The Washington times., 1909-04-22
John R. Freeman, of Ameri-
ca, and Bunau-Varilla, of
France, Give Views.
DIVISION ARISES
OVER LOCK TYPE
Former Declares for Present Kind,
While Latter Says Sea Level
Is Only One.

NEW YORK. April 22.-''The Panama
lock canal can be ready for use In FIVE
or six years, whereas to make a sea-
level canal would require ten or twelve
years from the present time. John r.
Freeman. a weIl-known hydraulic en-
gineer, graduate of the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. and admittedly
n leading man of his profession in this
and other countries.
The only advantage Of lock canal
Is economy in time of construction that
naturally results from a cut through
the continental divide of lesser depth
than the one necessary for a sea-level
canaL"-Philippe Bunau-Varilla, emil
nent French engineer, graduate OF
I'Ecole Polytechnique. and prominent
among continental experts.
In the May Outlook these two men
give the results Of their personal inves-
legations OF the entire Panama canal
project. and their veiws are SO at
variance that the entire controversy
over the type Of the canal is sure to be
renewed by scientific bodies generally.
Out of the Question
Freeman declares the sea-level type is
sntrely out of the question. because
"a - IAAtA AlDA0 IbCAf anu alcO Sd > lkldL IL
would not carry so great traffic with
so small chance Of accident, or with
so little delay, as the lock canal he
describes at great length the Gatun
dam, ard shows that. in his opinion. Il
will be absolutely safe.
The lock canal project" he declares,
''soIves the problem or control OF the
Chagres river and transforms a danger
Gus enemy into an excellent friend by
creating in the Chagres Valley an arti-
fetal lake 163 miles in area, eighty-fve
feet above the sea, controlled by the
great dam and spillway at Gatun.
Enough is saved In excavation here 10
more than pay the cost of the lock sys-
TEN. and makes the entire length of the
oxcavated channel about twice as wide
as the proposed sea level canal. saving
i've years time and in FIVE years the use
of $3.50, 900 investment"
Obstacles Overcome
He then dissects the entire procedure
since the first inception of the canal
plans by United States engineers and
shows that every obstacle raised has
been overcome by them AS the locks
are In duplicate. he declares. the danger
of a stoppage Of traffic is minimized
end each Of them is ample for a ship
more than 80 per cent greater in ton
mage than any now in commission.
His figures on the cost are iluminat-
ing. Admitting that certain preliminary
estimates were too low, that plans have
been changed for SafeIy's sake. and
that labor is more expensive. he says
that the completed canal will represent
TO the United States exactly $360,O0O.OJ
which will be later reduced by salvage
ON the construction plant And he con-
ciudes significantly:
'sThe canal viii be built inside Of the
time estimated. There is manifest all
along the line a spirit or earnestness,
confidence, cooperation. and a general
whoiesOmeness Of life which makes OF
this narrow forty-three-mile strip the
best construction camp that the world
las ever seen, and one of which Ameri-
cans should be proud
What Frenchman Says.
Bunau-Varilla sums UP the objections
10 the lock canal type IN the following
arraignment.
when in use it may be crippled by
the wrong name Iver Of warship or yes
sci in transit.
May be destroyed by dynamite-laden
ships exploding
MAY be crippled in war time by
Girships or submarines.
May be crippled by an earthquake
''In addition there are certain and un-
6vOidable limits TO the life of lock
canal"
Taking up the details of his argument
engineer declares the Gatun dam site is
dangerous. that its location is bad, and
that the material surrounding il is OF
a character that may bring disaster at
any time through the water seeping
through the sandstone and blue clay.
He. places the maximum number of
lockages per twenty-four hours at
thirty-seven, instead Of ffty-three. as
claimed by the commission.
Cannot Supply Water
This canal, as now being constructed,
cannot possibly supply sufficient water
for increasing commerce. nor afford
room enough for the large ships OF the
future" he declares.
He advocates the Straits OF Panama"
canal. which, he says, would follow a
sea level canal, as the tides would aid
IN work or excavation The French
type OF dredge instead Of the steam
shovels now being used. he asserts,
would have greatly cheapened the cost
OF the sea-levei type. He states that
the figures fixed by the Canal Commis-
sion for excavation, especially for re-
moving rock, are eleven times too great