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-08/«sfeg BsaSasE wWO
VOL N.WI!.—No. :;3.
A RICH LAND
trnosi:ci:r.tTrossir.rr irri stn.irs
XOTIET BFF.’.V IJUGIXKV.
AN ESTIMATE OF THE GOLD YIELD
Sonic of the I -»*x. t'elebrilto* <-f Lampkin
Cuni<iy-rii» Work »f lire Forth
Georgia Agricultural College.
Djh'onepa, Ga.. Angnst Iff—(Special} —The
possibilities of Hie Georgm sold belt are
yet eonjeeturaL
T«k fact shat the gold heretofore mined
has been alm -.’-t altogeth*r mere surface
work, that even this rude meth ’ I of pro
duction was sufficient to cause the estab
lishment of a taint, and that the yield
has never failed to be productive, justih s
the hope that within the bottom of the
mountain ranges there lies concealed large
deposits of the precious mineral.
According to the p ibl shed statement the
first I’m! d s ß —t«-s g**iu coined was in 1825,
and from that t’me up to 1X» four-fifths of
the I’nit. ! Stan'S g’M coinage was < f
native gobi, all of which was produced
by the smiihom states. From LS»»> to l'-*7
North ‘aroli la furni-ht- i the wh »le of the
gold produced .n the United States, amount
ing to $i »»•.•’* *»; but in IO Virginia c >n
tributed 43.5»«, and in the same year South
Carolina yielded Shfiat. In IS3O Georgia
came to the front with its first deposit at
the mint, amounting to nt» Jesa than $212,-
®ntL The statistic® of the mint do I ex
hibit the true amount taken out. A large
amount of the gold was sent off into Ken
tucky and Tennessee to exchange for stock
and provisi ms. M*ney was freely furnished
by bank- and individuals at the north for
the purchase of geld dust at low rates, and
mush of toe gold was manufactured with
out having been deposited at the mint.
In Whitt’s “Statisti's of Georgia,” a
carefully prepared gazetteer of the state,
it is stated that the am- int of gold al
ready taken from the mines in the neigh
borho. d of the ('hestatee river and the
•trauns fi >wlng into this river is about
fy 1 '•,<*«>. This was prior to the civil war.
The United States treasury reports sh- w
t the Dahlonega mint coined ver $•».-
•* ’» as fol. ws:
~ I - j icin'-.no
1 '• 1. ' *•
i-1” .7 .’.*.7 .7.7 .77 .7 17. ’«’
1' ? 3* •
1» ’ f'ljN’../)
1 <♦». .. .. .. .. .. ~ •*.*- >,j
1.M5-. o>d.2f.-. <t
- ‘I
•• •• •• •• •• • • **”” **■-•
' **. L'2 222 22 22 22 22 * ‘•i;’?;?' •
, * *>*>’ . n
4s ♦.<«»
.
' a is J f‘ * • 4
* •*. a . .y.. ».’• », .7. >
•< ’ .7:::::::::: 1 -?:v
1K» l*<0.!«7.:»
IVA •-..-.2.01
]S9> tW.477.<»
SKI POiMS-OP
Total M411.W.00
During the same period over five million
dvlUrs w re coined in the Charloite mint,
a large pr. ;>>rti»n of which came from the
mines bi this section.
The mines now i.i operation and in course
of development are as follow >:
The Ibmi a. 1 .rl .w Vnit.-l Gold Hines
an i Hydraulic Works of G< Of this
company Christian Wr.M. <-f Milwaukee,
Is president and prineiiKtl <<wner. He is
rep esented on the grounds by Mr. Arthur
Weld and Mr. 11. D. Inc rs !i. This com
pany owns all the property formerly be
longing to Colonel N. H. H .nd, including
the great canal, twenty-' ur miles long,
which furnishes water ail the mines.
The canal cost about •). The water
is carried from the 1. ad of Vahoola river,
through a canal in the level ground, and
aei<>«s the v«l|oys either In immense sluice
boxes or through pip- .- !.,rger than the
biggest in use in the Atonia waterworks.
The Chest.; •• • •mp i.y. of St. leMlis,
Mr. J. 1». Th-r.ip- r. president, and Mr.
W. IL Crandall. - . d manager. The
operations und rtak n at present are the
working f ta gra- i Ivos lying adjacent
to the . - ■ Nicely** t'.
and with ti vivw • : Ultimately turning
the river in: > its old c; .snr.el and recov
ering the geld from t ■ present channel.
Tile gravel i* is lie i the 1» vel of the
river and hen - t..<- rfs has to be <■!•-
x.itei b.: «re it c. a I run Into the river.
