New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-10-26
BARGE CANAL QUESTION.
Estimates of COst-Viescs OF Eng''
neers-Inddeqadte Safeguards

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: In your editorial of yesterday on The
Barge Canal Estimates you crticise the Roches-
Chamber of Commerce for giving its sanction
10 a statement to the effect that precedents, sucn
the e-foot Improvement and the Capitol building
Albany. warrant in believing the ultimate
cost OF the l2-foot proposed way will exceed the
initial appropriations l have doubt the Roch-
ester Chamber may properly sanction such state
ments. though 1 think in sending out pamphlet
composed Of extracts and editorials from news
papers they doing more than present such
facts and opinions seem to fit the case do not
find the particular extract you quote in hasty
review. but there are several the same line one
by oren Root. brother OF the Secretary OF war;
who has river and harbor work under his jurisdic-
ton: but i'm behalf of the Chamber, permit me 10
say that the Chamber and the Rochester press IN
general are quite fair in regard to the facts and
figures which they present and Rochester is Will
ing correct any Misrepresentation; and our uea
is is yours. 1T is important that the discussion
of a great question which the people are TO oeciue
should be fairly conducted" and may therefore
question whether your statement ''the independent
opinions Of laymen such subject are of no I'M
portance" compared with the engineering authorl-
ties you cite2 For let be frank and see on which
side either ignorance misrepresentation may De
fairly charged
First-The only engineers that know of favor
ing the hargeway are Colonel Syrnous and Pro-
fessor Burr. Alfred Noble. whom you quote Is
against IL and for the deep waterway-see MS ie'ter
in the Canal Committee CGreene-Green) Correspond
ence. Mr.. Morrison the other member OF 'ne
Advisory Board, called in TO certify as 10 unt
values is dead These two men were retained by me
state; and if not still retained by paruSS 81
1ae0-ton bargeway to retain the same
counsel sometimes have in a case IN wfIch st ~,
niesdine and notediy by the fact that in making
comparison with the deep waterway they nav rI
81 several hundred miles q length nor the speed
OF three miles while in one inter'Ie" ,,d Now
against the sides. They must know, II me- , nh 100
anything about the question there are short sec
tions as readily constructed and navgateo as me
Continue and that the speed has been found by
superior authority at seven and one-hdil "iitN0 On
second-You state the competency Of the Work YORK
done by Mr.. Bond was due to the fact Una, 6 g hT
at his command results of Investigations maue ps
Colonel Symons for the national goEeriTn a basi
that were It's only nasfs bsySe canal estimates
utterly worthless Fortunately. their esSis II ILL.,
and that Mr Bond aid as well as he COULD U in a
somewhat hurried survey, with the s-'1heeS aPptU
praton in Of State election twhlcn per -
sonally telegraphed TO the Assembly Ieaoer a.. 70
let out that The bargeway mlg ms, uoTthY of con-
sideraton. than had they rested on report l.dG
the Tinted States: wherein this genial and sym
pathetic gentleman. who has imboed me a ,t
became more local than United States in ms poln1
o view and brought in report for l oDIs,Sa
of his detail absolutely. and II not improper was
friends in this state Now, he had only 5000 for
his work and he sstima5ed ms TlI renest as an
estimate utterly worthless. We need no fur
ther evidence than that the le-ton oars betds
and cheaper route is now. as you set out IN MS
/ have no desire to beittie Colonel symons's en-
cheering abilities, but since with his consent ne
carry the barge project and ridicule the deep
waterway, il is not unfair to set out simply as
breakwater TO which, in this connection, he re-
half q m and found data upon
tina; put in my hands in March by a promi-
nent engineer which l have declined to usel; also
the Columbia River jetties which he quoted in this
regard. also done under him. believe, failed en-
plan this winter for the Columbia River, and am
thoroughly familiar Herewith and have full charts
The Greene-Green committee whose facts ascer-
sTf Of nou6ns the vesse Itself IN figuring
capacity on displacement; They are. therefore 20
their estimates Is there ANYTHING p1oE9ca II Of
pe excused perhsns in the fact that they We're
merely busy meeting few times. who had
ing only the hope of one and what money they
spent for surveys was on project found by them
The deep waterway s suPyey ,, We're made by fit
of seven years steady work and 100000
Fourth-Whatever criticism may be made upon
sVmons member in the main they DO good
work II rot brilliant within the estimate. and
Of the diverse conditions under which public works
undertaken and carried out in this State? And
IL he long enough here to become Buffalonian
should he not have been long enough. If he has
perspicacity TO recognize the differing conditions.
and is IL not that he and the other engineers
YOU cite qualify every statement by Ifs" that the
Fifth-IIet me ask question: Is there any other
So tb se anDoment Of s 1 a STsT Ie sct 81
II, then, advisory board as to surveys are guilty
suppression OF facts to carry the project Il max
n SaS. 0 Do FoaFb eg but 6 merely p 2
more additional security. when we come to actual
North said of 'refOrnprS" changing adj
ministration. etc-2
bids and every other fault. the Black and Roose-
Welt Investigations charged were productive of ex-
Was not all provision safeguarding the bill
fused in passage at Albany?
Sirth-May not then fear even If the estimate
is engineerngly and theoretically correct a repe-
ion Of past history and may not the Rochester
II is not their only argument; while the principal
one S. even this estimate. with fifty-year in
ssrest Plan a tne e goo m n Will cost the
instead and by proper effort can be federal 1T
event by federal cooperation or tolls adjusted on
ts cheaper carriage for the same freight bin the
EighthcAnd the following engineers have de-
nounced the bargewBy and favored the deep water
way: Alfred Noble. appointed on the NicaraguaH
Commission by President Cleveland; on the 18TH
pnard ~ survey and now engaged in The penn
svivania tunnel work I'm New-York (this company
fsss 1hs 3 colone w Raymond Of the n ie
states Board Of Survey for the Deep Waterway:
and most experienced engineers the lakes:
LYMAN f. Cody Of Chicago. the engineer OF the
ars; commission the brilliant protector of the
Chicago Canal and in its practice bity. feasibility
and desirabiity the Canadian conferrees contoined
Thomas Munro. chief engineer of their canals. and
Thomas c. Keefer, one Of the best in Canada;
Isham Randolph chief engineer OF the Chica go
Canal: Lewis NJ Haupt. Of the Isthmian Com
mission: Edward p. North another DISTINGUISHED
eps1neer OF the American Society of Civil En-
eineprs: n J. Howell. OF Washington George
W. Rafter. of Rochester; j T. McClintock. now
Monroe County engineer. etc. Why IL the
nairn Of education IS be fairly conducted, should
he presented "A well as those a
professor Burr and Colonel Symons7
Perhaps such views they have not