The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1909-02-19
REPORT OF ENGINEERS
Who Inspected Panama Canal
Submitted to Congress.
CANAL TO COST $S6O,OOO,O0g
Lock System Declared 10 Be All Right
Gatun Dam Endorsed---To Be
Completed in 1915.

IL VI
made hereafter on the lock type OF
Panama canal, according to the opin-
ion expressed by President Roosevelt,
in message transmitted to con
gress, the report made by the engi-
neers who recently visited the canal
zone with President.elect Taft, lis In
reality merely an attack upon the
policy of building any canal at all"
The engineers report that, as the
Gatun earth dam was the central
point of discussion, they gave it, UNI
der instructions from Mr.. Taft, first
consideration in the light OF all new
evidence" and they said that the
type Of dam now under construction
is one which meets our unanimous
approval
They say they "are satisfied that
there will be no dangerous or ob1ec.
tionable seepage through the mate
rails under the base Of the dam; nor
are they so soft as to be liable to be
pushed aside by the weight OF the
proposed dam, so as to cause danger
Gus settlement We are also salts
fed that the materials available ana
which it Is proposed to use are SUIT
able and can be readily placed TO
form a tight, stable and permanent
| dam.
Dams and locks, lock gates and all
other engineering structures involved
! In the lock canal project are "feasi-
BILE and safe," according to the engi-
ueers, land they can be depended Up
on to perform with certainty their re-
spective functions They report
that they do not find any occasion
for changing the type Of canal that
has been adopted. A change to sea-
level plan at the present time would
add greatly to- the cost and time OF
construction, without compromising
advantages, either in capacity Of the
| canal or in safety of navigation.
They declare that the most practi-
| cal question in the construction OF
the Gatun dam Is the possible slipping
and sliding of the materials under
meath. and in the body of the DAM
In regard to this question, they have
reached the conclusion that "the de-
sign upon which the work Is now be-
ing prosecuted abundantly fulhlls this
required degree of stability, and goes
far beyond the limits Of what would
be regarded as sufficient and safe IN
any less important structure"
In regard to the slips, which have
occurred at several times, they assert
they are "of no serious consequence,
either in the practical execution OF
the work, or in the ultimate stabtk
ity of the structures"
Having considered the proper
height for the crest Of the Gatun dam,
they concluded that 1T could be
safely reduced twenty feet from that
originally proposed-namely, to an
elevation Of 115 feet above sea level.
or thirty feet above the normal Level
of the water against the dam"
This change, they say will facili.
tate the work Of construction, and
will reduce somewhat the cost of the
proposed work.
Their estimate of the complete cost
of the canal is $360,O00,OO0. They
say 1t is incorrect to state that the
original estimate of cost was $l4O,-
100000, as they did not include san
ttation and zone government" They
estimate the expense Of sanitation
and zone government at $27,OOO,OOO,
while payments to the republic OF
Panama and to the New Panama va
nal Company amount to $50,OOO,OOO,
which would make the difference be-
tween the present estimate and the
previous estimate. with cost Of san
itation and zone government and pay
ments added, only $14S,00O,0OO.
eve see no reason" they said,
"why the canal should not be COM
pleted. as estimated by the chief en-
| gineer, by January /, 1915-in fact,
ii seems that somewhat earlier
completion is probable, II all goes
we'll"
The engineers who composed the
board are Frederick p. Stearns, Jas.
d. Schuyler, Arthur P. Davis, lsham
Randolph, Henry d. Allen, John H.
Freeman and Allen Hazen.
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