The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1906-05-25
SEA=LEVEL WATERWAY.
FEAR OF EARTHQUAKES CAUSED SENATE
COMMITTEE TO SO DECLARE.
No Guaranty That the Canal Zone Will In Future
Be Exempt From Such Disasters as Over
wheImed San Francisco

Washington, May21.-That the earth
quake which destroyed San Francisco
was an important afctor in determln-
ing the vote of the senate committee
on interoceanc annals In favor Of sea
level type is apparent from the fact
that feature OF the majority report Is
a discussion OF the effect such an earth
wave might have on locks and dams.
The majority report in favor OF
sea-leyel canal was submitted Thurs
day by Senator Kittredge. On the sub
jeCt OF danger from earthquakes on the
isthmus and the possible effect on the
two types Of canal proposed, the re-
port says:
The recent calamity that overwhelmed
one OF our great cities has caused many
furvbodInss. The assertion thut any par
tcular spot In the troplc rs exempt from
al ehuser nom such convuIsiunS OF ma
ture as recently visited Caiiiornla or
wrought arL1t havoc near Charleston,
5. g., In 1870. or changed the face OF
nature In southeastern Missouri near the
beginning OF the century, wound not DO
istnmus OF Panama ~ not exempt CON
CluSlyyIy appears, and We Gun nave no
guaranty that the canal zone VIII IN the
future be exempt from such disaster.
Enect OF Earthquake.
The cana! structures that would be
most exposed 20 Injury by the passing OF
an cartn wave or NIuIent movement of
the carth's surface are the locks pro-
posed by the minority, whose walls, many
hundreds OF feet, Or even two or three
Thousand
least some OF them, be more than - feet
hlgn ana cnuECly unsupported On one
water. II these walls should be moved
at all. the natural and probable result
would 10 In their leaking and SO pre-
vent the closing Of the gatcs-an INJURY
for wsiCh u suggestion OF extra gates on
haLu would be usC.css for no one could
guess the extent of the movement. But
the most lRcly effect OF such shock
would be the fracture OF these locks. In
repairing OF which much timc-munths
or ycars-mlght be required. and thus
cause interruption OF traffic or the aban-
dunmCnt OF the canal
'The minority suggests that the dam
at Gdmboa, iLClLdcC IN the plan OF the
board. would be MS likely to sustain In
Jury from such COLyulsiOn MS the struC-
lure. above mentioned This Is not the
fact. The GHmboa dam Is built on n
solid rock foundation, reinforced with
strong walls OF rock; 1t - a structure
supcrimposed on the oarth's surface. and
no record t. found IN any similar struc-
turc being permanently injured under
OF the Cucbra cut would be no more
likely TO be disturbed than are the nearly
vertical slopes near the divide, that have
never been affected.
IAN earth dam on alluval base. as
proposed by the minority. might be rs
sureh n the earthquake passed the local
ny. and 4 a crack IN tho dam or It's
the lock drain. and the canal be ruined
AT San Francisco. where the water
pipes were broken; The disaster was
water could not DO held In the pipes
and be directed on the flames. What
would happen TO the aqueduct conduits,
pipes and valves buried in the concrete
walls used for filling and empting the
locks. can not he we'll coniectured."
Must Decide Type,
After reviewing the legislation and
the messages OF the president on the
subject OF the canal. the report says
It is due to the executive branch OF
the government that the uncertain
ties fncoronting the president as to
his powers in the premises be settled
and disposed OF afirmatIyely, once and
for ALL by the only national authority
competent to pass upon the question
the national legislature.
The division among experts as to
the best type Of canal Is treated by
the report, which says that the con-
cluslon has been reached that the fol-
lowing propositions are irrefutable:
That the ideal canal is one at sea
level; that its construction would be
attended with more, and probably
with less, habard than one with locks
and dams on doubtful foundations;
that the sea.levcl canal is safer and
more convenient than one with locks:
that It would take but little longer
time to ubild; that 1t Is the simpler