The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1905-01-21
The PANAMA CANAL
Are the Trans Continental Railroads at
the Bottom of the Agitation for q
Sea Level Ditch
CTOledO Blade.)

For many years the lStnmian canal
project was so successfully antagon-
lied in Congress by the trans-continen-
tai railways. that sothing was done,
There was any amount of futile discus
sion. without any Roadway being made.
The motto OF the opposition to the can
al was Divide and conquer" So long
as they could they played the Panama
route against the Nicaragua route. and
it was not until the object lesson, which
was given i'm the Spanish war, by the
run Of the oregon around
Cape Horn. that public opinion became
too insistent for further delay. The
battle between Panama and Nicaragua
was settled in favor Of the former. The
canal treaty with the republic OF Pan
anna was negotiated. the property Of
the French canal company was pur-
chased. and Panama was paid the ten
million dollars for which the treaty
provided. II was thus settled that the
canal is 10 built across Panama.
one would suppose that the expen-
diture of some fifty million dollars by
the government TO acquire the neces-
sary property rights and franchises
would settle the matter. and that the
trans-continentaI railways would give
up the fight. But have they done so :?
In the light of recent developments. it
is certainly a plausible conjecture that
they are still at work to delay the pro-
ject for as many years as possible.
The longer the delay the more money
they will make by high freight rates.
which will be materially reduced when
the canal goes into operation. We have
now the question forced TO the front
whether the canal shall be built with
locks. as proposed by the canal COM
mission, or be constructed at sea level.
To adopt the latter plan means that
the construction will take many more
years than are estimated for a lock
canal Those who are proposing a
change to a sea-level canal may be
sincere in their arguments, or they may
be under the influence of the railway
companies.
The Blade makes no charges what
Cor. 10 haS Ia inf
ton upon which alone such charges
must be based; but it wishes merely
TO call attention to the sudden crusade
inaugurated i'm favor of a complete
change of plans. and to project the in
quiry whether this move is not open to
grave suspicion of its sincerity, be-
cause it certainly makes for the bene-
fit Of the rans-continental railways.
i'm introducing an element of delay, and
that for years.
BY all odds the most able argument
in favor of a tidewater canal is that
advanced by Mr.. G.. w. Crichiield. in
an article on The Panama Canal From
the Contractors Standpoint" which
appears in the current number of the
North American Review.
AS TO Mr.. Crichfield, it is said that he,
since 1892. has been in business as a
contractor in different parts of this
country and in Mexico. Venezuela and
ofhar Latin Auaariaap oo,p+riaS To-
l9Ol-O2 he built a railroad some thirty
miles through the swamps and forests
Of Venezuela in a previously unexplor-
ed district. These facts are given to
show that Mr.. Crichfield understands
work in the tropics. Also, in January
and February of last year he made a
personal study of the Panama canal
route by going over the ground. In his
conclusions he disagrees with the con-
illusions of the engineers of the French
company, who have for years been
studying the problem: and from the
conclusions of the Panama commission
whose members spent a much longer
time in investigation.
Mr. Crichfield says that the auxili-
airy works necessary To the lock sys-
tenn are difficult: that it is hard to es-
innate their cost; that no satisfactory
estimate has yet been made. DeLes-
seps set the cost of a lock canal al
n
Of which s200.000,000 was stolen oil
wasted. and never began TO construct
either lock or dam. His opinion i:
that the United States. if it builds z
lock canal, will tear out its system o.
locks and artificial lakes within fifty
years. and dig the canal as il should
be dug-forty feet below tide level.
He asserts that the completion o
the Culebra cut is not the most diff,
cult but the easiest thing TO be don,
in the construction of the canal. Tn,
eight mile ridge. through which il mus
be sunk. is healthy situation. tht
work is OF the simplest kind. and tn,
machinery for carrying il on is mex
pensive and easily managed-drils 70
rock bottom. steam shovels for earth
a hosting engine and an overhead ca
BILE
The chief trouble, in Mr.. Crichfeld'
opinion. will not be in the Culebra cut
but in the lowlands between Colon an,
Bas Obispo. a distance of twenty
miles. This is low. marshy land. Wit
dense tropical growth Of trees. vine