,,the   ,,american ,,type   ,,of        
,,isthmian ,,canal  ,,hon4 ,,john       
,,fairfield ,,dryden  ,illustration3    
,,the ,,john ,f4 ,,dryden ,,statue  ,the
 above is a picture of the bronze statue
 of the late ,united ,states ,senator   
,john ,f4 ,dryden1 ,founder of ,the     
,prudential and ,pioneer of ,industrial 
insurance in ,america1 erected by the   
,john ,f4 ,dryden ,memorial             
,association1 with this inscription3 ,a 
tribute of esteem and affection from the
 field and office force4 ,the statue is 
located at the ,home ,office of ,the    
,prudential1 ,newark1 ,n4,j41 and is    
unique1 being the gift of a staff of    
over #af1jjj employees4 ,it cost        
#ae1jjj4 ,the sculptor was ,karl        
,bitter4       ,no4 #h                  
,,panama-,,pacific ,,exposition         
,,memorial ,,publications ,,of ,,the    
,,prudential   ,,insurance ,,company    
,,of ,,america    ,,the ,,american      
,,type   ,,of   ,,isthmian ,,canal      
,,speech ,,by   ,,hon4 ,,john           

,,fairfield ,,dryden   ,,in ,,the       
,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states   
,,june #ad1 #aijf    #aiae              
,,prudential ,,press1 ,,newark1 ,,new   
,,jersey     ,the ancient ,dream of     
,navigators has at last been realized in
 the completion and successful operation
 of the ,,panama ,,canal1 fittingly     
commemorated by the ,panama-,pacific    
,international ,exposition4 ,among the  
men who contributed in a measurable     
degree to the attainment of this        
national ideal was the late ,united     
,states ,senator1 ,,john ,f4 ,,dryden1  
,president of ,,the ,,prudential4 ,as a 
member of the ,senate ,committee on     
,interoceanic ,canals1 ,mr4 ,dryden1    
after mature and extended consideration1
 gave the weight of his influence and   
vote in favor of the lock-level         
principle of canal construction4 ,the   
lock-level type was finally decided     
upon1 although the majority of ,mr4     
,dryden's conferees and the             
,international ,board of ,consulting    

,engineers at first strongly favored the
 sea-level type4 ,by his determined     
support of the one and his well-reasoned
 opposition to the other1 ,mr4 ,dryden  
was able to secure the enactment of     
legislation in accordance with his views
 and to bring about the completion of   
this tremendous undertaking within our  
time1 thus leaving a permanent imprint  
upon the country's history4     ,,the   
,,american ,,type ,,of ,,isthmian       
,,canal       ,it was on ,june #ad1     
#aijf1 when the ,canal subject was up   
for final      consideration1 that ,mr4 
,dryden addressed the ,senate4 ,the     
official      records show that ,s4     
#faia1 to provide for the construction  
of a      sea-level canal connecting the
 waters of the ,atlantic and ,pacific   
oceans1 and the method of construction1 
was before ,congress1 and      it was in
 opposition to this measure that ,mr4   
,dryden patriotically      pledged his  
devotion to ,american enterprise and    
,american ability by      declaring for 

the lock-level type of canal1 built by  
,american      engineers and under      
,american supervision1 concluding with  
the      following words1 which deserve 
to be recalled on this memorable        
occasion as a tribute to the native     
genius and enterprise of the            
,american people3       ,i am entirely  
convinced that the judgment and         
experience of      ,american engineers  
in favor of a lock canal may be relied  
upon with      entire confidence and    
that such an enterprise will be brought 
to a      successful termination4 ,i    
believe that in a national undertaking  
of      this kind1 fraught with the     
gravest possible political and          
commercial consequences1 only the       
judgment of our own people should       
govern1 for the protection of our own   
interests1 which are      primarily at  
stake4 ,i also prefer to accept the view
 and      convictions of the members of 
the ,isthmian ,commission1 and of its   
chief engineer1 a man of extraordinary  

ability and large      experience4 ,it  
is a subject upon which opinions will   
differ and      upon which honest       
convictions may be widely at variance1  
but in a      question of such          
surpassing importance to the nation1 ,i1
 for one1      shall side with those who
 take the ,american point of view1 place
      their reliance upon ,american     
experience1 and show their faith in     
,american engineers4   ,the ,panama     
,canal problem has reached a stage where
 a decision should be made to fix       
permanently the type of the waterway1   
whether it shall be a sea-level or a    
lock canal4 ,an immense amount of       
evidence on the subject has in the past 
and during recent years been presented  
to ,congress4 ,an overwhelming amount of
 expert opinion has been collected1 and 
an ,international ,board of ,consulting 
,engineers has made a final report to   
the ,president1 in which experts of the 
highest standing divide upon the        
question4 ,the ,senate ,committee on    

,interoceanic ,canals has likewise      
divided4 ,it is an issue of transcendent
 importance1 involving the expenditure  
of an enormous sum of money1 and        
political and commercial consequences of
 the greatest magnitude1 not only to the
 ,american people1 but to the world at  
large4  ,the report of the              
,international ,board has been printed  
and placed before ,congress4 ,a critical
 discussion of the facts and opinion    
presented by this ,board1 all more or   
less of a technical and involved nature1
 would unduly impose upon the time of   
the ,senate at this late day of the     
session4 ,in addition1 there is the     
testimony of witnesses called before the
 ,senate committee1 which has also been 
printed in three large volumes1         
exceeding #c1jjj pages of printed       
matter4 ,to properly separate the       
evidence for and against one type of    
canal or the other1 to argue upon the   
facts1 which present the greatest       
conflict of engineering opinion of      

modern times1 would be a mere waste of  
effort and time1 since the evidence and 
opinions are as far apart and as        
irreconcilable as the final conclusions 
themselves4 ,it is1 therefore1 rather a 
question which the practical experience 
and judgment of members of ,congress    
must decide1 and ,i have entire         
confidence that the will of the nation1 
as expressed in its final mandate1 will 
be carried into successful execution1   
whether that mandate be for lock canal  
or sea-level waterway4  ,the ,panama    
,canal presents at once the most        
interesting and the most stupendous     
project of mankind to overcome by human 
ingenuity what ,nature herself seems to 
have attempted1 but in vain4 ,from the  
time when the first ,spanish navigators 
extended their explorations into every  
bay and inlet of the ,central ,american 
isthmus1 to discover1 if possible1 a    
short route to the ,indies1 or from     
,cadiz to ,cathay1 the human mind has   
not been willing to rest content and    

