The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-06-18
Dy THOMAS KEAkNS,
Formerly United States Senator
From Utah.

people to-day "a Will the great water
vay. the 1sthmian canal. prove a sue.
49, or Ia II q failure. 1t means
svvrything to US. not only from a
commercial standpoint but from a pro-
,ective standpoint, for II makes 1t
pearstle for Uncle. Sans great feet
10 psss from the, waters Of the At
1sntsc into the Pacific, upon a few
hours. notice and so saves the ex-
pspse Of maintaining two great fleets
instead If one.
On account of'the unfortunate pres
en-, conditions in Europe and the in
saent demand of the majority Of
Americans for preparedness, many Of
our people are asking: Are ne going
to be able TO keep the great lsthmian
canal open or will It continue to All
up" There are grave reasons for
asking his question. for since 1t was
nrp, opened TO navigation on August
Il. 1914, It has been closed and out
Of comm. ssion virtually two-,hirds OF
the time.
MANY great minds are asking the
question: II this cana! condition con
,inues. should We abandon IT alto
sether and struct q sea level canal
a, Nicaragua" To my mind this
would not help the situation. II SINH
ar conditions are encountered in Mica
rasua at sea level. we should have
there a harder problem to sow. than
the present Panama Jock canal. There
would not he the same opportunity to
remove the cause. In my opinion the
problem can he solved: the canal viii
he a success and the movements at
the earth that are al prescn; filing
up the Culebra cut can he overcome
After close personal investigation
and careful study. in company with
my engineer. who has been In my en-
ploy for twenty.six years and who has
solved many similar problems. though
SWuiiNi, w ''ulSS' "b' A"'s WI
v1nced that subterranean gases COM
ing from below are causing the trouble
not sof, material underlying the hill
sides. nor the weight ~ tin banks. as
is maintained by most Of the eminent
engineers and CRITICS who have ven.
tured To give Their opinion.
D>cnp,lx f.narrnr f.onvCa W Goa.
thals of the Panama Canal con" was
quoted as saying hat work had begun
or the removal of from six to eight
million cubic yards OF rock and earth
from the banks Of the great CulehrL
cut. This work is now we'll under
way n close to on million cubic
yards per month are being removed.
A. this ate the work should be COM
pleted some time in the fall.
The purpose % the renioya IT this
immense amount of mat rial from the
banks II tho great cut * to cause II
definite and complete cessation ~ the
annoying. so-callcd slides hat have -
interfered with the operation IT the
canal as to cause Il growing doubt in
the minds Of the American people ~
the real efficiency If the NJ which
has cost the Government. up to the
present day. close to $500. O00, 900.
This method Of working for the solu.
ton of the so-callsd slide problem
there has the approval II nearly every
engineer who has studied the matter.
and the American people fcrvently
hope that the engineers are correct.
At the risk of the 1isapprovai OF
many eminent engineers who are IA
milisr with the conditions. ! disagree
with those vino believe that, when the
tEht million cubic yards Of material
mentioned are removed from the banks
and tn. weight taken IN the question
solNed II will make but little, II
any, difference in the filling OF the
'ulehra cut from the bottom. II
|enture the prediction now that after
me banks are so lowered and the
amount Of dirt above mentioned has
leen removed M the dredges have
nnisled. their work II have beer
'aken from the cut there will be a
repetition Of the filing from the bot
ION and sides within ninety days
stands ~ mud and eruptive rock will
again begin to appear above h sur
iace OF tho water, just as they ap-
reared when they so effectively closed
mo canal some months ago.
Let US suppose for q minute that
an correct in this prediction. What
Is Their 10 be done? Must tho canal
which involved so much labor and ex-
pehse and which means 81 much moi
only to the American people but to the
c0nven!ence Of the world. be aban-
oohed ~ useless? Surely It would
sesm that the greatest engineers that
america has produced would have ex
aausted their talents in their efforts
!" stop tho so-called slides-and that
'Hey Will have failed In their theory.
IN my humble judgment. the situa.
'Non would not be so serious as one
'"Sht rear. II In a fact that the
.my engineers have accepted the
heory NJ tho earth's "slidinR by it,
O~n weight into the canal and are
x"eedinE In accordance with this
".ery, and until such time az the
s''''ooo cubic yards have been re.
LIVED ana the bank cut down Ia
."ere the weight has been taken of
would he useless to suggest any
"ner remedy. Those estimates were
"A'e about February l Of this year
.nu me work should he well toward
49,