORADO RIVERS
from survey made by
P.C.F. WEST,
1865.
Drawn under direction of
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD
October, 1895.
Scale of Feet
1000
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD, Nov. 1st 1895.
Doc2/1,254 1
C
Photo-Lith, by A. HOEN & CO., Balto., Md.
!

SILICO
SWAMP
ابس
========
GRASS
SWAMP
11
"
"
CAMP JUNE 22ND/895
SWAMP
TAMBORGRANDE
GRANDE
CAN
CEIB
SUITA FLATS WITH 6 TO18 OF WAT
CLAY BOTTOM,
salle
IGH
YR
CAD
"HILL 80"47
CAÑO TAMB
TAMBORCITO HILL
SERAPIQÚ
20 TO 30 HIGH.
SUITA FLATS.
HILL 29
MUDDY SWAMP.
SUITA FLA
MAR
GAÑO
HILL 180 HIGH.
عمل الأرم
SIFFED
SWAMP
NIGHT OF JUNE 23'95.
GUASIMO
GANO
PARAISO TS.
SAN
MAN HERNANDEZ
CAÑO
Ni
-
HILL 150 HIGH
→
HIGH
HILLS.
CAMP JUNE 27TH
1895
J U A N
SWAMP.
HILL 30 TO 50 HIGH.
RIO
NEGRO
LOS CUELLOS
RIVER
NYS
n
Sketch Map
showing
RECONNAISSANCE
made under the direction
of the
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD
by
F. P. Davis and H.R. Stanford
June 1895.
NOTE: THE TOPOGRAPHY ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE SAN JUAN RIVER
IS TAKEN FROM A MAP FURNISHED BY THE NICARAGUA CANAL COMPANY.
2500
SCALE IN FEET.
125 00 FT
To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD, Nov. 1st 1895.
PLATE XXII.
UN

PLATE XXIIA.
Photo-Lith, by A. HOEN & CO., Balto., Md.
3-1
LA FLOR DAM
+20 EL.120
SEL O
WATER SURFACE EL.110
31
NATURAL SURFACE OF GROUND
EL. 39.5
15
BOTTOM OF EXCAVATION FOR DAM EL. 33.5
EL. 10
+10->
CLAY EMBANKMENTS -EASTERN DIVISION
EL 114
WATER SURFACE EL.106
2호​-1
FOR Y NOT OVER 8' X 12'
Y "" 15' x = 15'
Y OVER
15' x 20'
CANAL SECTIONS
GREYTOWN TO LOCK Net.
STONE PITCHING FROM 3'ABOVE TO 6' BELOW WATER
LOW WATER LEVEL IN ATLANTIC
<10>
510
B
120
LOCK NOI TO EASTERN DIVIDE CUT
WATER SURFACE 31 618106
120
EASTERN DIVIDE CUT
100
WATER SURFACE ELIOS
100
EASTERN DIVIDE TO OCHOA
1-$
12-1
EARTH
ROCK
WATER SURFACE EL 106
80'
1호​-1
1호​-1
CANAL SECTIONS
RIVER DIVISION - ROCK
WATER SURFACE VARIES UNIFORMLY FROM 106 AT OCHOA TO 110 AT FT. SAN CARLOS
28
125
RIVER DIVISION - EARTH
WATER SURFACE VARIES UNIFORMLY FROM 106 AT OCHOR TO 110 AT FT. SAN CARLOS
125
IN LAKE NICARAGUA
WATER SURFACE 110
150'
3-1
3-1
LAKE NICARAGUA TO WESTERN DIVIDE CUT
WATER SURFACE 110
120
WESTERN DIVIDE CUT
100
WATER SURFACE 110
100
ROCK
WE
WESTERN DIVIDE CUT TO TOLA BASIN
LOCK NES TO LOCK N 6.
WATER SURFACE 110 & 25
28
80
28
LOCK N 6 TO BRITO
HIGH TIDE IN PACIFIC
120
DIVERSION OF THE RIO LAJAS
WATER SURFACE 110
5
100'
12-1
EARTH
3-1
Pa
20-
AT LOCK No.1
AT THE CHANCHOS
-EL.70
AT THE DANTA
EL.75
LEL39
10
EL. 6.
-26
EL 114
*12*
EL.35
-52
LEL. 114
12
EL 40
49
SLUICES
THAT
AT LOCK No. 3.
IN SAN CARLOS RIDGE
AT LOCK NO. 2.
10%
EL.42
AT THE SAN FRANCISCO
EL. 55.
-EL.62.
EL.65
EL.10.
42.
EL.114
*12*
EL 33
54
IN SAN CARLOS RIDGE
EL.114
12X
-42-
EL.114
*12*
NICARAGUA CANAL
CROSS SECTIONS OF CANAL AND EMBANKMENTS
AND
ELEVATIONS AND SECTIONS OF SLUICES
COPIED FROM DATA FURNISHED BY CANAL COMPANY
NOTE - DRAWN UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE
NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD OCT. 1895.
50
H
SCALE 1" = 50'
50
100
150
200
250
38
EL 114
175
SS
EL. 65
63
To accompany report of NICARAGUA CANAL BOARD, NOV. 1st 1895.
UNIV
H Doc2792.54 1
OF
WICH


