The Cairo bulletin., 1907-04-10
PLEASED
WITH BIG Ditch.
SPEAKER HAS NOTHING BUT
PRAISE FOR WORK DONE
AT PANAMA.
BOOSTS FOR STEVENS
And Says the Organization He Has
Perfected Is Wonderful--Says
Continue the Present
System.

Washington, Aprl 9-Speaker Cam
non saw President Roosevelt today.
and cmphatieally ndorsed he way H.
which the Panama canal is being
built.
"Civilized man" he said afer laay
/ ing the White House, seems ~ be
able to use HIS intelligence 10 provide
comfort ana preserve his health in
every part of the globe when he has q
| .hance to introduce civilized methods.
| and the government has provided
these literally throughout the canal
15ne, SO that there is better health
even among the natives,
n had read great deal and beard
great deal abont the engineering
lpiobIems. until | had about come to
The conclusion that there were
greater and more difficult engineering
problems in connection with the canal
than had eyer been encountered by
any people In any time since the
world began
Now, am not n civil engineer,
ana do not pretend TO understand
| aycn the professional discussion Of
engaecring problems. But, as the
situation was explained to me by
Chief Engineer Stevens and his sub
ordinates, there did not seem to be
any entirely new engineering prob
ems on the canal
Gatun Dam Not the Biggest.
There are many lock canals In the.
| world and some Of them have great
ocks and great dams, understand
here are dams OF earth in the United
States chat hold back a greater body
Of water than the proposed Gatun
| lam Is to hold back to form an arti-
| 1cial lake from that point to the Gu
Zebra cut.
eThera iss ara tela suGh a dam In.
| California, near San Francisco, and II
| vas not disturbed by the earthquake
| md did not spring leak anywhere.
The engineering problem Of Gatun
seems TO have been settled in the
United States. and all the engineers
have to do will be to work In an In
telligent and honest way.
1T Will be a gigantic work to build
an earth dam a mile long, half mile
wide at the base. and nearly 100 feet
high. and it will take time, but such
work has been done before and II has
been found efficient. and with hydrau-
lie power steam shovels. and cable
carriers, such as are now In use. It |
can be done and done well.
"The locks 10 raise the ships from |
sea level to the artificial lake behind /
Gatun damn, an elevation Of eighty
five feet, must be a little larger and /
stronger, however. than any we have
in the United States"
cuIebra Cut No New Problem.
Asked what he. hought of the great |
Culebra cut and If the commission |
can cut a canal through the mountain
there. MIR. Cannon replied:
THAT is a big work, but II is an
engineering problem with which
American railroad builders are
familiar In fact, it is not a canal
problem so much as il is a railroad
problem. We have for forty years
been working on just such problems
IN the western part of the United
States, putting through Rocky noun
tain transcontinental railroads.
"Mr Stevens Is a railroad builder
and he seems to have taken hold Of
this job OF cutting through Culcbra
just as he would If be were building
q railroad. and Col Goethals ex-
pressed his surprise a the complete
,ess OF the organization for that work
Mr. Steyens probably will never get
redit for the work he has done. He
has made an organization that. III
maintained. win cut through Culebra
and remove the greatest obstacle 10
The canal He has placed his drills
and cam shoveis and has laid his
lahrynth OF tracks so as 10 get the
most effective work from his organi-
-ation
Here Mr. Stevens has az work 50
steam shoyeis. 12i locomotives. and
about 1000 lat cars 10 cut down
Cuieb-a Hill and remove the earth
and rock TO the valley, either 10 make
new roadbed for the railroad OF TO
1ll up the lower le9eis in the bed OF
the artificial lake. With railroad
shops and yards. with electrical
plants and compressed air drills win
dynamite blasting. and this whole
efeai combination a. work. il ems
- me that the Biggest JOB in the
canal zcne is certain 10 De concluded ]
within the tire the engineers fixed 4
seven or eieht years
Praise FOR Eng inssr Stevens.
Il DO not srpHose many Americans !
.if transported 10 fhis part Of she
shmus in TIRE night time 70 wake
piih steam Whistles in fte morning
wouid fad anything novel in the busT
scene presented u would be- just
such a scene ss We are familiar Eifa .
(Concluded On IhE Pasel