BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-02-19

Senator Scott Rep. w. va. mas calico
up and had read resolution, which he
offered in tie Senate several weeks ago,
providing for the appointment Qfa commits
sion of experts to examine what is known as
the San Bias or Mandingo Bay route, tor
an Isthmian waterway, and to report to the
Senate the cost of constructing an inter
ceanic canal by that route. He said that
nearly one-tourth Of the sum necessary to
construct canal by any of the routes gSap
posed already had been expended inpen en-.
.deavor to fiud q auitable route for an 18th
'misn canal but confro1Rd as Congress
scas by proposed appropriation of nearly
5000. 600 900 for the building of an inter-
aceanlc waterway it was the daty of pru.
dept men carefully to investigate every
possible route. He discla'm d any inten.
tion to obstruct the cons deration OF q
canal bill or to delay the building OF the
canal itself but he maintained that the
question Of route was still dsbstable. After
thorough investigation, he was convinced
that the San Bliss route met practically
every Requirement Of the proposed scster.
way. but because the adoption Ut that route
involved the driving of tunnel through the
granite of mouutain range sufficiently lar.
ge to admit of the passage Of any ship afoat,
the route had been regarded as imprsctic
able. Personally, he was convinced that
such tunnel could be constructed at .
reasonable cost.
MI. Scott explained that the San Bias
route connected the two oceans from the
Bay of Mandingo in the Gulf ofSan Bias
on the Atlantic side, to Pearl Island Hsr-
- =: Al. Hr1f of banana ON tho Pac fir
side of the Isthmus. Including the five
mile tunnel, the canal would be thirty miles
long. He said that the barbors Of the San
Bias route had excited the enthusiasm of
all engineers who had investigated them.
He believed that electrical power mads it
entirely practical BY this rou.e to tow ships
through the canal by electric trolley. He
t.ought it improbable that sailing-vessels
would be able to navigate any other of the
proposed routes.
The route he proposed, he said, offered
great natural and commercial advantages.
He did not believe any one wolud question
the desirabilty OF ship. canal by the San
Bias route, if the tunnel which it involved
could be constructed, and he had no doubt
this could be done. He referred to the
Hoosac, Mont Oenis, st. Gothard, Ailberg,
and Simplon tunnels, as daring and sue :
cessful efforts Of modern tunnel engineer
ing. He quoted both American aud Euro-
pean engineering authorities to show that
the construction OF the San Bias tunnel was
practicable. For the followlng reasons, Mr.
SCOTT believed that the San Bias route was
the only feasible and practicable sea-level
canal route:
/. Its healthy location.
2. Its shortness. ..-.:.-.
8. Its magnificent harbors.
4. Its total absence OF locks.
5. The possibility OF wording gangs of
mea night and day, in the wet and dry sea-
sops, under coed sanitary conditions.
6. The very important consideration that
by this route, and no other, sailing vessels
could be towed by electric power, by night
as we'll as by day, thus effecting q great
saving of time and expense.
7. The economical maintenance of the
ca nal when completed.
The permsnency of its rock.bed, and
the absence of earth embsnkment.
8. Tie desirable fact that it car be con
structed within three or at most five years
Mr. Scott concluded by strongly urging
the adoption Of his resolutions, saying that
be wished to be convinced of the practicab-
ility or impractcability of ship tunnel and
hsd submitted his resolution as q pure busi-
ness proposition
At the conclus sion of Mr. Scott's speech
Mr. Morgan tDem. Ala.1, Chairman of the
Committee on Interocea1c Canals, IN ,ved
hat the resolution offered by Mr. Scott be
, 70 red to that Committee. He said that
tea{