Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-07
WALLACE TELLS OF TROUBLES
Former Chief Engineer of Canal
Tells OF Conditions as He
Found Them.


WASHINGTON. Feb. 6.-Johu f. wal
lace, former chief engineer of the Isthmian
canal, was again before the senate COM
mittee on inter-oceanic canals today. Yes
terday he was diverted from a description
of conditions on the isthmus which he
made today. He gave a minute account
of the conditions he found there and the
difficulties he encountered In getting ma
terial and supplies and the delays that
occurred in filling acquisitions.
While he was cabling to have the orders
expedlated. he said. he received word from
Admiral Walker that cablegrams cost
money. II was a delicate hint he said that
he had better not use the cables too much.
Mr.. Wallace said to the committee that
he did years work ad that his successors
mad no benefit of his analysis, because"
he said, 1.-THE secretary of war told me he
did not want it and had no use for me ex-
cept on the isthmus as directing engineer.
He was so angry in his treatment that he
all but cursed me-
THE work / did" said Mr.. Wallace. Eek
tended over complete year. taking in dry
and wet seasons. / was working along Il
definite program. which l intended to put
in writing in my annual report, and would
have done so IL I had been permitted to
make report. 1 experimental with the
French excavators SO as to tell whether 1t
would be the more economical to use or de-
stroy these machines, which cost probably
$90,OOo.0O0 l experimental enough to know
that these machines were not fit for use"
Telling OF these experiments, Mr. Wallace
said he had not estimated that, because ex-
cavating could be done in March for 80
cents a cubic yard it could be done for the
same cost in the rainy season in May. It
important to determine whether the
highest cost of excavating was due TO the
heavy RAINFALL the reduction OF time TO an
eight-hour day or the use of the French
excavators, said Mr.. Wallace.
Continuing. he said that he understood
that the cost had gone up a great deal after
he left. The organization was demoralized.
he said, for the reason that the men had
seen their chief discredited and knew that
a successor was to be appointed who would
not be in sympathy with the work that had
been done.
At this point a recess was taken until
2:30 D. m.
At the afternoon session of the COM
mittee Mr.. Wallace said that in all his
experience in railroad work he had never
seen men better fed and housed than they
are on the isthmus, The complaints, he
said, came from clerks, who went to the
isthmus from Washington or New York,
who had gotten the idea from musical
comedies that life in tropical climate
was to lie in hammocks and enjoy them
selves. Efforts to establish a Young Mems
Christian association on the isthmus for
the benefit of the canal employees was
stopped because of an official objection to
it, said Mr. Wallace. He was asked to be
more explicit and said that Governor Ma
COON had said that Secretary Taft did not
wish the work to go on. Mr. Wallace
thought this was because the community
was Catholic. When Mr.. Wallace showed
some feeling in referring to the statement
of Mr.. Shonts that dirt had been wasted
by him, Senator Hopkins said:
IF You are as careful of the reputa-
ton of Mr.. Shonts as he was Of yours
when he came before the commission there
will be no Ill feeling here"
Nothing can repair the damage that
ness replied.
Many criticisms OF me have been made
which / had no chance to answer. This
is my only opportunity and l simply de-
sire to set myself right. I hope you will
pardon me IL show some heat"
Speaking of the Bahio dam, Mr. Wallace
said he discovered that solid rock bottom
could not be found nearer than 167 feet
instead of 12S feet as shown by the Walker
borings. He did not favor the clght-hour
day and recommended that as few restric-
tions as possible should be placed on Mr..
stevens, and that the wolves should be
kept of his back" II the canal work
should be let by contract. said Mr. wal
lace, it would increase the contract price
about 20 per cent. He thought the man in
charge should be permitted TO get his
men in China. Japan, India, Spain
where he pleased The hearing was add
iourned until O'Clock tomorrow.