Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1907-10-26
WIDEN
CANAL
pANAMALOCKS ARETOO
SMALL AS PLANNED.
ooiNIoN OF NAVAL MEMBER OF
CANAL COMMISSION LATE
FROM THE lSTHMUS.

of the naval melHDeI Vi me canal Com-
u,ission, Lieutenant and Civil Engineer
II II Rosseau, who arrived in Wash
inoton direct from the isthmus. 1t
is presumed that he bore this mes
cage from the commission itself, al
tbough that fact could not be de-
termined. owing to the departure of
tho officer from Washington for New
york only a few hours from the time
of his arrival in Washington, just suf-
Acient time here, in fact, to enable him
TO lay his message before Secretary
Metcalf
Undoubtedly naval exigencies, sup
plemented by the building Of the giant
Cunarder Lusitania, were the basis for
the projected change of plan, which
will involve the expenditure of many
millions of dollars, and perhaps the
extension of the time estimated for
the completion of the canal project
Il is also probable that the mere sug-
gestion of such a considerable change
of plans as that proposed by Lieuten-
ant Rousseau would precipitate a gem
eral debate in congress and reopen the
whole issue of sea-level versus lock
canal, which was believed to have
been finally settled by President Roos-
evelt and Secretary Taft when they
gave the order for the beginning of
work on the lock canal plan.
The fact is that when congress was
so warmly discussing the two projects,
about two years ago, the sea-leyel
canal advocates made the point that
theirs was the only plan that would
have sufficient elasticity to meet the
needs of rapidly growing tonnage in
marine construction.
Their plan involved the use of but
one lock, merely to offset the tidal
difference between the eastern and
western seas, one comparatively low
and insignificant lock which could be
easily widened when required. But
they made a strong point of the diff
fculty, expense and loss of time in
the use of the canal that would fol
low the attempt to widen the Compli-
Gated and massive locks required for
the hight level caan.
Possibly foreseeing the force of that
argument the canal commission appar-
emily feels that it would be wise to
male the locks of the canal wide
enough in the beginning to aCcommO-
date the giant ships, not only of the
navy but of the merchant marine, that
are sure to be constructed in the near
future.
Must Revise Many Plans.
The three commissions which have
dealt with the detailed plans of the
canal have each in turn been impress
ed with necessity for charging the
capacity of the projected waterway,
and each commission has not hesitat-
ed to increase the width of the canal
prlsms and the size of the locks from
those planned by it's predecessors.
Now the last commission goes even
beyond this by revising it's own plans
Before they have gotten beyond that
point in execution where it is feasible
10 do so without actual waste Of
money.
For up TO this point substantially all
OF the work that has been done upon
lhe isthmus has been upon the canal
prlsms IN the great Culebra cut, on
lhe 2O-odd miles of lowlands and in
the bottoms of the harbors. Only the
ground has been cleared and the holes
Jug for the great flights of locks in
cldent to the plan, so that it is merely
matter of widening these founda-
= lions that is involved in the last prop
osition.
fortunately the canal prism itself,
DIS projected in the plans now under
execution, will probably be wide
eho"P~ - the narrOwest point-Cule-
ora 'e"l""u from Las Cadas to near
raraiSo, distance of At miles, where
he minimum width is 200 feet through
LUCK. But the locks themselves, origi-
nally planned by the last commission
W De 200 feet long and 100 feet wide
a. uatun, were subsequently increased
W the engineers in their plan to a
"iuth OF 600 feet and a length of 1000
ieet' 1t is a simple engineering task
" increase the width and depth of the
0"hdl prism at any time while the
canal is in operation, but the locks
s'hlot be broadened without seriously
interfering with the operation of the
lanai and at great expense, owing to
'nelr duplicate character.
Too Narrow for Big Ships.
Already the dimensions of these
,oeAs are being closely approached by
laval ships actually built or building,
sHu II Is regarded as certain that the
t h'ianuc lines will IN the near future
naiiu great turbine ships which could
a 80 pass through the locks as here
Planned, and so would be we'll
tia useless as naval auxiIiaries in
ti .ie OF war The famous British bat
e9nip Dreadnought, now afloat,
ns saSures 80 feet in beam, and our Or
,""are class, two ships Of ,,oh
class are building. will me- "hlcl