accept as insurmountable the natural    
obstacles on the ,isthmus which prevent 
uninterrupted communication between the 
,atlantic and the ,pacific4 ,excepting1 
possibly1 ,arctic explorations1 in all  
the romantic history of ancient and     
modern commerce1 in all the annals of   
the early navigators and explorers1     
there is no chapter that equals in      
interest the never-ceasing efforts to   
make the ,central ,american isthmus a   
natural highway for the world's         
commerce--a direct route of trade and   
transportation from the uttermost ,east 
to the uttermost ,west4  ,as early as   
#aecf ,charles ,v ordered an exploration
 of the ,chagres ,river to learn whether
 a ship canal could not be substituted  
for an existing wagon road1 and ,philip 
,,ii1 in #aefa1 had a similar survey    
made in ,nicaragua for the same purpose4
 ,from that day to this the greatest    
minds in commerce and engineering have  
given their attention to the problem of 
an interoceanic waterway2 every         

conceivable plan has been considered1   
every possible road has been explored1  
and every mile of land and sea has been 
gone over to find the best and most     
practical solution of the problem4  ,the
 history of these early attempts is most
 interesting1 but it is no longer of    
practical value1 for it has no direct   
bearing upon present-day problems4 ,most
 of the efforts were wasted1 and many of
 them were ill advised1 but the present 
can profitably consider the more        
important lessons of the past4 ,it was  
written in the book of fate that this   
enterprise1 the most important in the   
world of commerce and navigation1 should
 be ,american in its ending as it had   
been in its practical beginning4 ,from  
the day when the first train of cars    
crossed the ,isthmus from ,panama to    
,aspinwall1 to facilitate the           
transportation of passengers and freight
 across the narrow belt of land         
connecting the northern and southern    
continents1 the imperative necessity of 

a ship canal was made apparent4 ,just as
 the railway followed the earlier wagon 
roads of the ,spanish adventurers1 so a 
ship canal will naturally succeed or    
supplement the railway4  ,natural       
conditions on the ,isthmus materially   
enhance the physical difficulties to be 
overcome in canal construction4 ,even   
the precise locality or section best    
adapted to the purpose has for many     
years been a question of serious doubt4 
,the ,isthmus of ,tehuantepec1 the      
,nicaraguan route1 the utilizing of a   
lake of large extent1 and finally the   
narrow band of land and mountain chain  
at ,panama1 each offers distinct        
advantages peculiar to itself1 with     
corresponding disadvantages or local    
difficulties not met with in the others4
 ,many other projects have been         
advanced2 in all1 at least some twenty  
distinct routes have been laid out by   
scientific surveys1 but the most eminent
 ,american engineering talent1          
considering impartially the natural     

advantages and local obstacles of each1 
finally1 in #ahdi1 decided upon the     
isthmus between the ,bay of ,panama and 
,limon ,bay as the most feasible for the
 building of the railroad1 and some     
fifty years later for the building of   
the ,isthmian ,canal4 ,every further    
study1 survey1 and inquiry has confirmed
 the wisdom of the earlier choice1 which
 has been adopted as the best and as the
 permanent plan of the ,american        
government1 which is now to build a     
canal at the expense of the nation1 but 
for the ultimate benefit of all mankind4
  ,the ,panama railway marked the       
beginning of a new era in the history of
 interoceanic communication4 ,the great 
practical usefulness of the road soon   
made the construction of a canal a      
commercial necessity4 ,the eyes of all  
the world were upon the ,isthmus1 but no
 nation made the subject a matter of    
more profound study and inquiry than the
 ,united ,states4 ,one surveying party  
followed another1 and every promising   

project received careful consideration4 
,the conflicting evidence1 the great    
engineering difficulties1 the natural   
obstacles1 and1 most of all1 the ,civil 
,war1 delayed active efforts2 but public
 interest was maintained and the general
 public continued to view the project   
with favor and to demand an ,american   
canal4  ,during the seventies a ,french 
commission made surveys and             
investigations on the ,isthmus which    
terminated in the efforts of ,de        
,lesseps1 who undertook to construct a  
canal1 and1 in #ahgi1 called an         
international scientific congress to    
consider the project in all its aspects 
and determine upon a practical solution4
 ,the ,united ,states was invited to be 
represented by two official delegates1  
and accordingly ,president ,hayes       
appointed ,admiral ,ammen and ,a4,c4    
,menocal1 of the ,united ,states ,navy1 
both of whom had been connected with    
surveys and explorations on the         
,isthmus4 ,mr4 ,menocal presented his   

plan for a canal by way of ,nicaragua1  
but it was evident that the ,wyse       
project1 of a canal by way of the       
,isthmus of ,panama1 had the majority in
 its favor1 and the only question to    
determine was whether the canal to be   
constructed should be a sea-level or a  
lock canal4 ,the ,american delegates    
were convinced1 in the light of their   
knowledge and experience1 that a        
sea-level canal would be impracticable1 
if not impossible4 ,in this they were   
seconded by ,sir ,john ,hawkshaw1 a man 
thoroughly familiar with canal problems1
 and who exposed the hopelessness of an 
attempt to make a sea-level ship canal1 
pointing out that there would be a      
cataract of the ,chagres ,river at      
,matachin of #db feet1 which in periods 
of floods would be #gh feet high1 and a 
body of water that would be #cf feet    
deep1 with a width of #a1ejj feet4      
,opposition to the sea-level project    
proved of no avail4 ,the facts were     
ignored or treated with indifference by 

