Willmar tribune., 1907-11-27

largest battleship would in 1928 be
LOG feet, and they would not be able
to pass through the locks now
planned"
When DeLesseps first undertook
the building of the canal he provided
for locks only u feet wide and 29h
feet deep. If sucl> canal were now
built it would not accommodate our
battleships Maine, Missouri, Ohio,
Georgia, Nebraska, Virginia, New Jer-
sey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Louis
lana, Kansas, Minnesota, Vermont,
South Carolina, Michigan, Idaho, Mis-
sissippi, New Hampshire, or the two
larger ships proposed-the Delaware
and North Carolina. If the DeLesseps
canal had been built our Atlantic fleet
would have to go around South Amer
1ca In spite of the existence of the
canal
Then came the Walker commits
sion's report Of November 16, 1901,
recommending locks "a feet wide.
That commission declared that the
locks then recommended would pass
the largest vessel then in the world
the Oceanic-which has beam
Of 684
Conditions have continued to
change. At the time of the Walker
report five battleships of the Virginia
class, the Georgia, Nebraska, Virginia.
New TQrCov ph111 ri Lox
been authorized for the american
navy, each with beam of "a feet o..
inches. But the very congress to
which the Walker report was made
in July, 1902, authorized the ,orstruc-
ton of the battleships Connecticut
and Louisiana, each with beam of rs
feet 10 inches or 7H inches greater
than the beam of the largest Amer
lean battleships which had been au-
| thorlzed before the Walker report was
submitted. In 1903 congress au-
thorized three more ships, the Kansas,
Minnesota and Vermont, all now in
commission, each with a beam of 76
| feet 10 inches. The same year saw
the authorization for the Idaho and
mississippi, with an increase to II
feet in their beam. During the first
session OF the last congress came the
authorization for the South Carolina
and Michigan, which are building with
a beam Of 80 feet 2h inches each.
Last winter congress authorized the
Delaware and North Dakota, which
| are each to have q beam OF IS feet
| inches.
| These figures show that in spite of
their ability and their evident inten-
| ton to provide for the future, the
members of the Walker commission
tailed to foresee the construction of
the all-big-gun ship, which is too wide
for the locks incorporated in the Walk
er plans.
The locks that are planned tsor the
Panama canal are larger than any that
have ever been built The majority
of the consulting board expressed the
opinion that locks of that size "are
beyond the limit of prudent design"
The minority expressed the opinion
that 1T can no more be said of lock
building that it has reached the limit
of judicious construction than of ship
building or any other branch of
engineering construction" Former
Chief Engineer Shonts and special
committee consisting of Gen. Peter
| c. Hams, Col. H. Ernst and several
others have told Secretary Taft they
estimated that it would cost at least
$87,0O0,OO0 to widen the sea-level
canal 100 feet without deepening it If
the sea-level were adopted. In its
special report to Secretary Taft this
same committee went on record as
follows:
"1nasmuch as the new Cunarders
are not yet completed, are very much
larger than any other vessels in ex-
istence, and must still be regarded az
experimental, it seems to US that
this is looking as far into the future
as is expedient. If ships too large
for these locks should hereafter be-
developed, it will be possible to add
new and larger locks to accommodate
them. The total estimated cost of all
locks and approach walls in the pres
ent project, including the contingency
item OF 20 per cent, is $44,425. 900.
They can therefore be entirely re-
newed for about oue-half what it
would cost to widen the sea-level canal
100 feet"