The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-10-20
MAY WIDEN
 THE CANAL Navy Officer Makes Timely Suggestion. LOCKS ARE TOO NARROW battleships Arc Too Large to Pass
 Thrpugh. Details Of the New Plans Cannot Be Obtained at Present. but
 Change Is said to Be Costly.
LOCKS ARE TOO NARROW
Detall. Of the New Pisns Cannot Bs


 the projected Panama Canal must be made wider than they were originally planned, in the opinion of the naval member of the Isthmian Canal Com mission, Lieutenant and Civil Engineer Fl H. Rosseau. who arrived in Wash ington today direct from the Isthmus. It is presumed that he bore this mes- sage from the Commission itself, though that fact could not be deter mined owing to the departure of the of1icer from Washington for Nav York only few hours from the time of his arrival in this city, just sufficient time here in fact, to enable him to lay his message before Secretary Metcalf.
 Undoubtedly naval exigencies, sup plen,ented by the building of the giant Cunarderss Lusitania and Mauritania, was the basis for this projected change of plan which will involve the expen- allure of many additional millions of doliars. and, perhaps. the extension of time required for the completion of the canal project It IS also pronaple Lnat the mere suggestion of which q con- siderable change of plans as that pro- posed by Lieutenant Rosseau. would precipitate a general debate In Con- gress and reopen the whole issue of sea-leyei versus lock canal, which was believed to have been finally settled by President Roosevelt and Secretary Taft  gipning of work on the lock caaal plan
 Level Canal Advocates.
 The fact is that when Congress was so warmly discussing the two projects about two years ago, the sea-levei ca nal advocates made the point that theirs was the only plan that would have sufficient elasticity 10 = eet the needs of rapidly increasing tonnage Tn marine construction. Their pisn in ! volved the use of but one lock. mefely fo onset the tidal difference between inc Eastern and Western seass. comparativeiy low and insignificant lock which could be easily Miuened when required But taey tnade ' strong point Of the difficulty, expense and loss of time in the use of the ca+ nal that would follow the attempt te widen fhe complicated and massive locks. required Cor tiie htgA lsY els eps S Possibly foresseing the force .f that argument, the sanal Co 1l'ulss.'E spT ps fo make the locks of the canal wioe enoush ir the beginning uo aecommo- data the giant ships, not only or tne navv hnt of the merchant marine, tnat arc s,ire to be constructed in the near T,tuTe. The three Isthmian canal Commissions which nave dealt With tne ,s detailed plan of the canal nave easn -. =.
 
 os eniarring the capacity. of the pro t.cta5 waterway and each comm ssscn ,,s,3 hszttated to increase the Wt1tn ns tha canal prism, and the size or u.e sIoaixs fro n those planned by us preoe- ccssors. .. a.a, beyond this by revising US own plaSs Ss ,,, erecution where 1t is feasible to do sn rvffhout actual waste of money; For ,,,, to this point substantially all or .ssa vlorlr that has been done upon the Tsthnus has been upon the eAnat nr,arn: in the great Cuiebra Cut. on tne tventv odd miles of low lands anu ah fhe bottom of the harbors sonAy ,no ~raund has been cleaned and the noies s,,sr sor fhe great night of locks inei- ds7t to fhe plan, so that it Is mereiy ot sytdeninr the foundation that is m ,,alvad in the last proposition. Fort- ,,natalv the canal prism itself as pro- iected in the plans now unQcr eAeeu- lion will probably be wide enough ~ inc narrowest potnt--in the CuiepFa section from Las Cascadeas to near 1ssraiso. d distance of 4 .7 miles, where inc minimum width Is 200 feet through
 Rnt the locks themselves, originally ,Ierned bv this last Commission to De q00 feet long and ninety-ive feet Wtoe nj Gatun, were subsequently, increaseo hv the engineers m their uSsA5uS eS .@ = urtdth of 100 feet and a length Of l,V0o faat 1t is a simple engineering task 70 Increase the width and depth or the aanai prism at any time while the canal ,S ir, oneratiori, but the locks cannot pc broadened without seriously interfer- ing with the operation of the canal and Al d great expense owing to their com plicated character.
 B1ust Widen Locks-
 Already the dimensions of the locks arc being closely approximated by nav aI ships actually building and 1t IS < raearded as certain that the Atlantic lines will in the near future build great turbine ships which could never nass through the locks as heretofore, nianned and so would be well nigh use less as naval auxiliary ships Tn time og war. The famous British battleship nreadnauqht now afioat. measures sS feet m beam and our own Delaware class. two of which our naval designers are taking of suggesting to Congress- < will measure 8s feet in the clear, whieh would leave only six feet clearance az the side of the locks under the exisr- ing designs.
 These facts have been laid before Secretary Metcalf and 1t will be Tor him to make some reeommendation to the President in the matter
 Details of the 5sw plans cannot De obtained at present. but the change Is said to be costly, though It's necessity f.rH1 N.... AaNa1