Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-02-08
Admiral Walker Questioned by Senate
Committee.
COMMISSIONS REPORT EXPLAINED
Mr. MenocaI Stated information
Was From Interested Parties
S T TORS IN DOU B Z

| Admiral Walker, president OF the 18TH
| milan canal commission, was before the
Senate committee on interoceanic canals
today and testified at considerable length
in further explanation of the report of the
| commission.
An interesting phase of the report of the
| commission is apt to receive very great
/ consideration when the question comes up
in the Senate. 1t is the fact that the report
| of the commission, In which the members
| recommend the purchase of the Panama
| canal property, and in which they declare
| that canal by way of-the Panama route
| is entirely feasible, is based entirely on
| data received by them from interested per-
| sons and not upon thorough personal eX-
animation of the ground.
MIR. Menocars Statement.
| When Civil Engineer A. G. Menocal of the
| navy was before the committee few days
! ago, and was questioned about the men who
| have recommended the Panama route, he
| called attention to the fact that most dis
| tinguished engineers once recommended the
| building of a sea level canal at Panama,
| which project has been abandoned for a
| canal with locks. After the French eng!-
| neers gave up the plan for a canal at sea
| level. they proposed canal with locks, and
| this latter plan is the one that has been in
| dorsed by the isthmian canal commission
Speaking of the men who Endorsed the sea
| level project Of Panama, long since aban-
| doned for the local canal, Mr.. Menocal said:
They were supposed to be the best engi-
| neers that could be found in Europe and In
America. General Totten, who built the
Panama railroad was one of them. That
commission, which was very numerous, was
supposed to be composed of the most emf
nent engineers of Europe and of America.
DE ILesseps told me after the Paris con-
gress when I pointed out to him the diff
| cuties he would meet with in building the
Panama canal at sea level: Well, l sup
pose that there are very serious difficult
ties-just as serious as you have stated.
But If you are given time and money all
those difficulties will be overcome. l can
raise all of the money that will be needed,
and with that money l can build the canal;
as to engineering skill, I will get it
wherever it can be obtained in France, in
Germany, in England OF in your country"
Information From Interested Sources.
After this statement had been made the
| following testimony by Mr. Menocal oc-
CURED:
Senator Harris-"Is it not fact that in
the case of the commission which pro-
| nounced sea-level canal feasible as well
as in the case Of this last commission which
has approved the plans, none of them were
men who had personally examined the
sround?"
Mr.. Menocal-"That is just the point. SEN
ator"
Senator Harris-"They were receiving
Mr.. Menocal-''Those plans had been de-
signed In offices and in various places. some
in the United States and some in France,
and the men We're not familiar with th=,
ground"
Senator Harris-"They were received from
data entirely through interested channels"
Mr.. Menocal-"Precisely, and from subor-
Inmates who did not attach sufficient i'm
portance to certain physical conditions
which are indispensable in designing d work
of this kind
Senator Harris-"It is somewhat similar
to the board of engineers convened in New
York in reference TO the plans and opera
tions of the Maritime Canal Company =
Mr.. Menocal-Just the same.
Senator Harris-Which was very severely
criticised on account of their indorsing the
plans which they were receiving at second
hand and without personal knowledge of
the ground.
Mr.. Menocal-That is very true.
The Chairman-Did not this board of en-
gineers, called the comte technique adopt
the plan of building clay dam at Bofiio?
Mr.. Menocal-Yes.
Senator Harris-That is the French plan?
The Chairman-Which our engineers say
is not practical. '''
Mr.. Menocal-And they pronounce the
practicability of the maintenance of the
canal upon the basis of a clay dam at
Bohio.
Senator Harris-And they also approve of
the feature of the French engineers, which
been eliminated by the isthmian canal COM
mission.
Mr.. Menocal-"Not only that, but they
proposed to have Bohio lake at IS feet
above sea level, and the isthmian canal
commission raised it to 50 feet. l do not
remember the superficial area of the lake
as proposed by the French commission but
1t is very much smaller. 1t was an insig-
nificant lake, which | am sure would have
siited up in very short time The lower
sections of the Panama canal which have
been dredged out, silted up in a very short
time. 1 went through a section of that
canal two or three years after it had been
excavated to the full section. and I could
not get through it in steam launch draw
ing only four feet of water
The chairman-"Owing to the sediment in
the waters of the Chagres?"
Mr.. Menocal-"Yes."
Senator Hanna-"The waters are loaded
with sediment at the time of high flood,
Mr.. Menocal--"Not only high floods; low
HOODS also bring more or less sediment"
Some Senators Doubtful.
Because of the suggestion put forward in
the above testimony, a number of senators
who were inclined to accept the report of
the isthmian canal commission as one that
should be regarded as final as data on
which their judgment should be based are
questioning whether any project for an
American canal at Panama should not be
based on data as to the physical conditions
OF that route secured wholly by Ameri-
can commission if the Panama route Is to
be considered
The fact that most distinguished engi-
neers, deciding problems of their profession
on data furnished them without making a
careful study of the ground themselves,
have fallen into serious errors. Is regarded
by many as warning that should be
needed by the American people. When Ad-
miral Walker was On the stand yesterday
afternoon before the committee on inter-
oceanic canals he was asked about the
foundation for the big dam to control the
Chagres river, and said they didn't know
what its foundation would be, but he was
satisfied that whatever conditions were en-
countered a concrete foundation could be
made satisfactorily.
Two Points.
In concluding his statement before the
committee Mr. Menocal said:
II would like to call the attention of the
committee to two points In connection
with the estimated cost Of construction
and of operating and maintaining the two
canals, which I regard of some frnpor-