The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-01-21
CANAL REPORI
SENT TOCO'NGRESS
The President Did Not Comment
on the Commissions Recon-
mendations.

fBy Associated Press.)

WASHINGTON, d. c., Jan. 31.-The
President to-day sent to Congress. with
a message simply Of Tansmlttal, the
supplemental report OF the lSthmlan
Canal Commission. in which it is unanI-
n.cusly recommended that the offer OF
the new Panama Canal Company to sell
all ot.its rights, property, and unfinished
work to the United States for s4o,c0oFo
be accepted. The Senate ordered the
report printed in, the Congressional Record
and also as a document.
The report gives in full the correspond,
ence which has passed between the Com
mission and the Panama Canal Company
at Paris, which includes a cablegram
from the president of the board, dated
January 9Th, as follows:
The new Panama Canal Company de-
clares that 1t is ready TO accept for the
tctality, without exception, OF it's prop
erty and rights on the ISthmus, the
amount OF Si0.0o0,00o. the above offer TO
remain in force until March 4. 1903
Inc report states that the ':totality''
| mentioned in this message includes Sc
! parcels of land. amounting to 30,0o0 acres,
which cover nearly all the ground re-
CURED Tor the actual construction of the
canal. 1t also includes 243i buildings
USED TOR offices, quarters, hospitals. store
houses, etc; also an immense amount OF
machinery, consisting OF floating plant,
tugs, dredGes, locomotives cars, etc Il
also Includes ali excavation work &C
cGmpilshed upon the main canal line,
amounting to about So 900 cubic yards
Summing up. the Commission finds the
total value OF the property to be as fol-
lows:
Excavation work done s27,41t.O2s.
Panama Railroad stock at par, $685.
800. '0'90S'
Maps, drawings, etc, SZ,00o ,0l0.
Add the per cent. 20 cover omissions,
| s3659,G67.
Total. $4,000, 600
Tie estimated cost OF constructing the
Nicaragua, Canal Is SIS, .J0. more than
the cost of completing the Panama Ca
! nal
| The estimated annual cost Of nainte-
| nance and operation is Sl.3Q0,G zoe greater
at Mica raGua than at Panama. The Pa
mama Route would be 1916 shorter than,
+: the Nicaragua route from sea to sea,
| with fewer locks and less curvature,
j both in degrees and miles. The esti-
| mated cost for time for deep draft yes
/ sci to pass through ,he Nicaragua Canal
! was placed at thirty-three hours. as
/ against twelve hours for Panama, these
/ estimates being the time of actual navi-
CATION and not including delays for winds,
| currents or darkness.
! The CONCESSIONS thus purchased would
| be Valuable only because their owner
| ship BY the United States would remove
| the obstacles in the way of negotiations
! between the two Governments for the
occupation of Colombian territory by the
United States for canal purposes, but
/ these concessions are unsatisfactory and
| insufficient and a. new arrangement must
be made if an isthmian canal is to be
constructed by our Government across
! III" lsthmuS. OF Panama.
/ Inc advantages of the two canal routes
/ have been restated, according, to the find
| lngs Of the former report. There has
| been no change in the views of the Com
/ mission with reference TO any of these
! cohclusions then reached; but the new
/ proposition submitted by the new Pa
/ mama Canal Company makes a reduc-
| ton of nearly $50 900, 900 in the cost of a
canal across the Isthmus of Panama. ac-
! cording to the estimates contained in the
| former report.
UNANIMOUS RECOMMENDATION.
! The report concludes as follows:
After considering the changed condi-
| tons that now exist and all the facts
and circumstances upon which its pres
/ ent judgment must be based, the COM
| mission is of the opinion that the most
practicable and feasible route for an
isthnian canal, to be under the control,
management and ownership of the United
| States is that known as the Panama
| route
The report is signed by the entire COM
| mission
The State Department will now pro-
coed to arrange a protocol with Minister
| Silva engaging Colombia to approve the
| transfer of the franchise of the Panama
| Company and to make any desirable ex-
tensions Of time. both in the allowance
for the completion OF the canal and in
| the life of the lease