The water power is a natural rhoal with a
fill of about s. \.«n f. . ai.d there are two
«ixty-six-in< h 1.-T-il t ;rbine wheels. Ore
of these operat. •- a 12x21 Inch duplex Blake
pump, which fur <he.- about one thousand
gallons of water j r i .nute, under a pres
sure of from lo'y t»» sixty pounds per
s-juare inch. This water is supplied to a
hydraulic gi-nt and s-rves to break <!<>wn
the surface dirt a. -i wash the gravel which
L< conduct I th. ,uuh sluices sunk into the
bed rock or . ! dellver.-l to a centri
fugal sand pomp, which elevates it up to
a rtun'e by n.,:- ?. it jg cart ed to the river
and depot-i*. i t,■ k,-.-. the dam. This sand
pump i «p-r„ s ~y a twenty-five horse
power ■ motor, of the C. & c. type.
The sc-ond u . v heel operates a hity
hor->- n r. er : itor, which furbishes the
p-»w--r l ,r th- _r m<-ntiuue<i -<v>* and
also for a sm.d one whl< h pumps wau-r
direct fr m the river fi r the cleaning of
the gfnvel,|Whi**u is washe d in b.>z—« hav
ing rack - as in ordinary placer tniuii
Th«* work as p: ,«fcuted day and night,
light betag f« shed from the electric
plant. The ' is organised under the
l.ttv IP. -i I is owned a!::n>sl wh -ily
L; St. 1. .!.< parties. The expenditure
represents s*h •
■ . U Gold Mining C-mpany.
Bat.l mu min s, W. G. Neiley,
pr id. 'iL
Stewart Ar Woodward, of Atlanta.
The Gor.l. i miae. V». Fry. suiM-rinten
fienr.
Besides thr .« Captain Frank W. Hall
owns an immense quantity of mining prop
erty, ineluded in which are the Singleton
mute, th-* 1,-,,-khart, the Fishtrap, the ivy
and th- Bast.
Among other operators are Mr. W. G.
Jt--nha:n, at the Sil-.im. and General W.
W. Murray, of Tennessee.
Abmiuk the Miners.
Among t ■ niim cr are to Is* found many
m- a with intere .ilng antecedents. Mr.
John \ . 'Weaver, superintendent bf the
Singleton mim. ah-. - home is in NucJ;-
oUsvtlin rlr.lms the distinction of having
been the very !::■ I cons, derate rohlier t-n
--1..-:ed in G.-orgia.
"I was living In .M -rcinton at the time,”
said he, •'and kept pretty well informed
as to what Noing on. One night CVdo
n* l Miller Gr ve appeared in M->rganton.
I knew h -• a.- ; hi was :•» raise a c impany,
so I s i-ht him out and after mak'ng him
head of the roll, I enlisted that night, F-U
--nury 22, IS6I. Tout date places my name
ahead of .nil oth. rs ns the first enlisted man
of the confederate army.”
I me*, up with Virge Moose, the noted
confederate scVut, who was panning out
gab! fa one of the mines.
"Some time ago.” he told your corre
spondent, "I wrote an incident for The
Coii tit lion in which it was stated that
when G«'li r.«l Bragg made his famous raid
Into K.ntmky in 1X62. myself and another
tiMixii-jc.,r-uld reb gave out one night :>nd
kid In ;• straw stack. We slept all night,
and next morning we struck across the
country away from the line of march to
h. sone thing t<> cat. When we g»»t about
five miles from the pike w< come to a
turmhcUM' an i called fur breakfast. '.X hen
th • I. <iy of the house saw us we knew by
h r >ons that we were the lirst rebs
. ier seen. She came near not let-
nave breakfast, but we were finally
coir <-• -• <i into the uining hall, where was
pl.i. e l b< i.tiv us cold !.< ,;’s he.nl. biscuit.
cofiVa, eggs and ham. We ate like we had
!. • had aus th! for a week, la a tew
ininuus that h« g’< head compienced show
ing -rt teeth, whin 1 h« nd some one come
to the door tmd s. p- <>n looking up there
steal a n .tl live yr.nk with a shooting iron
i. his hand. When I started to get up he
said: *S!t still, boys, I am a soldier myself,
and know whit it is to be hungry.’ But
we had nil at once got a plenty. He insist 'd
on us eating more and said we were wel
come; that it should not cost us a cent,
and that he lived there and was at home
on leave of absence. He further said that he
had had a hard time getting his mother to
A.
u
■
NOBTH GEORGIA AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
lot ti- have l r«*ik'.ist. and that he wanted
to talk to u.’ and try to p Isu ide us to staj’
tvitlr his r.'.'fiher and k- • p out of the war,
. {< ... t ~.y -,v ' 1 be sure to whip the
x
nuKhis talking he had our runs taken out
to the mid o'T ' • -i" "i des tilled up
v Ith grub, and by that time v. had drank
about a pint of his corn lie. tor. P-. still hud
that hollow-waro In his hand. He ins.st.d
i.n going, uul be finally a.;n-d to it if we
would prenVse not to s: y anything about
liis Ixing there, which we did. He read the
story in The Constitution, and 1 am now
correspond'ne with him mm 1 have prom!--
X.rsTw" :<‘ ’i n- Riat I v .u.ld co as soon
I got n-r gr.hl all dug, which won't be
very Ion; , for I have not found much for
some time.” ...
