New-York tribune., 1905-11-20
ISTHMIAN CANAL PLANS.
COLON TO BE LEFT OUT.
Consulting Engineers WI Meet
Neat an Brussels.

| washington Nov. 19.-The Board of Consulting
| Engineers of the Isthmian Canal Commission has
| decided to substitute Brussels for Paris as the
meeting place of the foreign members next jan
uary The for this decision is that Brussels
| is more conveniently situated for several of the
| members. The American engineer who will go to
| Brussels with the documents to be signed has not
| yet been chosen. This week a committee of three
members of the board with General Davis as their
| chairman Will make rough draft Of the final re-
port, which will then have to be worked out in de-
tail and is expected to be ready about the end OF
| December.
| The sea level canal, which has been voted upon
| by the members. will have a width at the bottom
of $50 feet except in the CuIebra cut where that
| width will be 200 feet The greater width IN the
Cuebra cut is necessary to allow two ships to pass
each other safely between the high banks OF the
canal which will be formed by the deep excavation
The plan as adopted by the board, will make
Iion Bay one of the greatest harbors of the world
Almost through the middle of the bay breakwater
will be built and shorter breakwater viii be bullt
from Cristobal. which is American territory,
thereby leaving Colon, which belongs to the Re-
public Of Panama, outside of the American canal
works Under the plan as adopted by the board
San Crstobal is expected to become the chief city
on the Atlantic side of the canal and the promon,
to- tory arSd on wGR th arS 9ca he bd9gs ocEs coaing
stations and all the works necessary tor an I'M
French began at San crIstobal 1t proposed
by the board to build short direct canai from
shorter by few hundred Yards and also so n1 t.
ing navigation ana making II poSS,oit lo INV ~
The breakwaters necessary for the formation Of
this harbor of San Cristoba! will be an item OF
great expense. They were the subject oi lengtny
would have been necessary, however in case lock
On the facifc side at Panama, the plans as
adopted yesterday are also different from those OF
found Il was that the ltu Rio Gra9de With its many
branches.
son mandates and does great damage to the works
was decided that the canal should be built nearer
Ss e one G called al ga and @ the other the We'll known
Ancon An Ancon is the higher M G Of the two On it it
the GealtRy padss % on P the 5thm n At this
place the one lock made necessary through the
Paciac viii be built This lock however, will not
rs the pPc9 ps co os o the Pe viii
hay to stop til time any to be Visited 6 fIG by
be eneT ope ge as m% m% 9i he Of 'f Both
have as yet been made for breakwaters. .,.,....
beginning the board was divided into % il' the two
groups Of eight and five members one in favor OF
the sea level plan and the other in favor of lock
canal compromise plan was never brought up |
the foreign delegates to the board came here with
specific instructions from their governments The |
Tinted States and i Their ' soVerhmenfs " mn gave
give their Services to this country sending them
without any instructions whatever. They will
leave Washington by next Sunday and stay few
days in New-YOrk before leaving for Europe.
On Tuesday night next General Davis, chairman
Of the board of consulting engineers, will entertain
the foreign delegates at a farewell dinner at his
home.
The cost of the sea leyel canal is estimated by
amount seems much larger than the amount neces-
'ary for the construction of the lock canal. 1t is
claimed by the advocates of the sea level plan to
De in reality only comparatively slightly higher
II was pointed out in the meetings of the board !
hat lock canal would require between $50 100000
md S40OOoW0 as payment for the private grounds
md the lands belonging to the Republic OF Pan /
ina INA which would be inundated by the. construc-
ion of the lock system. This item in the view of
he majority of the board is entirely done away
With by the adoption of the level canal.
Several members of the board to-day expressed
anal will not in reality take very much more
expected difficulties met with it should not re-
ufre more than two three years additional The
ocks would have been so large. in their view that
ven the drawing of the plans for them would have
AIKEN considerably more than year. and tho
uilding of cement constructions calls for high
lass of workmen. 90
The majority of the engineers take the posi+ion
hat the building of the sea level canal should not
axe more than fifteen years 49,
1t is expected that ships Will be able to go | ;
through the canal under their own power When /
wo ships viii have to pass each other in the canal
ne viii have to stop and wait to allow frear nav {
gable conditions for the individual ship in the re-
tricted space '