The sun., 1909-06-15
THE BATTLE or THE LEVELS.
The UnmistakabIe Lesson OF the Catss-
trophe at the 500.

To THE EDITOR OF The SuN-si: do
not ask you to requote all my references to
the cstastrophes In the locks Of the Wei
land and Manchester canals, but think q
brief citation from TIE Sun Of April 20
10 apropos:
| What q beautiful dream II Is to contemplate
huge steamers, forbidden 10 turn over their en-
gines, hetng whisked through the locks In an hour
and a halfs time for both Gets OF the enormous
stairs that are proposed as monuments To en-
| cheering skill"i A mile aud hAlfs total haul
by hypuouc eiecsffc winches that ale always TO
| be In order, run by ren more than human, wind
| ing cables that shall never break. hsltng the
enormous momentum Of . vessel at Just the nsht
moment, and handling tho craft with lightning
| rapidity and divine accuracy In the marrow locks
| subject 10 sudden and terrino windstorms ana
the binding pail Of tropical foesi
Doubtless shipping men who now In New York
waste half an hour In bri iginR vessel alongside
a wharf with yielding piles by the aid OF her pro
peller, helping tugs and several strong lines and
powerful winches TO mAnPuvre tho steamer IN
ample dock room. will be charmed with tho les
| sors 10 be fought at the Panama locks (provided
Of course the dam doesn't follow the railroad en-
bankment and that the prayers OF the lock advo-
Gates close the network OF assures under the lake,
Now the Idol has fallen and broken
and been carried away with the rush OF
the 500 as in the other lock ship canals!
No longer now can a certain technical
editor flap his wings and cackle about there
never having been a serious accident at
! the 500 locks! A frost Is fallen on the naive
citations OF the record OF the 500 as an
excuse FOR tine unnecessary Panama looks
set on insecure foundations In an earth
quake region located at the ends Of a lake
OF which the leading Government army en-
gineer, Major W. l.. sibert, admits 1t Is more
than doubtful whether 1t will hold water.
Now the change must be made to sea
level not because that is the type advo-
Gated by all the worlds ship canal en-
gineers; not because such preeminent
American engineers as Burr and Parsons
believe sea level quicker and cheaper than
the lock type; not because Of the grave
fundamental dangers that Lindenthal has
pointed out as precluding the reasonable
consideration OF the lock type; not because
the united voice Of the navy and the shippers
demands sea level: not because Wallace
believes q 800 foot sea level canal feasible
for less money than the lock type in Mr..
| Taft's first term: not because that master
analyst Bunau-verilla has shown the glar-
ing Inconsistencies OF the look arguments:
not because methods have been suggested
approved by such renowned mechanicians
lower all estimates OF time and cost not for
any OF these-the change to sea level must
be made because the wilfully blind lock ad-
vocates have now lost their last shadow Of
an excuse and have now not even the SEM
blance OF a peg on which to hang their
childish attempts At reasoning. The safe.
sure and everlasting sea level type must
now be adopted because there is no longer
any suspicion OF an argument for any other
type that could be used by any man whose
mental condition Is such as TO justify his
being at large.
The letter In your issue Of June 1 regard
ing the current flows In time OF food In
various widths OF sea level canal from
sir. Bunau-vxrilla was exceedingly inter-
estins. 30 many valuable data have been
supplied by this brilliant Frenchman that
I read eagerly all that comes from his pen.
There Is no question OF the superiority Of
the 500 foot width OF canal he advocates
over the 900 foot width. According to ac-
cepted maritime standards in the former
two steamers could pass under full speed.
while In the latter one OF them would have
to slow down while passing. II Is simply
a question OF continued service and value
received for the investment. In the 800 foot
size every ton or twenty years flood would
cause . shutdown for few hours-poesl-
bly, day or two. II such rare Interruptions
Of transit are not to be tolerated. then It
would seem advisable to build snow sheds
over the railroads between New York and
Washington as protection against the
blizzards that stop the traffic every ton years
or 90.
When the canal is completed dredse will
have TO be on hand 10 keep the mouths
clean. which will require but little Of its
time. There 10 no reason why this dredge
should not when at liberty gradually
proceed with the widening OF the canal.
Again, am convinced that the excavation
by huge dredscs. the shattering by multiple
unit power ram barges and the towing to
sea in scows can be done for so far less than
any one but Mr.. Bunau-varills has dared
10 put into print that II 10 quite likely that
when the costs are shown by experience
Congress will call for the wider type. which
will take some months longer to complete
but not delay the opening to traffic or
proporttonately increase the cost.
A Arecent issue OF the Army and Nary Jour
nal takes exception to my letter In The
Battle OF the Levels Of May 20 as being
charge that President Roosevelt packed"
the recent board for particular purpose.
That journal quotes: "A study Of the con-
stitution OF the recent board. the history.
atiiliatious and obligations OF its members
cannot fail to convince anybody that their
appointment was evidence on the part OF
the late Executive Of q desire that his re-
versal OF sane and safe engineering in adopt
ing the minority report Of the inexperienced
members OF the 1905 board should at all
events be bolstered and upheld. Certainly
1t was recognized among all engineers and
some editors that their report could not be
other than the whtewash that resulted"
agree with the Army and Navy editor
that this is intimation that Mr.. Roosevelt
saddled on Mr.. Taft . packed" board.
Mr.. Roosevelt was . great man. . very
great man. not only In his own estimation
but In that OF many others. am on
record as TO a sincere belief In his posi-.
BILE great future usefulness to humanity.
But in the United States there 10 no law OF
lese majesty. and the motives and intents
OF the President are subject to frank and
public Interpretation from his acts. In
the case In point when the famous minority
whose report was unfortunately adopted
against the unanimous consensus OF the
experienced majority engineers. concurred
In by Wallace. who laid out the work In the
most trying period. and their estimate OF
progress had been shown to be less than Q
third OF the realization: when their Pacific
dams on which they staked their reputa-
tions could not be made to stand up; when
their theory OF stability for the Gatun dam
had been found In error: when the possi-
bility Of the formation OF the lake owing
to the tremendous underground flow had
been found extremely dubious--it would
seem that q fair minded Executive would
hays choaAn n hoard that ahoulh havA h>>c