The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-03-21
WALLACE FAVORS
SEA LEVEL CANAL
Senate Committee Listens to the Ad-
vice of Former Chief Engi-
neer of the Commission.
GIVES FACTS AND FIGURES
IMPORTA z OF PANAMA RAIL
ROAD.

Washington, March 20.-JOhn F. Wal
lace, formerly chief engineer of the
isthmian canal committee, today testi
ned before the senate committee con-
corning the type of canal to be con-
structed across the isthmus Of Panama
He was asked to state his views, and
prefaced his examination with a gen.
eral statement, which in part follows:
Mr.. Wallace, in advocating an ap-
proximately straight sea level canal, OF
ample width and depth as the best
type, urged that any other plan which
places restrictions upon the probable
permanency of the canal itself as well
as upon the speed and siEG and num-
Der Of vessels passing through it must
render the canal far less valuable; that
the deterrent factors in this connection
are relative time and cost and that in
approaching the discussion the queS-
ton of how much money the American
people supposedly are willing to invest
in the canal and how much time they
are willing to wait for its proper ac-
complishment, should be considered.
He said that, judged by the capitaliza-
tion and dividends now paid upon the
stock of the Suez canal. it is apparent
that the rates charged for transit
through it are excessive, and that thus
a material saving would be offered
commerce by the Panama route.
Time and Cost.
Assuming that the present tonnage
throughout Suez of say 10000, 600 tons
per year, would pass through the Pan
anna canal, even at a dollar a ton, there
would be-" ne said, IAN approximate
income of 10000, 900. which is sufficient
TO justify an expenditure of $500. 600 600. -
The latter figure he deemed ample TO
construct the sea level canal. AS TO
the additional time involved. Mr. Wal
lace predicted that upon a basis "Of
reasonable energy and the use of proper
business methods of administration, a
sea level canal can be fully completed
in ten, or, to be entirely safe, say
twelve years and a lock canal even if
only sixty feet above sea level, would
require only three years less"
He reiterated that increased eff
cheney could be secured If the work
were handled by a single contracting
firm. unhampered by government
methods and with every incentive to
early completion with possibly utiliza-
ton of two shifts instead of one shift
of ten hours.
Hint to the Committee.
Mr.. Wallace conteuded. if it was not
will decline to recommend any form of
canal which is not capable of being in
the future transformed into a sea level
canal without undue interference with
kthe worlds traffic or undue additional
cost: that this fact alone should take
the recommendations of the minority
of the board of consulting engineers
and the recommendations of the ma
iority of the isthmian canal commits
sion out of really serious consideration.
Mr.. Wallace questioned whether cor
gress would feel justified I'm endorsing
the construction of any dam Of large
dimensions, retaining q head Of water,
say eighty-five feet, the foundation of
which does not extend to bedrock or to
some equally reliable strata.
rs it either safe or wise he asked,
ito authorize the building Of a dam.
one-half mile long, to retain a head Of
water of eighty-five feet across an allu-
vial valley, similar TO the valley of the
Chagres at Gatun, in which exists al
ready two subscribe gOrgeS, one of
which alone is a thousand feet across
and 240 feet deep. which has evidently
been reflled with a heterogeneous mass
of gravel. sand. etc, brought down by
mountain streams"
Might Not Stand the Strain.
With this situation in view, he said.
Il is greatly to be feared that the
dam at Gatun proposed by a minority
board of consulting engineers and en-
dorsed by a majority of the isthmian
canal commission. might, after some
years, be found incapable of Withstand
ing the strain upon it. He pointed out
reasons for apprehension on this point
and said his remarks on this subject
applied, though in a lesser degree, to
the series of dams and barrages hold
ing back a head of fifty-five feet of
water which ii is proposed by the
minority report to construct across the
alluvial valley Of the RiG Grande on
the Pacific side of the canal. If it is