260 NICARAGUA AND THE ISTHMIAN ROUTES 



and to whom is largely due the public interest in the Nicaragua 

 canal. In 1885 Mr Menocal was sent by the Government to 

 continue the examination, and the plans adopted by Lull were 

 completely revolutionized. On the west side he adopted the 

 Childs route — by way of Las Lajas — the Rio Grande to be di- 

 verted from its course and turned eastward into Lake Nicaragua. 

 The summit level of Lake Nicaragua was to be maintained at 

 110 feet by a dam across the San Juan at Ochoa, three miles be- 

 low the mouth of Rio San Carlos, where the sailing line was to 



MOUTH OF KIO GRANDE : PROPOSED SITE OF BRITO HARBOR 



leave the river and follow nearly a straight line to Greytown, 

 the summit level being maintained until the east divide had 

 been passed, and the descent to the Caribbean made by three 

 locks with a maximum lift of 40 feet. This necessitated the con- 

 struction of a series of high embankments between Ochoa and 

 the east divide, a distance of 12J miles. About half of this dis- 

 tance consists of steep clay hills, which were to be connected by 

 the embankments, 67 in all, ranging from 6,000 feet long down- 

 ward. The cut through the east divide was to be over three 

 miles long and to have a maximum depth of 324 feet. This 

 project was the one adopted with some modifications by the 

 Maritime Canal Company. Two short basins were added by 



