The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1905-11-23
FOR SFALEyEL ROUTE
Deeision Reached BY Canal
Commission
aoRAD OF ENGINEERS AGREE
,..s, Nearly Three Months Hard
Work. Advisory Body, Composed
- Engineers From All Parts of The
World Goes on Record Against
1oess by Vote Of 8 to 5.

Was uston, Speciality a vote of
stn ;. he board Of consulting engi-
.say> The Isthmian Canal commits
..,n plase,i itself on record as favor
y, tbs. construction of the Panama
,,,nal ou the sea level. This decision
,.nre~el.ts the outcome of nearly
three n.enhs hard work. Early in
September the engineers gathered
rom MI parts of the world to assist
the .lneriean engineers in the direc-
t1s 81 the momentous question of
,.r, netting the Panama Canal, at sea
1--we ~ Al a greater altitude, involv-
me >y~tem of locks.
Tie reigners came to Washington
.,,olu,elv without instructions from
nell OWE governments and without
ha>. dt-e1mined to be guided to their
erection solely by the facts to be
pre,el.,ed to them. 1t was not until
issr Tuesday that anything in the ma
fire o1 3 decisive vote was taken: and
that. after all, was an indirect test.
Us, what that proposition was can
nj be stated with absolute certainty,
bur il : conjectured that the issue was
vherhc- or not lock canal of a Ger
IAN tvpe should be constructed. At
snv ;a... the vote disclosed the fact
that n.aiority of the eight Ameri-
e3l mem fe1'S. under the lead of Gener-
al Abao--. was strongly in favor of
iarA canal.
rafticula. type mentioned i'll the pro-
rn>itioH. but it was not clear that at
that liz n.ellr they were opposed to the
Whole opposition of lock canal.
Tie al. -eSt come. and the time be-
tween TaeSday and the meeting Sat
unlav was consumed in some very
,riong tresentations on the part of
lie majority of the American dele
gates 70 influence their foreign col
leagues 20 accept one Of the other
lock PROPOSITIONS. The Americans.
there i veason to believe that three of
their mum Der, probably General Davis
and NJ. Pearson and Mr.. Burr. joined
the foreign delegates in this first vote.
which recorded the board as favoring
the >ea-evel canal.
The decision was reached about
rpn and thereby the board practical
" concluded its labors. There will be
lev more meetings next week simply
10 deal with small details and to put
INTO permanent form the results Of the
board protracted meetings. The for
.gn delegates desire to leave for their
European homes by the 9th instant.
To accomodate them in this, the full
board has agreed that they may con-
Guide some purely formal work at a
special meeting to be held in Paris in
December or January 1t is expected
that the American members of the
board will go to Paris to wind up this
business. all of which must be done
before lie final report Of the board
eaa De resarded as complete and ready
toT Submission to the Isthmian Canal
commission. The commission in turn.
MS, record its own Judgment upon
NE excursions reached by the board
OF engineers, and there is even now
belief current that that Judgment
VIII be adverse to the boards plan.
However. there are two more import
ait steps at either of which there
may be great changes proposed, for
The commission must pass the plans
and liz own recommendations to the
President. who In turn, must stamp
taem WITH his own approval or dlsap-
proval and forward them to Congress,
which. after all will be the court OF
last resort as between the sea-level
ald lock canal project. simply through
the fact that additional legislation
Will be necessary if a sea-level canal
Is TO be built; for the board finds that
sleh canal will cost from seventy
I'VE TO one hundred millions, dollars
more than the cheapest practical lock
canal and will consume from five to
%Ven Years more in the construction.