The Detroit times., 1909-04-23
DIFFER
ON CANAL TYPE
American Engineer Says Lock Water.
way Can Be Completed in Five
Years-Bunua- varilla Opposes.

NEW YORK, April 22.-"The Pan
anna lock canal can be ready for use
In five or SIX years. whereas TO make
sea.level canal passable would re-
quire 10 or ~ years from the pres
ent time. John X. Freeman. dis
tlnguished hydraulic engineer. grad
uate OF the Massachusetts Institute OF
Technology, and admittedly a leading
engineer in this and other countries.
THE only advantage of lock canal
Is economy In time OF construction
that naturally results from cut
through the continent OF lesser depth
than the one necessary for q sea-level
anal."-Phi,lipe Bunua-Varilla, emin-
ent French engineer, graduate OF
L'Ecole PolytechniQue. and leader
among continental experts.
In the May Outlook these two men
give the reGult Of their personal In
vestigation OF the entire Panama canal
project aud their views are 30 at var
lance that the entire controversy over
the type of the canal Is sure TO be re-
newed by scientific bodies generally.
Freeman declares the sea-level type
is entirely OUT OF the question because
OF its enormous cost and also says
that IL would not carry SO great q
traffic, with so small chance OF &C.
cident or with so little delay as the
lock canal. He describes at great
length the Cstun dam. and shows. that
in his opinion. 1t will be absolutely
safe.
The lock canal project" he de-
clares, solves the problem OF control
OF the Chagres river and transforms
dangerous enemy into al excellent
friend. by creating In the Chagres val
ley an artificial lake 1853 square miles
In area. S5 feet above sea level, con-
trolled by rhe great dam and spill
way at Gatun. Enough is saved In
excavation here to more than pay the
cost OF the lock system. and makes
the entire length of the excavated
channel about twice as wide az the
proposed sea-level canal. saving five
years time and Ave years use or a
$3.50, 000000 investment"
Engineer Freeman then dissects the
entire procedure since the first In
ception OF the canal plans by United
States engineers, and shows that
every OBSTACLE raised has been over
come by them. AS the locks are in
duplicate. he declares the danger OF
a stoppage Of traffic is minimized and
each OF them. he declares. Is ample for
ship more than so per cent greater
in tonnage than any now In commits
sion
His figures on the cost are illuminat-
ing Admitting that certain prelim-
mary estimates were too low. that
plans have been changed for safety's
sake, and that labor Is more expensive.
Mr.. Freeman declares that the COM
pleted canal will represent TO the Unit
ed States exactly $360.000.O00 which
will be later reduced by salvage on
the construction plant. And he con-
cludes significantly:
The canal will be built inside OF
the time estimated. There Is manifest
all along the line a spirit OF earnest
ness. confidence and cooperation and
a general wholesomeness Of life, which
makes of this narrow 43-mile strip the
best construction camp the world has
ever seen and one OF which Americans
should be proud"
Buanu-Varilla sums ND the objec.
tons TO the lock canal type in the
following powerful arraignment:
When 1t Is used 1t may be Grip.
pied by the wrong maneuver of war
ship or vessel In transit.
May be destroyed by a dynamite
laden ship exploding.
May be crippled with q few sticks
of dynamite held by desperate men.
May be crippled in war time by
airships or submarines.
May be crippled by an earthquake.
I'm addition, there are certain and
unavoidable limits to the life Of
lock canal"