The Nicaragua Canal 



31 



two hundred and eighteen and one hun- 

 dred and seventy feet respectively; but 

 the deepest cut of all is at Tamborcito, 

 about twenty-six miles from Greytown. 

 Here the high ground north of the canal 

 approaches so close to the river that a 

 cut through it becomes imperative. The 

 ridge is narrow, however, the width at the 

 top being only a few feet and at the level 

 of the water in the canal less than three 

 thousand feet, but the extreme depth of 

 the cut is two hundred and nineteen feet. 

 The borings show that it is nearly all hard 

 rock. The less heavy cuts will also be in 

 firm ground, but the exact character of the 

 material cannot be stated until the borings 

 now in progress have been completed. 



The most difficult engineering work in 

 connection with the Nicaragua Canal 

 project is the construction of a dam across 

 the San Juan River to hold back the 

 waters of the lake and enable its level to 

 be regulated. It is of great importance 



that this dam should be located above the 

 mouth of the San Carlos River, as the 

 latter discharges at times as much as 100,- 

 000 cubic feet of water per second, carry- 

 ing with it great quantities of sand. 



Lake Nicaragua, which forms a part of 

 the summit level, is about one hundred 

 miles long and forty-five miles wide, and 

 is distant only about twelve to thirty miles 

 from the Pacific. Originally it was an 

 arm of the Pacific Ocean, but the shifting 

 of the continental divide cut it off from 

 the sea. The lake discharges through the 

 San Juan River into the Caribbean Sea 

 near Greytown. For the upper half of 

 its course the San Juan winds through 

 hilly country. Neither it nor any of its 

 tributaries in this section carries much 

 sediment, and a slack water navigation by 

 means of locks and dams is practicable. 

 But half way down its course the San 

 Juan River receives the waters of the San 

 Carlos which carry great quantities of 



Natives of Nicaragua. 



