Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-02-28
REORCANIzE CANAL.
Colonel Hains and Engineer
 Harrod to Retire.
WORK PROMISED HIN, SAYS OLIVER
Ex-Chief Engineer Stevens, Whose Resignation the President Has Ac- cepted, Left Isthmus Yester-
 day For New York.

day For New York.
 WASHINGTON, Feb. 2S.-The presi- dent had conference at the White House with Secretaries Taft and Root regarding the working out of the de- tails of the reorganization scheme for the Panama canal work, and it is un- derstood that in addition to the changes in the commission as reported it has been decided that Colonel Hains. U. s. A.. retired, and Benjamin Har- rod, civil engineer, both members of the present commission, shall retire. Admiral Endicott, who is the only re- maining member of the old commis- sion, will be retained on the new com mission, as the law requires that one civil engineer of the navy shall be in cluded in it's membership.
 A Colon dispatch says that John F. Stevens, eX-chief engineer of the Pan anna canal, left Panama yesterday for New York.
 In view of the increased cost of liy- ing involved in their transfer to the isthmus and the fact that they are to be called upon to undertake profess sional work of high grade for which their predecessors have been liberally recompensed the three engineer off, cers of the army-Majors Goethals. Gaillard and Sibert, who were named as members of the commission and en- gineers to control the canal cOnstruc- .tion-will be recipients of salaries con siderably in excess of the $4,O00 per annum they now receive. It is the in tention to divide among them the sala. ries now paid to Messrs. Shonts and Stevens, aggregating $60,OO0 per an mum. so long as they are engaged in canal work. As the president has pow CT to fix salaries of persons employed in this work, there will be no legal ob- stacle to this procedure.
 It is stated that it will be necessary for these army engineers to make a personal inspection of every part of the construction work on the canal before any determination can be reached as to the method of conducting future plans for the canal work.
 A number of telegrams have been re- ceived at the White House from the south asking the president to name w. ]. Oliver. whose bid for the construc- tion of the canal was rejected, as a member of the isthmian canal com mission. Secretary Taft said that he did not believe that the president was considering the appointment of Mir. Oliver as member of the commis- sion. Mir. Oliver said that he would not accept place on the commission, but when he has been officially notified that the bid of the Panama Canal Construction company has been re- jected Mir. Oliver will give out state nient for publication.
 "Only last Thursday" he said, "the president assured my friends that I would be given the contract. and he went as far as to say that he would be down in Panama next November and said that he was confident that by that time we would have the work we'll under way"
 The corporation organized by Mir. Oliver and known as the Panama Ca nal Construction company will at once be dissolved. Mir. Oliver says that he has spent $4O.0O0 in the preparation of his bids and in the organization of the construction company. John B. Me- Donald of New York, president of the Panama Canal Construction company. arrived in Washington today and will assist Mir Oliver in the preparation of statement.
 Secretary Taft will go to Panama to personally ascertain whether suffi- cient foundation can be found for the great Gatun dam, which is the key stone of a canal constructed on the lock system. If not sea level canal may be built.
 Chief Engineer Stevens retirement from the Panama canal commission has caused profound astonishment in both congress and official circles. The real explanation for it has not yet been given out, and the president and the other high officials who know 1t are keening if a profound secret