The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-09-02
NH Decide on Best Plan for Panama Canal
SHONTS SUBMITS LETTER
Distinguished Men From Europe and America Meet In Washington and Are Confronted With
 All Data.

Washington, September IA notable board of distinguished engineers assem- bled in Washington today upon the re- quest of President Roosevelt to deter mine the relative feasibility of a sea- level or lock canal in the division of the American continent at the isthmus of Panama. Constituting the consulting board of engineers for the canal plan these men gathered from both America and Europe. were picked from among those foremost In their profession.
 The first of the meetings at which they grapple with the great problem began this morning in a small room at the office building of the isthmian canal commis- sion. The proceedings were opened by the reading of tho letter of the President call- ing them together and a letter from Chairman Shonts of the commission which gives in detail the purposes for which the engineers are convened. In the Presi- dents order 1t Is called the consulting board of engineers" but the letter of Chairman Shonts Is addressed to the "ad- visory board of engineers upon plans for the Panama canal"
 The letter in part says:
 "Is accordance with the directions of the President dated April l. 1so6, the isthmlan canal commission has the honor to lay before yc\ physical data concern ing the isthmus of Panama, and to so- licit your opinion as to the best plan to be followed in the completion of the Pan- anna canal within reasonable limits Of costs.
 Studied By Able Engineers.
 "As you are aware, this question has been the subject of prolonged and elabo- rate studies for many years by numerous able engineers. A vast amount of 'abor has been expended in tf,e collection of in- formation concerning the physics of the sthmus and digesting 1t and formulating 1t into plans for the canal.
 During the last year additional sur veys and observations have been made upon the isthmus, the results of which are laid before you. It may be stated here in general terms that the information which they furnished does not involve any radical change in the plans previous ly favored. Among the observations al- luded to, may be included the experience of the last year in excayating the Cule- bra cut, from which some of our en- gineers have drawn unwarranted conclu- sions as to the probable cost of the work. There is nothing in this experi- ence to justify the belief that the unit prices used in previous estimates were too high or that the estimate of the time required for completing the work was too liberal. Nevertheless this experience has been used as an argument in favor of sea-level canal, which plan has been condemned by the two commissions men tioned above, It becomes necessary to consider once more the sea-level canal scheme
 Plan Adopted By Congress.
 'The plan described In the first pamph- let (which is submitted among other pa- pers) is the one which was adopted by Congress-at least by inferenee--ln tho act approved June 2S. 1902. It is the plan under which the work Is now progressing and under which all work of the construc- ton has been done since the United States acquired the property It closely re- sembles the plan of the technical commit tee described in the second pamphlet in many essential particulars, but differs from it in the height of the Bohic dam and the important results which follow therefrom. The advantages which it's authors expected to derive from this change were:
 T. To take fuller advantage of the to- pography of the country by which 1t was possible to make the immediate gigantic
  cal, and adequate for the discharge of the greatest floods with only one channel to sea instead of two.
 "2. To increase the distance of lake navigation from seven to nearly thirteen miies.
 5. To reduce the estimated cost of the canal by about Sl5,000,000.
 The disadvantage of the change ia the somewhat greater difficulties. how ever' which are by no means insuperable
 "A disadvantage which the two plans have in common is that the rapld .Ie velopments of naval architecture make 1T difficult to determine the proper diman- sions of the lock chambers It is to ba considered however, that up to the pres ent time such developments has not been hampered by deficient depth in the har- bors of the world and that deyelop- ment hereafter will have that obstruction to contend with. Moreover it is not pos- sible to dispense with locks entirely. Even with the sea-level canal tide lock will be required at the Panama end.
 "A paper has been submitted to the President by MT. Bunau-yariila which explains tho method by which a canal constructed first with locks may be sub sequenty altered to a sea-level canal. This paper also is submitted for your consideration"
 Invited to Make Trip.
 MT. Shonts at this point calls atten- ton to that portion of the act of Con- gross which prescrbes the physical fea- lures of the proposed canal and directs that the work already begun shall be utilized as far as possible. He concludes his letter as follows:
 The commission expects to visit the isthmus of Panama sailing from New York during the last week in September. the exact date to be fixed hereafter. You are cordially invited to accompany them"
 Building Stopped In New York.
 New York, September 1.-Work on nearly one hundred buildings in course of construction throughout the borough of Manhattan was stopped today when 5000 members of the Amalgamated