Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1913-05-30
SAYS OUR CANAL
WILL Be USELESS
French Writer P0sSimistiCAbOut
Panama Ditch.
LOCKS HOT BIG ENOUGH.

Increasing Size Of Ships viii Make It
impossible For the Biggest Vessels
to Pass Through the Channel as 1t Is
Being Made Now, Ayers NJ, Bunau-
yariIla In His Book.
Philippe Banau- Yarilla has just pub
llshed In France an interesting book Of
great bulk entitled "Panama--Its Crea-
ton, Destruction and Resurrection.
This deals with the whole history OF
tie enterprise from the most remote
beginnings to the present moment
He calls the book "a witness before
the bar Of history. explaining how the
sublime creation Of French genius was
rayished from the patrimony of France
and showing how French genius com
pletev solved the problem Of joining
the two oceans
In dealing with the international side
of the question he expresses these
views on the revolution which aeparat-
ed Panama from Coiombia:
COLOMBIA may say today that this
lection. This is true IL by protection
is understood solidarity in justice to
and in defense of legitimate interests.
But il did not arise from a plot hatch
ed by the American authorities. 1t de-
ycloped through parallel mo- omeuts
working at two distinct places toward
the same end-the completion of the
canal
From the moment of the first rev.
olutionary outbreak President Roose-
welt was careful to ayosl anything
that might resemble unworthy colu-
sion, Colombia may brandisb her
rights Of title over the isthmus, but
her case was that of Shylock claiming
d pound of flesh shylock's rights were
unqueslionabe, but it was impossible
for him to support his claim 1t IS the
same thing with Colombia's title to
Panama"
The Sea Level Idea.
The author discusses what he calls
the Bunau-v arilh idea-that Of lock
canal first and then a sea Level canal
He points ont that the date is still I'M
fixed for beginning the work Of trans
forming one into the other and says
that it should be done Immediately. as
no precautions were taken for the
transformation during construction Of
the locks
1.-THE engineers have obstinately re-
fused to make the necessary modifica-
ton for the application of my method
Of transformation, which would permit
Il gradual describing of the locks with
out interrupting navigation or dredging
at great depths Four or five years
will lie necessary for this preparatory
work 70 get into swing before the up
per levels of the canal can begin to
be lowered, Willie the transformation
itself win take ten years to carry out
Under the most favorable conditions,
says the writer, the lock canat will he
40 longer workable in twenty or TWEEN
ty-five years, perhaps after only fifteen,
1t is absolutely necessary. he asserts,
that it be turned into free strait for
the following reasons
"First, because the difference be-
tween the dimensions of the largest
ships now building ana the locks are
Mt most eighty feet in length and cev-
en- feet in width, which is merely a
strictly necessary margin. Thus in u
few years time the locks will be in
adequate to the needs of military and
commercial navigation
Second. because the canal must at
the earliest possible moment be re-
lieved of the menace of destruction
now overhanging it through the dan
gers to which the Gatun Dam is ex-
posed
Ditch Nay Leak.
Third, because of the danger that
the canal will lack sufficient water be
cause Of its escape through assures in
the banks
Fourth, because the huge volume
of traffic which win eventually thread
the canal win absolutely require a freef
waterway"
The book has been received with
great interest in Paris
German experts continue to express
doubts Of one kind or another on the
Panama canal question. The latest
writer in current magazine declares
that the canal will already be partial
ly antiquated when opened because the
locks are too small.
A comparison Of the Panama locks
with those of the new Kaiser VIII
helm canal shows the leugth Of the
Panama locks to he 300 meters as
against $50 for the Kaiser Wilhelm,
the breadth 33.53 against 40, the depth
1914 against 1871.
The writer ~mes to the conclusion
that the future is much more fayora-
BILE for the Suez than for the Panama
canal and declares TINT this may OK
plain the striking fact that England
took no part in the more recent conn
petition for building the American en-
nal leaving the matter entirely to