The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-03
THE BATTLE or THE LEVELS.

. .
MIR. Bunau-variIia Contributes Som,
Very Important Observations Con
corning the Chsgres River Floods
To THE EDIroR OF THE SuN-SiY: Tn,
letter OF April % which you published OF
May Z ends with these words: There ar,
several other points In Colonel Goethalsi
lecture which would call for. an answer
such as the control OF the Chsgres will
the Straits OF Panama ] have repeat
eddy explained how 1t can be easily disposed
OF. but when hills are called mountains
trivial questions rise In proportion"
have been led to think that the lsyman
FOR whom I speak. may believe I Am oon'
cealing the important question OF th,
Chagres floods under q playful way OF oom'
pairing hills and mountains. should b
very sorry II he thought 90. This leads m,
to ask once more for the hospitality OF you
columns. a..
Colonel G oethsls said about the estimate
Of the Straits Of Panama: with noun
tains instead OF hills to be removed estimates
are OF course impossible. so the most Opt
mistic figures arc of cred - 4 bait" At th,
end OF his speech Colonel Goethals say
that the volume TO be excavated for tn,
ideal canal Tread the Straits OF Panama"
VIII Uc tHTc6 tlIuco tudt Oh ING OTuIuoTy
sea level canal. However great may b.
the allowance for rhetorical figures they
should not be tolerated when they misleat
the hearers. Colonel Goethals knows toe
well his geometry to ignore that the
heights OF two similar hillocks are In the
proportion OF 1 to Lac when their volumes
are In the proportion OF l to 3. It Ii obvious
that II you call a hill q mound one hundred
feet high, another q hundred and forty.
four feet high will not fall into the noun
tain class. though the volume Of the second
be three times that Of the first.
1t is not any more dinloult to calculate
the volume or the cost Of excavation OF tbs
first hill than to calculate the three times
larger volume Of the second. To sugges,
between the two the difference between
q hill and . mountain IL to suggest the
difference between something possible
within human reach. and something I'm.
possible, beyond human reach. It 10 Z
rhetorical figure which may gravely mlslead
the layman.
The whole Of my contention is that Il
will be far more economical to dig by plant
on water the Straits OF Panama than to
dig the ordinary sea level canal BY q plant
on rails. though the mass to be removed ID
three times larger. The very simple reason
1 give is that the cost OF excavation or water
Is far more than three times less costly.
very likely more than six times less costly.
on an average at Panama than the cost OF
excavation on rails. I might add that the
cost in the dry will increase In extraordi-
nary proportion with the depth. on account
Of the difficulties created by the constant
invasion Of water In the deepened cuts.
when the excavation on water Will be free
from such inconvenience and cost exactly
the same thing at the beginning and at the
end Of the work. at 40 feet above sea level
or at SO feet below sea level.
When I speak Of the cost Of the sea level
canal I speak Of the cost estimated by the
majority Of the consulting board. which
ia lower by $50. 600, 900 than the cost
actually acknowledged Of the actual per-
petual lock plan. I say. therefore. that
the cost Of the ideal canal. Of the Straits Of
Panama." will be more than half lower than
the cost Of the actual lock plan.
Let us now come to the question OF the
Chagres floods. the old bugbear OF the
Panama Canal.
1t Is easy to establish that It becomes .
trivial question with the Straits OF Pam
ANA" provided hills are not called o
tains when they are simply hills.
The problem Of disposlns Of the Chsgres
floods has remained q problem necessitat-
inS artificial mechanism 50 long as the con-
ception Of the sea level canal has not risen
beyond that Of q narrow canal. 30 long IS the
progress OF engineering has not given the
tools that now exist to dig economically q
wide and deep channel between the oceans.
At the very moment the Straits Of Panama
have become q possibility the problem OF
the Chasres floods has been solved.
II you throw 4 glass OF water Into . funnel
with Q narrow opening at the bottom the
water will rise In h funnel. II the OPEN
Ing Is sufficiently large 1t will go out as
quickly as II 10 poured in.
There Is no other mystery In the problem
OF the Chsgres foods. II the bed OF the
river Is narrow and tortuous as Il Is now the
waters thrown suddenly by the heavy rains
will rise very much because they do not find
a SUFFICIENT opening for their escape.
Open q large. wide and deep bed with
regular and lofty curves such as the Straits
OF Panama and the most violent floods
OF the ChaRres will how smoothly into the
oceans.
1t is not by pure megalomania that fixed
a bottom width OF 500 feet. an average sur
face width OF 600 feet, q minimum depth OF
Is feet at the lowest tides for the -Straits
OF Panama" when 7 proposed them In 1905
to the consulting board. It Ia becaute these
uIhiGtoI0bo - hcSVcoet e"u
for the two great governing elements Of
the Panama problem first. the free unob-
structed navigation from ocean to ocean;
second. the harmonious and complete So
luton OF the Cha Rres problem without any
dams. reservoirs or any perilous n msnsc
ing structures.
I'm going TO give Some precise facts
and figures which. though resulting from
rather difficult but perfectly precise msthe-
NAUTICAL ca calculations. will make the question
clear to an intelligent layman.
lie vii! see that the dimensions proposed
for the Straits Of Panama" are those which
are hitting.
II GU. With these dimensions the Straits"
will be like an ample and fitting coat: II out
with narrower lines Il will be q straitjacket.
To understand we'll the conditions OF the
Chagres problem let US recite its principal
elements.
II We 90 up the Chsgres betw zen the
Atlantic and Bohio Mile IS Of the canal).
we see that It receives only two tributaries,
the Rio Gatun on the left hand side going
up and the Rio Trinidad on the right hand
side. The first will be detected into q
deviation already open and 90 to sea direct.
The second will also 20 10 sea by the old
bed OF the ChaRres completed by . short de-
Walton near Gatun; neither Of them will
enter the canal. The whole problem Is
therefore the disposal Of the Chagres waters
bet een Bohio mile 1877 and Gamboa mile
so.S). where the Chagres enters the canal
Methodic and accurate registrations
OF floods have been made only since the old
French company began its work. In 1881.