Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-11-25
TAFT TALKS OF CANAL WORK
President Back at Washington After
His Recent Trip.
NO ExTRA SESSION OF CONaREss
Message 70 Body Now Takes Preced
ence over All other Business--
No Appointments Except
for Consultation.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 24-President Taft
returned to Washington tonight after hav-
ing stopped a day at Richmond, Va, on
his way from the isthmus Of Panama. The
president announced soon after his arrival
that he would make no engagements in
the next five days. In that time he hopes
to have his message to congress completed
Only cabinet officers and others with
whom the president desires to consult re-
garding his message will be formally re-
ceived at the White House. The document
will be ready either the night Of November
2S or early on the 18th. The president will
deal in the message with his visit to Pan
anna, making recommendations on a num-
Der Of subjects which he desires consid-
cred and discussed with view to early
legislation.
Coincdent with the presidents return II
was learned there is not the slightest
chance for an extra session OF congress
following the coming short session. Mr.
Taft It is said, sees no necessity for call
ing congress to sit after March 4
Talks Of the Canal.
President Taft had an interesting day in
Richmond the most important features Of
which were an informal address on the
Panama canal at the luncheon given in his
honor and an address before the Virginia
Educational conference
The presidents Panama canal speech was
listened to with the greatest interest. He
attempted in a brief way to describe the
satisfactory conditions he found and
aroused intense enthusiasm by his predic-
ton that the canal would be open we'll In
advance of the official date Of opening,
January 1, 1915. He declared that II neces-
sity demanded he believed American bat
tleships could be sent through the water
way by January 1, 1913
What the American people want" said
Mr.. Taft, IF understand 1t, is the prompt
completion of the canal and they are will
ing to pay fairly for It. It does not require
the imagination of the engineer to see that
the canal is there and being put through
and II will be great canal"
The president went into some detail in
dealing with the problem presented by the
Chagres river and declared the lock and
lake plan finally adopted was the only
feasible one for controlling the turbulent
stream.
I'VE are engaged in taking out Of the
Culebra cut" continued the president IAN
average per month Of of 100000 cubic
yards. We are taking out Of the other
2,SO00OO cubic yards. If IL were excavation
only, we would not have so much difficulty,
because it would then be completed about
January l. 1913, but there are those great
lock structures for instance, at Gatun,
which are nearly a mile long and 800 feet
wide, with a wall on the outside forty feet
In width and a wall in the middle of fifty
feet in width.
I'VE are engaged now Tn laying that
concrete at the rate of about $500 cubic
yards a day on each side. The men in
each division are full of a spirit Of COM
petition to see which group can do more
yardage in day at a lower cost. Between
them they do about 5000 cubic yards in
day.
If you will calculate that you will find
that itlmal1es a mass OF concrete that II is
difficult to imagine any machinery will lay
in day Of from eight to twelve hours. The
sides Of one lock on the Gatun side have
been practically completed so that we are
able to look at It and realize what II was.
Il think generally the people of the
United States favor a sea level canal.
They thought of a lock and its gates as
difficult and complicated machinery, and
they thought the lifting of a vessel of
5000 tons by machinery would present OBJ
stacles every time a steamer went through.
But the advantage of visiting the
isthmus is to confirm the judgment Of the
engineers in the mind of the layman that
that thing Is now easy. 1t is shaping IT.
self The dam which seemed such a ire
mendous work Is long way toward compile
ton, and when you walk over Il you don't
realize that 1t is dam. 1t is so long, 1t
seems as II 1t were a work Of nature IT.
self