The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1909-02-17
$36O,00O,0O0 TO
BUILD THE CANAL,
F.. ROOSEVELT TOLD
President in Message to Con-
gress Presents a Report Of
Engineers With Taft.
MILLIONS FOR CHANGES.
They Take a Firm Stand for
Lock System and Suggest
Change at Gatun Dam.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17.-Any attach
made hereafter on the lock type OF the
Panama Canal, according to the opinion
expressed by President Roosevelt In q
message transmitting to Congress to-
day the report made by the engineers
who recently visited the Canal Zone with
President-e,ect Taft. rs in reality mere
~ an attack upon the policy of building
any canal at ALL"
The report, In Mr. Roosevet's opinion
SHOWS In clearest fashion that Con-
6ress was wise in the position 1t took
and that Il would be an ineXcusable folly
70 change from the proposed lock canal
TO sea Level canal"
Il commend to YOU" he saws To Con.
eress. the most careful consideration
OF the report, 1t shows that the only
criticism that can be made of the WORK
on the lsthmus is that there has some.
tunes been almost an excess OF caution
IN providing against possible trouble"
~ SosI @ooVUUU,UOO.
Their estimate Of the complete cost
OF the canal is $3.50, 900 900. Th,y rav
10 incorrect to state that the original
ssamate Of cost was Sl4o, 900 COO. as
THIS did not include 'ranitation and
some government They estimate tho
expense OF sanitation and zone govern.
msnt at s27,ooo,ooo, while payments to
shs Republic Of Panama and to ths
new Panama Canal Company amount
30 sSo'ooo,ooo, which would make tho
0nsrsnce between the present estimate
Ana the previous estimate, with cost Of
sanitation and zone government and
payments added, only $4,000, 900. "of
this amount they say, nearly one.
hslf can be accounted for by the
oranges In the canal and appurtenan.
works already referred to and tho 70.
msindsr IL to DO attributed mainly to
the higher unit cost Of the different
items o. the work."
AS to the change OF the lower locks
on the Pacific end OF the canal from La
Boca, on the shore OF Panama Bay. to
Mirahores, about four miles inland.
the engineers report that the settle.
ments which occurred as a result of
the change cause no reason to doubt
the stability Of the proposed dam"
This change having been made be.
cause objection might be made from
military point of view to placing locks
on the shore OF the bay exposed to
guns Of hostile ships, "the Board Of En-.
ginesrs estimate that 1t will increase
the cost by about $4,000, 900, but that
II will greatly lessen the cost of for.
tilcation.
Moro billions Added.
Another change. that OF increasing
the minimum width OF the bottom OF
she canal for about a. miles in the
Culebra cut. they estimate will In.
crease the cost Of the work by about
$4,000, 900. but they say it will not de.
Jay the completion OF the canal. that II
will permi; ships to pass one another
IN this portion of the canal and will
otherwise facilitate navigation. IF
the canal" they say, the wider canal
Is not as likely to he blocked as
narrower one" They approve the
change In the proposed location of the
breakwater at the Atlantic end of the
canal.
Change Gatun Dam.
las 10 the Gatun Dam ITSELF" the
president continues. the engineers
show that not only, is the dam safe, but
that on the. whole the plan already
adopted would make It needlessly hlgl
and strong. and accordingly they recon-
mend thst the height he reduced by
twenty feet, which change in the plans
! have accordingly directed"
for the crest OF the Gatun Dam, they
concluded that 1T could be safely re-
duced twenty feet from that originally
proposed, namely. TO an elevation OF
Us feet above sea level, or thirty feet
above the normal level OF the water
against the dam"
This change, they say will facilitate
The work Of construction and will re-
duce somewhat the cost OF the proposed
work"
Dams and locks, lock gates and all
other engineering structures involve. in
the lock canal project are feasible and
safe" according to the engineers, "and
they can be depended upon to perform
with certainty their respective func-
lions" They report that they do not
ind any occasion FOR changing the type
Of canal that has been adopted.
"A Public Misfortune
A change to sea-evel plan at the pres
ent time would add greatly to the cost
and time OF construction. without COM
pensating advantage, either in capacity
OF the canal or in safety of navigation, |
and hence would be a public misfortune
I'VE see no reason" they add why |
the canal should not be completed, as
estimated by the chief engineer, by Jan. |
!, 1915: In fact, It seems that some
what earlier date is probable II all goes
we'll"