The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1910-12-13

Following are the remarks and re-
concentrations on the Panama Canal
in President Taft's message to Con
gress:
At the instance of Colonel Goethals,
the army engineer officer in charge
of the work on the Panama Canal, l
have just made a visit to the isthmus
to inspect the work done and to con-
suit with him on the ground as to
certain problems which are likely to
arise in the near future The progress
of the work is most satisfactory. If
no unexpected obstacle presents it.
self, the canal will be completed well
within the time. fixed by Colonel Goe-
thals, to wit, January l, 1915, and with
in the estimate of cost, 1915, 100000.
Press reports have reached the Unit
ed States from time to time giving ac-
counts of slides of earth of very large
yardage in the Culebra cut and else
where along the line, from which it
might be inferred that the work has
been much retarded and that the time
of completion has been necessarily
postponed.
, The report of Doctor Hayes of the
Geological Survey, whom l sent with.
in the last month to the Isthmus to
make an investigation, shows that this
section of the canal zone is composed
.of sedimentary rocks of rather weak
structure and subject to almost i'm
mediate disintegration when exposed
to the air. Subsequent to the deposi.
ton of these sediments, igneous rocks,
harder and more durable, have been
thrust into them, and being cold at
the time of their intrusion united but
indifferently with the sedimentary
rock at the contacts. The result of
these conditions is that as the cut is
depened, causing unbalanced pressure,
slides from the sides of the cut have
occurred. These are in part due to
the flowing of surfare soil and decom
posed sedimentary rocks upon inclin.
ed surfaces of the underlying unde
composed rock and in part by the
crushing of structurally weak beds un
der excessive pressure. The slides oc
cur on one side or the other of the
cut through distance of four or five
miles, and now that their character is
understood, allowance has been made
in the calculations of yardage for the
amount of slides which will have tt
be removed and the greater slope that
will have to be given to the bank in
many places in order to prevent theil
recurrence. Such allowance does not
exceed ten millions of yards. Con
sidering that the number of yards re
moved from this cut on an average OF
each month through the year is 1900,
900, and that the total remaining to be
excavated, including slides, is about
3O,OOO,OOO yards it is seen that this
addition to the excavation does not
offer any great reason for delay.
While this feature of the material
to be excavated in the cut will not Sc
riously delay or obstruct the con
struction of a canal of the lock type
the increase of excavation due to such
slides in the cut made eighty-five feet
deeper for a sea level canal would GER
tainly have been so great as to delay
it's completion to a time beyond the
patience of the American people.
Among questions arising for present
solution is the decision whether the
canal shall be fortified. have al
ready stated to the Congress that
strongly favor fortihcation and I now
reiterate this opinion and ask youl
consideration of the subject in the