Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-17
FOR SEA LEVEL TYPE
Report of the Senate Commit
tee on Canals.
EFFECT OF EARTHQUAKES.
Important Factor In Determining the
Decision.
vULNERAB1LITY OF THE Locxs
Claimed That Canal Of the Latter
Glass Gould Be More Easily Ruined
by Enemy or Convulsion.

That the earthquake which destroyed SAN
Francisco was an Important factor in de-
termining the vote of Me Senate conmit.-
tee on fnteroceanic cafsals In favor OF L.
sea level type Is apparent, from the fact
tnat feature of the majority report n
discussion of the effect such an earth
wave might have on locks and dams. The
majority report In favor Of a sea level
canal was submitted today by Senator
httredge. On the subject of danger from
earthquakes on the isthmus, and the pos.
sioie enect on the two types Of canal pro-
posed, the report says:
The recent calamity that overwhelmed
one OF our great cities has caused many
forebodings. The assertion that any par
ticuiar spot In the tropics is exempt from
all danger from such commissions of nature
as recently visited California, or wrought
great havoc near Charleston, s. c.. I'm 1884
or changed the face of nature In southea st.
ern missouri near the beginning of this
century. would not be hazarded by any wise
man. That the Isthmus OF Panama is not
exempt conclusively appears. and we can
have no guaranty that the canal zone will
In the future be exempt from such die.
aSter.
Locks Exposed to Injury.
The canal structures that would be most
exposed to injury by the passing of an
earth wave or violent movement of the
earth surface are the locks proposed by
the minority, whose walls. many hundreds
OF feet, or even two or three thousand feet
long at Gatun would, at least some of them
De more than seventy-five feet high and en-
tireiy unsupported on one side save for a
part or the height by water. If these walIa
should be moved at all the natural and
probable result would be In their leaning
and SO prevent the closing Of the gates
an injury for which suggestion of extra
gates on hand would be useiess-for no one
could guess the extent of the movement
But the most likely effect Of such shock
would be the fracture of these locks In re-
pairing, OF which much time-months or
years-mlght be required and thus cause
interruption OF traffic or the Abandonment
OF the canal
The minority suggest that the dam az
Gamboa. included in the plan OF the board
would be as likely to sustain injury from
such convusion as the structure above men.
toned. This is not the fact. The Gamboa
dam is built on a solid rock foundation. re.
inforced with strong walls and buttressed
at either end with walls Of rock 1t ia a
structure the least likely to be affected by
any superimposed on the earths surfaces
and no record is found of any similar
structure being permanently injured under
similar circumstances. The side slopes OF
the Culebra cuts would be no more likely
to be disturbed than are the nearly yerticaf
slopes near the divide. that have never
been affected.
An earth dam on an aIluvial base. an
proposed by the minority, might be fssIIred
II the earthquake passed the locality and
If crack In the dam or its base should
open the dam would go out, the lock drain
and the canal be ruined.
Experience at San Francisco.
'At San Francisco. where the water pipes
were broken. the disaster was greatly auf,
mented by this cause. for the water could
not be held In the pipes and directed on the
hames What would happen to the aque-
duct, conduits. pipes and valves, buried In
the concrete walls. used for filling and
emptying the locks. cannot well be contec-
tured."
After reviewing the legislation and the
messages of the President on the subject
OF the canal. the report says that 1t is due
to the executive branch of the 1oyernYnanS
that the uncertainties confronting the Presfs
dent as to his powers in the premises be
settled and disposed of aff1rmafively once
and for ALL by the only national authority
competent to pass upon the question-the
national legislature.
Irrefutable Propositions.
The division among experts as to tho
best type of canal is treated by the re-
port, which says that the conclusion has
been reached that the following PROPOSE.
tions are irrefutable: That the ideal canal
is one at sea level; that it's constructor,
would be attended with no more. and
probably with less, hazard than one with
locks and dams on doubtful foundations;
that the sea-level canal is safer and more
convenient than one with locks; that 1t
would take but little longer time to build.
that 1t is the simpler and the more eco
nomical in operation and maintenance.
The estimates of the minority and the
majority of the board of consulting en-
gineers on the time that would be re-
quired to excavate the different types OF
canal are reviewed and the majority re-
port concludes that the sea-level canal
would not require more than two of
three years more than the lock type.
Risks encountered in the operation of
the sea-level canal are made light of by
the report, which says the Gamboa dam
would be ready~to control the Chagres
floods before the Culebra excavation is
half finished, and the balance of the ex-
cavation in the prism and below sea level
could go on without interruption. When
the Chagres Is subdued and controlled
and the sea-level canal made its use will
be attended with no more risk than equal
sailing distance in the oceans.
chapter of the report is devoted to
the locks and dams proposed by the mi-
Eority report of the consulting engineers,
and these are asserted to be an element
of danger. The various accidents to which
such mechanism might be subject are re-
counted and the report asserts that these
hazards can be avoided by the small sac
rifice of time necessary to the construc-
tion of the sea-leyel canal
Advantages of Sea-Level Canal.
The claim is made by the report that
ships Of all classes can be passed throrth
the sea-levei canal in eight hours and THAI
half that time would be consumed in pase-
ing ships through locks alone. The cost
OF annual maintenance Is estimated 1t
q. $4,000 for the sea-ievel. and $2,33O.ooo
for fhe lock fyre