New-York tribune., 1909-05-03
LOCK SYSTEM CONVERTS
CONGRESSMEN APPROVE.
Party of Nineteen Returns from
Panamn and Sau Plan Is Right.

A narty of pineteen Coneressmen, who left New
York for tour of inspection on the lsthInus tlie0
weeks ago. arrived here yesterday on the hhe.
Panama from Crstobal. After an inspectoh Oh
the entire route of the canal with Colonel Goethals
chairman of the Isthmian Canal Commission the
consensus of ipinion that the lock system "s
the only proper method of constructing the eIeae
waterway This opinion reiterated py menl-
bers cf the party yesterday.
Representative Conroy, of New York said tha' 'ii0
entire marty some of whom went to the istnrnuS
as ardent sea level men, returned IN IaVoF VI 'He
lock system. Mr.. Conroy said:
we went down to the Canal Zone with the op-
iect of seeing with own eyes JUST no" INNS
are going on down there that we might DC '"s
better able to deal with Panama CanaI suoJeOl
our work in Congress. There were many OF US "ho
left New York with the idea that the sea leFet '!o
tenn Of canal construction should De aooPteo III
stead of the lock canal system work winch - NV
under way I am safe In saying thlhk' 'li%I'
every Congressman in this party comes back WIN
the idea that the lock system work sLoulu Oe "a
ried through to completion ~.
1--WE snent six DAYS in the Canal Zone. mat
NAV not appear very long time for Work OF III,
spection such as We had on hand but Coioue'
Coethals the chief engineer of the Work oil % con
strIction conducted us over the ground IN suc'4
quick time that / think there Is htte worth "i''
seeing that did not see
Representative William Darius Jameson Oh Io""'
said that the party looked over the Gatun dam
rerorts which have been printed about the uhceI-
tain character OF the foundation. i am now saliS
fed that the foundation Of the dam Is stronS
enough 20 hold II for all time, ne SAID ms
slide which occurred recently not far from the Dam
was explained 10 US In detail, inasmuch as In7'
slide pas one Of the matters which ~e had esPe-
ciav planned TO look into before We IeIt ne"
York We found that it IS true. as Cololei
C,oe+baIs had already told, that the slide was aus
10 \ swamp formation. and not to blue cray, AHu
that the swamp does not come any nearer 'lIa "
mile 10 the Gam structure.
Mr. Jameson. when asked whether ne hau iou'i4
ANYTHING in the zone work that he felt inclined 10
critcIes said he discovered nothing Of the sort he
said he had heard complaints from workrnen III
regard TO the system of paying and oeiieFes Ieii
edy will soon be afforded
Representative James McLachlan, OF CaitoFh'a'
said he had gone to the isthmus not only lor th9
nurpose OF looking over the work OF canaI con-
strrcton but also to gain additional information
for the purpose Of advancing his bill for govern
,,arta1 concentration for ten 5o10-ton steamships
20 ply between Puget Bay and the CITY OF feL!aiia
Il come back all the more convinced that inc pi4'
is one which passed will result in great DtAet ~
me country at large, well as 10 the dcNcIup
Panama liners which ply between New YORK tnd 4I
CrstobaI leave here with large caISoss ioL II. I,Ie
isthrls and they come back liEht. W lln IIle ~
ming of the vessels the Pacihc slde. "IllcH dt
voCate- there would be handed over large caTgotS
Mr MciachIau further said that he knows that
his hill will receive much opposition from the rail-
roads and that there may be PreJudlCe asdlttS itt
bayit,y the government compete too strongly with
private interests, but that hnauy Le s'IO"s Poi'9
Of his bill Will become apparent