the ,french1 who were determined upon a 
canal at ,panama and at sea level1      
resting their conclusions upon the      
success at ,suez1 with which enterprise 
many of those present at the congress1  
in addition to ,de ,lesseps1 had been   
connected4 ,but the problems and        
conditions to be met on the ,isthmus of 
,panama were decidedly different from   
those at ,suez1 and subsequent          
experience proved the serious error of  
the sea-level plan as finally adopted4  
,the congress included a large          
assemblage of non-professional men1 and 
of the ,french engineers present only   
one or two had ever been on the         
,isthmus4 ,the final vote was           
seventy-five in favor of and eight      
opposed to a sea-level canal4           
,rear-admiral ,ammen said3 ,i abstained 
from voting on the ground that only able
 engineers can form an opinion after    
careful study of what is actually       
possible and what is relatively         
economical in the construction of a ship

 canal4 ,of those in favor of a         
sea-level canal not one had made a      
practical and exhaustive study of the   
facts4 ,the project at this stage was in
 a state of hopeless confusion4 ,in     
spite of these obstacles1 ,de ,lesseps1 
with undaunted courage1 proceeded to    
organize a company for the construction 
of a sea-level canal4  ,as soon as      
possible after the adjournment of the   
scientific congress of #ahgi the ,panama
 ,canal ,company was organized1 with    
,ferdinand ,de ,lesseps as president4   
,the company purchased the ,wyse        
concession1 and by #ahhj sufficient     
funds had been secured to proceed with  
the preliminary work4 ,the next two     
years were used for scientific          
investigations1 surveys1 etc41 and the  
actual work commenced in #ahhc4 ,the    
plan adopted was for a sea-level canal  
having a depth of #bi4e feet and a      
bottom width of #gb feet4 ,this plan in 
outline and intent was adhered to       
practically to the cessation of         

operations in #ahhh4  ,in that year     
operations on the ,isthmus came to an   
end for want of funds4 ,the failure of  
the company proved disastrous to a very 
large number of shareholders1 mostly    
,french peasants of small means1 and for
 a time the project of interoceanic     
communication by way of ,panama seemed  
hopeless4 ,the experience1 however1     
proved clearly the utter impossibility  
of private enterprise carrying forward a
 project of such magnitude and which had
 attained a stage where large additional
 funds were needed to make good enormous
 losses1 due to errors in plans1 to     
miscarriage of effort1 and1 last but not
 least1 to fraud on stupendous scale4   
,with admirable courage1 however1 the   
affairs of the first ,panama ,canal     
,company were reorganized1 after the    
appointment of a receiver1 on ,february 
#d1 #ahhi4 ,a scientific commission of  
inquiry was appointed to reinvestigate  
the entire project and report upon the  
work actually accomplished and its value

 in future operations4 ,the commission1 
made up of eminent engineers1 sent five 
of its members to the ,isthmus to study 
the technical aspects of the problem1   
and a final report was rendered on ,may 
#e1 #ahij4 ,the recommendation of the   
commission was for the construction of a
 canal with locks1 the abandonment of   
the sea-level idea1 and for a further   
and still more thorough inquiry into the
 facts1 upon the ground that the        
accumulated data were far from          
possessing the precision essential to a 
definite project4 ,this took the project
 of canal construction out of the domain
 of preconceived ideas based upon       
guesswork into the substantial field of 
a scientific undertaking for commercial 
purposes4 ,the receiver at once         
commenced to reorganize the affairs of  
the company1 and accordingly1 on        
,october #ba1 #ahid1 the new ,panama    
,canal ,company came into existence     
under the general laws of ,france4 ,the 
charter of the new company provided for 

the appointment of a technical committee
 to formulate a final project for the   
completion of the canal4 ,this committee
 was organized in ,february1 #ahif1 and 
reached a unanimous conclusion on       
,november #af1 #ahih1 embodied in an    
elaborate report1 which is probably the 
most authoritative document ever        
presented on an engineering subject4    
,the recommendation of the commission   
was unanimously in favor of a lock      
canal4#a  ,the subsequent history of the
 ,de ,lesseps project and the ,american 
effort for a practical route across the 
,isthmus are still fresh in our minds   
and need not be restated4 ,the          
,spanish-,american war and the voyage of
 the ,oregon by way of ,cape ,horn1 more
 than any other causes1 combined to     
direct the attention of the ,american   
people to conditions on the ,isthmus1   
and led to the public demand that by one
 route or another an ,american waterway 
be constructed within a reasonable      
period of time and at a reasonable cost4

 ,it will serve no practical purpose to 
recite the subsequent facts and the     
chain of events which led to the passage
 of the act of ,march #c1 #ahii1 which  
authorized the ,president to have a full
 and complete investigation made of the 
entire subject of ,isthmian canals4  ,a 
million dollars was appropriated for the
 expenses of a commission1 and in       
pursuance of the provisions of the act  
the ,president appointed a commission   
consisting of ,rear-admiral ,walker1    
,united ,states ,navy1 president1 and   
nine members eminent in their respective
 professions as experts or engineers4 ,a
 report was rendered under the date of  
,november #cj1 #aija1 in which the cost 
of constructing a canal by way of       
,nicaragua was estimated at #ahi1hfd1jfb
 and by way of ,panama at #ahd1bcc1ceh1 
including in the last estimate          
#dj1jjj1jjj for the estimated value of  
the rights and property of the ,new     
,panama ,canal ,company4 ,the company1  
however1 held its property at a much    

higher value1 or some #aji1jjj1jjj1     
which the ,commission considered        
exorbitant1 and thus the only           
alternative was to recommend the        
construction of a canal by way of the   
,nicaraguan route4 ,convinced1 however1 
that the ,american people were in       
earnest1 the ,new ,panama ,company      
expressed a willingness to reconsider   
the matter1 and finally agreed to the   
purchase price fixed by the ,isthmian   
,commission4  ,by the ,spooner act1     
passed ,june #bh1 #aijb1 ,congress      
authorized the ,president to purchase   
the property of the ,new ,panama ,canal 
,company for a price not exceeding      
#dj1jjj1jjj1 the title to the property  
having been fully investigated and found
 valid4 ,the ,isthmian ,commission1     
therefore1 recommended to ,congress the 
purchase of the property1 but the       
majority of the ,senate ,committee on   
,interoceanic ,canals disagreed1 and it 
is only to the courage and rare ability 
of the late ,senator ,hanna and his     

