254 



■NICARAGUA AND THE ISTHMIAN ROUTES 



attained the greatest degrees of public favor are the Atrato, San 

 Bias, Panama, and Nicaragua. 



Atrato Routes. — The gulf of Darien, an arm of the Caribbean 

 sea, at the point where the isthmus joins the main continent of 

 South America, receives the waters of the Rio Atrato, a navi- 

 gable stream which rises and flows due north about 200 miles 

 into the gulf. Its watershed is bounded on the west by the con- 

 tinental divide, which here hugs the Pacific coast very closely, 

 and has several passes of moderate altitude. Various projects 

 have been proposed to utilize this river and its tributaries to ap- 



llDJIllTiOIlIn 



proach the Pacific coast as near as possible and then cut through 

 the range to the sea. Of these projects the two that have re- 

 ceived the most favor and attention are the two which utilize the 

 Napipi and Truando rivers, tributaries of the Atrato. But neither 

 has been regarded with as much favor as the more northerly routes. 

 The Napipi-Atrato route provides for making use of the Atrato 

 river for a distance of about 140 miles and the construction of 

 about 30 miles of canal, of which 3? miles would be in tunnel. 

 The estimated cost of this canal is about $98,000,000. The chief 

 objections to this route are the long stretch of river navigation 

 before the canal proper is reached, the uncertaint} r of tunnel 

 construction and maintenance, the aggregation of a number of 