Virg- then stooped down to v i-h cut h s
pan again, wh-re we left him to his re
flections. , ,
It w:i« nt Bencham s mine
tl -t was dlr-eov. re-1 a sure enough celebri
tv—iv Tankbut ns fits mother knew him
n in: nev-Na;.-l. on For ' !-*- Tankers
ly. 1: -y Is a man who has i ! -.y-1 many
• .arts in many land*, but he has stead
fa;tlv refus -d to cross the o<-< all. It was
in 1859 tla-t. aa a youth, he lirst strucK
A "! ‘i';“l been us<<” he exvb-lned. “to do
ing as I il< .sod in Nuk lleville, but wi n
1 got to Atlanta ‘hey -lid not seem to
kp<>w me so well. I went -mt t
lolling mill, where the boys thought to
have some fun out of me. I think they
h« l the worst of it before I got through,
the war. In th- first engagement 1 was
I V nt out with Ballard’s company to
wounded, and was sent ba-k to Atlanta.
As i was the first wounded confederate
soldier that ever made his annearance on
Whitehall street you may lie sure that the
f..- a w..s —-n- 1 . Slav, do you know Jimmy
Loyd? Well, if you do, you can have any
thing that 1 have got.’’
Thus lie talked on of Atlanta and At
lanti-iiis.
“But I am getting old now. ive got a
bottle and a glass,” said he, sitting down
i:> an 01-l chair in fron> of a cabin near
by. “Let’s have a drink fur old time's
r ake.”
The li-»rM‘ «>f Dink Botts.
Perh"ps no ci.-i’uro of Lumpkin county
has ailract- d t->w ird it more attention
than Dink Butts. Dink is a man of deciued
c- nt. :iu ». r.i- y to the soil, and un.•
tiimina.eii by contact with that great outer
world where the liner feel-ngs give way to
utility. As an 5-rdent democrat he lived
for tile success ot the party, entering into
ill the contests with the ardor of a man
who b- lieved in what lie professed.
He h’is now retired from politics per
manently, and was found by your corre
spondent at work on Hie gold mine which
has been opened on one of the streets of
Dahlonega.
“it is not the honest party worker,” he
rai l byway of a]»-»!ogy, “who bets recug
intliii, but the man who plays upon tne
creuulity of the p*-ople. 1 worked lor the
election of Mr. Cleveland from the time
... v, .. .f. .1.1 1888, never -
dreaming of trading him off lor a western
or any otic. 1 kina of a man. A\ h>. sii,
w.un the u: litia district east US vote 101
Grovtr < 1- ukuw I felt that he could not
overtook the fact. When Ji-ike Smith was
playing around as a fr< c stiver democrat,
1 ki: .V, in n-asuii, that he was not working
fir Mr. <'!• \< ll-i. Th.n when he came
to the iu|<! or* of Cleveland after Mr.
Hi.Kl.i.rn tad led th- way in Atlanta, I
vt ,u: i.s t G ..i it was the smell of the car
c.; ... tiiat attracted him.
“As for me.” said Dink, quieting Ins work
j’.r a iiiuiuent, and striking an attitude
1,, ide tne t.afl. “i nvw once doubted
li.ac Cleveland was the man. When it
was rumored that it was Hoke to whom
tie nev.ly e;< el-d president had turned it
w s enough to mal.e in- - seasick or some
tuii.ff Os t....* Kill. Why. the stories they
•„ UII on Hike! But 1 have quit politics,
and intend hereafter to make an honest
I vins. Th y u<> till me that 1 ought to
l-.i’e a laiu.'l or two, 1 do not know exai'tly
what they mean by that—tn i then 1
would he more su-cessful. But the razor-
Lack li-ig aiways did reach the sloptrough
list and I icvk-ui tiny alwivs will.
Diiik h. s d:»c..i'ded his stove-pipe hat,
whi«h he has worn on «> many
occasions, and walks around under the
riri-i •of a broad-brimmed straw hat
wlnii i-artiaity hides his blushes as ap
i>eciative cittyins discuss with him the
great f.'rt wli-'h he helped in securing
Hi.- nomination and election of Air. Cleve
land.
Education in l.iimpkln.
The other day J attended the session of
ti e tea-h* is' ii stitute of Lumpkin county.
A zealous L< d; of men and women they
■wire, as they sat in one of the classrooms
in the North Ge rgia Agricultural college,
an I quite a change from the teachers of
kng ago.
One of these old-time teachers —George
ATLANTA, MONDAY, AUGUST 13? 1894.
Slssum—was present, not as a member,
lor he is by nc means eligible, but as a
1- okeron, out of l.is own zeal to see what
these who l ave disputed him are going to
do.
