New-York tribune., 1909-02-18
'INDORSE LOCK CANAL
REPORT OF ENGINEER6
SENT TO CONGRESS.
ApproUe Present System Strongly
and Estimate Entire Cost
at SS6O, 900, 900.

cording to the opinion expressed oy fresiE9n-
Roosevelt in message transmitting 70 Congress
to-day the report made by the engineers "io
recently visited the canal zone with President
Alect Taft .qs in reality merely an attack upon
the policv Of building any canal at all" Ihe
renort in Mr. Roosevelt's opinion. shows IN
clearest fashion that the Congress was wise III
the position it took and that it would ne an IN
excusable folly to change from the pF0poseu
lock canal to a sea level canal"
''I commend to you," he says TO Congress. tine
most careful consideration of the report 1heS
(the engineers) show that the only criticism tnat
can be made of the work the isthmus is that
there has sometimes been almost an excess Oh
caution in providing against possible trouble
As to the Gatun dam itself. they show that not
only is the dam safe but that on the whole the
nIan already adopted would make 1t needlessly
high and strong and accordingly they recon-
mend that the height be reduced by twenty
feet which change in the plans have accoro-
ingly directed"
President Roosevelt says that the engineers
who made the report "are. OF all the men IN thelr
profession. within or without the United states
the men who are on the whole best quallhed 10
pass upon these very questions which they eA-
amned."
The engineers report that, the Gatun earth
dam was the central point of discussion they
gave It, under instructions from Mr. Ta1t' nrsC
consideration in the light Of ali new eVioehce'
and they add that -the type Of dam now unoer
construction is one which meets with our una11-
nous approval They say they are satlsheo
that there will be dangerous or objectlohaoie
seepage through the materials under the base OF
the dam; nor are they so soft as to pe haoie to
be pushed aside by the weight of tho proposed
dam so as to cause dangerous settlement. we
are also satisfied that the materials aVallaDIe'
and which it is proposed to use. are suitable ana
can be readily placed to form tight staole
and permanent dam"
Dams and locks lock gates and all other en-
gineerinR structures involved IN the lock cana!
project are feasible and safe" according to
the engineers. land they can be depended on
10 perform with certainty their respective fuhc-
tions" They report that they do not find any
occasion for changing the type of canal that has
been adopted A change to level plan at the
present time would add greatly to the cost and
time of construction, without compensatlng al
vantages either in capacity or the canal or IN
safety of navigation. and hence would be pub
lie misfortune
I'VE do find" the engineers say, in the de-
tailed designs shat have been adopted. or tnat
are under consideration, some matters where
other arrangements than those now considered
seem worthy of study AS these proposed
changes are of tentative nature and do not IN
any case affect the main questions herein dis
cussed they are not taken up in this report
GATUN DAM STABLE
They declare that the most practical ques-
tion in the construction of the Gatun dam is
the possibe slipping and sliding OF the materials
underneath and In the body Of the dam In
regard to this question they have reached the
conclusion that 1.-THE design upon which the
work is now being prosecuted abundantly full
fills the required degree of stability and goes
far beyond the limits Of what would be regarded
as sn4scient and safe in any less important
structure"
In regard to the slips which have occurred
several times they assert that they "of no
serious consequence either. in the practical ex-
ecutiou of the work or in the ultimate stability
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 elevation of
| 115 feet above sea level, or 80 feet above the
normal level of the water against the dam
This change they say. will facilitate the
work of construction and Will reduce somewhat
the cost Of the proposed work.
Another change that of increasing the mini
mum width OF the bottom of the canal for about
Al miles in the Culehra cut, they estimate will
! increase the cost Of the work by about S13,-
/ 600 COO but they say it will not delay the com
pletion CT the canal: that it will permit ships to
pass one another in this portion of the canal and
| will otherwise facilitate navigation. IF slides
! occur after the completion of the canal" they
! say "the wider canal is rpot as likely to be
| blocked as narrower one.% They approve the
| change in the proposed location OF the break
| water at the Atlantic end of the canal.
Their estimate of the complete cost OF the
canal is 60OO0O00. They say il is incorrect
! to state that the original estimate of cost
| $40 600 600 as this did not include sanitation
and zone government" They estimate the ex-
pense OF sanitation and government at
! S27 900 600 while payments to the Republic OF
! Panama and to the new Panama Canal Com
! the difference between the present estimate and
the previous estimate. with cost OF sanitation
and zone government and payments added. only
! S143OOOOOO "Of this amount" they say,
nearly one-half can be accounted for by the
| changes in the canal and appurtenant works al
| ready referred to- and the remainder is to be at
tributed mainly to the higher unit cost Of the
different items of the work.
CARE OF EMPLOYEES COMMENDED.
Commendation is expressed of the present con-
dition of the work, and the engineers voice the
belief that Sin other great construction work
has so much been done for employees in the way
! Of furnishing necessities, comforts and luxuries
! Of life at the cost of the work as has been done
in this work. This is reason for the high
cost of the canal
In their opinion "the work is well organized
| and is being conducted energetically and well"
They commend the medical and sanitary depart
ment for its success in exterminating yellow
fever and controlling malaria"
We see no reason" they add. why the canal