associates1 as minority members of the  
committee1 that the nation owes the     
abandonment of the ,nicaraguan project1 
the acquirement of the ,panama ,canal   
rights at a reasonable price and the    
making of the project a national        
enterprise4  ,the report of the minority
 members of the ,senate committee was   
made under date of ,may #ca1 #aijb4 ,it 
is1 without question1 a most able and   
comprehensive dissertation upon the     
subject1 and forms a most valuable      
addition to the truly voluminous        
literature of ,isthmian canal           
construction4 ,the report was signed by 
,senators ,hanna1 ,pritchard1 ,millard1 
and ,kittredge4 ,we consider1 said the  
committee1 that the ,panama route is the
 best route for an isthmian canal to be 
owned1 constructed1 controlled1 and     
protected by the ,united ,states4 ,it   
was a bold challenge of the conclusions 
of the majority members of the          
committee1 but in entire harmony with   
and in strict conformity to the views   

and final conclusions of the ,isthmian  
,commission4 ,the minority report was   
accepted by the ,congress and a canal at
 ,panama became an ,american enterprise 
for the benefit of the ,american people 
and the world at large4  ,such1 in broad
 outline1 is the present status of the  
,panama ,canal4 ,a grave question       
presents itself at this time1 which     
demands to be disposed of by ,congress1 
and to which all others are subservient4
 ,shall the waterway be a sea-level or a
 lock canal8 ,it is a question of       
tremendous importance--a question of    
choice equally as important as the one  
of the route itself4 ,a choice must be  
made1 and it must be made soon4 ,all the
 subsidiary work1 all the related       
enterprises1 depend upon the fundamental
 difference in type4 ,opinions differ as
 widely to-day as they did at the time  
when the project was first considered by
 the international committee in #ahgi4  
,engineers of the highest standing at   
home and abroad have expressed          

themselves for or against one type or   
the other1 but it is a question upon    
which no complete agreement is possible4
 ,in theory a sea-level canal has       
unquestionable advantages1 but1         
practically1 the elements of cost and   
time necessary for the construction     
preclude to-day1 as they did in #ahid1  
when the ,new ,canal ,company           
recommenced active operations1 the      
building of a sea-level canal4 ,it is   
not a question of the ideally most      
desirable1 but of the practically most  
expedient1 that confronts the ,american 
people and demands solution4  ,the ,new 
,panama ,canal ,company had approved the
 lock plan1 which placed the minimum    
elevation of the summit level at #ig4e  
feet above the sea and the maximum level
 at #ajb4e feet above the same datum4   
,in the words of ,prof4 ,william ,h4    
,burr3       ,it provided for a depth of
 #bi4e feet of water and a bottom width 
of      canal prism of about #ih feet1  
except at special places1 where this    

width was increased4 ,a dam was to be   
built near ,bohio1 which would      thus
 form an artificial lake1 with its      
surface varying from #eb4e to      #fe4f
 feet above the sea4 ,the location of   
this line was practically      the same 
as that of the old company4 ,the        
available length of each      lock      
chamber was #gch feet1 while the        
available width was #hb feet1      the  
depth in the clear being #cb feet #aj   
inches4 ,the lifts were to      vary    
from #bf to #cc feet4 ,it was estimated 
that the cost of      finishing the     
canal on this plan would be             
#aja1hej1jjj1 exclusive      of         
administration and financing4  ,the     
,isthmian ,commission of #ahii-aija     
considered the project1 reexamined into 
the facts1 and as stated by ,professor  
,burr--       ,the feasibility of a     
sea-level canal1 but with a tidal lock  
at the      ,panama end1 was carefully  
considered by the ,commission1 and an   
approximate estimate of the cost of     

completing the work on that      plan   
was made4 ,in round numbers this        
estimated cost was about                
#bej1jjj1jjj1 and the time required to  
complete the work would      probably be
 nearly or quite twice that needed for  
the construction      of a canal with   
locks4 ,the ,commission therefore       
adopted a project      for the canal    
locks4 ,both plans and estimates were   
carefully      developed in accordance  
therewith4  ,professor ,burr1 now in    
favor of a sea-level canal1 then        
concurred in the report in favor of a   
lock canal4  ,since the ,panama canal   
became the property of the nation a vast
 amount of necessary and preliminary    
work has been done preparatory to the   
actual construction of the canal4 ,a    
complete civil government of the ,canal 
,zone has been established1 an army of  
experts and engineers has been          
organized1 the work of sanitation and   
police control is in excellent hands1   
and the ,isthmus1 or1 more properly     

speaking1 the ,canal ,zone1 is to-day in
 a better1 cleaner1 and more healthful  
condition than at any previous time in  
its history4 ,a considerable amount of  
excavation and necessary improvements in
 transportation facilities have been    
carried to a point where further work   
must stop until the ,isthmian           
,commission knows the final plan or type
 of the canal4 ,the reports which have  
been made of the work of the ,commission
 during its two years of actual control 
are a complete and affirmative answer to
 the question whether what has been done
 so far has been done wisely and well1  
and the facts and evidence prove that   
the present state of affairs on the     
,isthmus is in all respects to the      
credit of the nation4  ,now1 it is      
evident that the question of plan or    
type of canal is largely one for        
engineers to determine1 but even a      
layman can form an intelligent opinion1 
without entering into all the details of
 so complex a problem as the relative   

advantage or disadvantage of a sea-level
 versus a lock canal4 ,this much1       
however1 is readily apparent1 that a    
sea-level canal will cost a vast amount 
of money and may take twice the time to 
build1 while it will not necessarily    
accommodate a larger traffic or ships of
 a larger size4 ,a lock canal can be    
built which will meet all requirements2 
it can be built deep enough and wide    
enough to accommodate the largest       
vessels afloat2 it can be so built that 
transit across the ,isthmus can be      
effected in a reasonably short period of
 time--in a word1 it is a practical     
project1 which will solve every pending 
question involved in the construction of
 a transisthmian canal in a practical   
way1 at a reasonable cost1 and within a 
reasonable period of time4  ,to         
determine the question the ,president   
appointed an ,international ,board of   
,consulting ,engineers4 ,the ,board     
included in its membership the world's  
foremost men in engineering science1 and

 the report is without question a most  
valuable document4 ,the ,president1 in  
his address to the members of the ,board
 on ,september #aa1 #aije1 outlined his 
views with regard to the desirability of
 a sea-level canal1 if such a one could 
be constructed at a reasonable cost     
within a reasonable time4 ,he said--    
,if to build a sea-level canal will but 
slightly increase the risk      and will
 take but little longer than a multilock
 high-level canal1      this1 of course1
 is preferable4 ,but if to adopt the    
plan of a      sea-level canal means to 
incur great hazard and to incur         
indefinite      delay1 then it is not   
preferable4  ,the problem as viewed by  
the ,american people could not be more  
concisely stated4 ,other things equal1 a
 sea-level canal1 no doubt1 would be    
preferable2 but it remains to be shown  
that such a canal would in all          
essentials provide safe1 cheap1 and     
earlier navigation across the ,isthmus  
than a lock canal4  ,for1 as the        

