The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-02-21
President Fay0rs Lock Instead
of Sea-Level Waterway,
and Tells Why.
500 CANAL is GREATER
THAN THE FAMED SUEZ
Roosevelt IndOrses the Recon-
mendatiOns of Chief En-
gineer Stevens.


Roosevelt today transmitted to Congress
the report of the board OF consulting en-
ginccrs upon the Panama canal together
with the letter of Secretary Taft the
report OF the Isthmian Canal commits
sion and letter by Chief Engineer Ste
vcns. The letter OF the President is as
follows
ITO the Senate and House OF Repre-
II submit herewith the letter OF the
Secretary OF War, transmitting tho re-
port OF the board of consulting engineers
upon the Panama canal, and the report
OF the Isthmian Canal commission there
on. together with a letter written to the
chairman OF the Isthmio1l Canal commits
sion by Chief Engineer Stevens. Both
the board of consulting engineers and the
canal commission divide In their report,
Favor Sea-Level Canal
The majority of the board OF consult
Ing engineers, eight In number, including
the Ave foreign engineers. favor a sea-
commission. Admiral Endlcott, takes the
same view, Five Of the eight American
members Of the board OF consulting en-
gincers and five members of the Isthmian
Canal commission favor the lock canal
and so does Chief Engineer Stevens,
The Secretary of War recommends
ton OF the minority OF the board OF con-
sulting engineers and of the majority or
the canal commission.
After careful study of the papers sub
mitted and full and exhaustive considera-
tlon of the whole subject | concur In
this recommendation.
1T will be noticed that the American
engineers upon the consulting board and
upon the commission by n more than
two to one majority favor the lock canal
whereas the foreign engineers are unit
against It | think this is partly TO 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 canal Of the New World is
the Sault Ste Marie canal a lock canal
Although the latter, the 500. Is closed TO
navigation during the winter months, II
carries annually three times the traffic OF
the SueZ canal.
The Great 500 Canal.
I'm my Judgment the very able argu-
ment of the ma tority of the board Of
consulting engineers is vltiated by their
failure to pay proper heed to the lessons
taught by the construction and operation
OF the 500 canal 1t must be borne In
mind, as the commission points out. that
there Is no question OF building what has
been pIcturesqucly termed the straits OF
Panama; that is, a waterway through
which the largest vessels could go with
safety at uninterrupted high speed,
Both tho sca-level and the proposed
lock canal would be too narrow and snail
strait, or to have any OF tho properties
OF wide deep-water strip. Both of
them would be canals. pure and simple,
Each Has Advantages.
Each type has certain disadvantages
and certain advantages But, In my
Judgment, the disadvantages are fewer
and the advantages very much greater
In the case OF d lock canal as proposed
In the papers forwarded herewith, and l
call especial attention to the fact that
the chief engineer, who Will be mainly
responsible for the success OF this mighty
engineering feat, and who has therefore
Il peculiar personal interest In Judging
Alright, is emphatically and earnestly in
favor of the lock canal project and
against the sea-leVel project.
"A careful study of the reports seem to
establish strong probability that tho
The sca-level canal would be slightly
less exposed TO damage In the event OF
war; the running expenses, apart from
amount employed to build 1t. would be
less, and for small ships the time OF
transit would probably be less. Upon
the other hand. the lock canal at a level
of eighty feet or thercabouts 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 much
less risk connected with building II. and
for largo ships transit would be quicker.
while taking into account the interest
upon the amount saved in building. tho
actual cost OF maintenance would be less.
500 Far Superior.
After being built II would be easier TO
enlarge the lock canal than the sea-leyel
canal Moreover, what has been actually
demonstrated in making and operating
the great lock canal. the 500 more I'm
portant artery Of trafflc than the great
sea-Ievel canal, the Suez goes to support
the opinion OF the minority OF the con-
sulting board OF engineers and OF tho ma
1ority of the Isthmian Canal commission
as to the superior safety. feasibility and
desira bllity OF building a lock canal at
Panama
The law now on our statute books
seems to contemplate q lock canal In
my judgment. a lock canal as herein rec
commended is advisable.
Congress Must Decide.
IF tho Congress directs that n sca-level
canal be constructed its direction will.
OF course be carried out. Otherwise the
canal will be built on substantially the
plan for a lock canal outlined In tho nc
companying papers, such changes being
made. of course, as may be found actual
ly necessary, including possibly the site
of the dam on the Pacific side
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
The White House, Feb 10, 1905
Why Taft Approves.
Tho letter of 0ecretary Taft treats at
length the recommendations OF the board