Los Angeles herald., 1909-03-06
COLOMBIAN ENGINEER
FOR SEA LEVEL PLAN

NEW HAVEN. March 5.-Arguments
for the sea-level plan as opposed to the
lock system in the construction of the
Panama canal were given by Henry {.
Granger, an eminent engineer of Car
tagena, Colombia, at the opening ses-
sion of the annual meeting of the
American Institute of Mining Engineers
in North Sheffield hall, Yale university:
a Mr.. Granger who is intimately &C
quainted with geographical conditions
at the isthmuS. took a strong position
for the sea-level plan of construction on
the grounds of cheapness durability
and comparative rapidity of building.
Mr.. Granger said at the outset that
he did not suggest moments suspen-
sion of the splendid work now going on
at the sthmus.
The scheme of a lock canal, he said,
was adopted on two chief grounds, viz,
the greater expense of sea-leVel canal
and the longer time required for its
construction.
Further developments, he maintained,
have diminished the weight of both
theories, so that a reconsideration of
the question is warranted. The objec-
lions he made to lock conal sum-
married. were:
That the canal zone is not free of
earthquakes. He said that it was an
axiom in hydraulic engineering that if
live water starts through an earth dam
and is not quickly checked the entire
body of water will cut it's way out. He
was convinced that an earthquake
would injure the monster dam it is pro-
posed to raise to confine the Bohio lake.
Can the locks asked Mr.. Granger,
'be built so as to resume their func-
ton in a couple of days, or would the
mass of chumpled masonry and twisted
steel resulting require year or two to
repair?"
Secondly. the speaker thought that
the military aspect of the canal is its
most trivial feature. The approaches
could be guarded by the navy against
a visible foe, but what would hinder
submarines from launching torpedoes
against or airships from dropping cans
of nitroglycerine upon the locks
Thirdly Mr.. Granger pointed out the
liability of locks to accidents from
steamers going into them. failure
of the locks shortly after the opening
would mean a vast sum of money
wasted. Tropical fogs, which are fire.
quent. tropical winds. tropical burrow-
ers, protracted droughts during Feb
ruary, March and April due to trade
wind influences, the uncertainty of
foundations were some of the dangers
pointed out as liable to have a bearing
upon the canal.
Mr.. Granger then explained his ideas
of a method of building a sea-level
canal, the machinery ne would use ana
the means to be employed to overcome
the distractions. He submitted esti-
mates of completing q sea-level canal
in two years, the total being $751;
0S6,656.
Most of the machinery he would use
would be of the hydraulic dredge char
acter.
w L. Saunders of New York said
he believed the canal would be built in
a way satisfactory to the president
elect and his engineers. Personally he
had favored a sea-leVel canal and still
was of the opinion that the borings
could not be too deep. In his opinion
the work was being accomplished in
the most economical manner possible.
DIR. Raymond called his attention to
the fact that there was a discussion of
the methods of doing the work.
Mr. Saunders replied that the canal
should be built with the appliances
which have been proven feasible. He
argued that it is not the time for eX-
periments. If Mr.. Granger had a hy-
draulic method and a rock
method that would drive hole in the
Rocky mountains it was for Mr..
Granger to go to a small ditch first and
demonstrate that ii was practical he
fore trying to revolutionize the work at
Panama.
The papers read were mostly upon
technical subjects by w. t. Saunders
of New York, d. Foster Howett OF
Pittsburg and j. z. Sheridan of Silver
CITY. N. M.