Senator MORGAN. What is the trend of the seacoast?

Admiral WALKER. Northeast and southwest, roughly.
Senator MORGAN. And the trend of the wind?

Admiral WALKER. They are the northeast trades, usually between east-northeast and north-northeast.

Senator MORGAN. Which impinges upon the coast at an angle?
Admiral WALKER. Yes, sir.

Senator MORGAN. A sharp angle?

Admiral WALKER. An angle of two or three degrees. The sea striking the sand, keeps it running along the coast in the same direction all the time. The black volcanic sand on which Greytown is built and all that section is composed of what is found between the Colorado and the Indio rivers. A short distance south of the Colorado we do not find it and north of the Indio we do not find it. It comes out and is deposited between those points.

Senator MORGAN. So the alluvial deposit between these ridges of rock has been brought there by the sea from Costa Rica?

Admiral WALKER. It comes down from the mountains of Costa Rica by the streams that flow into the San Juan, is carried to sea by the San Juan, and then carried along the coast by the action of the trade winds and the waves.

Senator MORGAN. It is volcanic sand?

Admiral WALKER. Yes, sir.

Senator MORGAN. A sharp-edged sand?

Admiral WALKER. Yes, sir; a sharp clean-cut sand.

Senator MORGAN. Makes a compact foundation?

Admiral WALKER. Yes, sir; but at the same time it is open, so that water goes right through it; it does not pack as clay does. Senator MORGAN. It is not a quicksand, either?

Admiral WALKER. No, sir.

Senator MORGAN. Have you any doubt about the practicability of making a safe and available harbor for commerce at Greytown at a reasonable cost?

Admiral WALKER. I think not. It is a question mainly of the exact location, which would have to be studied and determined, but I think there is no reason why a harbor should not be built there that could be kept open and serve every purpose.

Senator MORGAN. Have you ever visited that harbor with ships heretofore?

Admiral WALKER. I was never in Greytown until the 1st of December last winter.

Senator MORGAN. If you please, I will get you to describe the proposed line of the canal, or the available line, as you understand it, for canal construction between Greytown and Brito, beginning on either side you please, and giving a description of what you found there and what difficulties you encountered, and whether they can be overcome at a reasonable cost, or overcome at all.

Admiral WALKER. I do not think there is any doubt as to building the canal. The only question is as to the selection of the best possible route and the amount of money it shall cost. Perhaps it would be better for me to start from the Pacific side, at Brito. There is a little indentation in the coast; no village, no town; simply a locality; where a little river called the Rio Grande falls into the Pacific. It is perfectly feasible to build an artificial harbor there at no great cost. It is simply a matter of scooping out the earth to a proper depth, and

perhaps a small breakwater to prevent sand from running into it from the beach.

Senator HARRIS. That practically makes it an inland harbor?

Admiral WALKER. No, sir. If you have a map on which I can show it to you

Senator HARRIS. The reason I ask that is the original plan contemplates there a quite extensive breakwater.

Admiral WALKER. Yes, sir; but I do not think there is any necessity for that. This is all a low mangrove swamp, dry in dry weather and wet in rainy weather. There is nothing to prevent this being scooped out and making a harbor any size you want. This large breakwater is entirely unnecessary. The wind is directly offshore. The northeast trade sweeps over there. We can scoop out the deposit and

carry this harbor up as far as you please.

Senator SEWELL. It is simply a question of dredging?

Admiral WALKER. Only a question of dredging out a certain amount of earth. In regard to this question of rock, we have had it carefully bored, and we do not find any amount of rock there.

Senator HARRIS. Is there any rock in the country to be used for masonry?

Admiral WALKER. This is a high promontory; all rock all over there. This is all rock here [indicating].

Senator HARRIS. In this report of Ludlow they say, "area of harbor, 100 acres." Does that mean area of excavation, or harbor? Admiral WALKER. Probably this here, inside.

Senator MORGAN. This is, I understand, the inner harbor.
Senator HARRIS. The dredgings would be taken to sea?

Admiral WALKER. Yes, sir, and dropped; the water deepens off there rapidly.

Senator HARRIS. No trouble with it washing back, or anything of that kind?

Admiral WALKER. No, sir; there is never any sea there, except a little surf that runs in 3 or 4 feet high; the surf does not amount to anything.

