160 THE NICARAGUA CANAL. 
APRIL 18, 1886—FORTY-SEVENTH REGULAR MEETING. 
Charles B. Warring, Ph. D., chairman, presiding ; 
fifteen members and fifty guests present. 
The following paper was read : 
THE NICARAGUA CANAL. 
BY CAPT. HENRY C. TAYLOR, U. 8S. N. 
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: In speaking 
to you to-night concerning the problem of connecting 
the oceans, it may be well to say in advance that 1am a 
firm believer in acanal by way of lake Nicaragua. I 
will add, however, that I have been brought to that be- 
lief by no interest in one route over another, but by un- 
prejudiced study of all the routes for many years, and 
by some personal observation and experience. 
We will consider principally three localities and meth- 
ods by which the oceans may be joined: Panama, a sea- 
level canal; Nicaragua, a canal with locks ; Tehuante- 
pec, a ship railway. 
Upon these three routes the interest of the world’s 
commerce has centred. There have been others — some 
of them with ardent advocates,— and a slight notice of 
them may do something to clear the ground before we 
come to a more detailed consideration of these three 
principal! lines. 
The search for a practical canal route succeeded to the 
long, persistent examination which had caused explorers 
for so many years to penetrate every inlet from New- 
Notre—In preparing the following paper I have made free use of the excellent. work of 
Lieut. Sullivan, U.S. Navy, from which I have obtained much valuable information. I 
- wish, also, to acknowledge indebtedness to Mr. Rodriguez’ late work of interest on the 
Panama canal ; to pamphlets kindly sent me by Capt. Eads and Mr. Corthell of the pro- 
posed Tehuantepec railway ; to officials of the Panama railroad, of the Panama canal, and 
of the state of Panama in examining the work on that canal ; and officials of the republics 
of Nicaragua and Costa Rica during my brief visits to those countries. My thanks are 
above all due to Admiral Ammen and Engineer Menocal, U. 8. Navy, to whose great knowl- 
edge and ability and patriotic disinterestedness the world will some day be largely indebted 
for the possession of a Nicaragua canal. 
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