,president further said on the same     
occasion1 there are two essential       
considerations3 ,first1 the greatest    
possible speed of construction2 second1 
the practical certainty that the        
proposed plan will be feasible2 that it 
can be carried out with the minimum     
risk2 and in conclusion that--          
,there may be good reason why the delay 
incident to the adoption of      a plan 
for an ideal canal should be incurred2  
but if there is not1      then ,i hope  
to see the canal constructed on a system
 which will      bring to the nearest   
possible date in the future the time    
when it      is practicable to take the 
first ship across the ,isthmus--that is1
      which will in the shortest time   
possible secure a ,panama waterway      
between the oceans of such a character  
as to guarantee permanent      and ample
 communication for the greatest ships of
 our ,navy and for      the largest     
steamers on either the ,atlantic or the 
,pacific4 ,the      delay in transit of 

the vessels owing to additional locks   
would be      of small consequence when 
compared with shortening the time for   
the      construction of the canal or   
diminishing the risks in the            
construction4 ,in short1 ,i desire your 
best judgment on all the      various   
questions to be considered in choosing  
among the various      plans for a      
comparatively high-level multilock      
canal1 for a      lower-level canal with
 fewer locks1 and for a sea-level canal4
      ,finally1 ,i urge upon you the    
necessity of as great expedition in     
coming to a decision as is compatible   
with thoroughness in      considering   
the conditions4  ,the ,board organized  
and met in the city of ,washington on   
,september #a1 #aije1 and on the #ajth  
of ,january1 #aijf1 or about four months
 later1 made its final report to the    
,president through the ,secretary of    
,war4 ,the ,board divided upon the      
question of type for the proposed canal1
 a majority of eight--five foreign      

engineers and three ,american           
engineers--being in favor of a canal at 
sea-level1 while a minority of five--all
 ,american engineers--favored a lock    
canal at a summit level of eighty-five  
feet4 ,the two propositions require     
separate consideration1 each upon its   
own merits1 before a final opinion can  
be arrived at as to the best type of a  
waterway adapted to our needs and       
requirements under existing conditions4 
,upon a question so involved and        
complex1 where the most eminent         
engineers divide and disagree1 a layman 
can not be expected to view the problem 
otherwise than as a business proposition
 which1 demanding solution1 must be     
disposed of by a strictly impartial     
examination of the facts4 ,weighed and  
tested by practical experience in other 
fields of commercial enterprise1 it is  
probably not going too far to say1 as in
 fact it has been said1 that there is   
entirely too much mere engineering      
opinion upon this subject and not a     

well-defined concentrated mass of data  
and solid convictions4 ,it is equally   
true1 and should be kept in mind1 that  
the time given by the ,board to the     
consideration of the subject in all its 
practical bearings1 including an        
examination of actual conditions on the 
,isthmus1 was limited to so short a     
period that it would be contrary to all 
human experience that this report should
 represent an infallible or final       
verdict for or against either of the two
 propositions4  ,it is necessary to keep
 in mind certain facts which may be     
concisely stated1 and which ,i do not   
think have been previously brought to   
the attention of ,congress4 ,while the  
,board had been appointed by the        
,president on ,june #bd1 #aije1 the     
first business meeting did not take     
place until ,september #ast1 and the    
final meeting of the full ,board        
occurred on ,november #bdth of the same 
year4 ,this was the twenty-seventh      
meeting during a period of eighty-five  

days1 after which there were three more 
meetings of the ,american members1 the  
last having been held on ,january #ca1  
#aijf4 ,thus the actual proceedings of  
the full ,board were condensed into     
twenty-seven meetings during less than  
three months1 a part of which time--or1 
to be specific1 six days--was spent on  
the ,isthmus4  ,the minutes of the      
proceedings have been printed and form a
 part of the final report made to the   
,president under date of ,january #aj1  
#aijf4 ,they do not afford as complete  
an insight into the business            
transactions of the ,board as would be  
desirable1 and the evidence is wanting  
that the subject was as thoroughly      
discussed in all its details1 with      
particular reference to the two         
propositions of a sea-level or a lock   
canal1 as would seem necessary4 ,very   
important features necessary to the     
sea-level plan were treated in the most 
superficial way1 guessed at1 or wholly  
ignored4 ,i do not hesitate to say that 

no banking house in the world called    
upon to provide funds necessary for an  
enterprise of this magnitude as a       
private undertaking would advance a     
single dollar upon a project as it is   
here presented by the majority of the   
,board to the ,american ,congress as the
 final conclusion of engineers of the   
highest standing4 ,the ,board1 as ,i    
have said1 divided upon the question1   
and by a majority of eight pronounced in
 favor of a sea-level against a minority
 of five in favor of a lock canal4 ,let 
us inquire how this conclusion1 of      
momentous importance to the nation1 was 
arrived at and whether the minutes of   
the ,board furnish a conclusive answer4 
,as early as the sixth meeting1 or on   
,september #afth--that is1 after the    
,board had been only fifteen days in    
existence--a resolution was introduced  
by ,mr4 ,hunter1 chief engineer of the  
,manchester ,ship ,canal1 requesting    
that a special committee be appointed to
 prepare at once a project for a        

