The Conservative, 1902-01-16
THE NEW PANAMA CANAL.

DTluRluR Uile ''OTeROu edSCWdTQ from
the Pacific Coast, at the outbreak of the
war with Spain, have drawn the atten
tion Of the whole country to the i'm
portance Of an early construction of
ship. canal across the isthmus now OBJ
structing free communication between
our Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The
route by Cape Horn is entirely too long
to meet present demands, either COM
mercial or military.
But, while a canal is so urgently de-
manded, it is equally true that it should
be, in respect to facilities of transit,
security of operation, and cost and time
of construction, the best canal possible.
The work will be gigantic engineering
feat; and no mistake in selecting the
route should be made at the outset.
Unfortunately, the American public
has been led to believe, by the collapse
Of the old sea-level project at Panama,
that there is only one really practicable
route for canal; viz, that by Nicara-
qua. The elaborate Investigations
waich have been in progress at Panama
during the past eight years are little
known or appreciated in America hav-
ing been conducted quietly Especially
during the last four years. by the new
company, with view to determine the
best and most economical solution of
the problem before making public the
information obtained.
The writer, being member of the
Comite Technique, invited to assist the
new Panama Canal Company in direct
ing it's Investigations and forming its
conclusions, has had exceptional ad-
vantages for understanding the subject
in its present aspects. The Comite is
international in composition, and in
cludes French, English, German, Rus
sian, and American engineers-among
them the chief engineers of the Man
chester and Kiel maritime canals. It
may be added that, in this respect, it
reflects the view of the Company that
the work should be broadly interna-
tional in character, a benefit to the
whole world, and not simply French
construction. Last spring the writer
visited the Isthmus of Panama with
other engineers, and personally exam
lned the route in detail. He has had
for many months free access to the |
elaborate records of surveys, borings,
experimental excavations, river gaug-
ings, and researches of every kind con-
Quoted by the Company, and is there
fore qualified to present the subject in |
its true aspects, which may be found to |
differ widely from the popular impres.
sions now existing in America.
When the idea of constructing a sea-
level canal at Panama was definitely
abandoned, there remained three inn.
portant difficulties to consider: Q) The
regulation of the water-supply, and
control of the floods of the Chagres
River; ~ the serious caving which had
occurred at the Culebra; and (3) the ill
Off re 0f tt,n nIS H.
the employees. The present conclu-
sions as to each will be given in turn.
D The studies of the region of the
Chagres have been most elaborate; in
cluding water-levels, automatically re-
corded since 1888; frequent measure
ments OF the discharge at crucial points
the collection and discussion of data
respecting all the historical floods five
in number, of which one was carefully
measured); rain records at points we'll
distributed along the route of the Canal,