The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1906-02-19

@4&1sStsss.esSss:~pSs Q 600 .s.sss<.> 3,@s.
The letter Of the president is as follows;
'"ro the senate and the house OF rep
reeentatives l submit herewith the let
vr OF the secretary OF war, transmitting
tho report OF tho board OF consulting ELI
gneers on the Panama canal and the re-
port OF the Isthmian Canal commission
thereon, together with a letter written 20
she chairman of the Isthmian Canal com
mission by Chief Engineer Stevens. Bota
the board OF consulting engineers and tho
canal commission divide in their report
The majority OF the board OF consulting
engineers. eight In number. including tho
five foreign engineers. favor sea level
canal and one member OF tho canal com
mission. Admiral Endicott takes the same
position. Five OF the American members
OF the board OF consulting engineers and
Ave members OF the Isthmiap Canal com
mission favor the lock canal and so does
Chief Engineer Stevens.
The secretary OF war recommends lock
canal persuant 10 the recommendation
OF the minority OF the board OF consult
ing engineers and OF tho majority OF the
canal commission. After careful study of
the papers submitted and full and ex-
haustive consideration OF the subject j
concur on the subject.
IL will be noticed that the American
members on the consulting hoard and on
the commission by a more than TO !
majority favor a lock canal, whereas The
foreign engineers are a unit against It,
j think this is partly 70 be explained
by the fact that the great traffic canal
OF the old world Is the Suez canal. a sea-
level canal. whereas the great traffic OF
the new world Is the Sault Ste Marie
canal. a lock canal Although the latter
the 500, Is closed 10 navigation duiing
the winter months. 1t carries annually
three times the traffic OF the Suez canal.
In my judgment the very able argument
OF the majority OF the board or consulting
engineers is vtiated by their failure to
pay proper heed 10 the lessons taught by
the construction and operation or the 500
canal.
II must be borne In mind. as the com
mission points out there is no question
OF building what has been picturesquely
termed the straits OF Panama, that ~,
a waterway through which the largest
vessels could go with safety at unin.
terrupted high speed. Both the sea leVei
canal and the proposed lock canal would
be too narrow and shallow 10 be called,
with any truthfulness. n strait, or TO have
any OF the properties or wide, deep
water strip.
Both of Them would be canals. pure and
simple. Each type has certain disad-
vantages and certain advantages. But
in my judgment the Disadvantages are
fewer and the advantages very much
stantially as proposed in these papers
forwarded herewith, and call especial
attention 10 the fact that the chief en-
gineer. who would be mainly responsible
Frx,- steu of fflln
feat and who has, therefore, peculiar
personal interest In judging Alright. IL
emphatically and earnestly in favor or
the lock canal project and against tho
A careful study OF the report seems TO
establish a strong probability that the
following are tho facts:
The sea level canal would be slightly
exposed 10 damage In the event of war
The running expenses. apart from the
heavy cost OF interest on the amount em-
ployed TO build II would be less.
on the other hand the lock canal at a
level of so feet or thereabouts would not
cost much more than half as much to
build and could be built In about half
the time, while there would be very mucn
less risk connected with building st and
Cor large ships. tho transit would be
quicker. while taking into account the in
terest on the amount saved IN building
the actual cost Of maintenance would be
less
After being built II would be easier 20
enlarge the lock canal. than the sea level
canal Moreover what has been actually
demonstrated I'm making and operating
the great lock canal. the 500. n more inn
portant artery OF traffic that the great
sea level canal. the Suez goes 20 support
the opinion OF the minority OF the consult
Ing board OF engineers and OF the ma ior-
ftv OF tho Tsthmian Canal commission as
20 the superior safety. feasibility and de-
sirability OF building lock canal az Pan
anna.
THE law now on our statute books
seenls 20 contemplate n lock canal In my
judgment a lock canal az herein recon-
nended r. advisable. N the congress di-
rects that a sea level canal be constructed
It's direction will Of course be carried out
"Otherwise the canal will bc built on
substantially the plan for "a lock canal
outlined In tho accompanying papers.
such changes being made OF course, ne
may be found actually necessary; includ-
Ing possibly the change recommended by
the secretary % war as 20 the site OF
the dam on tho Pacific side
(signed)
"THEoDORE ROOSEVELT"
The white House Feb ~ 1895
The letter OF Secretary TAFT treats al
length the recommendation OF the board
and the commission and discusses the roo.
sons why nc is led 20 approve the con-
struction of n lock canal instead of n
sea level canal In closing be invites az.
tention % the satisfactory charactor OF
the discussion OF tho two types % canal
''by the greatest canal engineers of ~
world" which, he says. insures 10 the
AtsxoxSe u~.~... 49,. ur..fs a.