In early life George rode the mail over
the mountains of Morganton. He maue a
fsithful carrier, they 'say, and neither
bi i in nor floor ever kept the mail from
petting in on t ine. It was in this capaci
ty that he lirst attracted the special at
tention of Cclcnel W. I’. Price, then a
n ember of coi.press. During one of his
vacations Cch rel Price was i. ling over
the moirtain Using up some of his politi
cal fences. Ila deep r: vine, and sitting
11 on the trui k o! a fallen tree. Colonel
Price was surprised to find the ex-mail car-
• Why, what are you doing now?” in
lived the c< 'oi el.
“ am tel el ;ng of me a school,” was the
answer of George.
“Where he got his educatb.n to tit him
•er such work, I never knew, unless, in
deed, he al soiled it from riding on the
mailbags. Yet, inawiy, he did o?n< work.
He help to set the people to lhin < : ig about
education, and to our knowledge of the
disadvantages of that day, »■ : owe much
of the success ol the present.
The great agent of progress, no* in Lump
kin county alone, but throughout ail the
mountain ccvrt’es of Georgia, has bi-n uie
North Cecrjii Agricultural and Military
■<dlege, of v.Tkb the late Hon. D. W. la vv
it was for so many years the distinguished
head. For rcauy twenty years this in
stitution has been kept up. Once destroy-
ed by fire the state has continued to make
nppropiiaticns until now it is one of tin*
post attrai five public buildings in the
stat- 1 . The faculty is an able one, and its
1 iliiaiy ccq.arti ent is second to no mili
tary s-'bool in ihe south, being under int.
direct m;.n:i”< intnt of a specially commis-
■ i-.i.ed clliccr cf the l’nited Stat s army,
detail--• 1 «iiie pjesident and the secretary
ol war. It is a school where both sexes
have equal chances and privileges in ob
taining a tirst-c-ass education-
Thousands of the young iro> and women
of Georgia :nd the neigs 00' , stales have
acquired tii.'i" education h I't.iiiy u£
*, -• hnv- t-.-'-ome pro--. .donul teachers
A i.ile quite a. number L:iV> <: {‘‘•••■•l ti .?
hnrne-l professions, but by far the ;greatest
prcp-irti >ll have engaged in the practical
a I icdiis-ri.il callings of life, and, with
r-re ••xccptions, have made useful and
1. n r--I citizens of the localities where
they live. Too much cannot be said of
the good work done by this institution;
too niieh cannot lie predicted oi its i-iture
greatness and worth. Th" legislature of
Georgia has placed upon reeor 1 its attesta
tion of its continual usefulness ;md v • t.
value to the state ami country at large,
by handsome appropriations that the build
ings might be th->r uglily repaired and
equ<pp'-d with necessary furniture and ap
paratus.
The extreme cheapness ot living here,
taken in connection with ihe fact ihat the
sai • of intoxicating liquor.; is sG’ietly pro
hibited by stat** ermeiment, and the high
moral tone of the community has rendered
this a very popular school for these peo
ple who desire to furnish th. ir children
v. ith a thorough but cheap education, .and,
- . < - ; < •.-
"^■’'''*''<>.•'2 -*■ ’■ '/
-•
< . : . AZ--. » jt» j\ ' * '- '
■ - :
HI \ < '* ■ * wi:Fv’ ‘
■
THE Pii’E IN THE WILDERNESS.
Showing How Water Is Carried Over the
Mountains and Valleys.
at the same time, have them freed from
the temptations and allurements so fre
quently met with els- where.
Each senator and representative of the
general assembly is authorized and request
ed to appoint one student to this institu
tion in.m his senatorial district ur county
only, as the case may be, during his term
as such senator or represent!’live, wno
snail be received without the entrance fee
—these uppumtinents Io hold guo-l lor ,:;e
scholastic term fur which they are ma le,
bin may be renewed from term to term.
Many interesting stories are told of the
great interest taken by the people in eau
cation. I'aiants who c 1:1 neither read nor
v. me go to great .sacrifices in order that
their children may have all these advan
tages. One case was cited in which a
father and mother established themselves
in Dahlonega ;..r ihe purpose of edui 11 mg
their dsiughtcr. Neither one coul-i read or
write. That daurliter is now wearing tne
gol-i medal awarded l-y Hun. Frank I’.
Rice, of Atlanta, to the pupil having th •
i.-gliest standing in lattiii. As siiowmg
how < iluc.ill.m helps - ven w- men out - f the
in -st deplorable ->f situations, another in
cident was relate I. S’-nie m I s from Dah
1< i ega, there lived a shiftless, drunken
tai in T, v.ho abu.std his wife and two
daughters ur.m< rcifullv. ills cruelty . .•!--
ed su-’h a point finally that his wife left
him, taking with her tne two young ii.iiimi
t-rs. She cam'* to Dahlonega, kept board
ers, did all the work she could get, an-1
s» nt her danghti-is to college. Today the
family is comfort -bly housed, and the two
g-rls are received into the b.-sl socieiy,
where they are regarded as models of lady
like deportment.
