New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-05-18
SEA LEVEL CANAL PLAN
Earthquake Largely Influenced Sen
ate Committees Decision.

4hueroceanic Canals in favor OF a sea level canal
IS apparent from the fact that a feature OF the
majority report is discussion Of the effect such
an earth wave might have on locks and dams.
me majority report in favor of a sea level canal
was submitted to-day by Senator Kittredge.
On the subject of danger from earthquakes on
the lsrhmus and the possible effect on the two
types OF canal proposed the report says:
The recent calamity that overwhelmed one Of
our great cities has caused many fOFebOdingS
me assertion that any particular spot in the
tropics is exempt from all danger from such
Commissions Of nature as recently visited Cali
lorna or wrought great havoc near Charleston,
p ~ IN 1885, or changed the face of nature in
southeastern Missouri near the beginning of
this century, would not be hazarded by any wise
man. That the Isthmus Of Panama is not ex-
empt conclusively appears, and we can have no
guarantee that the canal zone will in the future
be exempt from such disasters.
Inc canal structures that would be most eX-
posed TO injury by the passing of an earthquake
or violent movement of the earth surface are the
locks proposed by the minority, whose walls,
many hundreds of feet or even two or three
thousand feet long at Gatun would, at least
some OF them. be more than seventy-flve feet
nigh and entirely unsupported on side, save
Tor a part of the height by water. II these walls
should be moved at all the natural and proba-
Die result would be in their leaning, and pre-
vent the closing of the gateS-an injury for
which suggestion of extra gates on hand would
be useless, for no one could guess the extent of
the movement But the most likely effect Of
such shock would be the fracture of these locks
IN repairing OF which much time-mOnths or
canal.
The minority suggests that the dam at
Gampoa included In the plan of the board,
would be as likely to sustain injury from such
CONFUSION as the structure above mentioned.
Ihls is not the fact. The Gamboa dam is built
on a solid rock foundation, reinforced with
strong walls and buttressed at either end with
walls of rock. It is q structure the least likely
to be affected of any superimposed the
earth's surface and record is found of any
similar structure being permanently injured UNI
Tr0nfI Nf~p ct
the Culebra cuts would be more likely to be
disturbed than the nearly vertical slopes
near the divide that have never been affected.
An earth dam on an alluvial base, as proposed
by the minority, might be assured If the earth
quake passed the locality and If crack in the
dam or its base should open, the dam would go
out. the lock drain and the canal be ruined:
At San Francisco where the water pipes were
broken, the disaster was greatly augmented by
this cause, for the water could not be held in
the pipes and directed on the flames What
would happen to the aqueduct, conduits. pipes
and valves, buried in the concrete walls, used
for filling and emptying the locks, cannot be
we'll conjectured
After reviewing the legislation and the mes
sages of the President the canal, the report
says that 1t is due to the executive branch Of
the government that the uncertainties confront
ing the President to his powers in the prem
Uses be settled and disposed of afirmatively once
and for all by the only national authority COM
petent to pass on the questionable national
Legislature. The division among experts as to
the best type of canal is treated in the report
which says that the conclusion has been reached
that the following propositions are irrefUtable:
That the ideal canal is one at sea level: that
it's construction would be attended with no
more, and probably with less, hazard than one
with locks and dams on doubtful foundations;
that the sea level canal is safer and more con-
venient than one with locks; that 1t would
take little longer time to build, and that 1t is the
simpler and the more economical in operation
and maintenance.
The estimates Of the minority and the
jority Of the board of consulting engineers on
the time that would be required to excavate the
different types Of canal are reviewed and the
majority report concludes that the sea level
canal would not require more than two or three
years more than the lock type.
Risks encountered in the operation Of the
sea level canal are made light Of by the report
which says the GambOa dam would be ready to
control the Chagres floods before the Culebra
excavation is half finished and the remainder
Of the excavation in the prism and below sea
level could go on without interruption. When
the Chagres is subdued and controlled and the
sea level canal made, its will be attended
with no more risk than equal sailing distance
in the ocean.
A chapter Of the report is devoted to the locks
and dams proposed by the minority report of the
consulting engineers, and these are asserted to
be an element Of danger. The various acct
dents to which such mechanism might be sub
ject are recounted. and the report asserts that
these hazards can be avoided by the small sacri-
fee Of time necessary to the construction Of the
sea level canal.
The assertion is made that ships Of all classes
could pass through the sea level canal in eight
hours and that half that time would be con-
sumed In passing ships through locks alone.
The cost Of annual maintenance is estimated at
e. oAOn %ooo md 0-0O
lock type.
Discussing the advantage Of the sea level
canal TO the country controlling it in time OF
war, the report says:
If free from all obstacles to quick transit, 100
warships of average SIZE moving in one d1rec-
ton, route clear could be passed from ocean
to ocean in less than day.
All naval commanders and commercial mas
tiers of the great national and private vessels
OF the world are almost to man opposed un-
alterably to the introduction Of any lock TO lit
vessels over the low summit that nature has
left for US to remove.
The majority argues that an enemy could de-
stroy lock canal much easier than sea level
canal with explosives
The ultimate final cost Of the sea level canal
as estimated by the majority is 25O.OOO,O0O,
while the cost Of the lock canal is regarded as
uncertain The minority of the board of con-
shifting engineers estimated the cost at $780,
7O5 200 and to this. the majority says, should be
added the interest on the extra cost of main
tenance and the expenses of clearing the titles to
the lis 600 acres of land that would be submerged
bv the central lake proposed by the lock plan,
which, it is estimated, would make the total cost
nj least 9OOOO,OOO. The cost of transforming
the lock plan into level canal. after the
former is completed, is estimated at S2OO,OOOOOO.
In conclusion. the majority says:
Your committee feels entirely confident that