Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-09
ASSERTION BY KITTREDGE
Declares That Present Plan Will
Have to Be Abandoned.
Reports on the Hopkins Bill to Au-
thorize Half a Billion Dollar
Issue of Bonds.

plan to build a lock canal at Panama, ana
ultimately construct sea level canal, was
the opinion emphatically expressed today
in the Senate by Senator kittredge. chair
man of the committee on interoceanic
canals. and Senators Teller and Foraker.
A heated discussion on the type of the
canal and the probable cost was precipi-
tated by Senator Kittredge when he re-
ported back from his committee Senator
Hopkins bill to provide for an issue of
Panama bonds to the sum of COO
for meeting the expenditures on the canal.
He made statement to the Senate in
the form of a report. giving the opinion
that Congress should not under any cir
cumstances authorize such large issue
at. this time. Mr. Kittredge recalled the
fact that the Spooner act of 1902 appro-
priated $40. .oN, 600 FOR the purchase of the
canal rights S1O,000O9O for the purchase
of the Canal Zone rights, and $4,000, 600
for beginning the work of construction,
and authorized the President to build the
canal provided the appropriations there
for should be made from time to time in
the future. mot to exceed in the aggre-
gate the additional sum of $,5.OCDOOO.
Cost of the Canal to Date
He went on to say that in 1905 S11 ,0OO,-
900 more was appropriated for construc-
ton and in 1906 nearly another S6,OOO,OOo
He went over the various amounts spent
by the government on the canal and in
connection with it, showing that the total
appropriations to date were $17O,2 264, ,46S.5S,
and said all of that amount presumably
will have been expended by the end OF
the present fiscal year Mr.. kittredge
went on as follows:
In their report to the President and to
the Congress the minority of the board
of consulting engineers pledged their pro-
fessional regulations that if the lock type
of canal were adopted the aggregate cost
of completing the canal. exclusive of SAN
ltat1On and expenses of government,
would not exceed $780, 705. 900 and in
hearing during the first session Of the
Fffey-ninth Congress they guaranteed the
accuracy Of their estimate"
A little further on in his report Mr..
kittredge said: 1.-THE report is current and
the prophecy is made that when the canal
commission submits to Congress it's re-
vised statement of the aggregate cost of
construction of the lock type Of canal
not less than $325, 600 900 will be named.
Reports in the public press within the
past few days convey the information that
it is now proposed to build breSkwater
in the harbor of Colon, at an estimated
cost of $lO.OOO,0O0. and from like source
it is learned that 1t Is now proposed to
increase the minimum width of the canal
at an excess cost of $14 900 600.
If this be true, the latest estimated cost
of the lock type of canal. including the
purchase of the canal rights and of the
canal zone right-$JO 600. OO0-will bring
the present estimated cost to S4O0 00Q, 900
more than S2UO0O0.OO0 in excess of the
sum originally estimated. and more than
S1eOWo.oOO in excess of the conceded
maximum cost of the sea level canal"
He aid it undoubtedly would be neces-
Sary for Congress at this session to ap-
propriate So, 100000 or $4,000 600. or at
least S11@O,OUO more than was included
in the original limit of cost
1t is believed. however. that an ap-
preparation by Congress-, said he, lin
excess of the amount originally author
lied would be an authorization to in
crease the limit of cost. If in error in
this suggestion the employment of ap-
propriate words in the appropriate bill
will certainly be effectual for that pur-
pose.
The report suggested that the Secre-
tary of the Treasury be authorized in
the current appropriation bill to issue
bonds to cover the amount to be appro-
priated in excess of the sum now au-
thoriZed by law.
Cost of Sea-Level Canal.
As soon as Mr.. Kttredge had finished
reading his report and the Senate, at his
suggestion, had referred the Hopkins bill
to the finance committee. Senator For
aker arose and asked a few questions
which led Mr. kittredge to say that the
sea-level canal according to the original
estimates could be built for S241, 600, 600.
and that il would be perfectly practica-
BILE to change the type to sea-level
canal now, and that probably it would
cost less than S247.OO0,Go0 1t would
merely be a proposition or digging, he
said.
Mr. Foraker said lie greatly regretted
that he had changed his vote and
cast it I'm favor of a lock canal when that
matter was decided by the Senate. Fur
thernore he said he believed that every
senator W no voted for the lock canal would
live to regret that vote. He said he was
influenced to chance his vote at that time
because he was told the lock canal would
be more economical.
Senators Curtis of Kansas and Bever-
idge of Indiana taking the other side of
the question. called attention to the diff
ference In the tides in the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans at the isthmus. and de-
clared the sea level canal would never De
practicable on that account.
Mr. Foraker and Mr.. kittredge denied
this saying that engineers We're coming
TO believe that the tides could be properly
controlled by gates, and that 1t would not
be necessary to use even gates for half
of the time.
Teller for Sea-Level Type.
Senator Teller brought the discussion to
close by making a speech in favor of
the sea level canal. on the ground that it
was the only type that would ever be
successful For his part, he said he did
not believe either type of canal could be
| built for less than s5O0,ooo01n.
GOVERNMENT OF ISTHMUS.