The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-01-22
MUST SEND SAMPLES
FOR PANAMA TRADE
Knowland Informs Californians
They Should Send Sales
men to Canal Zone

WASHINGTON, Jan 21.-CalifoFnia
merchants must send their representa-
! tfves 10 the Panama canal zone with
samples of the goods that they have 10
OFFER IL they desire 10 furnish supplies
to the zone and its merchants, is the
way CONGRESSMAN Knowland, who mas
Just returned from the isthmus, where
, he went as a member OF the house-com-
mittes on interstate and foreign COM
merce 10 investigate conditions Son-
nected with the canal, expressed MINI
self here today.
Knowland looked into the matter OF
California products on the istnmus anu
was told very frankly oy Coionei
Goethals and Chief Commissary wilson
that California merchants must SEND
their statesmen. to the canal zone TOT
business just the same as they 90 III
the states The eastern states ane sehu
ing representatives into Panama, ana as
result are furnishing large part OF
the supplies, not only to the canal com
mission, but TO the merchants through
out the entire zone.
Knowland is of the opinion that the
canal will be open to commerce In 1912
and that II will cost when completed,
including the sanitation OF the canai
| zone, 1925 100000. During his stay IN
| the zone Knowland found time TO make
some interesting observations In which
he says that no committee of congress
| has made such a thorough inspection
and investigation of the work in prog
ress as that just concluded by the com
mittee on interstate and foreign COM
merce, which committee has Jur1sdic-
| ton in the consideration of practically
all legislation appertaining to the con-
struction of this great interoceanic
| waterway.
After making a thorough inspection
of every section OF the work the COM
mittee held hearings at the Tivoh hotel
at Ancon. All OF the commissioners on
the zone testified as to the several
| details OF the gigantic work. In a
statement made today Knowland said
/ in part:
The Panama canal will be completed
| in January. 1915, and the total cost
will be fully 1926, 900 900, including san
itation. These figures are based upon
lock level canal as provided under
present plans. A sea level canal would
cost double this amount and require
! double the time to complete.
Within the last few months the
president sent word TO the commission
| that Culebra cut for distance Of about
/ four and a half miles should be wild
ened from 200 TO 800 feet. The cost OF
| this widening, I was informed. would
be about s13.000,00o. 1t will be gen.
orally admitted however, that this
change In the plans is wise, as zoo feet.
even for distance of four and half
miles. is a rather narrow channel for
ships TO pass through
The locks have all been widened
from 100 feet to ITO feet The cost
! OF these changes now will be millions
/ less than If made later. The success
of the entire project of the lock canal
l 81
Gatun Nam. which viii be about one
and a half miles long. What has
/ given renewed impetus TO a discussion
4 of the question of the adequacy of the
Gatun dam foundations, was the recent
slipping TO a depth of 20 feet and for
a distance of 200 feet
This cavein gave rise to many wild
4 reports. some OF which were cabled TO
| the United States and conveyed the
misinformation that subterranean lake
or cavern had been discovered under
/ the dam site at Gatun. 1t was ex-
planned that slips OF this nature could
be expected until an equilibrium was
| established by pumping mud between
the toes and equalizing the pressure.
Two years have elapsed since my
| last visit to the canal zone. The prog
ress during these two years has been
wonderful At Colon and Cristobal the
progress recorded includes the extern
sion of docks and wharves. rebuilding
Of the drydock and the practical COM
! pletion OF the municipal Improvements
at Colon. During the two years men,
4 toned a breakwater from La Boea to
the island OF Macs, in Panama bay, has
been partially completed. Fully 1000
new buildings have been constructed
on the zone.
"As to sanitation, the part OF the
! isthmus we occupy bids fair to be-
come great health resort during GER
tain seasons. The committee will un-
duestfonably report a bill embodying a
number of changes TO the judicial sys-
tenn. The labor problem has been
solved There is now surplus OF COM
mon laborers, nearly all Spanfards and
| Italians"