Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-11-18
STUDY QUESTION CAREFULLY.
viii Cost More and Take Con.
siderabIy Longer Time to
Build.
BUT WILL BE OF GREATER USE.
Minority Wanted Locks--No Official
Statement Until Report Is Sub
mitted 10 President.

Washington, Nov. is.--The board Of
consulting engineers Of the isthmian
canal commission today declared itself
by large majority in favor Of sea.
level canal
The conclusion was reached after a
long and careful study OF the subject.
since the beginning Of September the
board had held meetings and in special
subcommittee had studied the plans
for a sea-level canal with the greatest
care. A trip TO the isthmus was made
10 enable the members to form a bet
ter idea of the physical difficulties
which had TO be considered.
The members of the board are men
Of the greatest reputation in their line
of work. France, Germany and Hol-
land had sent their most eminent spe-
cIallst at the request Of this govern
ment. Al the beginning It was evident
that majority Of the members were
in favor of a sea-level canal. Their
point Of view was that even II it cost
more than a lock canal and would take
longer in the building. 1t would ulti-
mately be OF greater use as 1t will en-
able ships to make much shorter trip
than If they were obliged to go through
three or four locks. On tie other hand,
was minority which wanted to ses
the canal built IN as short a time as
possible and with the least cost. declar-
ing that few hours longer for the trip
through the sthmus made little or no
difference one of the members gave
this explanation for his way Of voting:
1t may be that several Of us will
not see the sea level canal finished in
our life time. as it viii take consider
ably longer than 10 years, But then
we have the satisfaction to know that
for all the generations to follow We
have made the shortest and most prac-
tical way Of communication between
the Pacific and Atlantic and as long
as We had to decide on a quention for
all time. we do not think that few
years more or less makes a very i'm
portant difference. That is the way
our party thought about il and what
ever may be said in favor Of or aga inst
it, we have, after the most careful study
given an opinion as we saw our way
TO do it,
No official statement will be given out
before the report of the commission
reaches President Roosevelt watch will
be about January,
BuNAU-vARILLAS VIEW.
New York. Nov I'm. Bunau-Var-
lila, formerly minister Of Panama 10
This country, discussing the Panama
canal before the Alliance Franchise last
night, favored a wide. deep, lockless
waterway. In part he said
Public attention has heretofore been
limited to the contest between the lock
canal and the sea level canal The loca
canal is easier and quicker TO build than
the sea level canal, According 10 the
estimates of all those who have studied
the problem. according to the old and
the new Panama canal company coVel-
ing 20 years of practical work aud ac-
cording also TO the FIRST sthman canal
commission, the excavation for the sea
level canal by dry process of steam
shovellng will necessitate 20 years or
more, when lock canal can be built in
10 years or less.
But II we want free open COM
municatlon between the two oceans we
must contemplate waterway Is feet
deep at the lowest tides 500 feet wide
at the bottom. freely open on both sides
10 the waters of the two great oceans
of our planet In such way. the
Straits of Panama. the greatest ships
of present or future times will have
ample waterway and can steer easily
Through the straits.
The canal can first be dug so that IN
four years ii can Ire used by boats, and
gradually deepened so that 5000 men IN
20 years can entirely finish IT,"