sea-level canal4  ,mr4 ,spooner4--,what 
was the date of the resolution with     
respect to the lock canal8  ,mr4        
,dryden4--,october #c;d1 seventeen days 
afterwards4  ,in marked contrast1 it was
 not until after the ,board had visited 
the ,isthmus and while the members were 
on their way home--that is1 at sea--on  
,october #c;d1 that1 on motion of ,mr4  
,stearns1 a corresponding committee was 
appointed to prepare plans for a lock   
canal4 ,the recital of dates is of very 
considerable importance1 for it is      
evident that there was a decided and    
early preference on the part of certain 
members of the ,board for a sea-level   
canal1 and that to this particular      
project more attention was given and a  
more determined attempt was made to     
secure data in its defense than to the  
corresponding project for a lock canal4 
,that is to say1 while the special      
committee for the consideration of a    
sea-level canal had been appointed on   
,september #afth1 the corresponding     

committee to consider the lock project  
was not appointed until ,october #c;d1  
or seventeen days later1 with the       
additional disadvantage of the ,board   
being on the ocean1 with no opportunity 
to send for persons and papers during   
the short period of time remaining to   
take into due consideration all the     
facts pertaining to a lock canal1 for1  
as ,i have said before1 the last        
business meeting was held on ,november  
#bdth4  ,mr4 ,foraker4--,mr4            
,president----  ,the ,vice              
,president4--,does the ,senator from    
,new ,jersey yield to the ,senator from 
,ohio8  ,mr4 ,dryden4--,certainly4  ,mr4
 ,foraker4--,i would like to ask the    
,senator whether on the #afth of        
,september1 when this motion was made by
 ,mr4 ,hunter1 if ,i remember correctly1
 the ,board of ,engineers had completed 
their investigations and explorations on
 the ,isthmus8 ,i did not observe4  ,mr4
 ,dryden4--,no4  ,mr4 ,kittredge4--,mr4 
,president----  ,the ,vice              

,president4--,does the ,senator from    
,new ,jersey yield to the ,senator from 
,south ,dakota8  ,mr4 ,dryden4--,i      
yield4  ,mr4 ,kittredge4--,if the       
,senator from ,new ,jersey will permit  
me1 ,i will be glad to answer the       
question of the ,senator from ,ohio4    
,the ,board of ,consulting ,engineers   
sailed from ,new ,york on the #bhth of  
,september for the ,isthmus and returned
 about the middle or #bjth of ,october4 
,mr4 ,foraker4--,sailed from the        
,isthmus8  ,mr4 ,kittredge4--,sailed    
from ,new ,york for the ,isthmus4  ,mr4 
,foraker4--,then the motion was made by 
,mr4 ,hunter before the ,board of       
,engineers left the ,united ,states4    
,mr4 ,kittredge4--,certainly2 to appoint
 a committee of investigation4  ,mr4    
,dryden4--,i should like to say at this 
point that while ,i have gladly yielded 
to ,senators1 ,i think it is quite      
probable that before ,i get through ,i  
shall cover any questions that may be   
asked4 ,i would prefer to complete my   

remarks1 and then ,i shall be very glad 
to answer any questions that ,senators  
may choose to ask4  ,mr4 ,foraker4--,i  
beg pardon4  ,mr4 ,dryden4--,i was glad 
to yield to the ,senator4  ,mr4         
,foraker4--,the speech is a very        
interesting one4         99       99    
99       99       99  ,mr4              
,dryden4--,there is nothing in the      
minutes of the ,board which disclosed   
that either proposition received the    
necessary deliberate consideration of   
the extremely complex and important     
details entering into the two respective
 projects1 but it is evident that1      
regarding the sea-level proposition at  
least1 there was a decided bias         
practically from the outset1 which      
matured in the majority report favoring 
that proposition4 ,what was in the minds
 of the members1 what was done outside  
of the ,board meetings1 by what means or
 methods conclusions were reached1 has  
not been made a matter of record and is 
not1 therefore1 within the knowledge of 

,congress4  ,it is true that the        
respective reports of the two committees
 were brought before the ,board as a    
whole on ,november #adth and that the   
subject was discussed at some length on 
,november #ahth1 when each member of the
 ,board expressed his views for or      
against one of the two projects4 ,but   
there remained only ten days before the 
last business meeting of the ,board was 
held1 when the foreign members sailed   
for home4 ,the final reports1 as they   
are now before ,congress1 apparently    
never received the proper and extended  
consideration of the ,board as a whole1 
and the minority report favoring a lock 
canal seems never to have been discussed
 upon its merits at all4 ,when ,i recall
 the very different procedure of the    
technical commission appointed by the   
,new ,panama ,canal ,company1 which     
extended its consideration of the       
subject from ,february #c1 #ahif1 to    
,september #h1 #ahih1 during which time 
ninety-seven stated meetings and a large

 number of informal meetings were held1 
,i say1 it seems to me1 from a practical
 business point of view1 casting no     
reflection upon either the ability or   
the fairness of judgment of the members 
of the ,international ,board1 that the  
mere element of time should weigh       
decidedly in favor of the verdict of the
 technical commission of #ahih1 which   
was unanimous for a lock canal4  ,of the
 technical commission of #ahif-ahih1    
,mr4 ,hunter1 chief engineer of the     
,manchester ,ship ,canal1 was a member1 
and he at that time1 without a word of  
dissent1 joined the other members in    
giving the unanimous and emphatic       
expression of the committee in favor of 
a lock canal4  ,mr4 ,teller4--,mr4      
,president----  ,the ,vice              
,president4--,does the ,senator from    
,new ,jersey yield to the ,senator from 
,colorado8  ,mr4 ,dryden4--,certainly4  
,mr4 ,teller4--,will the ,senator kindly
 repeat the date of that8  ,mr4         
,dryden4--,of the technical commission  

of #ahif-ahih1 ,mr4 ,hunter1 the chief  
engineer of the ,manchester ,canal1 was 
a member4 ,the technical commission was 
of the new ,french company4  ,mr4       
,teller4--,you refer to the commission  
of the new ,french company8  ,mr4       
,dryden4--,yes1 sir2 the commission of  
the new ,french company4  ,why he should
 now change his views and convictions   
and why he should now be so emphatic and
 pronounced in favor of a sea-level     
project is not set forth in anything    
that has been printed or been           
communicated to the ,senate ,committee  
on ,interoceanic ,canals4 ,this hurried 
action1 this scanty consideration1 as ,i
 have stated1 is the foundation upon    
which the advocates of the sea-level    
plan rest their appeal for support4     
,this is the report and the evidence    
upon which ,congress is requested to    
pronounce in favor of a sea-level       
project and give its indorsement to a   
plan which will involve the country in  
at least #ajj1jjj1jjj of additional     

