The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1905-04-04

|
CWho will be governor Of canal zone.1
| from the latter explaining the plan o
reorganization Of the commission tn,
| reasons therefor and the particular du
ties to be assigned to each commissioner
The first reads as follows: THE presi
dent has made an order allowing sal
ry Of $500 with travelling expenses tt
each member Of the commission. ant
to the chairman Of the commission ad
ditional compensation Of $22,500. to thu
chief engineer additional compensation
of S17,500, and to the governor Of the
zone additional compensation of $4,000
The head of each department Is allowed
the use Of furnished house upon the
isthmus and his travelling expenses
when travelling on business Of the com
mission. The total Is $1O2.500. Salaries
and allowances under the former com
mission amounted to $4,000. The to-
tai compensation of governor of zone
and chief engineer is in effect unchang-
ed. Professor William H. Burr and
Mr.. William Barclay Parsons, civil en-
gineers, will be appointed as members
Of the consulting board of engineers
Secretary Taft's letter to the presi-
dent follows:
'War Department, Washington, d
c.. March 10.-Mr. President: In the
matter of the reorganization Of the ma
chine by which the Panama canal is
to be built beg to first call your at
tention to the extreme importance of
fixing a definite plan with respect to
which you may feel a reasonable GER
~.
ly executed and result in a navigahle
canal and second, the navigable canal
will be one best adapted to the demands
which may be made upon it by the
commerce of the world.
The act of congress evidently-con-
templates canal with locks, the cost
Of which will be in the neighborhood of
$200.o00.000, including money already
expended. 1t is quite within the bounds
OF possibility that the best form Of ca
nal will be a sea level canal with a tidal
lock only at one end, and the cost of it
may exceed 5000, 100000, in the mind of
congress, by at least $100,000,000 more.
The work of the engineering depart
ment of the present commission has
been largely devoted to obtaining data
upon which a plan Of the canal must be
determined. This data will include
typographical measurements, borings,
character Of soil, flow of water In rfv-
ers. all stated Of sufficient exactness to
secure the closest calculations by expe-
rienced engineers, though not on the
ground.
1T Is probable that within the next
few months, these data will have been
so fully ascertained by the chief engi-
neer, Mr.. Wallace, and assistants that
they may be submitted to a board Of
engineers Of high standing for recon-
mendation as to the best plan upon
which to proceed with the work. It he's
also been made apparent by reports OF
Mr.. Wallace and the commission that
whatever plans are likely to be adopted
the work Of excavation and construction
which would have to be done under any
plan may proceed without waste Of en-
ergy for period quite long enough 10
enable you to decide which is the best
plan
I suggest, therefore, the first work
to be done Is the appointment Of an ad-
visory board Of engineers, say seven
Or nine in number, to be selected from
engineers having especial knowledge of
hydraulic. engineering and canal con-
struction, to whom will be submitted all
possible information with respect to
The projected Panama canal-botll that
obtained by@ French engineers before
our purchase and the plan and data OBJ
tanned by the chief engineer of the
commission, together with all projects
for solution OF the problem.