Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-18
TAFT SAYS CANAL
PROGRESS GREAT
Declares Results Show Lock Type
of Ditch Are Preferable
to Sea Level
(Associated Press)

COLON, Panama, Nov. 17.-PreSl-
dent Taft sailed for Charleston at 6
o'clock this evening aboard the ar
mored cruiser Tennessee, after four
interesting days on the Isthmus.
Before leaving the president said:
This is the fifth time I have visited
the Isthmus, and l have gone over the
whole line and looked into every part
of the improvements. 1t is about
twenty-five months since 1 was last
here, and in that time the progress
made has been most satisfactory. In
deed it has been remarkable
THE first thing that strikes one is
the fact that work is being done ap-
parently on every foot of the hfty
miles of the canal and done under an
organization of men, plants and mate
rials that operates as economically and
effectively as if it were a machine
with Goethals in control of the lever.
"When l was here twenty-five
montns ago the main question was the
confirmation of the judgment of con-
gress in having adopted a lock type
canal instead Of a sea level. The eX-
tent to which Gatun dam and the locks
have been completed has removed
from every impartial observer the
slightest doubt of the wisdom of the
decision made and the feasibility of
the plan adopted. This conclusion is
further confirmed and clinched by the
difficulty oCCasiOned by slides in Gu
Zebra cut which for a canal Of 185-foot
level necessitated only an additional
excavation that could readily be taken
care of.
ATTACKS SEA LEVEL CANAL
ANY attempt, however, to sink a
canal in Culebra to a depth of eighty
five feet below the present proposed
level would lengthen the time of con-
struction, wear the patience of the
Americans, make the cost almost pro-
hibitory and leave 1t an exceedingly
doubtful question whether with the diff
ficuty presented by the Chagres river
such a canal would be possible at all.
THE Gatun dam lock with the lake
already Is feet and slowly rising, to a
level Of S5 feet, which will constitute
the kew to the whole plan of the canal,
is so far advanced that, taken with
Culcbra cut and the locks on the Pa
cifc side, a definite picture is given OF
what the canal is to be, which inspires
one with eagerness for it's completion.
"'The work is so far advanced that
the time has come for the discussion
of PLANS for the management and main
tenance Of the canal"
BOILERMAKERs STRIKE
on the eve of President Taft's de-
partnre 100 boilermakers, dissatisfied
that 'after hearing their complaints last
evening, the president would give no
immediate answer to their demands
gave I'VE days notice Of quitting their
work and sailing for home. Several or
the unions Of machinists and black
smiths are threatening similar action.
It is not proposed to strike. but
simply to resign and leave the lsthmus.
Only hourly employees, constituting 20
per cent of the force, are likely to be
affected, The canal officials are IN
dignant at these employees for trying
to force their demands, which the Of
ficials regard as unreasonable.
President Taft promised to consider
the matter fully and cable his answer
from Charleston, but this did not sat
isfy some Of the hot-headed among
the boilermakers.
President Taft I'D the hourly en-
nloyes who demanded 10 cents an hour
Increase and six weeks instead of two
weeks vacation with pay that he
thought more vacation than they were
receiving was justified.