Arizona republican., 1905-09-02
LOCK OR LEVEL
How the American Cont
nent is TO BE Divided
ENGINEERS OF THE WORLD
Called in Conference at Washington
to Determine the Relative Merits or
the Lock and Sea Level Systems in
Building the Panama Canal.

Washington. Sept. IA HutabL.
board of distinguished engineers as
sembled in Washington upoR tsse re-
! quest Of President Roosevelt. 10 deter
mine the relative feasibility ~ a So
level or lock canal in the division ~
. the American continent at the isthraus
OF Panama Constituting the consult
ing board OF engineers for the canal
plan. these men. gathered from bo.h
America and Europe. We're picked fron,
among the foremost in tneir profesSior.
The first of the meetings at which tbs,
/ will grapple with the great problem b..-
gan this forenoon in a small room Al
the office building Of the Isthmian G.
nal commission.
! The proceedings were opened By the
reading Of the letter Of the president
! calling them together. and a letter fro-n
Chairman ShOnts of the commission
which gives in detail the purposAs for
which the engineers are convened In
the presidents order it is called The
/ consulting board Of engineers. but tha
! letter OF Chairman Shonts is addreSs.,i
to the advisory board Of engine--s
/ upon plans of the Panama canal
The letter in part says: IN accord
ance with the directions OF the preSi-
dent, dated April I. 1905. the Isthruiar
Canal commission has the honor 10 lay
before you physical data conceruins
the isthmus Of Panama and 10 SoIi-i,
/ your opinion as to the best plan to ba
followed in the completion Of the Pan
anna canal within reasonable limits NJ
cost and time.
! 1T becomes necessary TO c,o1sf5..--
once more the sea level canal scheme
The plan described in the FRS nam
phlet, which is submitted among othe-
papers, is the one which was adopt-l
! by congress. at least by inference. In
the act approved June Is, 1902
1T is the plan under whica the yvork
is now progressing and under which an
work of construction has been done
since the United States acquired ths.
| property. 1t closely resembles the plqr,
Of the comite technique described iD
the second pamphlet in many essential
! particulars, but differs from Il in th-
| height OF the BOhio dam and the i'm
portant results which flow therefrom.
/ The advantages which its authors er-
pected TO derive from this change were
- To take fuller advantage ox the
topography Of the country. BY whbch
| II was possible To make the gigantic
spillway automatic instead OF mechan-
/ ical, and adequate for the discharge cf
! the greatest floods with only one chan
mel to the sea instead Of two.
- To include the distance OF lake
navigation from seven TO nearly thI--
teen miles
IS. To reduce the estimated cost OF
the canal by about $500 00O.
Tine disadvantage of the change p
the somewhat greater difficulties in con-
structing a higher dam and the Iock
OF greater lift-difficulties. h0Wever.
which are by no means fnsuperabIe-
"A disadvantage which the two plans
have in common is that the rapid de-
velopments of naval architecture have
made ii difficult 70 determine the pruper
dimensions of the lock chambers II Is
to be considered. however. that up 10
the present time such development has
not been greatly hampered by deficient
depth in the hss bOrs OF the world. and
that development hereafter viii have
tnat obstruction TO contend with
Moreover il is not possible TO dispense
with locks entirely. Even with the sea
/
at the Panama end.
I'm addition to the plan above men
toned a pamphlet has been prepared
by Lindon W. Bates. which gives iu
outline sketch of a plan proposed by
him which is interesting or account %
its novelty, and is therefore laid be
fore you. 1t does not give detail
: enough for a close anaIyzation nor ss-
Inmates of cost. To obtain tnis eNteu-
: Six nd
least years time. would be necessary
"A paper has been submitted 10 the
president by p. Bunau Varila which
explains a method by whith n canal
constructed at first with locks may D..
subsequently altered 10 a sea level
canal This paper also is submitted for
your consideration
Mr.. Shonts at this point calls atten-
ton to that portion OF the act of con-
gress which prescribes the physical
features of the proposed canal and di-
reCtS that the work already heuuu
shall be utilized as far as possible He
concludes his letter as follows The
commission expects to visit the 18th
mus of Panama. sailing from New
York during the last week in Septem-
Der. the exact date To be fixed here
after You are cordially invited TO ac-
company them.
This method of presenting the sub
ject to you by offering several well di-
gested plans has been adopted because
il seemed to be the method BY ~hich
all essential information could be cen
veyed in the most condensed possible
form. II is needless to say that the
commission desired your opinion not
only upon these plans. but upon any
variation of them. or upcn any entirely
different plan which may suggest itself
, to you. 1t requests your views as to
| what plan is most eXpedient. all tslinzs
considered. for the United States 20
! canal