Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1913-10-28

On June ~. 1904. President Roose
welt had made the Dingley tariff ap
plicable to the canal zone. This work
ell badly. and Secretary Taft agreed to
have the order revoked. so that the ca
freest Of free trade. All other issues
were cleared up without the United
States yielding any freedom Of acton
as to importing materials, executing
justice. operating ship terminals and
supplying canal employees with the
necessaries Of life through commits
saries and hotels.
While Secretary Taft and Chief En-
gineer Wallace were working In their
spheres. Governor Davis was institut
ing the various departments Of civil
government which today are noted
with admiration by the tourist. Chief
Of Police Stanton was engaged in rid
ding the canal zone Of its bad men
and bringing population long without
restraint under the control Of regula
lions that the Americans considered
essentia! to orderly existence
From the first Mr.. Wallace ha l KEPT
close tab on the cost of excavating dirt
In the Culebra cut. The type - be
chosen being still an unknown factor.
ne was Ia some measure working in
the dark, except that the material re-
moved would be useful for any type.
provided the dumps were selected so
as later not to get in the way Of any
route chosen. In 1912 the Americans
had to remove d French dump near
Culebra to prevent its slipping down
into the cut. He finally announced Il
unit cost of so cents cubic yard for
either sea level or lock type canal.
Messrs. Parsons and Burr. the engi-
neering committee Of the commission,
after a personal inspection of the canal
zone and taking Mr.. WaIlace's esti-
mate. recommended a sea level type of
canal. 1t was to cost. exclusive of i'm
prOvements in Colon and Panama and
civil government In the canal zone.
$23O.5OO,OOO: Mr.. Wallace had caused
surveys to he made for lock type of
canal, and he estimated the cost Of
such canal. with summit level of
sixty feet elevation, to be $17S.O13. 4O6.
All estimates missed the real cost of
the respective types widely. Mr. Wal
lace's estimate of so cents yard for
excavation was far too low AS mat
ter Of record. the cost reached 80 cents
under Chief Engineer Stevens. rose
to 81 cents under Chief Engineer
Cocktails and only once fell below
the fifty cent estimate. in March. 1911,
when it fell to II cents a yard. The
average for the period from 1904 to
1911 was SO cents. The mistake was
made because solid rock underlay the
surface. neressitGting continuous blast
ing before it could be handled by the
steam shovels. while the working day.
which had been ten hours under Mr.
Wallace, was cut to eight hours under
Messrs. Stevens and Goethals. ana
wages rose sharply as well.
Persistent and vigorous complaints
from Mr. Wallace about the hindrances
Of governmental methods Of doing
business found receptive ear in Pres
ident Roosevelt. The executive was
just as eager to make the dirt fly as
Mr. Wallace and readily agreed that
commission of seven members was
an awkward and i'll working manage
ment for the peculiar conditions Of the
Job at Panama. Accordingly drastic
action was decreed.
Secretary Taft on March 20. 1905.
asked the entire commission to resign
Mr. Wallace was in Washington, and
the president and Secretary Taft fol-
lowed his suggestions almost to the let
ter, including the one that the chief
engineer be made member of the
commission.
On April I. 1905. the second isthmian
canal commission to be appointed by
President Roosevelt was announced.
Heading it was a new figure in canal
affairs, Theodore P. ShOnts. who play
ed n decisive part in the enterprise for
the ensuing two years. The personnel
vi Jue new cOIuullSSlOH was.
Theodore p. Shonts. chairman;
Charles e. MagoOn. governor of the
canal zone: John r. Wallace. chief en-
gineer: Mordecai r. Endicott. Peter G..
Hams. Oswald II. Ernst and Benjamin
NJ. Harrod.
There was the same number Of COM
missioners. but the first three were
named an executive committee which
virtually should exercise the powers of
the entire body. Thus power was TAX
en- from seven and concentrated in
three members. Mr.. ShOnts was to be
in charge of the Washington office and
Messrs. Wallace and Magoon on the
isthmus.
Again following Mr. Wallace's sug-
gestion. the directory of the Panama
railroad was reorganized. the United
States on April Is. 1905. for the first
time electing the members. Mr.. Shonts
was made president and Mr.. Wallace
vice president and general manager.
renuired tn nreSent the same to the