New-York tribune., 1905-01-20
TO BUILD PANAMA CANAL.
Ho5c the Great Engineering York
Can Be Successfully Com pleted.
TO The EDITOR Of The Tribune

To the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir. I am glad TO see from your leader to-day
An Isthmian Tragedy"-that you are keeping close
watch upon the progress OF the great work at Pan
AS regards the subject Of the leader. the in
eludible danger Mfe from endemic disease the
isthnus il is well that YOU should remind US. as
you 90. that this peril is real one. and not a
mere phantom With characteristic optimism the
American people have assumed that because GER
tain sanitary measures in progress all danger
from tropical diseases notably the much dreaded
yellow fever has been eliminated from the problem.
and have even gone so far as TO persuade them
selves that Panama IS fast becoming rather a health
resort than otherwise.
In this connection IL Is always the ghostly spec
Of the "vonito.' yellow fever that first pre-
ssnts itself hut in posnt Of fact this peril
IS really less menacing than the all pervadng
lsrial and ansmic conditions which no sanitary
measures wholly eliminate from life IN
the tropics. The vonito strikes the few. and OF
those few the majority recover. A small per-
centage of ole and the others restored TO
perfect health. usually better than before the at
tack But the breaking down Of the general health.
the slow undermining OF the constitution the con-
oiton OF being neither sick well. very wide
spread. and what 10 be most dreaded in
such climates that CT the isthmus.
But to-day's issue OF The Tribune contains much
other interesting isthmisn news. namely. the Presi
DENTS message TO Congress transmitting the report
of the Commission and Secretary Taft's letter
All this matter is OF the greatest interest and the
American public should lay 10 heart the fact that
all the work OF building the canal is not ac-
conplished, IN process Of accomplishment. or
even fairly begun by merely appointing a commits
zion and chief engineer. The President has fully
graspec the necessities OF the and is
what vaguely cropping his way TO meeting them.
What are the facts Of The case2 What the data
OF the problem? The United States government
has undertaken the most gigantic piece Of engineer
Ing Of ancient modern times. There is parallel
&C H. eithe~ in size or character. Its nearest
slogue is the Suez Canal, and that resembles it
Oriy IN name They both canals and that IS
al. There is no living man or dead one either
VINO has ever had any experience in the work TO be
done. The mere size Of the work radically changes
It's character just the size OF the great Cornell
dam. 81 the Croton basin, dferentiates its char
Rc1er from that of dam built for the purpose of
sooding rice field cranberry bog although both
nominaly IA the same category. The promi-
nent fact 10 be borne in mind to-day is that al
though work has actually begun on the canal the
very elementary steps namely, deciding just where
the canal is 10 be located and what kind Of canal
is 20 be built yet remain 10 be taken. Several
plans have been proposed, one at least the last
moment, varying the time for completion from the
WITH difference in cost OF many million dollars.
Much Of The work 10 be done IS common TO all these
work has been actually beg1Ep. But the time must
soon come when definite plan must be settled
upon and at present settlement is still far dis
Since no one has had actual experience IN such
work, il can only be intrusted TO men of distin-
70 successful termination great engineering
grasp the ruling conditions Of great problems and
ginning. The history of all great engineering works
teaches rs that their success must finally depend
such advice as he NAV himself recognize the need
q. ana nor tnet which Is thrust on him from a
seen and acted upon by all private companies who
are paying the cost and from which they hope 70
derive revenue. Take any Of the vast extensions
railroad companies. Who plans and executes them?
s4 e engineer depSrtnsnt under the control Of the
directors OF these companies dream of debating 10
OF appointing a board of experts Of their own
choosing under whom he must act? No, because
nit no such foolishness
% & or % f Pa0 Pa0sms a1e tS decide ng upon the pan
through must be- first OF all of national reputa
prises. 70 which they can point as guarantees of
reousite Ts9 be nrsfer ~ ,,ee ts nus is Lne @ nrst
noun-nust devote his undivided attention TO the
70 the task making It the one object for which he
ives 70 aeauit himself with credit in the of
IN this way II must finally come down TO the one
The moral OF all this will be seen at a glance II
points 70 an undivided control and an undivided
the field. together with stan as he desires 10
surround himself with The bond that he furnishes
reputation. He is interested IN achieving sue
or swim with the undertaking Some further ma
chneTy IS necessary in the present case There
must be some central authority 10 whom the chieF
engineer reports, whom he makes reolIisirions
and who must devise ways and means n should
have the power 10 remove the chief engineer out
not 10 direct him. Preferably, its members shouI6
De business men, and neither politicians nor engi-
1eers. They themselves should be rernoys HE nv te
PRESIDENT. but not instructed by him Their nav
should be nominal and their bonds like thar oP Ib
chlef engineer. would be their regulations If the
cfief engineer desired assistance Temporary
OF permanent, they should TX the payment for
Huch assistance, but not make the selection unless
requesteo by the chief engineer TO DO so IN a
woc Ihey should attend 10 the business end Of the
enteTprlse' and. II non-professionaIs there would
De no leslousles between them and the chief en1f-
neer' buy, on the contrary, there should be The
most corolal and confidential relations II nav he
co1ected mat 1 have sketched ideal but fno-
pfacucable system. ! DO not think il in the Les an
lnpFactlca Die. because We very much the sarne
thiHg realized in private corpora tons
a mixed commission OF three has been sueees+o5
consisting or one military engineer one civil ensj
neer slo one business man. This would he abo1,+
IS oad combination could be devised ~, an
enemy OF the canal They would better be m T,iI;ta ~
engineers, which would have at least the raco,,S
nenoa1on that they would be special ,ieta n S,i+L
only their regular pay But the best va ~ ~
sEbscribsrs opinion IS that sketcbeS above ~ ms
'o'A Jan - lsS- F. s. O.
eEssLER RossEAU, THE pYNAmIrEs
To the Editor Of The Tribune