Evening star., 1905-10-23
BUILDING THE CANAL
The Government Will Award
Contracts.
STATEMENT BY TAFT
AWAITING DECISION BY THE CON-
SULTING ENGINEERS.
Deliberations of the Committees
Charged With Study of the
Subject Begun.

The government of the United States
will enter into contracts with corporations
or individuals for the construction of any
portion or all of the Panama canal. That
statement was made by Secretary Taft to-
day in discussing conditions upon the
isthmus and the policy of the government
There is some doubt whether any concern
would be willing to undertake the exca-
walton of the Culebra cut because of the
magnitude of the work. The excavation Of
the cut is not so difficult, however as the
disposition of the earth taken from the
cut. But as to the other work, Secretary
Taft said the government will be ready to
enter into contracts for it as soon as 1t is
determined what type of canal shall be
constructed. 1t is stated that contracts
could not be made during the preliminary
stages of the work because the govern
rrent had to undertake the construction
until it's officers knew what was TO pc
done and had sufficient knowledge Of the
conditions to pass upon bids and make
judiciouS contracts.
Committees in Conference.
The committees of the board of con-
sulting engineers on the Panama CANAL
charged with making special study Oh
a lock-level canal, sea-level canal ana
the unit prices for both Of these, met this
morning and began their deliberations. Inc
work has gone on vigorously since the en-
gneers returned from the isthmus anu
many things have to be done. Sunoay was
used for making necessary drawings.
AS to the type of canal which Will De
chosen ultimately nothing can as yet be
said with perfect safety. 1t seems settieo'
however, that the plan OF Mr. buhau,
VarilIa to first make a lock canal ana
change it afterward into a sea-level canal
has yeryalittle chance of adoption. one OF
the advantages claimed for such canai
is that 1t could be used sooner than either
a lock or a sea-level canal. But the ldea OF
the commission seems to be to build either
one of these and though it may take little
more time make it in such way that 1t
can serve forever. The Idea OF making one
canal in five years and then go on digging
for so many more years to make 1t finally
as desired does not appeal to most OF the
consulting engineers.
"A canal cannot be built as quickly as a
railroad can" said one of the engineers to-
day, land the Panama canal especially
offers great difficulties, not only through
the nature of the ground through which
it has to be built, but also through the
tropical climate of the isthmus, which
makes it very hard for white men, accus-
toned to a northern climate, to do manual
labor.
Patience and Money Necessary.
but there are two things necessary for
the successful completion Of the canal.
These are money and patience. AS for
money, there will be no trouble. The ulti-
mate benefits will be so great that there
will be no scarcity of money. AS for pa
tience, that is something people will have to
acquire. This Is the greatest enterprise In
the line of canal building ever undertaken,
and in view of the everlasting benefit to be
derived from cutting through the isthmus
1t is matter of but comparatively little
Importance whether the work takes seven
years or eight. As to the stories about the
impossibility of living in the climate, they
are greatly exaggerated.
Many of the stories about the horrors Of
the climate have come from employees who
went down there totally ignorant of the
conditions and merely attracted by the high
salaries When they arrived on the isthmus
and found that things were not as COM
Portable as at home, instead of waiting and
trying to improve things themselves, they
left their jobs, went home by the first boat
available, and, once back in the United
States, started a campaign of complaints
and originated the idea that the isthmus
was not a fit place for a white man to
live.
Hardship Not Unavoidable.
'If the white men in question had regu-
lated their life after the requirements OF
tropical climate they might be still on the
isthmus. drawing good salaries, and not
suffering any unusual hardships. Although
Il Is almost impossible for white men to do