El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-06-15

| though the repair shops at Balboa VIII
/ probably be the larger. We have now
small repair hop at CristObal and an
( old dry dock there. built by the French,
which we have been using for our work
on that side Of the isthmus.'
Great COaling Facilities.
what are your plans as to eoaling
/ facilities %
eve will have to have docks and stor-
/ age capacity for at least 100000 tons of
! coal, and we shall also need storage at
| each terminal for something like $4,000
! barrels of fuel oil. Many of the steam
! ers of the Pacific are now burning oil
and we have to provide also space for
any additional storage that may be re-
quired in the future. The coal dock
on the Atlantic viii be such that many
steamers can coal at one time. 1t viii
! be at least 1000 feet long. The chief
depots for coal viii be on the Atlantic
end, the present plans providing for
100000 tons of coal there. and about
$4,000 tons on the Pacific side.
The Cities Of the Canal
rs it Your idea Mr.. Rousseau, that
great cities viii grow up at the two ends
of the canal1'
NO; and so far the commissioners
have not thought it advisable to en-
courage that plan. The present opinion
Is that the population of the Canal Zone
should be reduced to the minimum, and,
as far as We now see, we believe that
there viii be ample room IN CrstObal
for all the Americans at Panama. Col.
GOethals does not believe that the zone
should be populated, for the reason that
such a population might eOmpEcate
matters in case the canal should need
to be defended in time of war.
as to cities at the terminal" con-
tinued Mr. Rousseau. eve have ample
room both at CristObal and at Balboa
to build them If it should be deemed
advisable but it seems now as though
Colon and Panama could furnish all
commercial facilities. If our present
plans are adhered to we shall have a
canal headquarters on SOsa Hill, ad-
Joining Balboa. These VIII consist
of an administration building and the
necessary houses for employees The
administration offices viii be large
enough to accommodate the heads of the
departments and clerks. and the houses
viii be for them and the employees en-
gagged in the shops and IN the various
docks and wharves.'
But suppose Uncle Sam should want
to establish Il great free port at Panama,
where goods from all parts of the world
might be exchanged. Such facilities
Hamburg and some others of the great
seapOrts Of Europe
81 doubt whether that would be ad-
visable. but. If so. it Is a question for
the future
Can You Tot give me some idea of
what we should have at the terminus on
the Pacific 1 asked.
I'VE shall need about a mile Of dock
frontage outside the cOaling docks, and
we shall prepare a sufficient area that
can be kept for the extension of the
water frontage as required IN the iu-
ture- Our plans propose a e0al DOCK
1000 feet long and fuel stations on the
hills so connected with this by pipes /
that the oil viii flow right down INTO
the steamer. We snail have repair shops /
and. connected with them. marine rail |
roads of large size, so that examinations |
and repairs OF tugs, barges and similar |
small vessels NAV be made under water /
without taking them into the large dry 1
docks"
And then as to the dry dock" con-
tInued Mr.. Rousseau 1t Is proposed I
to build one at Balboa so big that 1t 4
Will handle any vessel that can pass {
through the locks. This dry dock VIII /
be near the end of the auxiliary cOaling /
station and 1t VIII be entered from the /
canal channel through a slip 400 feet /
long"
"What are the present arrange
nents for handling freight at Balboa -
They are not sufficient for the traf- I
tic. The only facilities consist of q
steel wharf about a thousand feet long
which was built by the French and
Z wooden extension much broader. The
latter was constructed since we began
rtrI- -Irrrr-r D
,an berth only five vessels at once, and
1t present the steamships making Bal
Goa port Of cali are often delayed. Z
This condition Is being remedied by /
he construction Of a concrete wharf
lbOut 200 feet long. which will afford
.wO additional berths This Is being
made by the Panama railroad with its
own funds, but 1t has been so located
hat if congress should authorize the
construction we outlined 1t viii fit in
% it and become a part thereof Our
'lans are such that additional wharves /
an be constructed from time to time
Is needed
Making the Canal Pay.
The conversation here turned again to
he repair shops proposed. and admiral
Rousseau said:
There Is one thing that I think
hould be clearly stated. and this is
hat we hope to put the docks. wharves
IND repair facilities on a strictly COM
nercial basis. We want them to be
elf supporting and to make the charges
sufficient to cover the first cost and
llsO their maintenance and operation.
In addition we hope that they VIII
BRING in something to augment the reve-
lues Of the canal We want the best
If terminal facilities for the vessels
which use the canal, but we also want
70 make them sources Of revenue to the
anal They viii, in no appreciate de-