The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-11-19
Experts Submit Opinions for the
 Great Waterway
MUST 60 ID THE PRESIDENT
The Sea-LeveI Plan Means That From Five to Seven Years Longer Will Be Required for Canals
 Completion.

Washington. November 18.-By vote of eight to five today the board of construct ing engineers of the lsthmian canal coni- mission. body which If President Roose- welt realizes his hopes, embodies ths greatest and most representative talent in the world, placed itself upon record as favoring the construction of the Panama canal on the sea level.
 This decision represents the outcome of nearly three months hard work. Early in September the engineers gathered from all parts of the world, for the President desirous to obtain the best talent, as we'll as to avoid adverse criticism in the fu- ture. had called upon governments of the five nations distinguished for the suc- cessful construction of great hydraulic works. to send each of their best engi- neers to assist the American engineers in the decision of the momentous ques- ton of constructing the Panama canal at sea level. or at a greater altitude. in- volving a system of locks.
 Guided By Facts Presented.
 The foreigners came to Washington ab. solutely without instructions from their own government and without bias. deter- mined to be guided to their decision solely by the facts to be presented to them in the shape of a great mass of os physical data. and supplemented by sew eral projects. notably that upon which the French Panama company worked so patiently for more than a decade; that of the first American Panama commission; that of M. Bunau-varilla. the French engineer. who was h charge of the canal works in the last days of the French administrations and that of london with Bates, the Chicago civil engineer, who was connected with great enterprises on the Nile and elsewhere.
 Acquainted With Main Features. The Americans for their part were ac- quainted with the main features of these projects before the board of engineers met in it's first session. Nevertheless they joined in the study of the physical data with their foreign colleagues, went over countless blue prints and maps; went to the isthmus and scanned every inch of the route of the property, and had made up their minds when the board reconvened in Washington about the be- ginning of this month as to the type of canal they favored. It was not until last Tuesday, however, that anything in the nature of d decisive vote was taken. so that was only an indirect test. Just what that proposition was cannot be stated with absolute certainty but 1t Is conjectured the issue was whether or not lock canal of certain type should be constructed.
 At any rate the vote disclosed the fact that a majority of the eight American members under the lead of General Ab- bolt was strongly in favor of lock cana. The foreigners were against the par ticular type mentioned In propositl1. but 1t was not clear that at that moment they were opposed to the whole propo- sition of a lock canal. The real test came today and the time between Tuesday and the meeting this morning WAS con sumed in some very strong presentations on the part of the majority of the Amer ican delegates to influence their foreign colleagues to accept one or the other lock proposition.
 Americans Not Unanimous. The Americans, however, were not unanimous for there Is reason to believe that three of their number probably General Davis and MT. Parsons, and MT. Burr. joined the foreign delegates in this last proposition, which decided the board as favoring the sea level.
 The decision was reached at noon. and thereby the board practically concluded it's labors. There will be few more meet ings next week simply to deal with small details, and to put into permanent form the results of the boards protracted meet ings. The foreign delegates desire to leave for their homes by the 27th instant. To accommodate them In this, the full board has agreed that they may conclude sonld purely formal work connected with this project. such as the approval of certain minutes and signatures of papers at special meeting to be held In Paris in December or January. It Is expected that one of the American members of tho board will go to Paris to wind up this business. all of which mutt be done be- fore the final meeting of the board can be regarded as complete. The commission in turn must record It's own judgment on the conclusions reached by the board of engineers and there is even now a be- lief current that that judgment will be adverse to the boards plan.
 Must Go to President.
 However. there are two mora important steps at either of which there may M great changes proposed. for tho comnnis sion must pass the plans and its own recommendations to the President, who ir turn must stamp them with his own ap. proval or disapproval, and forward then to congress which after all will be the court of last resort as between the sea level and lock canal projects: simply through the fact that additional legisia- tion will be necessary If a sea level canal is to be built. or the board finds that such a canal will cost from s75.000,00 to s100 900 900 more than the cheapest prac- tical lock canal and will consume from five to seven years more in the construu- ton.
 
 NontrihtIfion for Rueaian IeDa