The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-10-07
SOUTH WILL GAIN
BY PANAMA CANAL
Colonel Cocktails Talks of Ben
eftS Which Will Arise
ALL PORTS WILL PROSPER
Lock Type of Canal Is Only One Feas-
ible Says Colonel eoethaIs and
When 1t Is Completed
He Will Retire.
ALL PORTS WILL PROSPER

San Antonio, October -speeial)-To
the representative of a local daily Col.
George W. Cocktails made the following
statement few days ago while passing
through this city on his way to the
Necaxa dam in Mexico. where he will
look over break in a lock.
THE first thing the American people
should thoroughly comprehend he said.
lis that the Panama canal is primarily a
| military necessity Its construction will
save to the national government the cost
of maintaining two fleets The money
saved that it would cost TO construct an
! other fleet like the Atlantic fleet is build
| ing the canal. The cost of maintaining
the canal after completion will be no
more than it now costs to maintain the
| Atlantic fleet. Now, the people must
frankly be willing to admit that the Pan
anna canal is military necessity, first
of all. When they have admitted this
then it behooves them to ask how they
can make the canal a great commercial
canal that will bring prosperity to the
| south tenfold and be the means of float
ing again our flag on sea-going trade
vessels.
There are two things that must be
done If the Panama canal is to be made
a great commercial highway and of profit
| to the people in tolls or in increased trade.
| The first thing is to fix the tolls as low
as possible. Japan is slightly nearer to
London by way of the Panama canal
than it is by way of the Suez canal Make
oil ha Do
| on the Suez canal and trade will be
drawn through this waterway. Hong
Kong is slightly farther away from Lon
don by way of the Panama canal than
by way of the Suez canal, but make the
tolls less and if the cost of coal con-
sumption for the few additional miles
does not eat up the difference, trade
|. from this city also will be sent by way of
the Panama canal instead of by the Suez
canal
What the effect of the canal will be on
the commercial prosperity of Texas is
something I cannot predict. But if this
canal is made commercial canal by
adopting the methods 1 have suggested,
then it will be impossible to predict how
great an increase in the wealth of the
state will result from its construction.
Galveston is full of foreign vessels carry
| ing our grain. The Panama canal will
help foreign commerce more than our
own unless we establish on the high seas
a feet of ships carrying the American
| flag, and to do this we should pass a
| ship subsidy law at once. Then you will
see that Texas will receive great benefit
from the canal We are digging. The ship
subsidy is but part of the general plan
to develop the commerce of the country
and OF the south"
Speaking of the governments decision
to build lock canal instead of adhering
to the sea-level ditch, Colonel Goethals
said:
when I first took charge of the canal
it with my mind in favor of a sea-
level canal but we have all our plans
laid for the construction of lock type,
and it is too late to change. Inyestiga-
tion has convinced me that this is the
better type. If the American people
would stand for the constructing of a
canal 100 feet wide across the Isthmus of
Panama and then for two smaller canals
| to parallel it, 1 would say construct
IL
would be almost inestimable. It would
be necessary to construct such a type to
provide for the care of the flood waters
of the Chagres river. This spring, when
we opened section of the canal, the flood
waters of the Chagres poured in and de-
posted about two feet of sand and
gravel on the bottom of the canal 1t will
have to be dredged out. What would this
amount to if the canal had been a sea-
level waterway, far below the level of the
present one, which is but two feet lower
than the bed of the Chagres river?
NO" continued Col Cocktails, I'VE must
construct a lock type canal or allow our
organization to go to pieces. We are
ready now to begin work on laying con-
crete for the flight of locks at Gatum. To
change the plans now would mean to lay Off
all these men. We have $4,000 men our
payroll and must keep them employed"
Colonel Goethals made the statement
that he would retire after his duties on
the sthumus had come to end "If
I get through with this task I'll retire for
my lifes work will be ended. l shall have
accomplished all that can be expected of
any man and l know no more could be
exacted of Colonel Goethals. A man can
give only that which is in him and when
this job is completed the people will have
gotten out of me all there is in me. |
shall retire.
After his inspection of the Necaxa dam
he will return to Washington whence he
will leave for Panama on or about Oc-