The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1911-04-01
Prophecy of Great Engineer

ocean, and not be costly He was al
most heart-broken when 1t became APP
parent 10 him that the government
would decide in favor of the present
Panama canal project.
During conversation that / had
with Gen. Serrell in 1894, when discus
sion over the probable government
canal across the Isthmus Of Panama
was attracting great deal OF atten-
ton, asked the general how he had
become interested in the construction
OF canal along the San Bias route, In
view OF the fact that, about half way
between the two oceans a great noun
tain stood exactly in the pathway Of
his projected canal
San Bias route is due to two Of my
earlier experiences as an engineer"
was the reply. 'In the first place,
was one of the engineers employed by
Commodore William Aspinwall to
make a survey of the Panama railroad
across the Isthmus of Panama so as to
shorten the route between the Atlantic
coast and San Francisco in California
gold days. That experiment made me
very familiar with the isthmus; we
went all over the San Bias route be-
fore deciding upon our final survey for
the Panama railroad.
I'm the next place, my experience
with the Hoosac tunnel, one of the
most exciting experiences of my life,
led me 10 realize how easily the San
Bias route could be constructed in
spite Of the mountain that towers in it's
mus.
1.-THE state of Massachusetts had au-
thorized the construction of a tunnel
under the great Hoosac mountain. That
meant tunneling through solid rock
about four and three-quarters miles,
and at the base Of mountain some
500 feet in height. Tunneling at that
time had not advanced 30 fa- as 1t has
at present. The great problem with
us was to be sure that the two bor-
ings. one for the west and the other
from the east, would meet exactly at
the center.
You can't imagine how exciting and
apprehensive we were as the workmen
from either end approached each 9TH
err. At last one day the rocks were
pierced from the east to the west, and
the drills met with deviation of only
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, II we
could cut the Hoosac tunnel SO accu.
rately as that, we could easily tunnel
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 sim
pie question OF draughting. But with
that mountain tunneled in that way
any ship could pass through, we shoult
have perfect sea-level canal only 81
miles long. the mountain tunneling be
ing only i've miles. and good natura
harbors at either end.
Il suppose that II It had not beel
for my experience on tho isthmu
when surveying the Panama railroad
and my work as the engineer Il
charge Of the Hoosac tunnel construc
ton. l never should have thought o
the San Bias interoceanic canal route
And tell you," the great engineer add
ed emphatically land who dares I
deny prophetically? that II our GOV
eminent decides upon the Panam
or the Nicaraguan route. the day VII
surely come In the next century whe
an interoceanic canal will be construc
ed by private capital via the San Bla
route. And whenever that time Gomez
let the government canal look out "a
competition
Copyright. 1910 by f. ]. Edwsr1A 4
Rights R<ssrvslD