Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1905-09-03
UP TO THE ENGINEERS
WILL DECIDE WHETHER SEA LIE CANAL SHALL BE
eu'LT-coNsuLT'Ne BOARD MEETS, AND 1T COMPRISES DIS
T'NeusHED ENGINEERS BOTH EUROPE AND AMERICA
PRESIDENT sHoNTs. LETTER BOARD

Washington, Sept "A nota5le
board of distinguished engineers as
sembled in Washington today upon the
request OF President Roosevelt to dc.
termine the relative feasibility of
sea-level or a lock canal in the divis-
ION of the American continent at tat
isthmUs canal. These men, gathered
from both America and Europe, were
picked among engineers most fore
NEST in the profession.
The meeting at which they will
esappIe with the great problem began
today in the small office room of the
Panama Canal Commissions The pro
ceedin9s were begun by reading the
letter OF the president calling them to-
eether and a letter from Chairman
Shonts of the commission, which gives
n detail the purposes for which the
efaineeers are convened. In the pres
ident' IS order il is called the "Consult-
ing Board of Engineers but the lei,
ter of Chairman Shonts is addressed
to the Advisory Board of Engineers
Upon Plans for the Panama Canal
The letter, in part, says:
'In accordance with the directions
of the president, dated April I, 1905,
the Isthmian Canal Commission has
the honor to lay before you ply steal
data concerning the Isthmus of Pan
anna and solicit your opinion as to
the best plan to be followed in the COM
pletion of the Panama canal within
reasonable limits of cost.
"As you are aware this question
| has been the subjeos of prolonged and
elaborate study for many years by
numerous able engineers. A vast
amount of labor has been expended
in the collection of information con-
cerning the physical conditions of the
isthmus and in digestine it and formu
lating it into plans for the canal.
| Some Unwarranted Conclusions.
|
veys and observations have been made
| upon the sthmus, the results of which
are laid before you. 1t may be stated
here in general terms that information
which they furnish does not involve
any real change in the plans previous
ly favored Among the observations
alluded to may be included the eX
perience of the last year in excavatins
the Culehra cut. from which some of
ed conclusions as to the prbable cost
OF the work. There is nothing to justi
fly the belief that the unit price used
in the previous estimates were too
high, or that the estimate CT the time
required for completing the work was
too liberal.
Nevertheless the experience has
been used as an argument in favor
OF sea level canal. which plan has
been condemned by the two commits
sions mentioned above. It becomes
necessary to reconsider once more
the sea-evel canal scheme.
"The plan described in the first
pamphlet (which is submitted among
other papers) is the one which was
adopted by congress-at least by in
ference-in the act approved June rs,
1902.
"It is the plan upon which the work
is now progressing and upon which
work of the construction has been
done since the United States acquired
the property. 1t closely resembles
the plan Ct the technical committee,
described in the second pamphlet, in
many essential particulars, but differs
from it in the height of the Bahia
dam and the important results which
flow therefrom. The advantages which
it's authors expected to derive from
this change were:
81. To take fuller advantage Of the
topography of the country, by which
it was possible to make the gigantic
spi,iway automatic. instead of me-
chanical, and adequate for the dis
charge of the greatest floods with only
one channel to sea instead Of two.
"2. tt increase the distance OF
lake ns igation from seven to nearly
13 miles.
"3 To reduce the estimated cost
of the canal by about $4,000, 900.
"The disadvantage Of the change is
the somewhat greater difficulty in con-
structing the higher dam and the locks
o. great lift-dificulties which are.
however, by no means insuperable.
DISADVANTAGE Of Both Plans.