1m tn the Pc«»|»lc.
q’he people of the mountain regions are,
in many respects, unl-ke those of the other
see’mils oi Georgia. From Saviinnah, Au
gusta «»)'< .' .s on there Hows a stream of
family pride ami tradition, wb.< h give
tone and form to the people of the terri
torv dominate*! by them.
The north Georgian, however, is a true
fr. ntiersm in. Cutting away from the
strings which hold him to old associations,
h-> explored the mountain fastnesses in
order to make for himself a home in a
mw land. Iris isolation < re*t< d a feeling
of individuality and independence which
a-.sei’ts itself often in both religion ami
polities. Mero names have for him no
b'.i.iline charm, but looking beneath into
the subject matter itself, he will doef-le
the question as it appeals to his better
judgment.
With th-* north Georgian, the only prece
dent is the decision born of his own
thought. P. J. MORAN.
IT MEANS VERY MUCH
7 0 THE ENTIItE COUKIKY £5-
ri.CIALLY 70 THE J»UUIU.
TI 1 GREAT NICARAGUA CANAL
St. .us of IlielWork and of the Legislation
Concerning ll—Details of tlio
Work Proposed.
Washington, August 11.—(Special.)—The
great Nicaragua interoceanic ship canal
juojeet is steadily forging to tin; front in
\\ ashington. No less than six bills —an
unprecedented number —for the development
a : i execution of the enterprise under the
.up rvision of the L’nited States govern
ment have been introduced in congress at
this session, by statesmen from widely-,
scatiered sections of the country —the At
lantic seaboard, the Pacific slope, the gulf
ports and the Missouri and Mississippi val
ley . One of these bills has been formally
reported to the senate by Senator Morgan,
o' Alabama, from the committee on foreign
relations, and one to the house by Repre
sentative Mallory, of Florida, from the
committee on interstate and foreign com
merce the latter as an accepted substitute
for all the other bills, similar in scope, in
•tro meed respectively by It preseatative
Hayes, of Iowa; Representative Storer, of
Ohio; Representative Doolittle, of Wash
ington, and .Representative Bryan, of Ne
braska.
From th: way memorials and petitions
are being sent in to congress, it woul 1 .ap
pear that people in all parts of the union,
in boards of trades, state and commercial
conventions, and individually, are rapidly
becoming unanimously of the opinion thal
the United States government should pro
ceed at once with the gigantic work and
complete it as an American canal, under
strictly American control.. Senator Mor
gan. who has the success of the enterprise
greatly at heart, from a purely patriotic
standpoint, predicts tnat it is destined to be
the crowning glory of the nineteenth cen
tury.
The project is truly a momentous one, but
It has been pronounced by all the experts
Who have investigated the subject to be
perfectly practicable. The only question
is as to accomplishing the work most eco
nomically. with a view to securing cheap
tolls, after its completion, on the one ’’-'nd,
and on the other the control and domina
tion of the canal by the United States.
/ 1
1 M
I
I Z
SENATOR JIOII<aX, OF ALABAMA.
The scheme contemplates a combined ar
tificial and natural waterway across the
Central American isthmus, from the At
lantic to the Pacific, via Lake Nicaragua
and the San Juan river, at a cost estimated
at f35,(Wt),000. The route selected -the choice
out of ten different routes conisdered, and
the one repeatedly approved by successive
engineering parties sent out by the gov
ernment —lies through a country for the
tin t pa*i't salubrious, fertile, beautiful and
rich in natural resources. i.y this route
t e distance to be traversed by vessels
plying lietw, t u the two oceans is 165 miles,
but 121 miles of it would be in fin approxi
malt-ly straight course byway of Lake
Nicaragua and its eastern outlet, t. e St u
Juan river both already tiavigabl? by
o - an-go ug' steamships, and tw -nty twc.
miles mor,- to be traveled by means o'
natural, basins to be filled up, so that
only twenty-sik miles of artificial canal
cutting would be needed—far less than at
Panama. Besides, the land to be traversed
is the lowest d- pressioa in the entire Cordil
lera range between the Arctic sea and the
straits of Magelien. The crest line and
reservoir of the canal would be Lake Nica
ragua itself, only 110 feet above the sta
level; a large inland body of fresh water,
enclosed in a rock-bound basin, where the
rainfall in the mountains is caught and
imprisoned, its outlet, the San Juan river,
can be availed of for navigation sixty-five
miles, and the lake itself for lifty-slx miles,
so that by cutting down the earth and up
building channels in the low country west
ward irom the Caribbean sea to the river,
thirty-six miles, and from the Pa
cific ocean eastward to the lake,
twelve miles, a continuous
waterway could be secured, which by means
ot locks and darns could be rendered naviga
ble throughout from ocean to ocean.
