Omaha daily bee., 1907-01-18
FOUNDATION FOR ALL DAMS
Senator MiIIRrd Makes Public Report
of Commission on BOrinEs
Recently Made.


WASHINGTON, Jan. 17-Chairnan NIL
lard OF the senate senate committee on
1nteroceanic canals today made public
the report Of the Interoceanic Canal COM
mission on the boring at the Gatun dam
site, which was furnished in response to a
request from the committee. The report
includes a cabled statement from Chief
Engineer Stevens in which he says twelve
holes have been bored at the Gatun site
and all show that the lock walls will rest
on firm and suitable soft rock. He also
says that sixty-three borings, all extending
to rock. have been made across the valley
at ChagreS covering the dam site and that
pervious matter was found in only four
holes and below 200 feet At the Piero
Miguel lock walls there have been ten bor-
ings all showing rock suitable for fundation
The following statement was issued by the
Isthmlan Canal commission today:
Chairman Shonts today announced that at
a. conference between the president, Secre-
taries Root and Taft and himself with
respect TO the pending contract for the con-
cided that the lowest bid-that is OF 6.Ib
per cent-was a percentage at which tho
government would be justified in placing the
The second point In the determination OF
this matter Is whether or not the persons
making this bid--that is Messrs oliver
& Bangs-ean quality finaciaiiy under the
requirements; that is to say whether they
can show that they have or can control
$5,0oO,0o0 available for this work; that Is
S5,ooO,O00 above liabilities. including the 81
bonds.
It was further decided that IL their per-
sona1 record and the business standing are
FOUND after investigation to be all right,
they ought to have the contract
The correspondence accompanying the
report shows that the information was
N-at, L., I.tN
Senator Millard dated January in which
he informed the commission of the desire
Of the committee for information.
In his response Mr.. shonts included
not only the statements of members of the
engineering committee of the commission.
but also a cabled statement from Chief
Engineer Stevens giving full information
on the point in question up to January IL.
The letter from the engineering committee
bears the signature of its chairman. Ad-
miral Endicott. who says: I'VE know of
no foundation for the report that the pro-
posed lock on the Pacific side has been
changed some two or three miles from the
original point designated. The locks both
at Pedro Miguel and Sosa occupy sub
stantially the sites chosen by the minority
of the advisory board. The locations are
necessarily general. When special exami-
nations were made It was found that the
rock foundations at Pedro Miguel did not
extend over the entire area covered by the
structures, and a slight shifting of the
position may be advisable, but there have
been no other changes contemplated.
"The investigations which the committees
caused have thus Tar led to no disclosure
of extraordinary difficulties requiring
changes of previous plans. The continue
ton of surveys has for its object the COM
plete adaptability of the design of locks
and other features of the plan to the ex-
isting surface and sub-surface conditions.
There is nothing In the examinations af-
fecting the practibiIty or permanency of
the Gatun DAM"