expenditure and which will delay the    
opening of the canal for practical      
purposes of navigation possibly for ten 
years or more after the lock canal can  
be finished and opened for use4  ,the   
,isthmian ,commission restates certain  
points in a clear and precise way1 which
 leaves no escape from the conclusion   
that both as to time and cost the       
majority members of the ,board          
materially underestimated important     
factors1 and that they have every reason
 to believe that the total estimate of  
cost of a sea-level canal should be     
raised to #bgb1jjj1jjj1 and that the    
estimate of time for construction should
 be increased to at least fifteen and a 
half years4 ,but under certain readily  
conceivable conditions it is practically
 certain that the construction of a     
sea-level canal will consume not less   
than twenty years4  ,the ,isthmian      
,commission reexamined carefully the    
question of relative efficiency of the  
proposed sea-level canal compared with a

 lock canal1 and they pronounce         
emphatically and unequivocally in favor 
of the lock project4 ,they consider that
 the assumed danger from accidents to   
locks by passing vessels or otherwise is
 greatly exaggerated1 and hold that     
while no doubt accidents may occur1 and 
possibly will occur1 such dangers can   
and will be sufficiently guarded against
 by an effective method of supervision  
and control4 ,they hold that a lock     
canal properly constructed and managed  
is in no sense a menace to the safety of
 vessels1 and that much practical       
experience and particularly the         
half-century of successful operation of 
the ,soo ,canal have demonstrated the   
contrary beyond dispute4 ,they point out
 that the canal with locks at a level of
 eighty-five feet will be a waterway    
three times the size1 in navigable area1
 of the projected sea-level canal1 and1 
omitting the locks from consideration1  
will therefore afford three times the   
shipping facilities4  ,they show that in

 the sea-level canal there will be many 
and serious curves1 while in the lock   
canal the courses are straight and      
changes of direction will be made at    
intersecting tangents1 the same as in   
our river navigation1 in which serious  
accidents are practically unknown4 ,they
 show that the courses in a lock canal  
can be marked with ranges which will    
greatly facilitate navigation1          
particularly at night4 ,the ,commission 
points out that the argument of the     
majority of the ,board1 that locks will 
limit the traffic capacity of the canal1
 carries very little if any weight1 and 
they refer to the experience of the ,soo
 ,canal1 through which there passes     
annually a larger traffic than through  
all the other ship canals of the world  
combined4  ,finally1 the ,isthmian      
,commission discusses the cost of       
operation and maintenance4 ,the majority
 of the ,board submit no details upon   
this most important item in canal       
construction and subsequent operation4  

,what banking house in the world would  
advance a single dollar upon a canal or 
railway project upon a mere statement of
 the probable ultimate cost1 but with no
 corresponding information as to cost of
 maintenance and operation6 ,having been
 appointed to reexamine into all the    
facts1 and1 so to speak1 to reconsider  
the entire project1 the majority        
seriously erred in omitting from their  
report the necessary data and           
calculations for an accurate and        
trustworthy estimate of the cost of     
operation and maintenance of a sea-level
 canal4  ,from this point of view and in
 the light of the facts as presented by 
the ,board for or against either        
project1 the ,isthmian ,commission could
 not consistently act otherwise than to 
give their final approval to the more   
specific and practical recommendations  
of the minority members of the ,board1  
and they properly say that it appears   
that the canal proposed by the minority 
of the ,board of ,consulting ,engineers 

can be built in half the time and for a 
little more than half of the cost of the
 canal proposed by the majority of the  
,board4 ,they advance a number of       
specific reasons why a lock canal when  
completed will for all practical        
purposes--commercial1 military1 and     
naval--be a better canal than a         
sea-level waterway with a tidal lock1 as
 proposed by the majority members of the
 ,board4  ,the report of the ,board was 
carefully and critically examined by    
,chief ,engineer ,stevens1 of the       
,isthmian ,commission and in actual     
charge of engineering matters on the    
,isthmus4 ,mr4 ,stevens is a man of very
 large practical ,american engineering  
experience1 and he adds to the finding  
of the ,commission the weight of his    
authority1 decidedly and unequivocally  
in favor of a lock canal4 ,he states as 
the sum of his conclusions that1 all    
things considered1 the lock or          
high-level canal is preferable to the   
sea-level type1 so-called1 for the      

reason that it will provide a safer and 
quicker passage for ships2 that it will 
provide beyond question the best        
solution of the vital problem of how    
safely to care for the flood waters of  
the ,chagres and other streams2 that    
provision is offered in the lock project
 for enlarging its capacity to almost   
any extent at very much less expense of 
time and money than can be provided for 
by any sea-level plan2 that its cost of 
operation1 maintenance1 and fixed       
charges1 including interest1 will be    
very much less than any sea-level canal1
 and that the time and cost of its      
construction will not be more than      
one-half that of a canal of the         
sea-level type2 that the lock project   
will permit of navigation by night2 and 
that1 finally1 even at the same cost in 
time and money1 ,mr4 ,stevens would     
favor the adoption of the high-level    
lock canal plan in preference to that of
 the proposed sea-level canal4  ,to     
these observations and comments the     

