Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/629

* NICARAGUA CANAL. 535 NICARAGUA CANAL. pendciicc of the Spanish American republics. It fornu'd one of the proposed subjects of discussion at the Panama Congress of 1820, Henry Clay, then Secretary of State, instructing the Com- missioners from the United States to investi- gate "the practicability and the prolialih' expense of the undertaking on the routes which offer the greatest facilities." In March. 1835, the Senate instructed the President to open negotiations with the governments of Central America and New Granada with a viejv to atTonling protection to any individuals or companies that should un- dertake to construct a eanal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and for insuring the free and e(|ual navigation of the canal by all nations. During the administrations of Presi- dents Jackson and Van Buren commissioners for the purpose were successively appointed, one of whom reported in favor of the Nicaragua route. The interest of the UnitecJ States in the project was increased by the establishment of a British protectorate over the Mosijuito Coast (q.v. ) and the acquisition of California and the subsequent discovery of gold there. In 1849 the Government of Nicaragua granted to a company, of which Cornelius Vanderbilt was the chief member, the right to construct a ship canal across the territory of that State. This concession lapsed in IS.jO on account of the non-fulfillment of the conditions. In the same year in which the Vanderbilt concession was granted, Mr. Hi.se, the charge d'affaires of the United States in Nicaragua, concluded, without authority from his Government, a treaty with Nicaragua, by which the United States received a grant of perpetual and exclusive right of way for the construction of a canal across the Isth- mus, and with full jurisdiction over the same, in spite of the British claim to the Mosquito Coast. In return the United States agreed to guarantee the integi'ity of Nicaragua and forever protect her in the exercise of all her sovereign rights. The treaty did not meet with the approval of President Taylor, and accord- ingly was not submitted to the Senate, although it was held for a time as a means of influencing the action of Great Britain in the negotiations then in progress for .settlement of the contro- versy in regard to the Mosquito protectorate. , Itwas now generally believed that the Nicaragua route was the most feasible for the construction of a ship canal, but the claim of Great Britain to the territory around the mouth of the San Juan River, the proposed eastern terminus, was an obstacle to the United States. It was felt to be too serious an undertaking to dislodge her from this position, and it was there- fore resolved to negotiate with a view to securing her cooperation in guaranteeing the neutrality of the proposed canal. This was accomplished by the so-called Clayton-Bulwer Treaty (q.v.) of 18.50. (For the abrogation of this treaty in 1001. see H.w-P.^uxcEFOTE Tre.ty and P.>rAMA C.VNAL. ) In the same year Orville Childs, a civil engineer, completed the survey of a route for the proposed ship canal, and made a favor- able report on the feasibility of the undertaking. The Vanderbilt Company in the meantime had secured a new concession for the construction of a canal in accordance with the survey made by Colonel Childs : but this was soon revok-ed by the Government of Nicaragua, chicfiy on account of the Walker filibustering expedition, which had for its object the conquest of Central America. The outbreak of the Civil War arrested further progress toward the con- struction of the canal, but in 1867 the project was again taken up, and in June a treaty was • concluded between the govern- ments of the United States and Nicaragua, by which the citizens of the United States ac- quired the right of free transit over any canal constructed under the authority of the (Jovern- nient of Nicaragua, but the right of the United States or its citizens to construct the canal was not conceded. During the ten years following 1S72 almost every possible route across the Isthmus was carefully surveyed by olliccrs and engineers of the United States Navy. In March, 1872, President Grant appointed, in compliance with a resolu- tion of the Senate, a commission of three eminent military and naval engineers to investigate the subject of an Isthmian canal, and these unani- mously reported, February 7. 1870, in favor of the Nicaragua]! route, by way of the San Jiuin River from Greytown and Lake Nicaragua, terminating at Brito on the Pacific coast. In May, 1879, an international congress was held at Paris to determine the location of the interoceanic canal. The merits of the Nicara- guan route were ably advocated by the delegates from the United States, but the Congress decided in favor of the Panama route. (See Panama Ca- N.L.) In 1884 a treaty was concluded between the United States and Nicaragua, by which the United States agreed to build a canal to be owned jointly by the two powers, the United States agreeing furthermore to "protect' the integrity of Nicaragua. When Cleveland be- came President, the treaty was still unratified, and he withdrew it from further consideration by the Senate. He declined to resubmit it on the ground that the construction and o^^lership of the canal under such circumstances would be "inconsistent with its dedication to universal and neutral use" and would "entail measures for its realization beyond the scope of our national polity or present means." In the meantime a scheme had been set on foot, chiclly by leading capitalists of New York, to construct by private enterprise a canal through Nicaragua. In April, 1887, under the name of the Nicaragua Canal Association, they secured from the Government of Nicaragua a concession granting the exclusive privilege of constructing and operating the canal. Surveys were at once begun by a corps of compe- tent engineers, and the final location of the route was soon determined upon. In February. 1889, Congress granted the company a charter of incorporation with a capital of $100,000,000, with authority to increa.sc the amount to .$200,- 000.000. In June, 1889, the preliminary work of construction was begun at Gre^-town, and in the following October the actual work of exca- vation began. The route finally determined upon was to begin at Greytown on the Atlantic and end at Brito on the Pacific coast, about 170 miles distant. The company erected large storehouses, hospitals, and other buildings at Greytown, es- tablished the necessary railroad and telegraph service, and landed large quantities of machinery, tools, lumber, and other materials. Within a period of about one year $2,000,000 had been ex- pended. In ISO.*? the company ceased operations owing to lack of funds, a fruitless effort having