The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-16

1 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 eoallng fa- cilities?"
 We will have to have docks and stor- age capacity for at least 20O.oo0 tons of coal, and we shall also need storage at each terminal for something like So.0Oo barrels of fuel oil. Many of the steamers of the Pacific are now burning oil, and we have to provide also space for any addi- tional storage that may be required in the future The coal dock on the Atlantic will be such that many steamers can coal at one time It will be at least ZOO feet long The chief depots for coal will be on the Aeltntie end. the present plans providing for 200, 600 tons of coal there andabout s0.ooo tons on the Pacific side
 The Cities of the Canal
 '1s it your idea. Mr. Rousseau, that great cities will grow up at the two ends of the canal?"
 No; and so far the commissioners have not thought 1t advisable to encourage 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 will be ample room in Christobal for all he Americans at Panama. Colonel Goethals does not believe that the zone should be populated, for the reason that such pop ulation might eomplieate matters in case the canal should need to be defended in time of war.
 AS to cities at the termini," continued Mir Rousseau, we have ample room both at Christobal 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, adjoining Balboa. These will con- sist of an administration building and the necessary houses for employees, The ad- ministration offices will be large enough to accommodate tie heads of the depart ment and clerks, and the houses will be for them and she employees engagd in the shops and in the various, docks and wharvs"
 'sBut suppose Uncle Sam should want to establish great free port at Panama, where goods from all parts of the world might be exchanged Such facilities have had much to do with building up Ham, burg and some others of the great sea ports of Europe.
 HI doubt whether that would be ad- visable, but, if so. it is a question for the future'
 The Docks at Balbo "Can you give me some idea of what we should have at the terminus on the PaciHc?" I asked
 We 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 future. Our plans propose a coal dock 1000 feet long and fuel stations on the hills s) connected with this by pipes that the oil will flow right down Into the steamers We shall have repair shops and, con- nected with them. marine railroads of large size. so that examinations and re- pairs of tugs, barges and similar small vessels may be made under water with out taking them into the large docks"
 And then as to the dry doeks.' contin- ned MT. Rousseau. "Tt is pgoposed to build one at Balboa so big that It will handle any vessel that can pass through the locks. This dry dock will be near the end of the auxiliary coalins station, and 1t will be entered from the canal channel through slip 400 feet long,
 Whats are tho present arrangement for handling freight at Baboa?"
 ''They are not sufficient for the traffic. T he only facilities consist of a steel wharf about thousand feet long which was built by the French, and wooden extension much shorter The latter was constructed since we began our berth here. These two wharfs can berth only i've vessels at once. and ct present the steamships making Balboa port of call