THE ISTHMIAN CANAL PROBLEM 



A careful reading of Mr Nimmo's article on " The Proposed Interoceanic 

 Canal in its Commercial Aspects," in the August number of The National 

 Geographic Magazine, brings to light various errors in statement which 

 seem to require early attention. Two of these seemed to me of such im- 

 portance as to warrant careful inquiry with a view to early correction : 



1. On page 299 the distances from Manila to New York and London 

 are tabulated as follows : 



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 



In reply to specific inquiry, the Acting Superintendent of the U. S. 

 Coast and Geodetic Survey writes, under date of August 15, 1899, that 

 these figures were given Mr Nimmo on June 10, 1898, but adds : 



"The distances then furnished . . . are in error, the meas- 

 urements having simply been taken from charts. 



The true distances are : 

 Manila to New York : Nautical miles. 



Via Suez Canal 11,596 



Via Nicaragua Canal 11 ,078 



Manila to London : 



Via Suez Canal 9,583 



Via Nicaragua Canal 1 3, 798 



I regret that the error was not discovered before the publication 

 of the article by Mr Nimmo." 



2. Still more seriously misleading is the tabulation on page 303 designed 

 to prove that "Sailing tonnage is fairly holding its own in the ports 

 of the globe," despite the fact that the figures ai*e ostensibly correct. 

 This is indicated by the paragraph in the " Report of the Commissioner 

 of Navigation" for 1898, page 11, in which the figures quoted by Mr 

 Nimmo are published ; this paragraph is as follows : 



"The increase in steam tonnage is both real and apparent. In 

 the last annual report of the Bureau the statement was ventured 

 that on June 30, 1898, "steam tonnage, for the first time in our 

 history, will exceed the combined tonnage of sailing vessels, barges, 

 and canal-boats." The actual figures are : Steam vessels, 2,371,923 

 tons; all others, 2,377,815 tons. The removal of 62,000 tons of 

 steam vessels from the merchant list by purchase for the government 

 could not have been foreseen." 

 Moreover, although the figures are ostensibly correct, they are really 

 incorrect, in that Mr Nimmo's " tonnage of sailing vessels" corresponds 



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