Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-09-03

excavation considerably in advance OF
the date fixed for opening the canal
, Jan. l, 1915. Indeed. shall be
surprised if the canal cannot be
opened six months or even year in
advance Of the time set.
The work has two great features:
! The Culebra cut, which l have been
, considering, and the great dam at Ga
tun. The latter is to imprisOn the
waters of the Chargers. and other
streams into a lake with an area of
l64 square miles. This work is ad-
vancing steadily, and just as success
| fully as the work on the Culebra cut.
/ The water which is ultimately to fill
the lock is now flowing through the
concrete spillway in the center of the
dam. the Chagres having been divert.
ed from its bed and placed under COM
plete control. The construction of
the dam has advanced sufficiently to
convince the engineers in charge of
the work of its absolute stability and
imperviousness. The concrete work
on the lock is advancing so rapidly
that the first double set at Gatun will
DC IAlo COIhlA6 A>OF ClAOCl,
and the engineer in charge has an
nounced that all the concrete in all
the locks will be in place two years
hence. The date of final completion
and formal opening of the canal to
the commerce of the world will be
determined by the time consumed in
placing the great steel gates, emer-
gency dams, and all appliances for
operating the locks. But those in
charge of the work announce without
hesitation that everything will be fin.
ished we'll in advance of January /,
1915.
This is stupendous record of
achievement. AS a people We are
rather fond of criticising ourselves.
and sometimes with very great JUS
tice; but even the most pessimistic
critic should sometimes think of what
is to our credit Among our assets
of the past ten years will be placed
the extraordinary ability, integrity,
and success with which we have han
died all the problems inherited as the
result of the Spanish war; the way
we have handled ourselves in the
Philippines, in Cuba, in Porto RIGA,
in San Domingo and in Panama. The
cruise of the battle feet around the
world was striking proof that we
had made good with the navy; and
what We have done at Panama repre-
sents the accomplishment of one of
the great feats of the ages. 1t is a
feat which reflects the highest honor
upon our country, and our gratitude is
due to every man who has taken an
honorable part in any capacity in the
bringing about its performance.
We now have a further duty to per-
form in connection with it. and that
is to fortify it, We are in honor
bound to fortify it ourselves, and only
by so doing can we effectively guar
antee its neutrality, and, moreover,
effectively guarantee that it shall not
be used against US. The shief material
advantage one of the chief
material advantages-which We shall
gain by its construction is the way
in which it will, for defensive pur-
poses. double the power of the United
States navy. To refuse to fortify it,
and, above all, TO consider for a mo-
ment such an act of utter weakness
and folly as to invite other nations
to step in and guarantee the NATURAL
ity of this purely American work land
thereby really to make it certain that
in the event of war we should find
the canal used against US, our fleets
would be forbidden to pass through
it. or else our opponents fleets per-
mitted toy, would be to incur, and
quite rightfully. the contempt of the
world; it would mean the complete
abandonment of the Monroe Doctrine;
it would be wicked blow to our pres
tlge on the Pacific; and, moreover, it
would be in its essence treason to the
destiny Of the Republic.