The details of the work proposed are
briefly these: First, a breakwater at Grey
town and a deepening of the harbor there,
dredging thence westward nine miles
through alluvial ground; then a lock of
thirty feet lil t. A mile and a quarter beyond
a second lock of thirty-one feet lift and a
dam across the small stream Deseado,
above which are to be three basins support
ed by another d.-iu ai d a third lock of forty
live feet lift, affording five miles of free
na.igation. Next a lock cut three miles
long through the “eastern divide,” the piece
de resistance of the whole engineering
work, lo'.l.r.wd by twelve miles of
navigation in the valh ys of the San Fran
cisco and Alachado rivers. Here the water
is to be raised by embankments, forming
ba: ins connecting directly with the San
Juan river above a large dam across its
curt ent, which will elevate the surface
level in the river and lake and secure addi
tional free navigation for sixty-five miles
in the river and fifty-six miles across the
lake, the western side of the I ’.ke it
is proposed that the canal shall ente- a
cut of slight depth in earth and rock nine
miles long, issuing thopce into the Tola
basin, with five and one-half miles of free
navigation obtain.d there by d unming a
small sireani, the Rin Grande, At this dam
a series of locks v. ill lower the level eighty
live feet ami the canal will proceed thence
in excavation down the valley of the Rio
Grande two miles to a final lock —a tidal
lock of thirty feet lift, below which the
canal will enter the upper portion of file
harbor of Brito, one-half mile from the
Pacific ocean, where a breakwater will be
constructed, enlarging and making more
commodious the present harbor.
Thirty million cubic yards of earth-
dredging will be required for the canal,
besides 21,773,810 cubic yards of earth ex
cavation above the sea level, 13,452,538 yards
of volcanic rock excavation, and 575,445 cu
bic yards of rock excavation under water.
The rock and earth taken from the excava
tions can be used in constructing the em
bankments, weirs, outlets and locks. The
minimum depth of water in the canal is
to be thirty feet. The lake supply of water
alone, ii is estimated, will be ten tunes the
maximum needed for the operation of the
canal.
The present status of the enterprise can
be soon told. The Nicaragua Maritime
Company, which is an association of Amer
can business men and financiers, was in
corporated by an a< t of congress in ISS9,
and proposed to build the canal by virtue
of concessions granted by the republics of
Nicaragua and Costa Rica in 1887 to Lieu
tenant A. G. Menocal, of the United .hates
navy, under the treaty of 1887 between
Nicaragua and the United States. That
company delegated the actual performance
ot the work to the Nicaragua Canal Con
st luetion Company. The latter concern fit
ted out an expedition from New York in
May. 1885, for Greytown, on the east eoast
of Nicaragua, and in June began prelimin
ary operations on the ground, being fol
lowed immediately by numerous vessels
and transports laden with vast quantities
of machinery, locomotives, tools, dredges,
excavators, cars, rails, creosoted tim
ber, piles, tugs, steam launches, pipes and
the like. In October the work of excavating
the harbor and mouth of the canal v.as got
under way, together with the building of
wharves and a railway for the transporta
tion of h avy machinery, ana a telegraph
line, the clearing of forests along the route,
and the erection of storehouses, hospitals,
dwellings and administration otiices. These
activities were pushed rapidly until the
close of the season of 1892. In the following
year the disturbed state of the money mar
ket and the generally unsettled condition
of financial affairs all over the world, pro
ducing serious embarrassment to all enter
prises depending for their prosecution iipo:
the sal of securities, caused a stoppage 01
tiie work, and it has ran lined suspenuea
since. But up to the time of suspension
nineteen miles of the rout*, had been cl ar
ed, sixty miles of tel. graph h.id been erect
ed, a tel-phone system had be n establish
ed, and six miles cf railroad had bee:,
constructed through swamps toward tin
“Eastern Divide.” The net expenditure;
were report d to have been SS,S(XM»O. ii.
consequent ? of the stoppage there has beer
some loss in the depreciation of .the plant,
but all th dredges and machinery, houses
a id wharves are stated to be in good con
dition lor an imtnedi ite resumption of work.
Pending this re: .’.mpuon, capitalists from
Europe have inane propositions to the Aiar
itime Canal Company, which are yet pend
ing, to enter into an agreement for the
completion of the canal on terms fir mor
liberal to ns present own-rs than any tiia
have li en oft red by the 4 nited Stat -
Hence, if action by congress is delayed un
reasonably, it is believed t: e company wb
•>e compelled e‘■ h r to ae.unoun
sion" and lose the money already inv<
in the canal, or to iccept the oCers ma i
to them by the for ign capitalists.
By the terms of the Alo.gun bill in th<
senate and the Mallory bill .:i the house i.
Is proposed to amend th • incorporating ae
of 183 so as to enable the .-.luritr.i Cana.
