The Winchester news. [volume] (Winchester, Ky.) 1908-19??, 1909-02-18
MESSAGE ON
PANAMA CANAL
President SenAs Engineers Report TO
Congressional to Be Gem
pleted in Six Years.

made hereafter on the lock type OK
the Panama canal, according to the
opinion expressed by President
Roosevelt in a message transmitting
to congress the report recently made
by the engineers who recently Wis
tied the canal zone with President
elect Taft, els in reality merely an
attack upon the policy of building any
canal ct ALL"
The report, in Mr.. Roosevelt's opin-
Ion, shows in clearest fashion that
the congress was wise in the position
1t took and that it would be an in
excusable folly to change from the
proposed lock canal to a sea level
canal"
81 commend to you," he says to con-
gress, "the most careful consideration
of the report. They show that the
only criticism that can be made OF
the work on the isthmus is that there
has sometimes been almost an excess
Of caution in providing against pos
sible trouble. AS to the Gatun dam
itself, they show that not only is the
dam safe, but that on the whole the
plan already adopted would make it
necessarily high and strong, and ac-
cordingly, they recommend that the
height be reduced by 20 feet, which
change in the plans 1 have accord
ingly directed"
President Roosevelt says the .engf-
neers who made the report ARE OF
all the men in their profession, with
in or without the United States, the
men who are on the whole best quail
fed to pass upon these very 'ques-
lions which they examined"
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 evil
dence." and they add that "the type
of dam now under construction is one
which meets with our unanimous ap-
prevail" T
They say they are satisfied that
there will be no dangerous or objec-
tionable seepage through the mater
ials under the base of the dam; nor
are they so soft as to be liable to be-
pushed aside by the weight of tho
proposed dam so as to cause danger
Gus settlement. We are also satisfied
that the materials available and
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 flea
sible and SAFE" according to the en-
gineers, land they can be depended
upon to perform with certainty their
respective 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 compensating
advantages, either in capacity of the
canal or in safety of navigation, and
hence would be a public misfortune.
They declare that the most prac-
the Gatun dam is the possible slip
ping and sliding of the materials un-
derneath 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 fulfills the
required degree of stability and goes
far beyond the limits of what would
be regarded as sufficient and safe In
any less important structure"
1--WE see no reason" they add, why
the canal should not be completed, as
estimated by the chief engineer, by
January 1, 1915; in fact, it SCENT
that somewhat earlier completion
is probable if all goes we'll"
Considering the cost and time OF
construction of a sea level canal as
compared 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 increase the cost or
the sea level canal. and at the pres
| ent time there are additional factors
of even greater importance to be con-
| sidered as affecting the time of COM
pletion and cost of a 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 de-
clare cit could not be completed until
after the time required for the COM
| pletion Of the lock canal" 100.
l
Goes Crazy Over Work.
Mansfield, o.. Feb. 1S.l'1 pust have