THE PvlJNM.Y.l CANAL ROUTE 
61 
(21 of the Chagres and 10 of the Obispo) to be threaded and con- 
trolled, against 111 miles in the case of the rival route. It is true 
that the Nicaragua route proposes to avoid a part of the San Juan 
1)V a cut of 40 miles, but the control of the remainder will be a 
similar and probably as serious a problem as that 2 )resented by 
the Chagres. From 10 to 15 miles of the latter have been coni- 
l)letely diverted and the remainder can be controlled by the i)ro- 
l)Oscd summit-level lake. In the case of a sea-level plan the di- 
version would still be a great problem, but by no means an insur- 
mountable one. 
8. It will be the cheapest route to construct. The plant already 
furnished, with two-fifths of the excavation now completed for a 
PANAMA CANAL, 
SHOWING A PORTION OF THE 13^ MILES COMPLETED ON THE CARIBBEAN SIDE. 
WIDTH, 80 FEET. TOPOGRAPHY OF CENTRAL PORTION VISIBLE IN BACKGROUND. 
sea-level route, including (;x])cnse of administration and ma- 
chinery, lias actually cost 8 150,00! ),()()(). Fpon this basis it is 
estimated that the entire length of 421 miles will cost 81 1(),00<),000 
more U]»on the lock-level plan. A sea-level route would cost 
82< M ),( M )0,000 more. 1'lie amount of work necessary to complete 
the Fanama canal is far le.ss than would be required to construct 
the Nicaragua route. Engineers admit that 40 miU*s of excava- 
tion — almost equivalent to the entire length of the Panama 
eaiial — are necessary along tlu; rival route. What the cost of the 
