Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1908-12-25
ROADS OPPOSE
CONSTRUCTION
TRANSCONTINENTAE LINES Ar
FIGHTING FURTHER Afro.
ATOMS FOR THE pAuA1GA
CANAL-W0ULD HURT THkx8
BUSINESS.

W aSnlngtOn, Oc. ZO.-I00 prevent
administration and President-eIes
laft believe the transcontinenta1
railways will make an effort to pre-
vent further appropriations for tho
18th .:ian canal. The lobby Of the
great railroads which have from the
beginning opposed the constructioo
Of the lsthmain waterway. whether
by the Nicaraguan or Panama route
is now at work discrediting the pres
ent operations on the canal. Reduo-
inspiration OF the constantly recuS-
ring criticisms.
The lobby Is reinforced by expert
! opinion from France, which.
through M. Bunau-Varilla, set anoot
the report that the Gatun Dam H.
! and must be failure.
The main scheme of the enemies og
the canal is to show. to congress that
the foundation of the 0atum dam r
, enenectual. and that 40 the govern
ment Is committed to lock system
| tn route ought to be changed. Is
they succeed in having the routG
changed the conspirators expect 70
| make hundreds of thousands OF dol
lars by the sale Of property rights
along the new right Of way. Il -
to meet the enemy on their own
grounds that President-elect Taft -
to proceed to the isthmus and report
primarily on this inquiry: II tho
canal possible with the Gatun Dam
as q feature of the construction!
| It Is stated ohicialiy that Mr.
Taft Is going to the isthmus ITO
look into the reports about the 0atus
!, DAM
The president-elect II to take With
him at least two engineers. AlfIs0
Noble Of New York and r. P. 6terns
of Boston. The war department does
, not regard this fact % rejecting at
; all upon Maj. 0oethais or the board
the Gatun Dam was practicable en-
gineering feat.
. Secretary Of War Wright. when the
! accident on the Catun dam on No
} vembr * was hrst reported. had .
report made by Major Goethals. The
: report showed that along the whole
, line OF the route or base Of the Gatun
dam borings had been made to .
? great depth and that solid sub
( stratum which would not be disint-
l egrated under the action Of the
, water was found
\ When the French engineer and
canal explorer said in Paris thai the
, canal would be failure and refer
red to the dam as impracticable Sec
I retary Wright's reply was, I'VE
e stand on the report OF our own en-
n gineers."
e That is the opinion OF the present
e administration and Of Mr.. Taft him.
d self. and it will not be changed uu-
: less changed by fac s to be dibcov-
Y cred by the President t-elect ana his
S accompanying engineers
e One Of the important facts COM
: runicoted 10 the Examiner Is that II
r Is not the rock 'toes'' Of the dam
: which are TO be investigated. These
T. toes are two parallel structures O1
e rock. one on each side OF the dan
proper. It is fact that there has
been sinking Of part Of on OF these
toes. but they are not. as .Bauna
Varilla claims. an integral part o1
the dam foundation. The inGuir,
to be made by Mr.. Taft relates es
, pecially to the base OF the dam itsel
and what lies underneath It.
The war department seem cortai'
that the enemies of he canal WITH b.
rovted and that the report of Judg'
d Taft will he conclusive and min th'
J. ccnsniracy The report that Tai
T could or would recommend chang
FROM lock 10 sea level canal is no
e"arded seriously in administration
Il circles.
le The renort made some tim, ag'
a, hv the snecial board If engineers. in
% cluding foreign experts, was in favo
e. of a sea level canal. but this pla!
Y. was reversed bv Secretary Taft an
'e President Roosevelt.