Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-01-11
SOME PANAMA
CANAL PROBL EMS
Commission Has Not Reached a
Conclusion as to What Type Of
Canal Should be Constructed
Mr.. GRUNSKY FAvOHS LOCKS.
Commissions Data Not Sufficient to
Determine Definitely Which Kind
Is Better.

Washington. Jan. lie. Il, Grnnsky.
a member Of the Panama canal COM
mission, IN a paper read before a meet
ing Of the resident members Of the So
clety Of Civil Engineers, told about the
conditions at Panama and the work In
hand lie said II was hoped that within
a few months data would be at hand TO
enable the commission to reach d con
clusion as TO the type Of canal 10 be
constructed That the clement OF FISK
s. not all IN favor OF the canal when u
free from locks, he said win be realized
by every engineer who visits the points
Of maximum cut, noting the shattered
and unstable formation, where land.
slides II occurring, might seriously and
for long periods Of time impede trat-
hc and where the magnitude and Sc
riousAess OF such an obstruction, and
consequent interruption OF traffic should
10 ever occur must be assumed TO grow
with the depth OF the cut.
The bOrugs which the commission
has made at GambOa, he said, indl-
cate there win be no difficulty In secur-
Ing q good foundation for a dam across
Chngres river at that point and IL Is
quite probable that the commission VIII
see It's way clear to the erection OF an
earth dam Of huge dimensions az this
point Erection OF this dam would ere
atc above It O. lake with a surface eN-
tent OF 30 square miles, the rise ana
fan OF which would prove a great
equalizer Of the flow Of Chagres river
ana make the diversion Of q portion OF
this rivers Hood flow 10 the Pacific
slope feasible,
This. he said, would go far towards
reducing the amount of water to be
handled IN the canal so that It's now
would not seriously impede the passage
OF vessels I'm a sea level canal
During tho period of organization and
the study OF the canal project the COM
MISSIONS work, Mr. Grunsky said had
been mainly at Washington. It's duties
In a measure have been subdyidod
questions OF Importance being referred
to six standing committees, II Is pro-
posed, he said; as far as practicable
to have the commissioners follow each
other to the isthmus. the by keeping
three members OF the commission In
close touch with Its executive offices In
charge Of construction, sanitation, and
the government of the canal zone.
lie said that laborers In large num-
because the time for any considerable
increase of force has not come.
CIVIL SERVICE ON IsTHMUs.
Washington, Jan. ll.-Ciyil Service
Commissioner Greene says the civil
service regulations recently adopted for
the lsthmian canal employees have been
approved by chief Engineer Wallace,
that skilled laborers getting less than
81 day In gold, being almost entirely
natives have been exempted from eX-
animation by the presidents order
that local examining board has been
established at the isthmus, composed OF
the highest class Of tho. officials, and
that register separate from that kept
here viii be Kept on the isthmus for
skilled l0bOrers getting more thar 81
Under these provisions Chief Engineer
Wallace ls empowered to select employ
as at Panama without waiting to secure
them from tn register kept here.