The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-04-04


= gineers, u. s. A.
Benjamin M. Harrod. y
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Washington, April 3-The President has
carried out his plans for the reorganiza-
ton OF the isthmian canal commission as
to personnel and best methods Generally
on the lines of the Legislation as suggested
to Congress at the last session, which
failed In the crush of business at the
closing hours. Today within half an hour
after the Presidents departure FROM
Washington, Secretary Taft, directly IN
charge of canal matter made public the
personnel of the new commission and the
division of duties among them. Only one
member of the old commission was reap
pointed, Benjamin M. Harrod Otherwise
the commission is new from top to bottom
for there IS a top and bottom and con-
siderable difference between the functions
and pay of the commission. rind1ng ne
was obliged to appoint seven commission
ers the President did so, but he carried
out his plan by making three OF them
practically the commission. The other
four, though bearing the title of commits
sioners, not only receive a much lower
compensation, but are assigned muen
smaller fields of activity.
Divided Work.
The President also has carried out ms
scheme of dividing up the work OF canal
building among the commissioners so fhat'
nominally acting as a body on stated oc-
todf r1pmbpT WOulu
operate in special field. The head of the
commission is a trained railroad nlar''
chosen for his administrative abiilues III
the financial and purchasing nelo' tnc
new governor of the zone IS a lawyer WIN
also has had to do with state affairs; inc
engineer commissioner already is known
for his abilities in the execution OF the
practical work of canal cutting Inc otie.
members of the commission are piacr
comply with the law as 10 the nuHlper
of the commission, but are men OF high
abilitN as hydraulic. engineers. secretary
Taft told them today that they were eN
pected 10 show rcsnlts, and tnat Is seiu
10 be the keynote of the Presidents ac-
ton today. ,.,on
Secretary Taft gave out for puphcatioIi
a statement showing the aliotmeh's u
salaries to the new commissioners anu
his own letter to the President ana one
from the latter explaining the plan oi
reorganization for the commission .ne
reasons therefore and the particular du-
ties 70 he assigned to each commission
err
Their Salaries.
The first reads as follows:
.aThe President has made an order al
lowing a salary of $500 with travelling
expenses to each rcember of the commis-
sion and to the chairman Of the commis-
sion the additional compensation of $22'-
500: to the chief engineer the additional
compensation of $17,5OO, and to the gov
ernor of the zone the additional compen-
sation of $4,000. The head of each de-
partment is allowed the use of fur
nished house upon the isthmus and his
travelling expenses when travelling on
business of the commission.
"The total is $1O2,5O0 The salaries and
allowances under the former commission
amounted to $4,000 The total compen-
sation of the governor of the zone and
the chief engineer are in effect un-
changed.
prof. w. TT. Blrr and MI. William
Barclay Parsons. civil engineers, will be
appointed as members of the consulting
board of engineers.
Letter OF att.
Secretary Tafts letter to the President
is as follows:
War Department, Washington, d. C.
March TO- 1905.
Mr.. President:-In the matter of the re-
organization of the machine by which the
Panama canal is to be built, beg first to
call your attention to the extreme import
ance of fixing definite plan with respect
to which you may feel reasonable.
First, that it can be practically exc
cuted and will result in a navigable canal
and. second, that the navigable canal will
be the one best adapted to the demands
which may be maze upon it by the COM
merce of the world.
THE act of Congress evidently contem-
plates canal with locks, the cost of
which shall be in the neighborhood o.
5000, 100000. including the money already
expended 1t is quite within the bounds of
possibility that the best form of canal be
a sea level canal with tidal lock only at
one end, and that the cost of it may ex-
ceed the $500. 900 in the mind of Con-
gress by at least s100,000,00 900 more.
1.-THE work of the engineering depart
ment of the present commission has been
largely devoted 20 obtaining the data upon
which the plan of the canal must be de-
termned. These data include Topographic
cal measurements. borings the character
OF Ine SOIL, tHe now OI water III the rivers
all stated with sufficient exactness to
secure the closest calculations by expert
enced engineers, although not on the
ground.
The Two Plans.
TT is probable that within the next few
months these data will have been so fully
ascertained by the chief engineer, Mr.
Wallace. and his assistants that they may
be submitted to a board of engineers of
the highest standing for recommendation
as to the best plan upon which to proceed
with the work.
'It also has been made apparent by
the reports of Mr. Wallace and the COM
mission that whatever plan is likely to be
adopted work of excavation and construc-
ton which would have to be done under
any plan may proceed without waste of
energy for a period quite long enough to
enable you to decide which is the best
plan.
II suggest, therefore, that the first work
to be done Is the appointment Of an ad-
vsory board of engineers, say seven or
nine in number to be selected from the
engineers having special knowledge of hy-
draulic engineering and canal construc-
ton, to whom shall be submitted all pos
sible information with respect to the pro-
jected Panama canal, both that obtained
| from the French engineers before our pur-
chase of the plant and the data obtained
by the chief engineer Of the present canal
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