The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-20
WORK To BEGIN ON CANAL
PROBABLY EARLY IN MAY
Admiral Walker Says the Commits
sion Will Sail for the Isthmus
This Month.
NO CIVIL SERVICE RULES

WASHINGTON. March 19.-Iu conclud-
ing his hearing before the House committee
on interstate and foreign commerce to-day.
Admiral Walker. president of the Panama
canal commission. stated that actual work
on the canal would begin after the COM
mission had made a stay of a few weeks
on the isthmus, for which it was TO sail
on March % The arrangements for this
work will be completed in Washington.
where the commission is TO have one Of
its headquarters. Admiral Walker, in an
swer TO a question. said that large num-
Der OF inspectors would be employed BY
the commission. The inspectors would be
engineers. and he did not want the law
10 provide that they should be selected
through the Civil-service Commission.
Admiral" asked Chairman Hepburn.
what you have said in disparagement of
the Civil-service Commission has been very
painful to some of the members Of the
committee. Don't you think it would be
possible for you TO select what charwomen.
scavengers and water carriers you will need
through the civil service. p
Il am very sorry to be misunderstood,
replied the admiral. because l am a thor
ough believer in civil service when it does
not apply to US. But / am very sure that
1t would not be satisfactory TO the Isthmus
of Panama"
Admiral Walker explained that the esti-
mate of cost of the canal made by the last
commission did not include the expenses Of
governing the canal zone. Considerable dis
cusslon was INDUCED in as 10 what pro-
VISION should be made in the proposed law
regarding the disbursement of money and
the auditing of accounts, but no conclusion
was reached. The admiral wanted every
F6 cell in TrTa fnF
The engineering features OF the work
were explained at some length as well as
the intense interest which prospective CON
tractors are already taking in the matter.
The admiral said that on the steamer on
which the commission was TO sail state
rooms had been engaged to the capacity of
the ship by the agents of the prospective
contractors who wanted TO look the ground
over. In this connection he advised that no
requirement of law should make it neces-
sary TO do the work by contract, as he be-
neved contractors might combine TO the
disadvantage of the government 1t was
the intention of the committee, he said. 10
continue actual work on the canal rs now
being carried on by the French company, in
order to demonstrate the exact cost of such
work.
The engineering feat of the whole enter
prise was explained TO be the construction
of the Bohio dam. Ii will be-necessary TO
proper foundation for this dam. Although
there have been many borings for rock
bottom. Admiral Walker said that many
more would have TO be made because 1T
was essential that the engineers should
be absolutely certain of the proper founda-
ton before beginning the work.
Chairman Hepburn suggested the posi-
bility of failure to find the proper founda-
ton, and asked what the commission would
do i'm this event He wanted to know If
the construction of the canal depended on
the dam.
This is a question which would have to
be met was the answer. The admiral, how
ever, said he had no doubt that IL was
feasible to construct the DAM On the ques-
ton of a sea level canal Admiral Walker
declared positively that in his opinion il
would never be necessary to go to the ex-
pense of constructing such a canal. A lock
canal would do all the work desired and
cost much less.
Representative Harrison, of New York
explained TO the committee the provisions
of his bill for the government of the canal
zone. The bill provides for commission OF
twenty business men. the engineering work
10 be supervised by a corps of engineers.