The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-12
AT WORK ON CANAL
ENGINEERING AND. CONSTRUCTION
 NOW IN PROGRESS.
Chief wallncs TaIks xAterestEnlssy of Present Status of Undertaking --Dafa for Deciding on
 Final Plans.

Washington, April 11.-John F. Wal lace. Chief Engineer of the Isthniian Canal, said today that there are now practically 5000 men engaged under his direction on the engineering and construction work of the canal The work of installing an American plant at Culebra Is going forward as rast as the machinery and supplies can be secured on the isthmus and when MT. Wallace left there were six American steam shovels at work in the Culebra excavation and arrangements have been made to install additional ma chimes at the rate of two month. During the last ninety days laborers have been coming in freely from Costa Rica, Jamaica and Barbadoes.
 The health of the young Americans on the isthmus is particularly good There has been very little sickness and i comparatively few fatalities have re- suited. Those that have occurred gen. orally have been of persons who have led improper lives or who have been affected with some functional disorder. The employees of the States have been remarkably free from fever.
 The work of installation of the plant and the organization of the force at Culebra is advancing rapidly and each month the output of material Is in- creasing. During the month of March 1t was three times what 1t was in De- cember and five times the amount eX- cavated in July. The work of the san itary department Is beginning to show very positive results. The water sup ply systems also are being installed at various points along the line of the canal work Several large hotels for the accommodation of the Americans are nearly completed and Mir. Wallace states that 1t will be only matter Of a few months now before life on the isthmus will have practically all the comforts and conveniences that are ob- tainable in the States on large work of this character. The employees are becoming more and more contented as conditions are improved and there has continued to be a steady accession to the force.
 MT. Wallace says that every addi- tional month he is permitted to con- tinue his investigation and experi- mental work the more reliable will be the data available for use in deciding on A plan for the canal. He also en- phasized the statement that thus far he has not committed himself to any definite plan beyond his official recom- mendations to the former Isthmian Ca- nal Commission. He takes the ground that no plan should be adopted which would prevent the ultimate and eco nomicaI construction of a sea level canal should such be decided upon at any stage of the work or even after the canal has been constructed. In the event that the expert engineers who will be called on to recommend plan decide that 1t would be feasible from physical and engineering standpoints to construct either a sea level canal or one at a higher level. Mir. Wallace says then the decision will resolve itself into one of general national policy and not one of engineering.
 The investigations being conducted include diamond drill work along the entire line of the canal the character of the formation revealed in this man ner to a depth of forty feet below the surface. These borings will give ab- snlute information as to the character of the material to be encountered in the canal work. In addition shafts are heinz sunk at certain points to reveal more fully the character of the forma- tion. A report covering all that has been done up to the 1st of February last was made to the former Commis- sion by the Chief Engineer and 1t was understood that 1t was largely on the inofrmation in the report that the en- cheering committee of the former Commission predlcated its recommen- datIon for a sea level canal In his re- port MT. Wallace did not actually re- commend a sea level canal but held the l same views then as now.