Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-06
WOULD BE A SEWER.
Chief Engineer Stevens Opinion of a
Sea Level Canal.

Inc House committee on interstate and
foreign commerce yesterday heard Chief
Engineer Stevens of the isthmian canal
commission regarding engineering problems
on the Isthmus of Panama.
Mr.. Stevens gave in detail the reasons of
his conversion from sea level advocate 10
lock canal enthusiasts He said the pouu-
lar impression of a sea level canal was that
When 1t was constructed q person could
stand at one end of it and look along the
surface of the canal frorA ocean 10 ocean
AS matter of fact if the sea level type of
canal should be built he said 1t world be
mere IN the nature of a Sewer" Ii wonld
be narrow channel deep down in narrow
car yons; it would have a strong current
ana In his opinion there would be no way
70 ulFert the torrents of the Cha gres river
o.. at least, this question was the one en-
cheering problem on the isthnus which far
oVertopped all others. The river If turned
INTO sea level canal, he believed would
render 1t non-navigable If it did not com
pletely destroy it.
MI Stevens was asked about the sanita-
ton and water supply of Colon He said
that % per cent of the streets had been
raised TO a higher grade, which permitted of
the establishment of sewage system. AS
TO the water supply, he said that a large
reservoir had been projected back of Mon
~ net mn, 10 supply the town with water.
1t mad been found that this reservoir could
not be completed in time to meet the needs
or the dry season then coming on so a
temporary and smaller one was built This
mad proved inadequate, but water had been
supplied by train, a practice which had an
nuaily prevailed for fifty years
Mr.. stevens recommended the building of
new docks at Colon rather than repairing
the old ones
Al the afternoon session of the commit
tee Mr. Stevens explained in detail what is
known as the 85-foot level type of canal
rms contemplates building dam at Gatun,
on flaa t1a., IT,
the Pacific side, backing up the waters of
the two watersheds and thus avoiding dig
cling or dredging for total of twenty
eight miles of the distance This type of
canal could be built in eight years
Time is being lost on the isthmus. he said,
because the type of canal to be built has
not been decided upon.
Unsatisfactory Labor Conditions.
Mr.. Stevens has never been satisfied with
labor conditions on the isthmus He would
have three or four nationalties there He
would like to have some Chinese, but sup
posed this would require legislation He
now has agent In Madrid endeavoring to
get Spanish laborers. His present labor
roll amounts to 10000 names, and the
maximum required is estimated at between
10000 and $4,000. There are no laborers
there from the United States.
1t Is impossible to take advantage of the
dDIOSdilO1 VI Inc 0ISul-IOur law, ne Sdiu,
because 1t was applicable only to alien la
borers and ninety-five per cent of the fore
men and superintendent are Americans.
The result Is that the gangs of laborerss
cannot be left to work by themselves after
the eght-hour day has expired.
Sanitation on the isthmus, he said was
strictly enforced. Laborers' camps were
visited at least twice day by sanitary In
spectors anad not even a pile of dirty
clothing was allowed to remain The per-
centage OF sickness during the past few
months was but 10 to the thousand.
Few Mosquitoes.
Since Engineer Stevens moved to Culebra,
March Is last, he has seen but two mos
quitoes. 1t is not mosquito country. he de-
clared, to the extent the United States is.
When Mr. Stevens explained that the dir
ference in tide between the Pacific and At
lantic sides of the isthmus was about twen-
ty feet, Representative Adamson of Geor-
gfo remarked that he had been asked by a
number Of hard shells whether there Was
not danger. when the canal was built OF
one ocean running into the other and turn
ing the world over.
Il told them, he continued, that the
world was turning over now as fast as she
could and this would not make much DIFF
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