Evening journal., 1910-12-01

most peculiar and romantic Of all the
batteries directed by the federal troops
in the Civil War.
In the latter years OF his life, which
totaled eighty years, General Serrell
was much occupied with his pet pro-
ject of building a ship canal across the
Isthnus of Panama along what he
called the San Bias route, which lay
some miles nearer the South American
continent than the Panama route. He
projected his canal from the Gulf OF
San Bias, on the Atlantic, to Pearl
Island harbor on the Pacific; and he
claimed that It could be built at sea
level and on q straight line, with no
locks, less than thirty miles from
ocean TO ocean, and not be costly. He
was almost heart-broken when 1t be-
came apparent to him that the gov
ernment would decide IN favor Of the
present Panama Canal project.
During o conversation that l had
with General Serrell in 1894, when dis
cussion over a probable government
canal across the Isthmus of Panama
was attracting a great deal OF atten-
ton, ! asked the general how he had
become interested in the construction
OF a canal along the San Bias route,
in view Of the fact that, about half
way between the two oceans a great
mountain stood exactly In the path
way Of his projected canal.
MY belief in the feasibility of the
San Bias route is due TO two Of my
earlier experiences as an engineer,
was the reply. "ln the first place, /
was one Of the engineers employed by
Commodore William Aspinwall to
make a survey for the Penama rail-
road across the Isthmus Of Panama,
so as to shorten the route between the
Atlantic coast and San Francisco in
California gold days. That experience
made me very. familiar with the
Isthmus; we went all over the San
Bias route before deciding upon our
! final survey for the Penama railroad.
"In the next place, my experience
I with the -Hoosac tunnel, one of the
most exciting experiences of my life,
led me to realize how easily the San
Bias route could be constructed in
spite of the mountain that towers in
! its pathway near the center of the
isthmus.
"The state OF Massachusetts had au-
thorized the construction Of tunnel
under the great Hoosac mountain.
Ndl ll0dhl III Ob6h oRAAA
| rock about four and throe-quarters
miles, and at the base of a mountain
some five hundred feet in height. Tun-
neling at that time had not advanced
so far as It mas at present. The great
problem with us was TO be sure that
the two borings, one for the west and
the other from the east, would meet
exactly at the center.
hr1r
and apprehensive we were as the
workmen from either end approached
each other. AT last, one day, the
rocks we're pierced from the east to
the west and the drills met with a
deviation Of only a little over an inch.
That was spoken of at the time as
great triumph of tunnel engineering.
Now, said to myself, when / came
to study this canal problem, if we
could cut the Hoosac tunnel so ac-
curately as that, we could easily tun-
mel the San Bias mountain, although
we might have to cut the tunnel a
hundred feet wide and a hundred and
fifty feet high. That, sir, would be a
simple question of draughting. But
with that mountain tunnelled in that
way, any ship could pass through, we
should have perfect Sea-leVel candl,
only thirty mile long, the mountain
! tunnelling being only five miles, and
good natural harbors at either end.
II suppose that II It had not been
for my experience on the lsthmus
when surveying for the Panama rail-
road, and my work as the engineer in
charge of the Hoosac tunnel construc-
tion, never should have, thought OF
the San Bias inter6ceanic canal route.
And tell you" the great engineer
added emphatically (and who dares to
deny propheticallyO that II our gov
eminent decides upon the Panama or
the Nicaraguan route, the day will
surely come I'M the next century when
an interoceanic canal will be con-
structed by private capital via the San
Bias route. And whenever that time
comes, let the government canal look
out for competition"
! Copyright, 1910. by T. J. Edwards
All rights reserved.)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell OF
@The Grave Question That a Presi-
| an,tsg nohfuof Side. .SfennQdr -