Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-12-29
CANAL MONEY NEEDED
Report of the Commission, Just
Made Public, Tells of the
Work Accomplished
THE NEED OF MORE FUNDS
Commissions Estimate Considerably
More Than the Amount Authorized
by consressa1says Type of Canal to
be Constructed Must he Decided at
onee-General News.

Washington. Dec. 29.-The report of
the Panama canal commission, which
was made public yesterday, estimates
it's requirements in the way of money
during the balance Of the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1906, at $16,50O,0OO.
This is $5,500,000 more than the amount
allowed in the appropriation bill re-
Gently passed by congress. The re-
port says:
"All expenditures up to the present
time have been paid out of the appro-
priation of $1o,ooo,OoO made by con-
gress on June %, 1902" and goes on to
show that this sun. is exhausted.
The report continues:
In the act of congress authorizing
tho construction Of the canal and APP
propriating 100000 900 for the prelimin-
airy work, there was a further author
ization for the commission to enter into
contracts for the work, with a total
not to exceed $1S5,000,000, to meet
which congress would from time to
time, as the necessities required, make
suitable appropriation. Under the pro-
vision Of this authorization the COM
mission has entered into contracts for
materials and supplies for future de-
livery, which are essential to the con-
struction of the canal, the orders for
which must be placed considerably in
advance of the time when they are to
be needed because the industries of
the United States are SO crowded with
domestic business that immediate de-
livery of such articles cannot be made.
The pay roll on the isthmus at pres
ent amounts to approximately 100000
per month. An immediate appropria-
ton Is therefore necessary
Must Decide at Once.
The commission urges that the type
of canal be decided upon with the least
possible delay, saying:
"The work on the Culebra cut was
undertaken with the idea that the ex-
cavation done would oe useful in any
plan or any type Of canal that might
be adopted. This is only true to a
limited extent. No systematic organi-
cation for attacking this cut can be
effected until it is known how much
material is to be removed and the
depth to which the cut is to be exca-
waited. If 120,00O,000 cubic yards are
to be removed 1t must be attacked in
an entirely different manner from what
it would be If only 40,000,000 or 50,-
0OO, 900 cubic yards were to be removed.
If the sea level type be adopted about
one-eighth Of the total in that cut VIII
be rock under water, whereas in the
case of a lock level canal with sum-
mt not less than sixty feet above tide
there will be none"
With reference to the general en-
cheering work accomplished during
the year, the report says:
eleven steam shovels have been at
different times In operation IN the
Culebra cut. which is the largest single
factor in the construction Of the canal,
and approximately 100000 cubic
wards Of material have been removed.
BY this work two things are being ac-
complished First, the levels of the cut
are being put in proper condition for
the installation of the largest number
of machines which can be effectively
operated, and second, data is being
gathered which will be useful in fu-
ture estimates of the cost of canal con-
struction.
"In the Culebra work $500 men are
now employed. Railway tracks and
yards have been built, and dredging
has been done at both ends Of the can
al so far as advisable until the ques-
ton of type of canal is decided. 1t
should be understood that all the work
done is applicable to any type of can
AL"
Sanitary Conditions.
Speaking Of the sanitary conditions
on the isthmus the report says:
-Four thousand and one hundred
men are now employed in the sanitary
undertaking, and so effective has been
this work that yellow fever has been
virtually extirpated from the isthmus.
The mortality and hospital statistics
bear witness to the success of the work
Of the health department during the
wear. The constant ineffec tiveness
from all diseases among the laborers
scattered along the canal has at no
time been as high as 80 per 1000. The
death rate on the isthmus for the year
has been about 1887 per 1000, but
among the employees of the commits
sion the rate of mortality has been only
24.3O per 1000, which is probably as
low as might be reasonably expected
among an equal number of men engag-
ed in similar work in any climate.
"In view of the gratifying conditions
shown by these statistics and the COM
plete success attending the efforts OF
the health department to check yell
low fever epidemic of May and June
and to arrest in its early stages the
outbreak of bubonic plague at La Boca,
1t may be safely said that the problem
of sanitation need no longer be con-
sidered formidable obstacle to the
construction of the canal"
The commissions employees on the
isthmus now number approximately
$4,000, a growth of about 1850 over
last year.