Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-02-20


largest tonnage and greatest depth. and
can be made SO only by materially in
| creaSing the depth and width, and at ii
considerahl" increase of time ana money.
If the suggested width Of 80 to 200 feet is
| the greatest width economically rermissi-
| bic for sea level canal. the cost of the
enlargement required must be prohib;-
tive
Mr.. Taft SAYS the high level. or lock
canal, provides for practically lake nav;-
CATION in many places. where vessels will
| have plenty of room. while the sea level
| cana, wculd necessitate "tOrtuouS navigl-
| tion for III" greater distance through Il
| comparatively narrow gorge in which the
| largest vessels cannot proceed under fun
| Roadway, pass without risk. turn
| about"
AS 10 cost, he says:
"Thc estimated cost is s2i1021 900 for
the so;t level and $50 .05.2Oo for the 81
| foot level canal, n difference Of 07.0tO.0GN
| The isthmian canal commission and the
| chief engineer regard the estimate for tn"
| sea level as too low by at least $4,000, 600
for reasons stated in their reports.
| 1.-THE estimated time for completing
the sea level canal is stated by the ma
jority of the board as from II to 10 years;
| by the isthmian canal commission and
the chief engineer from is to % years. Tho
| minority report estimates the time for
completing the high level canal at eight
and a half years, and this is regarded as
conservative by the other competent au-
thorities.
| '"The cost of operation and mair tenarcn
Il T..
| measured solely by annual appropria-
| tions therefor. The advantage is in "a
vor Of the sea level canal 1t is believed
however, that III" difference is more than
| offset by the interest on the additional
| investment in the cost of a sea level ca
nal
| I'm view of the foregoing 7 recommend
the adoption Of the type of canal propos-
| ed by the minority of the board Of con
sulting engineers. except so far as re-
| lates to the location of the locks ut Sos:t
Hill. The objection TO the location OF IN"
| locks here is the possibility of d"struc-
| ton by fire from an enemy's ships" And
Mr. Taft suggests the locks be placed be
| hind the hill, which would act rs pro-
| lection.
| NIr. Taft closes by saying that he first
| favored 4 sea level canal, but that the
minority report changed his opinion.
| The letter of the President is us fol-
lows:
TO the Senate ana House of Repre-
| ScntdtiVeS:
| Il submit herewith the letter of the
secretary of war transmitting the re-
port of the board of consulting en-
| riDpnrc On tho Panama canal and Tho
report of tho .sthmian canal commits
sion thereon. together with Il letter
written to tic chairman of the 18TH
| milan canal commission by Chief En-
| ginecr Stevens. Eoth the board OF
| consulting engineers and the canal
commission divide in their report. The
| majority of the board of consulting
| engineers, eight in number. including
| the five foreign engineers. favor Il sea-
level canal; and one member of the
canal commission, Admiral E.ndcott
| takes the same position. Five of the
! American members of the board of
consulting engineers and five members
| of the 1sthGian canal commission
| favor the lock canal and so does Chief
| Engineer Stevens. The secretary of
war recommends lock canal, pursu-
ant to the recommendation of the min
GRITTY Of consulting engineers and of
the majority Of the canal commission.
After careful study Of the papers sub
mittcd and full and exhaustive con-
sid"ration Of the whole subject, | con-
cur i'll the recommendation.
| 1t will be noticed that the American
engineers on the consulting board and
| on the commission by Il more than two
| 10 one majority favor the lock canal
| whereas the foreign engineers are
| uilit against it. / think this is partly
10 be explained by the fact that the
| great tralhc canal OF the old world, the
| Sue canal, is a sea level canal, where
| as the great traiiic canal Of the new
| world is the Saut Ste Marie canal. a
| lock canal. Although the latter. the
| 500, is closed to naviga ton during the
| winter months. it carries annually
| three times the traffic Of the SicZ ca
| nal In my Judgment the very able ar
| &un"nt of the ma jority of the board of
| consulting engineers is vi:iatcd by
their failure to Pay proper heed to the
| lessons taught Ivy the construction and
operation Of the 500 canal
at must be borne in mind as the
| commission points out there is no ques-
| ton of building what has been pic
| tUrespuriy termed, THE straits Of Fam
anna; that is, Il water way through
which the largest vessels could go with
safety at uninterrupted high speed
| Eoth the sea level canal and the pro-
posed lock canal would be too narrow
and Shallow to be called with any
! n'ut hfulncss Il strait, or to have any of
| the properties OF n wide deep water
strip. Eoth of them would be Il canal.
| pare ana simple. Each type has certain
disadvantages and certain advantages
But i'll my opinion the disadvantages
are fewer and the advantages very
much greater i'll the case of a lock ca
nal, substantially AS proposed in these
papers forwarded herewith; and I call
especial attention to the fact that the
| chief engineer who would he mainly
responsible for the success of this
mighty engineering Droiect and rrEo