Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-22
Earthquakes and Canal Delay.

1t is truly an i'll wind that blows no
man to good. Take. for an instance, the
earthquake. If ever there was a phenom-
enon Of nature that seems unrelievedly
harmful. malevolent and useless 1t is the
earthquake. 1t destroys cities 1t takes
life. 1t demoralzes business. 1t shakes
public confidence well as material
things. But with all this 1t confers
boon and then. There Is no better
illustration of this truth than in the case
of the interests which are working against
an isthman canal When the canal
project was In it's prolonged first stage
with the contest waging between the rival
routes of Nicaragua and Panama with
public sentiment strongly favoring the
former. these interests were eloquent in
their proclamation of the superiority of
the Panama route because of the greater
percentage of danger from earthquakes in
Nicaragua and Costa Rica. This topic
was debated with gravity for many
months. 1t served to cloud the real is
sues. 1t one of the factors which
finally determined the choice of the
Panama route. It's chief function, how
ever, was that of delay. There is no
safe estimate to be made of the loss of
time occasoned by the earthquake uues-
ton, and delay was what was chiefly
sought by the anti-canal obstructionsts
Finally Panama was chosen and work
was begun. Congress had decided to have
the canal constructed on the original
plans which called for a lock system
whereby the waterway could be cut and
placed in use in the least possible time
The country had accepted the lock canal
type as finally adopted. Then suddenly
the type question was raised again. and
after months II,
OF final recommendation by the admin
fstration in favor of q lock canal the
Senate committee has voted. by a margin
or one. 10 recommend a sea-leveI canal
Its decision was mainly induced it is re-
ported, by the fact that Panama is subject
10 earthquakes and the fear that con-
NuIsion of the crust would put the canal
out of commission by breaking the locks
The san Francisco earthquake occurred
in most timely fashion for the antf-canal
interests. 1t has become a consnicuous
exhibit in the case. The vagaries of ma
ture are turned to account by the forces
OF canal delay.
me American people are getting on to
the game, as the man of slang would saw.
They are learning to differentiate between
the caution of wisdom and the caution of
obstruction. They are in this case at a
greater danger from earthquakes to
lock canal than to sea-level canal They
realize that any retching of the earths
surface in the canal neighborhood will be
Il disadvantage, and possibly will cause a
stoppage Of traffic. But they remember
the supposed demonstration that there is
a smaller chance of earthquakes al Pan
anna than at Nicaragua, and common
sense tells them that there is no material
difference between the danger to the one
kind of canal and that to another. They
must take their chances in any kind of
business, and they are willing to take
their chances in this.
The public Impotence with the earth
quake argument in favor of a sea-level
canal arises from very simple combine
ton Of circumstances The sea-leveI canal
will require a much longer period for it's
construction. Delay is the sole object
now of the anti-canal interests. The con-
clusion is not difficult to reach that the
earthquake argument in favor of a sea-
level canal Is merely another move in the
direction of delay.
Public confidence in the sincerity of any
opposition to a canal which can be
quickly constructed and placed In COM
mission has been seriously shaken. If
the record Of the past twenty years of
canal legislation and opposition and
blockadiug could be wiped out of recol-
lection patient consideration might be
paid to the earthquake argument. But
there stands the record and the public NOM
DRY IS good, and the result is that today
the demand for lock canal is heard in
imperative tones despite the recommended
ton OF the Senate committee and regardless
OF the cutlery concerning possible earth
quakes.