134 NIGARACUA. 



the valley of the Rio Grande, a distance of two miles, to the 

 last lock, a tidal lock of twenty to thirty feet lift, below which 

 the Canal enters the upper portion of the harbour of Brito, 

 one-and-a-half miles from the Pacific Ocean. 



The location of the Canal is the result of thorough and 

 minute examination of the region which it traverses, and of 

 due consideration of recent surveys. 



The total length of the route from Ocean to Ocean is one 

 hundred and seventy miles, divided as follows : — 



Canal in excavation, east side ... 16 miles 

 Canal in excavation, west side ... n^ miles 

 Six Locks ... ... ... \ mile 



Total .. ... ... 28 miles 



Basin of Deseado ... ... 4J miles 



Basin of San Francisco ... ... 11J miles 



Basin of Tola ... ... ... 5Ï miles 



Total navigation in basin 21 miles 



Free navigation in River San Juan 64J miles 

 Free navigation in Lake Nicaragua 56^ miles 



Total free navigation ... 121 miles 



Total from Atlantic to Pacific 170 miles 



With the exception of the rock cuts in the eastern and 

 western divides, the Canal in excavation will be at all points 

 wide enough for two ships to travel in opposite directions. 

 Through the basins and in the lake and River San Juan 

 vessels can pass each other and navigate with entire freedom. 



The traffic of the Canal will be limited only by the time 

 required to pass a lock. On the basis of 45 minutes as the 

 time consumed in the operation, and that but one vessel will 

 pass in each lockage, the number of vessels which may pass 

 through the Canal in one day is calculated at 32 or in one 

 year, 11,680, which based on the average tonnage of vessels 

 going through the Suez Canal, will give an annual capacity 

 for traffic of over 20,000,000 tons. The locks, however, are 

 650 feet long and 70 feet wide in the chamber, and two 

 vessels, each of 2,000 tons displacement can be passed in 

 one lockage, thus materially increasing the estimated 

 capacity. The minimum depth of water throughout the 

 Canal will be 30 feet. 



