Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-10-18

TUG GATUN FIRST BOAT TO GO THROUGH
PANAMA LOCK.
cipal argument in favor OF the Panama
route as against that through Nicara-
qua. AS spicily stated more than ten
years ago by P. w. Chamberlain Of
the American Society Of Civil Engi-
neers In report to the government of
Nicaragua: THE Panama route is To-
Gated over u boiler that has no safety
valve"
The advocates of the Panama route
always argued that the Nicaragua
route was unsafe for the canal. be-
canse. as Professor Angelo Heilprin
pointed out in several essays on the
subject. the Nicaragua line Is laid
across the almost continuously vol
canic tract that buds Costa Rica with
Salvador and has been. during the
period Of the last three-quarters Of
century. probably the most violently
eruptive Of any in the western hemis-
pierre. On the line Of crystal weak
ness that is occupied by Lakes Mica
ragua and Managua there are distrib-
uted over linear distance of little
more than 200 miles not less than
twenty-five volcanoes. most Of which
have been active within very modern
period Of time. while number are
still active today"
Volcanoes a Safety Valve.
1t was this argument to which Mr..
Chamberlain opposed the theory that
To- 80 Vo1D
would lie the safety of the Nicaragua
route-they would act as safety valves.
1.-The absence Of volcanic vents from
the neighborhood Of the Panama
route" he commended. INSTEAD Of being
an element OF security for the canal
works. is a source of constant danger
to the same" In support Of his theory
he argued:
There was no volcanic vent In activ-
ity in Portugal in 1859 and yet very
severe earthquake completely de-
stroyed the city Of Lisbon in that year.
No volcanoes exist In the island OF
Jamaica. yet shock OF the most Sc
we're nature completely swept Port
Royal. near Kingston. in 1850. There
is no volcano in the whole eastern
coast Of the United States. and vet
how Charleston. s. c., recently suffered
from an earthquake Is well known to
everybody. Those places were dam
aged by the lack Of those safety valves
Of nature. the volcanic vents"
Mr.. Chamberlain did not follow out
his logic to the point of assertion that
tn Tn u1<Iv SyfNv
cano therefore would be the only guar
antee Of safety for community or a
great engineering work. but he came
pretty near It.
With the exception of Professor He'll
prin, nearly all of those who wrote of
the canal scheme, whether In behalf
Of the Nicaraguan or the Panama ca
nal route. including the old isthmian
canal commission. treated the subject
with what almost amounts to con-
spiracy Of silence. The official reports
touch upon it. when at all. In very
gingerly fashion.
For example. in chapter VII. of the
report of the isthmian canal commits
sion dated Nov 30, 1911. the matter is
disposed Of thus:
ut Is possible and even probable that
the more accurately fitting portions of
the canal, such as the lock gates, may
at times be distorted by earthquakes,
and some Inconvenience may result
therefrom. That contingency may be
classed with the accidental collision
Of ships with the gates, and is to be
provided for in the same way by
duplicate gates. 1t Is possible that a
assure might open which would drain
the canal. and IL 1t remained open,