Los Angeles herald., 1906-02-07
SAYS TAFT ALL
BUT CURSED HIM
J. r. WALLACE AGAIN BEFORE
SENATE COMMITTEE
Gives Detailed Account of Conditions
as He Found Them on the
isthmus and the Work
He Did There
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press
WASHINGTON, Feb. 6--John r.
Wallace, .ormer chief engineer of the
isthmian canal was again before the
senate committee on interoceanic
canals today. Yesterday he was di-
verted from description of the condi-
tions on the isthmus, which he made
today. He gave a minute account of
the conditions he found there and the
difficulties he encountered in getting
material and supplies and the delays
that occurred in filing acquisitions.
While he was cabling to have the
orders expedited he said he received
word from Admiral Walker that cable
grams cost money. It was delicate
point, he said, that he had better not
use the cables SO much.
Mr.. Wallace said to the committee
that he did years work and that his
successor had no benefit of his analysis
or recommendations because he said,
"the secretary of war told me he did
not want it, and had no use for me ex-
cept upon the. isthmus as a directing
engineer. He was so angry in his treat
ment that he all but cursed me-"
1.-The work / did," said Mr.. Wal
lace, Extended over a complete year,
taking in dry and wet seasons. l was
working along definite program,
which / intended to put in writing in
my annual report, and would have done
so if had been permitted to make
report 1 experimental with the
French excavators so as to tell whether
it would be the more economical TO use
or destroy these machines. which cost
probably $30000,0 00G 1 experimental far
enough to know that these machines
were not fit for USE"
Telling of these experiments, Mr..
Wallace said he had not estimated be-
cause If excavating could be done in
March for 80 cents the cubic yard, 1t
could be done for the same cost In the
rainy season in May. 1t was irnpor-
tant to determine whether the higher
cost of excavating was due to the
heavy RAINFALL the reduction of time to
an eight-hour day, or the use of the
French excavators, said Mr.. Wallace.
Continuing, he said that he under
stood that the cost had gone up great
deal after he left. The organization
was demoralized, he said, for the rea-
son that the men had seen their ch.et
discredited and knew that successor
was to be appointed who would not be
in sympathy with the work that had
been DONE
At the afternoon session Mr.. Wallace
said that in all his experience in rail-
road construction he never had seen
men better fed and housed than they
We're on the isthmus. The complaints,
he said, came from clerks, who went to
the isthmus from Washington or New
York, who had got the idea from mu-
steal comedies that life in tropical
climate was to lie in hammocks and
enjoy themselves. Efforts to establish
q Y. M. G.. A. on the isthmuS for the
benefit of the. canal employees was
stopped because OF an objection to it,
said Mr.. Wallace. He was asked to be
more explicit, and said that Governor
Magoon had said that he did not wish
the work to go on. Mr. Wallace thought
this was because the community was
Catholic.
When Mr.. Wallace showed some feel
ing in referring to the statement of
Mr.. Shonts that dirt had been wasted
by him Senator Hopkins said:
eff you are as careful of the repu-
tation of Mr. Shonts as he was of
yours when he came before the COM
mittee there will be no i'll feeling here"
Nothing can repair the damage that
has been done to my reputation" the
witness replied. MANY criticisms of
me have been made which l had no
chance to answer. This is my only
opportunity, and / simply desire to
set myself right. hope you will par
don me If I show some heat"
Speaking of the Bohio dam Mr.. Wal
lace said he discovered that solid rock
bottom could not be found nearer than
167 feet instead of 1923 feet, as had
been shown by the Walker borings.
He did not favor the eight-hour day,
and recommended that as few restric-'
tions as possible should be placed on
Mr.. Stevens and that "the wolves
should be kept off his back"
If the canal work should be let by
contract said Mr.. Wallace, it would
Increase the contract price about twen-
ty per cent. He thought the man in
lpen in China, japan, India. Spain, or
where ne pleased. The hearing was
adjourned until - o'clock tomorrow.