The new era. (Walden, Colo.) 1906-19??, 1909-02-25
SENATORS TELLER AND FOR
AkER WOULD HAVE LOCK
PLAN ABANDONED.
COULD YET Be CHANGED
DISCUSSION OF kiTTREDGE BILL
TO RAISE LIMIT OF COST
TO $500, ooo,c COO.


the type of canal that should be adopt
ed in the construction OF the Panama
canal was before the Senate Tuesday,
Senator kittredGe. chairman of the
committee on interoceanic canals,
Senators Foraker and Teller all de-
claring that they believed a grave mis-
take had been made in adopting the
lock project.
The discussion grew out of a report
by Kittredge on the bill increasing
the limit of cost for the canal TO $780,
100000 and authorizing the secretary
of the treasury to issue bonds to that
amount. Kittredge said the canal com
mittee disapproved of the proposed is
sue of bonds. and he read statement
showing that expenditures on account
of the canal to date have been $177,-
964 ,46S.
Senator Kittredge said that while
the engineers of the canal zone had
originally placed the cost of lock
canal at $139,G00.000. they had now
increased their estimates to 100000
900, whereas it had been estimated
that a sea level canal could have been
built for $247 900. kittredge said
the lock canal had not progressed so
far that it would not now be impossi-
BILE to adopt the sea level type.
Senator Teller thought a sea level
canal could be constructed more cheap
ly than lock canal and would be far
less dangerous in its construction.
Kittredge said minority of the
consulting engineers had pledged their
professional regulations that the cost
of the lock type Of canal, exclusive of
sanitation and expenses of zone gov
eminent, would not exceed $139,0 Co.,
900.
Kittredge said he believed the expe-
rience of the American engineers had
demonstrated that the sea level canal
could have been constructed for $247
O00, 900.
Have we progressed so far In the
construction of the lock canal that we
cannot now return to the sea level
canal?" asked Foraker
"By no MEANS" answered Kittredge.
He insisted that the sea level type
should have been adopted at the be-
| ginning.
Il want to say il this connection
said Foraker, that l was influenced
to change my support from the Mica
ragua canal to the Panama canal be.
cause i supposed that we could buii6
a sea-level canal at Panama, ana that
We could not build one at Nicaragua.
Everything that has occurred in con-
nection with that canal since then has
caused me to regret my action
Teller said that he had also sup
posed that when the change was made
l.othing less than a sea-level canal
waterway would be undertaken.
A controversy over the height OF
tides at the Atlantic and Pacific ends
of the canal, raised by Curtis, brought
forth the statement from the Kansas
senator that the reports of the French
engineers could not be accepted as Of
value, as they did not know what
they were undertaking"
"They did not" said Teller, "and
want to say they knew as much about
it as our people-just about
Teller continued:
81 believe today that you can build
sea-level canal at Panama at less
cost than lock canal, and only a sea.
level canal will be Of value to the
world. Another advantage is that it
will not be in danger of destruction
which will always be feared with a
lock canal"
The suggestion led Warren to ask
Kittredge questions. bringing out the
statement that unless action is taken
at the present session of Congress au
thorizing the issuance of additional
bonds, appropriations must be made
from the general funds of the treas
ury, if the work is to continue.