At the eastern end of the canal jetties will be thrown out in the same way to form a harbor at the mouth of the San Juan River close to the old harbor of Greytown, which has been partially filled by the sands brought down by the river, and has a depth of only twenty-one feet at its entrance. The current of the river will be utilized for washing out the entrance of this harbor, just as that of the Mississippi was utilized by Captain Eads for deepening the passes of the great "Father of Waters" at its mouth.
Frank and Fred made careful note of the above, and then asked Doctor Bronson how much it was expected the canal would cost, and how the profits had been calculated.
FORT SAN CARLOS.
"The estimates of the engineers," was the reply, "place the cost of the whole work at $60,000,000 in round figures; some of them make it ten or twelve millions less, but as estimates nearly always fall short of the actual cost, we will suppose that the figures are $100,000,000. I think it is safe to say the canal can be built for that amount of money."
"How does that compare with the Suez and the Panama canals?" Fred asked.
"The cost of the Suez Canal was $100,000,000, and it has been a very profitable enterprise. Double that amount of money has been expended on the Panama Canal, and only one-fourth the work is done; even if it should ever be completed, the revenues cannot be sufficient to pay a good dividend on the cost after deducting the running expenses. The Nicaragua Canal will have a great advantage over the one at Panama, for the reason that the latter is in the region of equatorial calms, while the former is within the sweep of steady winds. Consequently the Panama Canal will be of little use for sailing-ships, and they would all be attracted to the Nicaragua route."
