The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-03-22
Both CONFIDENT Tint when Report
Is Made 1t VIII Designate the
Best Route for the Canal.
WORK OF PANAMA COMPANY
CUTTING AND DREDGING SAID TO
HAVE BEEN WELL DONE.
correspondence Between This Gov.
to the Panama Waterway.

NEW YORK. March 21.-Amons the pas
sengers who arrived to-day on board the
steamer Finance. from Colon. were Gen.
eral Hams and Edward Noble. of the Pan
anna Canal Commission; Lieut. X. L.
Belknap. of the United States navy, and
Henry n. Allen.
General Hains hurried from the boat TO
take a train to Baltimore. Commissioner
Noble will remain In this city for a day or
two. and then join General Hams in Wash
ington.
Before his departure for Baltimore. Gen.
eral Hains said: "The present commits
sioners' report will not only decide upon
a practicable route for an isthmian canal,
but will demonstrate conclusiveiy that the
route selected is the most feasible one that
could have been chosen. We have at pres
ent about 800 surveyors i'm the field. under
the charge of competent engineers. They
are going with the greatest care over the
Nicaragua route the Panama route and
all the other routes suggested by any Of
the former surveys.
Besides this We have a number Of ex-
ploring parties out. in the hope of dis
covering sites that have been hitherto
with such thoroughness that our results
cannot be questioned at any future time.
We have the reports of all previous sur
veys, but we shall cover every mile Of
ground through which we think Il possible
for the canal to be run. The country is
varied and the work of the surveyors IL
difficult and progresses siowlys especially
In the section about Darien. For this rea-
son it is impossible to set even an ap-
proximate date for presenting our formal
report to the State Department. Unless
Congress especially requires one, we shall
submit no preliminary report. Until our
work is done, therefore, IL Is improper for
any member of the commission to speak in
regard to the merit of the several routes
proposed.
There is a possibility that Mr.. Noble
and myself will not go back to the isthmus
at ALL There are three of the engineering
members of the commission on the ground
at present, General Ernst, Professor Burr
and Mr.. Morrison. The commission has
Just sent delegation to the President OF
the republic of Costa Rica, TO pay the
respects of our government, in appreciation
OF the friendliness shown by that nation.
Our relations with the Nicaraguan gov
ernment have also been cordial. Our re-
port, we hope. will settle the whole ques-
tion Of an isthmian canal. once for ALL
Commissioner Noble was asked about q
number of reports in regard to details OF
the two routes, the Panama and the
Nicaragua. One was that the commission
had found that the famous Ochod dam.
which the last Nicaragua commission se-
lected after a long controversy. the size
OF the structure as planned requiring a
solid foundation, was on the map on q
place where the foundations would be over
quicksand. 1T won't be possible to build
the dam," said Commissioner Noble. when
told that the Washington report had i'm
dicated that IL would be. There Is quick
sand there. We found sand deeper down
than it was thought to exist There are
number of good locations for the Ochod.
or the San Carlos dam, I'm the neighbor-
hood"
He was asked IL the commission had
found the representations OF the Panama
canal people, who were I'm Washington be-
fore the commission left. TO be true. "I
think they have the number of men en-
ployed they said they had" he replied.
1T is a fact, too, that they have done
the dredging and are cutting down the
hill. Things are much they said they
were. The present Panama canal COM
pany has been spending the money Il has
mainly I'm making a narrow. deep cut
through the great divide that they have
to get through TO reach the other coast.
The work is being well done. In regard
to the Chagres river, We have found that
the Panama people have feasible way TO
manage that, although everybody laughed
at them when they said they could dam
1t. We have a surveying party at this
point now making the necessary survey
on their plans"