, 1909-05-05
REPORTS GATUN DAM SOLID AND
SOUND.

Allen Hazou, who was . member Of the
Board OF Engineers which accompanied
President Taft to Panama to investigate
the truth or fulsipy Of the criticisms that
were directed for SO many months against
a canal Of tie lock type, told the mem
bers Of the New York Uniyers8list CIub
last night the results Of that investigation.
The occasion was the 1884 dinner Of the
Club, which was held in the Hotel ST.
Dennis, aud ut which Mr.. Ha8on was the
guest of honor.
Before we went to the Isthmus, snid
Mr.. Hazon, president Taft told the
board Of which / was q member that he
wanted us to look at the work from all
points, to study it in all Of it's phases, and
that If we discovered any Weaknesses any
whore we were to say so and he would
do what he could to remedy them. SO we
went there with power to ask all the ques-
tons necessary.
The canal now being built, when it is
finished, will be large enough to permit the
safe passage Of vessels 40 feet wide and
1000 feet long, and navigators who are
familiar With the work down there have
told me that they will be able to make
the passage from ocean to ocean quicker
and safer in the lock type than they could
AsN A@A LuO 6CA-4ONOA ~ 20 SOCh OC4C4O
upon.
GAS for the Gatun Dam, / had heard Of
the alleged percolation Of the water through
this dam, and so ! took down with me
apparatus to find out what caused this
percoletion. But when we saw the Gatun
Dam it was o revelation, Instead of the
soft, mushy materials of which we had
heard, we found the hardest kind Of strong
clay, and that instead Of being a dam made
of materials through which water can per
colete it was, and IS, In fact, water tight.
There were no conditions existing such
as had boon reported, and there can be no
question OF the ability of the dam to hold
the depth Of water proposed.
''Then those slips at Gatun, which we're
probably more than anything else the
reason Of our going to Panama There
again We were pleasantly surprised. What
did happen did not alarm the engineers at
all, and it was in fact the very best thing
that could have happened for the dam.
But what3 happened did excite the news
paper mon, who telegraphed about it to
the United States. We 9 amined these
slips, and when we had seen it oil and
realized what had happened we told Mr..
Taft and Col. Goethals That it was all right.
and that the work could start ahead again.
There can be no reason to doubt the strength
of the Gatun Dam III any way.
"Then the earthquake question l am
certain that there has not been an earth
quake in the Isthmus in 200 years. This is
proved by the old ruins, which we examined
closely, aud not in d single instance did we
find an earthquake crack iii them. Panama
is not an earthquake country. There may
be gu earthquake down there some day, but
as for that matter, there may be one in New
York too, some of these days.
'Let me say a word Of the sanitary sftua-
ton on the Isthmus. I saw only half a doz-
en- mosquitoes while l was there, and they
were shown as curiosities. The yellow fever
is gone and the malaria practically eliminat-
ed. The food supply is under Government
control, and all the water is sterilized, and
to-day In my opinion the Isthruus Of Pana-
is a healthier place than the City Of New
Had the French mastered the mos
quito I cannot help but think that they
would have finished their Canal. Ibid