Company to construct tne canal with t .<
aid of the government w thin seven year,
to have the government guar.-fitee th bo.ifi.
of the company and stand sponsor for the
proper execution an., completion of the un
dertaxing. and above ail, to li::»e the I nit <•
States dominate and control the canal here
after and prevent its going into the hands
of ur.y foreign pov. r.
The Morgan bill provides forth reorgani
zation of the Maritime Canal Company and
the calling in and redemption of their bonds
and .Aocks; the issuance by tiie company of
sloo,(WO,OiK> of r.ew stock, securea by mort
gage bonds bearing the sol mn guarantee of
the United Stat, s at 3 p- r cent interest, and
to oe deposited in the United tSates treas
ury; tii transfer of s7<>.’ I, *).<t'K) of tnis cap
ital stock (C-i.if I'.btD in th- MuEuy bill) by
the company to the United States govern
ment in consideration tor its guaranty ot
tne company's bonds, al- > to be ii p<site 1
in the treasury; tne i.-suaiiee of s'.,<• ti.i.ro of
th? stock to Nicaragua and $1.5 • o to
Costa Rica, th. remaining 82h, 0f
stock to be used in the liquidation of ex
penditures herctoio.e iiicmred and *n tne
parti g vor.strui lion of the canal; air. the
continuance of construetio:: from funds de
rived .rem tiie sa.. of stock held by the
treasury, and if necessary, from the sale of
the guaranteed bond:-, which are to be »•*-
llv -ed by the seer tary of the treasury to
the companv front time to time, unde- <■ t
t.iin restrictions and limitations, as the
work progresses. Further, the otiices of
the dir ctors of the old company are to tie
d«e’ared vacant, except those representing
Nicaragua ami Costa Rica, whereupon a
new board shall be created, consisting of
fifteen ( leven in the Mallcry bil.) members
one each to be named by Nicaragua and
Costa Rica, and one by the Mantune Ca-
/1-i
/ Costa rica Kjjy
nal Company, an-l the remaining members
by the president of the Unit d States, not j
more than half of them to belong to the 1
j.iuk poliiica? party. Upon the reorganisa
tion of the board, the see:- tarj’ o- the tr« -; -
tiry is to ha.’ s*.n accounting v.ith the old
sto kholders ami deliver to them new rap
it il stock equ.il to the amount th y have ,
thus far - spend al, not exceed.! ■■■ "• -
Tiie United States reserves the right to !
purchase tiie stcdi at par at any time. (
Dividends upon the stock must ne made
from net -arnings, ;in l shall net exceed
5 per cent of the par value. The work of
eot-.-ti action n.v st be -lone under the imme
d’i te supervisiov us Unite I States govern
ment nginetrs, ami all expel 'lit tires are to
be under the general supervision of the (
secretary of the treasury.
Senator Morgan <1 -elires that the safe
ri.- !■- provid -I in his bill will prevent
pcrsible Injury or loss to the t n'te-l Stat-'s, !
and thinks 't entirely probable that the
treasury will never he re .aired to advance
any money', eitb r for the con.-tructlou of
the canal or for the payment ot interest on
th liomb", - ven while the canal is building.
“The interest on the bon Is," he points out.
“ ven as '.er 370.Pi1.b-)!) has be- it expend- :, is
£2,100,000 per annum, and if it reqt i.'es 1
years to *-. mpl*‘e th* ca' -il, the i. sm. ot
bends required will be almost $lO.-
OtJO.MO crch year; that is, $31*0.11-0
fur the lirst yjxr, StiJJuO the
PRICE FIVE CENTS
second year, J900.W0 the third year, and so
on until the seventh year, when the sum
needed to meet the interest would be 12,-
100,01*!). At that time the canal wi“ be open
ed and in full operation, and its income
even for the first year will reach $5,000,003,
counting at the rate of tells now received
by the Suez canal, which is paying 22 per
cent dividends annually.”
There is no question but that the early
completion of the Nicaragua canal as con
templated would be of incomparable com
mercial benefit and advantage to the Amer
ican people. The position the canal would
occupy would be unique, exceeding in strat
egic value the straits of Gibraltar; and, like
the Mediterranean, of wh. h it is the gate
way, the Caribbean sea. the gulf of Mexico
and the Isthmian F !; >■ would fairly teem
with the commerce of the world, passing
to and fro through the canal. Its mere pos
session by the United States, moreover,
would constitute a perpetual assertion of
the Alonroe doctrine.
