The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1905-11-24
A SEA LEVEL CANAL
Decided Upon BY Commits
sion After Long Study.
VOTE WAS EIGHT TO FIVE
Plan Selected Will Call for More
Money and Longer Time for
Construction, But Benefits
VIII BE Greater.


A Washington special says; The
board of consulting engineers Of the
isthmian canal commission at satur'
days meeting, by a vote Of eight to
FIVE, declared itself in favor of a sea
level canal.
The conclusion was reached after a
long and careful study of the project.
Since the beginning of September the
board had held meetings and in spe-
cial subcommittee had studied the
plans for a sea level and lock canal
with the greatest care. A trip to the
isthnus was made to enable the menl-
hers to form better idea Of the me
chanical difficulties which had to De
considered.
The members Of the board are men
of the greatest reputation in their line
of work. France, Germany and Hol
land sent their most eminent special
lists at the request of the American
government.
From the beginning it was evident
that a majority of the members were
in favor of the sea level canal. Their
point of view was that, even il it cost
more than lock canal aud would
take longer in the building, 1t would
ultimately be of greater use, as 1t
will enable ships to make a much
shorter trip than if they were oblig-
eg to go through three or four locks.
On the other hand, there was a
minority which wanted to see the
canal built in as short time as
possible, and with the least cost de-
claring that few hours longer for
the trip through the isthmus made
little or no difference.
One of the members gave this ex-
PLANTATION for his way of voting: 1t
may be that several of us will not
see the sea level canal finished in our
life time, as it will take considerably
longer than ten years. But il we
have the satisfaction to know that for
all the generations to follow we have
made the shortest and most practical
way of communication between the
Pacific and the Atlantic and as long
as we had to decide one question for
oil eternity, we do not think that q
few years more or less would make
very important difference. That Is
the way our party thought about it
and whatever we may have said in
favor or against it, we have, after
the most careful consideration, given
an opinion as we saw our way to do
it"
No official statement will be given
out before the report of the COM
mission reaches President Roosevelt,
which will be about January.
The decision was reached at nooa
Saturday and thereby the board prac-
tically concluded it's labors. There
will be a few more meetings simply
TO deal with small details and to put
into permanent forms the results Of
the boards protracted meetings. The
foreign delegates desire to leave for
their homes by the 9th instant
However, there are two more inn.
portant steps, at either Of which there
may be great changes proposed, for
the commission must pass the plans
and its own recommendations to the
president, who, in turn, must stamp
them at his own approval or disap-
proval, and forward them to congress,
which, after ALL will be the court OF
last resort as between the sea level
and lock canal projects; simply
through the fact that additional leg.
islation will be necessary II a sea
level canal is to be built will cost
from s75,OOO,OOO 10 $1OO,OOO,OOO more
than the cheapest practical lock ca.
nal, and will consume from five to
seven years more in the construction.