Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-06-12
WOULD RESEMBLE A SEWER.
Engineer Stevens Says a sea-Level
Canal Is Impraeticabie.

Engineer Stevens Says sea-LeveI
Canal Is Impraetioabie.
Chief Engineer Stevens of the Pan
anna Canal was before the house COM
mittee on interstate and foreign COM
merce last Wednesday and told that
body some Of his reasons for opposing
a sea-level canal. AS he expressed 1t,
a sea-level waterway when completed
would look more like sewer than
canal. In order to construct a sea-
level canal, he said 1t would be nec-
essary to cut through mountains. some
of them several hundred feet high and
the channel would be deep, narrow
and sinuous.
Furthermore he argued that with a
sea-level canal It would be practical
ly impossible to control the Chagres
river during the flood time of the year,
and that the rushing current would
tear away the banks of the canal.
In his opinion the only solution OF the
canal question was for the building Of
a lock canal. 1t would not be neces-
sary to build any of these locks within
shell range of the coast.
Mr.. Stevens, in answer to questions
by the committee, went on to say that
1t was his candid belief that an 85-foot
level canal could be completed In sew
en- or eight years, whereas 1t would
take anywhere from fifteen to eigh-
teeE, and perhaps twenty years to fn-
ish the task Of making sea-level
canal. It would be possible, he said,
to take out $4,000 to 10000 cubic yards
Of earth I'm Culebra cut daily: He es-
timated that the additional cost OF
sea-level canal over that Of an S5-foot
level canal would be at least $135, ,000,-
600.
Discussing the labor problem on the
isthmus, Mr.. Stevens said that 1t had
never been satisfactory to him. In
stead of having Jamaica negroes per-
form all the work he was In favor OF
engaging laborers from several differ
ent races. If he had his way he would
use Cinnamon to large extent, but he
understood that to do that would re-
quire congressional legislation, and
that congress was not favorably dis
posed to such a proposition. He
thought the Cinnamon made good
workmen, were easy to handle and
were possessed of great powers Of en-
durance.
He mentioned sending agents to
Spain for the purpose OF arranging
for Spaniards to go to the isthmus.
The operations Of the eight-hour labor
provision In the canal measure, he
said, was quite impracticable. Ninety
five per cent Of the superintendent
and foremen were Americans, and II
they were allowed to work no more
than eight hours, the foreigners could
work no longer The present payroll,
Mr. Stevens said, was in the neigh
borhood OF $4,000. He expected to
see II increased when the work shall
be fully underway to 100000 or $35, 5000.
The progress Of the work on the ca
nal was now retarded by the failure
to decide whether the waterway Is to
be a sea-level or a lock canal. Mr.
Stevens detailed to the committee some
of the measures taken to insure good
sanitation on the isthmus. When ne
left the isthmus the sickness among
the laborers on the canal averaged
only IS to 1,00) which compared very
favorably with most American cities.
1t was not q mosquito country, ne
said During all the time he had been
there he had seen only two mosquitoes