Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-03-18

q oSet ISNSI CdIldI dS OueTeQ ON the
board OF engineers, and not by the
idealist. The risks to ships in such
a narrow waterway, as proposed foI
the sea level canal at Panama, CoIone
Cocktails adds, far outweigh all haz
ards in the proposed lock canal, pro
vided the latter is built so as to min
imize the chance of accident TO the
locks. This is met" he says, by
providing every possible safety de,
vice. by building the locks in dupli
cate and by the installation OF a sys.
tenn by which the vessels will be con,
uOlIed by powerful electric machin,
cry on the lock walls. thus avoidins
mistakes on the part of the vessels
crew or engine room staff. which once
led to an accident at the Manchester
ship canal"
1t is pointed out that the present
lock designs provide intermediate
gates dividing the locks into lengths
| OF 900 and 400 feet. About 9S per cent
OF all the ships, including the largest
battleships now building, says Colonel
Goethals, can be passed through the
! 600 foot lengths and the total lock
strength will accommodate the largest
commercial vessels now building,
which are 1000 feet long and SS foot
| beam. 1t is true" he adds that
obsolete, but the largest ships now
atioat can not navigate the Suez canal
nor the proposed sea level at Panama.
1t must also be remembered that the
commerce of the world is carried bv
the medium-sized vessels, the length
of only one of the many ships using
the Suez canal being greater than
600 feet"
On the subject of the estimated
cost of a lock and sea level canal.
Colonel Goethals says:
The estimated cost of the present
commission for completing the adopt
ed project, excluding the items let
out by the Board Of Consulting Engin.
GERS, is placed at $29L766,OOO. If to
this be added the estimated cost OF
sanitation and civil government until
the completion of the work. and the
$5O,000,000 purchase price, the total
cost TO the United States of the lock
type of canal will amount to $375.2 POL
600 In the preparation of these es-
Inmates there are no unknown factors.
The estimated cost of the sea-Ievel
canal for construction alone sums up
to $477,601 600, and if to this be added
the cost Of sanitation and civil gov
eminent up to the time of the compile
ton of the canal, which will be at
least six years later than the lock
canal, and the purchase price. the
total cost to the United States will ag-
gregate 1858, 100000"
Answering the criticisms regard
ing the increased estimates for com
pleting the canal, Colonel Goethals
says that these have arisen largely
from a failure to analyze the two es-
Inmates or to appreciate fully the in
crease in the wage scale, based on an
eight hour day instead of a ten hour
day, as originally. Then he says
subsequent surveys and various
changes increased the quantity OF
work by 80 per cent. In addition mu-
nicipal improvements in Panama and
Colon, advances to the Panama rail
road and moneys received and deposit
ed to the credit of miscellaneous re-
ceipts aggregate $15,00000O, which
amount, he says, will eventually and
has in part already been returned to
the treasury. Finally" he says, mo
such system of housing and caring
for employees was ever contemplated
as has been introduced and installed,
materially increasing the overhead
charges and administration.
Concerning the probable effect of
earthquakes on the canal, about which
Col. Goethals says much has been
written, the report states tina t the
the last earthquake of any Importance
in Panama occurred in the seven
teenth century and that existing ruins
lin Panama demonstrate clearly that no
shock of any violence could have oc-
CURED during the eighteenth or nine
teenth centuries.
Colonel GOethals, in concluding
pays a high tribute to his employees.
The organization for the prosecute IN
Of the work, he says, approaches the
perfection of a huge machine, and the
manner in which the work is being
done and the spirit of enthusiasm that
is manifested by all forcibly strikes
| everyone who visits the works. THE
main object of our being there" he
says, "is the construction of the ca
nal; everything else is subordinate to
it, and the work of every department
is directed to the accomplishment Of
that object.
After declaring the canal zone to be
one of the healthiest communities IN
the world, Colonel Goethals concludes.
4 assure you that several years
hence no later than January I, 1915,
even the most ardent sea level advo-
cate will. in making the voyage
through the canal, admit that the abil-
| ity to navigate a battleship at high
rate Of speed through the lake and
wide channel from Gatun to Pedro Nj
guel far outweighs the small incon-
veniences Of the safe lockages up to
and down from the summit level
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