Senator HARRIS. What is the extreme variation of the tide on that side?

Admiral WALKER. My impression is, about 8 feet.

Senator HARRIS. Of course this would be excavated below low

water.

Senator MORGAN. The tide on the other side is about 8 feet? Admiral WALKER. There is no trouble in getting to the lake from Brito; it is only a question of excavation.

Senator HARRIS. The principal difficulty is the extension of the lake level?

Admiral WALKER. Yes, sir. A dam may be put across at La Flor, or a different scheme may be adopted; dispense with the dam and build the canal in the ordinary way.

Senator HARRIS. The commission prior to this criticised extensively the idea of damming at La Flor and Ochoa with dams, made only of rubble backed with clay. I have had some experience in these matters, and it strikes me that to construct a dam two thousand odd feet long of rubble backed only with clay would be a hopeless undertaking.

Admiral WALKER. The last information we had, a boring party was at work at La Flor. My impression is, without pretending to speak by the card, that we shall favor abandoning that dam, and following down one side of the river.

Senator HARRIS. A larger number of locks and less lift?

Admiral WALKER. Probably about the same number of locks, possibly one more, but not put them all together.

Senator HARRIS. That, to me, was one of the most serious objections.

Admiral WALKER. There is no difficulty on that side of the lake except that dam, and if we dispense with that we dispose of the difficulty.

Senator MORGAN. Suppose you did not dispense with that dam, what would you have for foundation?

Admiral WALKER. I do not know. The last information we had was that a boring party was working at La Flor.

Senator HARRIS. Drilling below the bed?

Admiral WALKER. We go down below the bed to rock.
Senator HARRIS. Did you find the rock at Ochoa?

Admiral WALKER. Yes; the rock was about 40 feet below sea level— between 40 and 45 feet, perhaps. There we got into solid rock.

Senator MORGAN. Does that solid rock formation extend across to the hills?

Admiral WALKER. Yes, sir; and rises on either side. We put in a number of borings there, and it developed the river bed as something like that [indicating], rocks going up on either side.

Senator HARRIS. You cut down through the rock?

Admiral WALKER. Yes. Here [indicating] is the bottom, and the water level up here. Some time that has been the original drainage of the country, but the country has all subsided and has carried the rock down below the sea level.

Senator HARRIS. This former commission criticises the calculations considerably with regard to the question of maximum and minimum discharge and the question of maintaining the level of the lake?

Admiral WALKER. We are making careful observations to get at the water supply and flow there. The report of that commission is simply a criticism; they do not know themselves, and doubt whether others know.

Senator HARRIS. They speak of the assumed maximum and minimum discharge, and then of the mean discharge, but of course the mean discharge could not enter into the matter?

Admiral WALKER. We would have to deal with the two extremes. Senator HARRIS. They also criticise the fact that the level of 110 feet is to be maintained.

Admiral WALKER. That they propose to hold up by dams. They propose to hold up the lake by stopping its run off.

Senator HARRIS. Suppose you dispense with the dam, what effect would that have on the lake?

Admiral WALKER. You would have to have dams on the San Juan. It is only a question of whether you shall put in a great dam like the one at Ochoa or make different arrangements. One of the schemes is to put in a dam at Machuca. That would be the one to hold the lake up. Put in a dam there, and drop down 25 or 30 feet, and then have another dam at Ochoa or Tambor Grande or wherever desired.

Senator HARRIS. From what you say I imagine you desire to dispense with the tremendous amount of dam work the original company proposed?

Admiral WALKER. All dams are an element of danger. We are not only going over the canal company's line, but everything in that coun

try that offers a chance for a different line, and we intend when we get through with our examination to be able to, perhaps, show, say three different routes, and just what each will cost, so far as men can estimate. the cost, and to show the advantages and disadvantages of each line. Now, leaving Brito, there is no difficulty in getting to the lake if we dispense with the La Flor Dam. There will have to be a little dredging at the entrance to the lake. The lake is deep until near the east end. We have had a careful survey made of that end, and we found that the shore line should be moved up some 6 or 7 miles.

Senator MORGAN. The eastern line?

Admiral WALKER. Yes, sir. We should have made a complete survey of the lake if it had not been for the attempted revolution there and the warlike attitude of Costa Rica.

Senator MORGAN. Did that prevent you?

