THE PROPOSED AMERICAN INTEROCEANIC CANAL 299 



determine the commercial possibilities of any American isthmian 

 canal, and to show the importance of their thorough investiga- 

 tion by specific provision of law before committing the govern- 

 ment to any financial obligations for construction. 



Neither the Nicaragua Canal nor the Panama Canal would 

 afford the shortest or the most practicable route for the trade of 

 the Atlantic seaports of the United States or for the trade of the 

 countries of Europe with Asia or Australasia. This is placed 

 beyond all question by the following statement of distances fur- 

 nished to me, under date of June 10, 1898, by the Superintend- 

 ent of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey : 



From Manila to New York : Nautical miles. 



• Via Suez Canal 11,565 



Via Nicaragua Canal 11,746 ' 



From Manila to London : 



Via Suez Canal . , . . 9,600 



Via Nicaragua Canal 14,680 



This indicates that the Suez route has an advantage of 181 

 miles over the Nicaragua route for the trade of New York with 

 Manila, and an advantage of 5,080 miles over the Nicaragua 

 route for the trade of London with Manila. The Suez Canal is, 

 however, a sea-level canal, whereas the Nicaragua Canal involves 

 220 feet of lockage. In respect to the important consideration 

 of coaling facilities, having regard both to location of coaling 

 stations>nd the price of coal, the Suez Canal route is also greatly 

 superior to either the Nicaragua or the Panama route. Taking 

 all these facts into consideration, it is evident that the Suez 

 Canal possesses an equivalent advantage of fully 1,500 miles 

 over the Nicaragua or the Panama Canal route with respect to 

 the commerce of the Atlantic seaports of the United States with 

 Asia and Australasia, and of fully 6,000 miles with respect to 

 the commerce of the various countries of Europe with Asia and 

 Australasia. 



The rainfall at the eastern end of the Nicaragua Canal has 

 amounted to 25 feet in a single year, whereas the average an- 

 nual rainfall at Suez is only about two inches. The enormous 

 precipitation at Nicaragua not only vitally affects the question 

 as to the permanence of earthworks but has a material bearing 

 upon the question of navigation. A careful observer of engi- 

 neering works on the American isthmus and contiguous territory 

 declares that all maximum estimates of cost of construction in 