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$81
JULY 1ST 1889.
JAN. YOTH
JULY 10TH
20TH
JAN. 30TH
JULY 20TH
AUG.IS
AUG. 10TH
A
LY IST 1888.
UG. 20TH
AUG. 201H
SEPT. IST
EPT
SEPT 10TH
SEPT. 20TH
人
​bar. 1ST
K
SEPT. IST
MAR. 13TH
SEPT. 10TH
Ace
MAR. 20TH
SEPT. 20TH
St
OOT. IST
APRIL VOTH
OCT. VOTH
OCT. 10TH
APRIL 20TH
OCT. 20TH
OCT. 20TH
H Doc272 54 1
A
MAY YOTH
MAY 20TH
JUNE 1ST
NOV. YST
Wav. 10TH
Wav. 20TH
DEC. IST
DEC. 10TH
JUNE 20 IN
DEC. 20TH
JUNE 30TH
DEC. 30TH
VERTICAL SCALE I IN,-8 FT.
October, 1895.
Drawn under the Direction of the Nicaragua Canal Board,
FROM THE RECORDS OF THE NICARAGUA CANAL COMPANY.
SAN FRANCISCO ISLAND.
AT
SHOWING FLUCTUATIONS OF THE SAN JUAN RIVER
RECORD OF GAUGE READINGS,
JUNE 20TH 1888
JUNE 30TH
32

им
N
6881 FIL NON
NOV. 10TH
WOV. 20TH
A
6881 FILZ INAF
JULY IST
JULY 10TH
DEC. IST
JULY 20TH
RIO DESEADO AT CAMP MENOCAL (Dr. Birt)
DEC. VOTH
A
DEC.20TH
AUG. IST
AUG. 20TH
NO-RECORD-
A
RIO DESEADO BELOW THE FALLS (S.J.Johnson)
JAN. IST 1890.
JAW.JOTH
JAW 20TH
JAN. 27TH
A
NO RECORD
SEPT. IST
MAY 24TH 1988
SEPT 10TH
At
لودـ
Hotp
SEPT. 20TH
ост.
OCT. 10TH
RECORD OF GAUGE READINGS,
SHOWING FLUCTUATIONS OF VARIOUS STREAMS.
FROM THE RECORDS OF THE NICARAGUA CANAL COMPANY.
Drawn under the Direction of the Nicaragua Canal Board,
October, 1895,
VERTICAL SCALE IN-8 FT.
1
JUNE 10TH
OCT. 20TH
0-42.373 ABOVE SEA LEVEL
CAÑO DE LOS CHANCHOS AT CAMP SALINAS (Le Baron
OCT. 30TH
JUNE 20TH
NO RECORD
JULY 1ST
VG. 25th 1888
JULY 20TH
FLORIDA LAGOON (LeBaron)
SEPT. IST
NO RECORD
4TH 1888
MAY IST
H Doc2722.54 1
SEPT. 20TH
OCT.
MAA
SAN CARLOS RIVER
MAY MOTH
OCT. 10TH
2014
OCT. 20TH
708
MAY 26TH
NOV. /ST
HO
75°
-80°
90°
-80°
JUNE 18
1988
-85°
-90°
JUNE
MAX. TEMP. 89º
MIN 〃
Z3°
4Ft.
2Ft
RAINFALL 7.98 IN.
A
1
JULY 1ST
AA
-859
NO RECORD
AUG..
MAX. TEMP. 87,
80 MIN.
79°
AUG. 25TH 1888
SPP
SEPT. ST
SEPT. VOTH
SEPT. 201
JULY 10TH
SEPT
MAX.TEMP. 89°
MIN.
76°
OCT. 1ST
JULY
MAX.TEMP. 88°
MIN."!
JULY 20TH
ALL 34.
RAINFALL 34, 55 IN.
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AUG. JST
AA
A
ост.
MAX.TEMP. 87)
MIN
77°
4Ft.
2Ft.
A
``NO-REGORD
OBSERVATIONS MADE AT MOUTH OF SAN CARLOS RIVER. (DcBirt)
OCT. 10TH
OCT. 20TH
AUG. 10TH
AUG
MAX. TEMP. 87°
MIN
•
"} 72
AUG. 20TH
RA
AUG.
RAINFALL 19.47 IN.
List AON
MIN
NOV.
UNRELIABLE--
SEPT IST
A
A
SEPT.
MAX. TEMP 90°
MIN.!!
73
SEPT. 10TH
SEPT.
RAINFALL 22.51 IN,
SEPT. 20TH
TOTAL RAINFALL FOR 6 MONTHS 123.43 INCHES
W
-8/5°
-75°
-86°
OCT. AST
OCT. 10TH
UNRELIABLE
Λ
M
4Ft
A
2 FLA
OBSERVATIONS MADE AT CAMP CARAZO SAN FRANCISCO ISLAND RIVER SAN JUAN. (Dr.Birt)
MAX, TEMP. 86.
·H- 78°
HOM
4Ft.
2Ft.
-8/5°
96°
OCT.
MAX. TEMP. 89°
MIN
OCT.
RAT
RAINFALL 15.86 IN.
73°
OCT. 20TH
WOV. IST
А
ΑΓΙΟΥ ΛΟΝ
A
<UNRELIABLEY
NOV
MAX. TEMP 86°
MIN.
70-
NOV.
RAINFALL 11.02 IN.
UNRELIABLE-➤
WOV. 20TH
DEC IST
DEC. 10TH
DEC.
MAX. TEMP. 86.
MIN.
}} 67°
DEG.
RAINFALL 20.08 TN.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
RECORD OF TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL OBSERVATIONS.
FROM THE RECORDS OF THE NICARAGUA CANAL COMPANY.
FULL LINES SHOW TEMPERATURE.
DOTTED LINES SHOW RAINFALL.
Drawn under the Direction of the Nicaragua Canal Board,
October, 1895.
DEC. 2014
H Doc272p254 1
DEC. BIST
4Ft.
2Ft
715°
4)
-80°
-85°
-96°
34


1




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