Admiral WALKER. Yes, sir; we could not get a steamer. The President had put a steamer at my disposal for use there, but the revolution and the trouble with Costa Rica caused him to require the use of the steamer for military purposes. We surveyed the eastern end with our own boats and we shortened up the distance to be dredged from 14 miles to about 10 miles.

Senator HARRIS. By moving the shore line?

As

Admiral WALKER. No; by finding deep water, a new channel. we come down the San Juan River one of the criticisms was that the river had never been properly examined.

Senator MORGAN. Ludlow's report?

Admiral WALKER. Yes, sir; we put a boring party at work and they examined the bottom, and whenever they found anything hard they put a hole down and found out what was there. The last report I had they had found very little rock-much less than the amount the canal company had supposed to be there.

Senator MORGAN. How much?

Admiral WALKER. I should say probably not more than an eighth or tenth as much.

Senator HARRIS. The canal company seemed to be anxious to have the rock?

Admiral WALKER. Not there. That rock they would not want. This is a case of dredging the river. The full report has not been made. All I have had has been the progress report; but so far they have found very little rock in the river. There is rock at the rapids.

Senator MORGAN. How far are the Machuca Rapids from the lake? Admiral WALKER. I do not know, because I never carry these distances in my mind.

Senator MORGAN. Fifty miles?

Admiral WALKER. I should think 40 or 50 miles.

Senator MORGAN. Is that the only rapid between the mouth of the San Carlos and the lake?

Admiral WALKER. There are several rapids-Torro Rapids, and Castillio Rapids, and several little rapids, I think-not shown on this map. There are none of any consequence. Most of these rapids would be submerged by a dam at Machuca.

Senator MORGAN. I had heard that your engineers had found a softer material than rock?

Admiral WALKER. Yes, sir; as we came down the river they found very little rock, and only what could be readily dredged-clay, and sand, and gravel.

Senator HARRIS. You consider it desirable to leave the river at the first practicable point?

Admiral WALKER. Yes; if we can get out without too great expense.

Senator MORGAN. The Lull commission left the river at Ochoa.
Admiral WALKER. Near there.

Senator HARRIS. Will there be any difficulty in maintaining this dredging in the lake?

Admiral WALKER. I think not; or if, in the course of time, anything silted in to decrease the depth, it would be a very small matter to take it out.

Senator MORGAN. The dredgings would have to be carried one way or the other?

Admiral WALKER. Yes, sir; but the winds blow almost constantly from the northeast.

Senator MORGAN. And the wash is all one way?

Admiral WALKER. Yes, sir.

Senator MORGAN. When you say "always,” how many months in the year?

Admiral WALKER. Twelve months. It is the northeast trade, and there is no interruption, except occasionally for three or four days. Senator MORGAN. That trade wind focalizes and passes up through there as through a funnel?

Admiral WALKER. It sweeps through there with great force. On the west side the wind blows fresh about three-fourths of the year. Senator MORGAN. What effect does that have upon the health of the country?

Admiral WALKER. The country is perfectly healthy. We have had an average of 250 people at work. Our parties that have been on the west side have been in a very healthy country; there has been no sickness whatever. On the east side our parties have been working in swamps and water, and there has been less malarial fever than there would be in running a survey in Virginia at this time of the year.

Senator HARRIS. In all your examinations have you found any difficulty that you considered to be very great or insuperable to the building of a canal for ships?

Admiral WALKER. I saw nothing to prevent the building of a canal. It is only a question of getting the best location and of expense. With the line laid out by the canal company the difficulties are in the dams. There would be a very heavy dam at Ochoa and at San Francisco and La Flor.

Senator HARRIS. The one at San Francisco amounts to nearly 12 miles all together, an extensive line of dams varying in height? Admiral WALKER. Yes, sir.

Senator MORGAN. In the report you expect to describe the several routes to be made available, and estimate the cost of each one. Would you report, or expect to report, any route absolutely impracticable, or several routes from which you can make a choice?

Admiral WALKER. I can not speak with authority, because we are still getting data, still at work. My impression is we shall find two or three routes, all of which will be practicable, and the question will turn upon what would be, on the whole, the best route of those three and which would cost the least money.

Senator HARRIS. You can not tell until the matter is all summed up? Admiral WALKER. It might be better not to build the cheapest canal;