The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-05-10
ANOTHER PANAMA PLAN
New Proposition Made the Govern
ment by Linden W, Bates.
Promine nt Engineer Asserts His Method
VIII Save Time and Millions
in Money.

Washington, D. C.-Two big boxes
| were delivered at the White House a
day or two before President Roose-
welt departed for the West by Colonel
Edwards, Chief of the Insular Bureau
Of the War Department. When opened
they were found to contain beautiful
models of relief maps Of the Panama
Canal. President Roosevelt, Cabinet
Ministers. and other callers examined
the maps with great interest, as also
have Chairman Shonts, Grief Engineer
Wallace and the members Of the new
Panama Canal commission.
These models present In graphic
form an entirely new project for solv.
ing the physical problem at Panama,
and this project vas deemed so. prom.
Using that for its consideration. Presi.
dent Roosevelt ordered the creation Of
q board of consulting engineers, COM
| posed Of the most eminent professional
men to be found in the world. During
the coming autumn it is expected the
board of engineers will assemble in this
city and probably GO to the Isthmus
to make a thorough investigation and
decide upon the plan to be adopted.
The new project is the work OF
Linden W. Bates, the eminent ny.
draulic engineer. Mr.. Bates is an
American, but most Of his work has
been done abroad. AS a youth he had
valuable experience in building noun
tain railways in the West. He exc
cuted an important contract on the
Chicago drainage canal. There he in
vented and built a hydraulic dredge
which has revolutionized dredging
throughout the world. He built mon
ster dredges for the Mississippi River
Commission. The Belgian Government
invited him to prepare plans for the en-.
larged harbor at Antwerp. He carried
out important dredging work for the
Russian Government OH the Volga. He
prepared plans for the Indian Govern
ment for improving the river at Cal
cutta, one of the most difficult pieces
Of engineering in the world. He de-
vised plans for similar work at Adel-
aide and other ports in Australia for
the Australian Government; also for
the improvement Of the st. Lawrence
for the Dominion Government. and
many more in various countries.
Last year he visited the Isthmus and
made Il careful study Of the Panama
problem. The result is the present
project, which is entirely new and diff
fers materially from any previous
plan. j
The principal feature Of Mr.. Bates
scheme is the creation of lakes out Of
the sWamps near the terminals of the
canal, which will not only obyiate the
necessity for most Of the excavation in
those places always of the most I'M
healthy chara cter, but will also enable
greater speed through the lakes than
in the canal banks, reducing the time
across the Lsthmus from thirteen
hours, estimated by a sea level canal,
to eight and a half or nine hours.
These lakes he proposes to form by
the construction of barrages between
the hills so as to impound the waters
Of the Chagres River, which are to be
diverted partly toward the Atlantic
and partly toward the Pacific. The
lakes are to be fitted with spillways to
discharge surplus waters, such as
floods from the Chagres, into both
oceans. Twenty-six miles of the dis
lance across the IsthmuS would by this
plan be through the lakes. Either two
or four locks would be necessary, and
Mr.. Bates figures the canal could be
completed by 1913, as against 1856,
for arsea level canal. The cost Of the
canal completed would be $145, 000, 1000,
whereas the sea level project will cost
1910. 100000.