Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-17

100000, while payments to the Tepubilc oi
Panama and to the New Panama Canai
Company amount to $J0.Op'oV when
would make the difference between tne
present and the previous estimate. Win
cost of sanitation and zone government
and payments added, only $l43.UU.WU OI
this amount they say. nearly one-hait
can be accounted for by the changes III
referred to. and the remainder is to be
attributed mainly to the higher unit cost
of the different items of the work.
Commentator is expressed at the pres
ent condition of the work. ana the en-
gineers voice the belief that lin no other
great construction work has as much been
done for employees. in the way of furnish
ing necessities, comforts and luxuries oi
life at the cost of the work. as has been
done in this work. This is one reason TOT
the high cost of the canal
Work Well Organized.
In their opinion the work is we'll or
eanized and is being conducted energetic
ally and WE'LL They commend the med
ical and sanitary department for its sue
cess in exterminating yellow fever and
controlling malaria
I'VE see no reason they add. why the
canal should not be completed. esti-
mated by the chief engineer. by jan
uary I. 1915: In fact. it seems that a
somewhat earlier completion is probable
if all goes we'll
Considering the cost and time of con-
Struction of Sea-level canal, as COM
pared with the lock type. they hold that
most of the factors which have operated
to increase the cost of the lock canal
would operate with similar effect to in-
crease the cost of the Sea-level canal,
and at the present time there are addi-
tional factors of even greater Importance
to be considered as effecting the time OF
completion and cost of sea-level canal.
One of these they find in the Gamboa
dam. If work on which were to be started
as soon as possible, they declare, it could
not be completed until after the time
required for the completion OF the lock
canal" Further than this they say that
"a change in the type would result In
abandoning work which represents large
expenditures
They claim that by the change the river
Chagres and the rivers on the isthmus
tributary thereto instead of being allies
would be enemies of the canal. and floods
in them would greatly interfere with the
work..
As to Earthquake Shocks.
Replying to the criticism that 1.-The canal
region is liable to earthquake shocks,
and that a sea-level canal would be less
subject to injury by earthquakes than
lock canal" they assert that dams and
locks are structures of great stability and
uttIe subject 10 damage ny Sdi tIIuaho
Shocks" but that even If they could re-
gard earthquakes as a source of serious
damage to any type of canal on the 18TH
mus their effect upon the dams. locks
and regulating works proposed for the
sea-level canal would be much the same
as upon similar structures of the lock
canal"
AS to the question of water-supply, they
say lit is SO much greater than any need
that can be reasonably anticipated that
the best method of securing more water
when the time of need arrives does not
require to be considered now" They re-
port that they can find no reason to ap-
prehend important loss of water by seep-
age through the ridges surrounding Ga
tun dam. while in our judgment" they
add, 1.-The bed Of the lake will be practi-
cally impervious TO water.
The engineers who composed the board
are Frederick P. Stearns, James d.
Schuyler, Arthur P. Davis, Isham Ran
dolph, Henry d. Allen, John r. Free
man and Allen HaZen.