The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1910-02-24
Panama Canal Expenditures

by meeting the expenditures on the
Panama canal with the proceeds of
oohd issues we have enough cash in the
treasury TO meet the deficit In our or
cinary expenses for the current year
and If we meet the expenditures on the
Panama canal for the following year
We we sRatI nave a surplus of sS5.0o0.oo0;
OF, III the revenue producing capacity
OF the new tarim keeps up to its present
Indications. this surplus may be in
creased to $50, 600 900 on the other
hand, If the congress proposes to add
10 the expenditures of the government
over those estimated for new enter
prlses In the river and harbor bin and
TOT Inc construction OF the federal
buildings under a building act, 1t will
De easy TO consume or exceed the en-
tire surplus
OF providing for the payment of the
canal expenditure by bonds This is
a work OF permanent character and
seems only fair that that which we
provide in such a generous measure for
posterity should be paid for, in part at
least. by posterity.
Not only is such a principle Just in
the case like the Panama canal, but it
seems 10 be appropriate TO adopt it
with reference to other projects. 1 re-
fer 10 those definite projects that have
been agreed even in respect to the i'm
proNement OF our inland waterways.
l would not begin the expenditure of
any money on any project the wisdom
of which had not been fully vindica ted;
the Improvement. it ought not to be
done by fits and starts. but it ought to
be done as one job.
Cost of Big Ditch
While l am dealing with the Pana-
ma canal, however. / ought to refer to
the discrepancy between the estimated
cost Of the enterprise and the actual
cost as we are now able to fix 1t with
considerable accuracy within four or
five wears of IFS COmnlpfiOn
The estimated cost of the engineer
ing and construction of the canal was
Sl39, 100000. Its actual cost for engin
eering and construction will be $751;
o0O, 900, an increase of S157300, 900.
This increase is to be explained. first.
by the great appreciation in the cost
of labor and material since the time
when the estimated was made in 1900
and the time when the work was done
between 1908 and 1903; second. by the
fact that the canal has been enlarged
substantially beyond the original di-
mansions estimated for.
The CuIebra Cut
You know that the great work of
eXcava tion in the canal is called the
Culebra cut This is where the back
bone of the continent reduced to low
est height is cut and through five miles
of that cut. which is about nine miles
long, for purposes of economy, the orig
inal plan and estimate made the bot
tom of the canal in the rock 200 feet
wide. This would not enable two of
the largest steamers TO pass each other
with safety.
To avoid delay it has been thought
wise to increase the bottom width from
200 To goo feet in place. and in mate
rial that. of course, makes the change
most expensive. So too. that the canal
may be adapted to largest size of
steamers, the dimensions of the six
locks have been increased from 500 feet
to 1000 feet usuable length and ITO
feet width. This was done at the in
stance of the navy department. which
predicts vessels of a beam exceeding
100 feet.
II has also been found necessary to
change the character Of the canal on
the Pacific side from a lake with a dam
and locks on the shore of the bay of
Panama to a sea level canal running
four miles inland, so as to remove the |
locks four miles inward and beyond !
the possible reach of the guns of an
enemy in Panama bay. These two |
changes also have added considerably |
to the cost.