Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-19
THE PANAMA CANAL
CHIEF ENGINEER VILLAGES
STATEMENT.
Four Plans Under Consideration-A
Sxty-Foot Sea Level the Most
Feasible and Cheapest.

Mr.. John F. Wallace. chief engineer of the
isthmian canal commission. has given the
House committee ON Interstate and foreign
commerce the benefit of his investigation,
so far as made, regarding the engineering
tasks to be performed in the construction
of the Panama canal. The testimony was
taken aboard the army transport Sumner
in Colon harbor onethei occasion Of the re-
cent visit Of the committee to the canal
zone. 1t Is to be printed for the use OF
Congress.
Mr.. Wallace first gave an explanation of
the character of the country through which
the canal would pass, and then referred to
the four plans for the construction under
consideration
Four Plans Under Consideration.
The first plan to be considered, the one
estimated upon by the former commission,
is the possibility and practicability of a
high dam or proper foundation for a high
dam at Bohio. on which depends the adj
visibility of constructing a high level ca
nal withSthe surface of the water ninety
feet above sea level.
The second plan under consideration is
summit level Of sixty feet above sea level.
Constructing canal on this plan admits
Of two different methods of treatment.
First, the construction of a dam sixty feet
above level, at Boflio, with two locks
of thirty feet there being two locks on the
western slope; second, the construction of
a dam sixty feet above sea level. at Gatun,
eight miles from Colon, with two thirty
foot locks In the same neighborhood. The
adoption of sixty-foot level also will rem
der it necessary to construct q dam at
Gamboa, in order to provide a reservoir
to accumulate water enough in the wet
season to furnish water for the summit
level of the canal The construction of a
dam at Gamboa, in connection with this,
would also control the Chagres river ex-
cept that it would be necessary to provide
6. safety spillway by the construction Of
tunnel some eight miles in length through
the divide, discharging the surplus waters
of the Chagres into the headwaters of the
Juan DiaZ, or the alternative plan of con-
| structing tunnel four miles long through
| the divide, separating the Chagres basin
| from the headquarters of the Gatuncillo, a
| stream which enters into the Chagres val
| ley at Batun. Should this latter course be
adopted, it would be necessary to construct
| an auxiliary channel for the Chagres from
| Gatun to the sea, in order to divert its
| flood waters into the bay eastward of Co
| Ion.
The third general plan under considera-
! ton would be the construction of a canal,
| with a twenty-foot or thirty-foot level
above the sea, with a single lock at Mira
flores and single lock at Bohio, or in the
| immediate neighborhood; the construc-
! ton of the Gamboa dam to be required in
! this instance the same as in the sixty
| foot-level plan.
| Inc IOurtn plan would De the cOnStruc-
| ton of sea level canal, with tidal
| lock at Miraf1ores. In this connection it Is
necessary to explain that, while the mean
| sea level of the Pacific and the Carib-
| bean is the same high tide in the Bay of
Panama rises ten feet above the mean
sea level and falls ten feet below; where
as the fiuctuation of the tide of the Carib-
bean at Colon is less than two feet. The
construction of a dam at Gamboa, with
the necessary spillways, noted in the
previous plan, would be the same under
the sea level plan as under the thirty or
siXty-foot level.
The construction of the Gamboa dam
would provide the water supply for the
entire line of the canal, including the
cities of Panama and Colon. 1t would also
provide power plant for the generation
of electric power sufficient to furnish am
pie power for the operation of the Pan
| anna railroad and for the operation of any
machinery that might be used in the con-
Struction of the canal.
1t would require two years to construct
this dam, and. roughly estimated, its
cost. including spihways. would be be-
tween $15.00O,OOO and $16,0O0,OOo, not in
Guiding the power plant.
Estimates Of Cost.
Taking the estimatee6f the former COM
mission of 5000. 600 for ninety-foot-
level canal as basis. Mr.. Wallace
thought the sixtyTfoot, level canal would
cost $225.0O0.OO0. could be open for traf-
fic in ten years and 5fdlly completed in
twelve years; the thirty-foot level would
cost $250.000,00O. open1for traffic in twelve
years ana fully comsietSd In fifteen years;
the sea-level canaPrwould cost 100000
600, could be open for traffic in fifteen
years and completed in1t twenty years.
Chairman HepbHrns questions devel-
oped that the estimate of time to build
the canal was based on a ten-hour day,
and that with the; construction OF the
Gamboa dam and the operation OF the
power plant electric light sufficient to
illume the whole of Culebra cut might be
had. thus making practical the working
OF two or more shifts and shortening the
time of construction. Mr. Wallace stated
that the excavation of this cut was the
feature of the construction OF the canal
that took the time. He said:
On the economical and efficient handling
Of the material from the Culebra cut de-
pends the cost and the time 1t Will take
to complete the canal. Every other ques-
ton ana every other problem connected
with the entire work Is subordinate ana
inferior to the problem OF the excava-
ton and disposal of the material from
the Cuiebra cut; that Is the principal
problem of this work. The control OF the
Chagres. the construction Of the various
dams, the construction OF harbor I'M