The Washington herald., 1907-04-10

"a aAci1aeiCtlu oCtLaf IN an al llNLc lliAkCu
in the current issue Of Golfers Weekly,
which win appear tomorrow. takes rather
a pesstmistc view of the Panama Canal
situation. which he Investigated recently
with a number of other legislators.
Like Representative Burleson. of Texas.
an interview with whom was published in
The Washington Herald several days
ago, Mr.. Mccall says. 1T is by no means
unlikely that a change Of plan may be
found necessary in connection with the
prodigious dam and locks which if IS
proposed TO build at Gatnn." Like Mr.
Burleson. too, he warmly praises the work
Of Col Gorgas. the chief sanitary officer
on the isthmus. He expresses no opinion
as to the Ultimate cost of the canal but
says that it may be completed in seven
years in the event that radical changes
of plan are not found to be necessary. He
thinks it quite possible that the completed
waterway may not realize all our hopes
and make us completely happy"
in part, Mr.. McCalrs article is as fol-
lows
''The chief engineer, Mr. Stevens, and
his subordiuates extended every facility
for investigation. There is likely TO be
danger. OF course, where great public
work is studied under the exclusive guild
ance of those who are responsible for
carrying It on and where one is officially
conducted. But every one of the twenty
seven States represented in the party had
citizens working in the ranks upon the
canal Very many Of them would seek
out their representatives in the party, and
If they had any ground OF complaint II
was pretty sure TO be made known
Workers Are Enthusiastic.
''The notion which was quite general
in Washington during the latter part Of
the session. that there was lack of
morale and spirit in the work. was found
to be without foundation. That notion
very naturally grew out of the with
drawal, one after another, of the men in
actual leadership; first Wallace. then
Shonts. and at last Stevens. But what
we actually saw was a body Of men who
We're enthusiasts in their work and de-
voted 60 their leader. and we found no
trace of skepticism as 10 its ultimate COM
pletion. Whatever may have been the
reason for the retirement of Shonts and
Wallace, there is apparent good reason
in the ease Of Stevens. His health is i'm
paired, and without care it is likely to
become seriously broken, He could be
seen on the shovel pits among his men
going from one group 10 another, travelling
often many miles day under a burning
sun, and pressing on and perfecting under
conditions the most adverse the organiza-
ton of a working force which has now
reached a point of efficiency where St
would be difficult. il. indeed, 1t We're pos
sible. to match it anywhere in the world.
The precautions that are now being
SO successfully taken for the health Of the
canal employees must lie az tine very
foundation of cur success The homes OF
the working men in the Canal Zone look
attractive, wholesome, and clean The
breeding places of the mosquito are being
Invaded. swamps drained ana flooded with
petroleum, rank vegetation destroyed, and
this offensive warfare, supplemented By
the defensive screen, has already pro
duced ii marvellous Improvement in health
conditions. Or. Gorgas Is the head of the
sanitary department and is directing
affairs with remarkable skill and energy.
zone OF the first questions asked OF one
returning from the isthmus is. Are they
really making the dirt ny" and has con-
structiol seriously begun? The most cur
sorry glance enables one to answer this
question. AIr. Stevens was wise In refus-
ing 10 sacrifice the efficiency of the con-
struc.lon machine he was organizing IN
order 10 hurry along the appearance of
achieving actual results in eXcavating.
Time Ia BE Consumed.
'As bearing upon the question how long
il VIII take 10 build the canal. it should
be said that the current excavation is be
ing made al the Culebra summit, which is
the great obstacle. the removal Of which
would naturally afford a measure Of the
time of construction, for the work at
the Atlantic and Pacific ends can be car
ried on with dredges with a vastly smaller
force. and the locks are also Independent
works Of less magnitude.
The original height of the Culebra sum
nit was GO feet above the sea-leveL Up to
March l there had been excavated from
the canal prism at CUlebra nearly 5000 900
cubic yards, Of which nearly % 600 900 was
taken out by the French. There remained
10 be done in order fully 10 complete the
cut 52.000,000 yards, which at the rate al
ready reached could be accomplished in
less than six years. If any similar energy
is displayed in carrying on the other and
Independent portions of the work it seems
reasonable to hope that the canal will be
open for traffic in seven years
This is upon the assumption that no
serious problems viii develop in the course
of construction which may necessitate a
radical change Of plan, But the enterprise
is colossal. we are cOntending against ma
1ure which is fertile in resources Of self
defense. and the project is of just such a
character as TO develop new obstacles and
a. a raa-rs.H
ing TO the details Of a predetermined plan.
Dam Plans May BE Changed.
In fact, the germ Of possible obstacles
has already appeared. It is by no means
unlikely that change of plan may be
found necessary in connection with the
pTodigious dam and locks which il is pro
posed TO construct at Gatun. The Chagres
River is an erratic tropical stream. flow
ing in almost every direction In its one
hundred-mile course, which toward its
.headwaters lies chiefly among mountains,
but toward its mouth somewhat closely
comedies for about thirty miles with the
canal route. In the rainy season it rises
sometimes as much as thirty feet I'm a
single day At point near LimOu Bay,
on the Atlantic, il is proposed to build a
gigantic dam. bUttressed between two
hills. for the double purpose Of prevent
ing the river from destroying the canal
and for providing a reservoir with which
to operate the locks. The result Of stop
pins the flow of the river will be to
transform the canal for half its length
into lake. In some places miles ia
width and having "a level eighty-dve feet
above the sea- TO climb TO the level OF
this aerial lake it viii be necessary for
& ship coming from the Atlantic % pass
successfully through three locks having
an averaga lit Of nearly thirty feet earh