The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-11-19
Canal .P|R0JEC1
Up T0IP RI ]
Secretary Taft Says Roosevelt s
is Justified III Going insWitf-
out Consulting Anyone.
BEST ROUTE is SELECTED !: !l..l J 7 : .
War Secretary Reviews re History
81 CONSTRUCTION, Before St.
Louis Club.
,nv Associated press.

INV Associated Press)
g ar rOtJ1s, November 1S---secretary
I, War william II. TAFT tonight was the
u .,,.s+ 81 honor at tho monthly banquet Of
,he al louis Commercial Club. President
Charles Magic presided and introduced
Secretary Taft, who sppkc on THE Pan q
anna canal. {
Secretary Taft's Speech.
II n introducing his remarks, which were
mainly STATISTICS, secretary TAFT said
s gentlemen Of the Commercial Club OK 81.
Louis:
II % /, great pleasure to meet you again.
Nv ASSOCIATION with your club was begun
lnt.the time OF the visit OF the Cincinnati
rommercmi Club TO the Louisiana Pur-f
chase Exposition, and was renewed u
tho time OF the visit OF this club To the
II silver wedding OF the Cincinnati CluO $oh
that occasion lfremember having the no,l-
y ar OF being adopted into your melnper
4 sh,p Tor the sole purpose OF adding aY ,el.
dupois to u photograph.
( Your president, Mr.. Nagel has sue
peatcd as q subject Tor my REMARKS "
nipht the Panama Canal, and I shall foi-
5s8 q ~ Ma advice You can read much OF
The canal written by far more compe-
y tent obgcrycrs and " critics, Tor W. uliI
x neither an engineer nor o constituencies ~
works. There Is a phase OF the sup1e .H.
however. with which 1t has been my 10y q
gt 10 have something to- do Tho canai -
39;s to be built by the government " &.nS
United States. I. must be oullt acco 'i,
II Ing to law. shall attempt TO review the
history Of the canal CONSTRUCTION Sit l..
tba aiandpolnt OF an officer of the gov.
y srn,,,erta charged BY the President with
S.. haFfd,,tv9 AZ general supervision over
those appointed to do the work and the
methods pursued by them.
Il A II is sufficient to begin my history
with tho discussion In our Congress as
u q the preferred route for canal 70
ri connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Isl al her things being equal, OF course, tne
hest route is the shortest, and that rs rs
5#neft her Nicaragua nor Panama me
shortest route, not more than 80 mil y, ,iis
al cross the Isthnrus OF Darien. by wa y 81 o.
tho San Bias River, 90 miles from ltld =.
water to tidewater. The difficulty WILD Will
this route Is that5it REQUIRES the tun =
ii neling Of a mountain 9, tOO Ieet NE -
such way az to permit the passage s = ~. ~
modern steamships. The length OF tne
u tunnel Is more than Q anu =
least 15o feet in height above the water fl!eF
sx,oder,r, en- eineeripg has ns yet accom-
r,trhcd no feat equal to tho arching o. o.
s,,ch{f q tunnel, and the pest evidence
. ma to show that the interior q me
.ssr,o,i ntain Is not granite or some nara
srncl< that would hold itself In place after
tI,nnel,ng but Is probably a shay or VOL
iscnnic substance requiring the roof OF
tunnel 10 be supported. The Nicaragua
n 4}n,,t witch had and still has sincere and
strenuous advocates, Is. much longer. be-
Ing about 1877 miles in length. andsSin-
volves the extensive dredging and use
Of a lake some no feet above sea level.
Routes Discussed.
The Panama route was but forty-six
& miles in length from shore line to shore
line, had been partly constructed. ana
was paraIleled by an existing RAILROAD
Il an agency indispensab Die TO constr cttng
any canal. h Tho routes were all thorough
s. discussed by the Walker Commission,
and It finally recommended the Panama
route. Congress- by q majority vote de-
llberately reached the same conclusion
and confirmed It In the so-called4 Spooner
net passed early in 1902. by directing the
President II practicable.P to buy the rights
OF, the New French Panama Canal Com
pany In the Panama Canal. ass as the
z right OF way from the then sovercigns5of
n the canal territory, the United States of
Il Colombia. and TO build the canal with
the proceeds OF bonds authorized for the
y purpose. In the alternatives. however, AZ
the President found ut imprnct icable to;
make satisfactory arrangement with
81 either the canal company or Colombian,
4 he was empowered to buy the necessary
q land and right Of way and sconstructaa
canal by the Nicaragua route. The Pana-
ma Canal begins near Colon on he north
aide OFFS The \ LIST hmus of Panama " at u
small suburb called Cristobal and runs
81 In q southeastcrly direction to its other
Y termin us, which Is Jailed La Boca. the
q, Spanish word sfori mouth, IA suburb Of
tt.t.l- 9-.s. IA
&is given the traveller when he rides on
e the .railroud from. Colon to Panama Of
x going south and east instead OF west, and
& when he rises the next&dSy in Panama
s he will find that. because Panama Is on
= a pontof land iutting out into the ocean,
the sun both rises and sets in the Pacific,
In Its projected course, the canal Is
made to follow generally the valleys OF
3 the Mindi and the Chagres Rivers, on the
/. north or Atlantic Side. and OF the Rio
= Grande on the south or Pacific slope. It
i crosses the height of land at the famous
cutfFin Culebrl Hill, between tho two
4 oceans. about thirty-two miles from the
Atlantic and fourteen miles from the Pa
oific. Culebra, the lowest hill on the d.
vide, was about $40 feet above the sea-
Tho French made a cut In the hill to n
point 140 feet above sea level, leaving for
X excavation, should there be q sea level
canal, a ditch yet to be- dug, ten miles
long, OF Hlau Ieet5 deptn, 10 we Deu ol me
canal, and $50 feet wide at the bottom.
with sloping sides.
The decision OF Congress In favor Of this
route for a canal was undoubtedly u wise
one. Few engineers who have visited the
(, canal have doubted the possibility OF Its
construction either as n lock or as n
sea level canal. and the Walker Commis-
sion, when 1t found that the Panama
Canal could be bought, in changing its
) views, If 1t did change them. from a rec
81 concentration OF the Nicaragua Canal to
that OF the Panama Canal, instead of sub
ject!ng that body to criticism. entitled It !
to the gratitude9o the nation. The the.
Dry advanced by opponents Of the Pam
ANA route.f3and by opponents Of any
canal that the route Of the canal has not
been finally decided upon, is utterly uE-
founded. Congress voted In favor Of y,
the president has made the selection, In
accordance with the power conferred by
tha 5act and llndersit t., 49, lie would be