If the Nicaraguan canal were in opera
tion today, its benefits to the commerce of
America, as well as the re st of the world,
would be simply inestimable. By means of
it the United States could absolutely de
termine the destiny of the whole west
ern hemisphere; for a well equipped naval
station on that Inland sea, with fortified
termini and a fleet of modern warships,
would dominate the Atlantic eastward to
the Windward islands cf the West Indies,
and westward to the Hawaiian islands and
Samor. • The marine distance from New
York to San Francisco would be reduced
ny 10,OW miles; to Hong-Kong, China, by
4,000 .n les; to Yokohama, Japan, 7,000 miles;
to Melbourne, Australia, 3,0 M; to Hawaii,
3.000, and to Valparaiso, Chile, S,UM. The
marine distance from New Orleans to San
Francisco would like-vise be diminished by
li,00»> miles; from L.verpool to San Francis
co, 7,000 miles, to Heng-Kong, 1,2.31 miles;
to Yokohama. 4,0*0 miles, and to Hawaii,
J.tXW miles. The voyage from New York to
tiie eastern entrance of the canal would
be 2,021 miles, and from Sun i-Yancisco to the
western entrance, 2,’’~0 miles. Tne lumber,
grain, fish "nd fruit trade of the Pacific and
northwestern states would be marvelously
augmented; the trade between Inria, China,
Jap.au and oup Atlantic ports would also be
vastly increased, while the great agricultu
ral interests east of the Rocky mountains
and west of the Alleghenies, via the Ohio,
Mississippi and Missouri rivers and railroad
routes to tiie new Galveston harbor, New
Orleans and Mobile would receive an in
calculable impetus. Finally the opening of
the canal would make continuous our coast
.nt- from Alaska to Maine.
The yearly tonnage crossing the isthmus
of Panama from Colon to Aspinwall by rafl,
after transshipment, together with that
w inch now goes around Cape Horn, amounts
to s.iHH>,‘ -o and this tonnage would imme
iiately drain through the Niagara canal,
besides the large part of tonnage that now
rounds the cape of Geo 1 Hope an.> a large
■art of that now’ passing thn ■ h he Sima
■anal. The tonnage of the Sa alt s a Marie
aggregates about 10.o*>.•■*»» or 3,00“.. 'I
greater than that of . ie < .11 .tl, Imi
when the east and west commerce of the
.
hat of tne bt.sins of our great lakes, even
the prodigious figures of th- latter are in
significant. The net jtnnuai tonnage of the
Suez canal, wh'<’h is I,’"' 1 . ' at toll rate*
■rs $2 per ton, yields sl4.tH.“),U»> annual revenue
to its owners. With an annual .rathe cl
W. 000.90!) tons—only half the intended capac
ity of the Niagara canal—that new water
way would trn at the same rates of toil
a revenue of ?2 :| .*M».O 0 annually.
In his repert Senator Morgan quotes somi
carefully prepared figures and tallies, show
ing that traffic between Allan* : c and Pa
cific ports to the value of $315,<i38,165 every
year would become directly tributary to the
Nicaragua canal, and also that traffic to the
va'ue of $F3,2i::.8!7 woul] be within the zone
of the canal's attraction.
JOHN D. CREMER.
now HIGH WAS IIABHI/S TOWER?
Jewish I.egends Say It Was Aenrly
Equal to Twelve English Miles.
From The St. Louis Republic.
The exact date of the bull ling of “Nim
rod’s Folly,” as The Chald ans say in al
luding to the scriptual “Tower of Babel”
(The Armenians speaks of it as the “Tow“f
of the Confusion of Tongues”) or the h- ight
to which it penetrated the rcrl'l- 1 atmos
phere cf the oriental plains will, p rh ips,
never be known. The date f the laying of
the foundation of the f tmous structure Is
usually set at 2,247 years before Christ, or
in the year of the flood 101.
The expression of the s:’ red historian
that its top was to “reach unto the
heaven” is now generally set down as a
strong Hebrew’ phrase denoting a very
lofty tower, but not necessarily meaning
one that would reach t<> the abiding pla. e of
the Lord and His hosts. I’roof that this is
probable may be found in several places in
holy writ. The walls of the cities of Canaan
are described by Moses in similar phrase
ology. The spies sent out by him returned
and reported that the cities of that country
were great and were “walled up to heaven.
See Deuteronomy, 1., 28, ami ix, 1- .
a Jewish kgena record •<! in the Talmu i
whie.i tells us that God di-l n •’* P“’- ;t t' tc l’ ■
the building us the lower until a er
reached a height of l-i, l ’-- f:i:a *.’.*'. ■' 1!C
is cr.ual to nearly’ twelve En lb > ,n:
instsne ? li.L data up -n which we cap
t.i < and Other a-dent w-uers “*’ "
concerning it. L"-n *m-
from the testimony of eye*
.•lannv-l to jng shaft, that in h.s
rums ’ <•“ ' r» lit wa- over four mil s
day (born 34a A. D > ■ wa untenabla
-7 1 ’ " h “‘ V I1 ’ .' .7 u : lace to men
notions it may not .
tion that other fanciful wr.ters mak its
height range all t”-* way train a s ng.e
furlong to 5.000 miles in heig.it.
A Few KesnarkM.
Augusta News: Live trusts, it never sells
for cash.
Marietta Journal: Lynching can be stop
ped when the courts act promptly.
Dawson N t tempered man
gets hot about nothing these days.
Chattooga N*’ws: Some orators, like
some soldiers, shoot too high.