,secretary of ,war1 under whose         
supervision this great work is going on1
 adds his opinion1 which is decidedly   
and unequivocally in favor of a lock    
canal4 ,in his letter to the ,president1
 ,mr4 ,taft goes into all the important 
details of the subject and reveals a    
masterly grasp of the situation as it   
confronts the ,american people at the   
present time4 ,he calls attention to the
 fact that lock navigation is not an    
experiment2 that all the locks in the   
proposed canal are duplicated1 thereby  
minimizing such dangers as are inherent 
in any canal project1 and he adds that  
experience shows that with proper plans 
and regulations the dangers are much    
more imaginary than real4 ,he goes into 
the facts of the proposed great dam to  
be constructed at ,gatun and points out 
that such construction is not           
experimental1 but sustained by large    
,american experience1 which is larger1  
perhaps1 than that of any other country 
in the world4 ,he gives his indorsement 

to the views of the ,isthmian           
,commission and its chief engineer that 
the estimated cost of time and money for
 completing a sea-level canal is not    
correctly stated by the majority members
 of the ,board1 and that the cost1 in   
all probability1 will be at least       
#be1jjj1jjj more1 while1 in his opinion1
 eighteen to twenty years will be       
necessary to complete the sea-level     
project4 ,he also holds that the        
military advantages will be decidedly in
 favor of a lock canal4  ,this is       
practically the present status of facts 
and opinions regarding the canal problem
 as it is now before ,congress1 except  
that since ,january the ,senate         
,committee on ,interoceanic ,canals has 
collected a large mass of additional and
 valuable testimony4 ,restating the     
facts in a somewhat different way1      
,congress is asked to give its final    
approval to the sea-level proposition1  
chiefly favored by foreigners1 and to   
give its disapproval to the project of a

 lock canal1 favored by ,american       
engineers4 ,congress is asked to rely in
 the main upon the experience gained in 
the management of the ,suez ,canal1     
where the conditions are essentially and
 fundamentally different from what they 
are or ever will be on the ,isthmus of  
,panama1 and to disregard the more than 
fifty years' experience in the          
successful management of the lock canals
 connecting the ,great ,lakes4 ,congress
 is asked to pronounce against the lock 
canal because in the management of the  
ship canal at ,manchester several       
accidents have occurred1 due to         
carelessness or ignorance in navigation1
 and we are asked to disregard the      
successful record of the ,soo ,canal1 in
 the management of which only three     
accidents1 of no very serious           
importance1 have occurred during more   
than fifty years4  ,in no other country 
in the world has there been more        
experience with lock canals than in     
this4 ,for nearly a hundred years the   

,erie ,canal has been one of our most   
successful of inland waterways1         
connecting the ocean with the ,great    
,lakes4 ,the ,erie ,canal is #chg miles 
in length1 has #gb locks1 and is now    
being enlarged1 to accommodate barges of
 a thousand tons1 at a cost of          
#aja1jjj1jjj4 ,we have the ,ohio ,canal1
 with #aej locks2 the ,miami and ,erie  
,canal1 with #ic locks2 the             
,pennsylvania ,canal1 with #ga locks2   
the ,chesapeake and ,ohio ,canal1 with  
#gc locks2 and numerous other inland    
waterways of lesser importance4 ,it is a
 question of degree and not of kind1 for
 the problem is the same in all         
essentials1 and confronts ,congress as  
much in the proposed deep waterway      
connecting tide-water with the ,great   
,lakes1 in which locks are proposed with
 a lift of #dj feet or more1 or very    
considerably in excess of the proposed  
lift of the locks on the ,isthmian      
,canal4  ,the proposed ship canal from  
,lake ,erie to the ,ohio ,river provides

 for #cd locks4 ,the suggested canal    
from ,lake ,michigan to the ,illinois   
and ,mississippi rivers provides for #cg
 locks1 and1 finally1 the projected ship
 canal from the ,st4 ,lawrence ,river to
 ,lake ,huron contemplates #bb locks4   
,so that lock canals of exceptional     
magnitude are not only in existence1 but
 new canals of this type are            
contemplated in the ,united ,states and 
,canada4  ,in other words1 ,congress is 
asked to regard with preference the     
judgment and opinions of foreign        
engineers and to disregard the judgment 
and opinions of ,american engineers4 ,we
 are seriously asked to completely      
disregard ,american opinion1 as voiced  
by the ,isthmian ,commission1           
responsible for the enterprise as a     
whole2 as voiced by the ,secretary of   
,war1 responsible for the time being for
 the proper execution of the work2 as   
voiced by ,chief ,engineer ,stevens1 who
 stands foremost among ,americans in his
 profession2 and finally1 as voiced by  

all the engineers now on the ,isthmus1  
who have a practical knowledge of the   
actual conditions1 and who are as       
thoroughly familiar as any class of men 
with the problems which confront us and 
with the conditions which will have to  
be met4 ,i for one1 leaving out of      
consideration for the present details   
which are subject to modification and   
change1 believe that it will be a fatal 
error for the nation to commit itself to
 the practically hopeless and visionary 
sea-level project and to delay for many 
years the opening of this much needed   
waterway connecting the ,atlantic with  
the ,pacific4 ,i for one am opposed to a
 waste of untold millions and to        
additional burdens of needless taxation1
 while the project of a lock canal      
offers every practical advantage1 offers
 a canal within a reasonable period of  
time and at a reasonable cost1 offers a 
waterway of enormous advantage to       
,american shipping1 of the greatest     
possible value to the nation in the     

event of war1 and the opportunity for   
the ,american people to carry into      
execution at the earliest possible      
moment what has been called the dream of
 navigators1 and what has thus far      
defied the engineering skill of         
,european nations4  ,but in addition to 
the evidence presented for or against a 
sea-level or lock canal project by the  
two conflicting reports of the ,board of
 ,consulting ,engineers1 there is now   
available a very considerable mass of   
testimony of ,american engineers who    
were called as witnesses before the     
,senate ,committee on ,interoceanic     
,canals4 ,the testimony has been printed
 as a separate document and makes a     
volume of nearly a thousand pages4 ,much
 of this evidence is conflicting1 much  
of it is mere engineering opinion1 much 
of it comes perilously near to being    
engineering guesswork1 but a large part 
of it is of practical value and may     
safely be relied upon to guide the      
,congress in an effort to arrive at a   

final and correct conclusion respecting 
the type of canal best adapted to our   
needs and requirements4  ,a critical    
examination and review of this          
testimony1 as presented to the ,senate  
,committee from day to day for nearly   
five months1 including the testimony of 
administrative officers and others1     
relating to ,panama ,canal affairs      
generally1 is not practicable at this   
stage of the session4 ,among others1 the
 committee examined ,mr4 ,john ,f4      
,stevens1 chief engineer1 upon all the  
essential points in controversy1        
regarding which1 in the light of        
additional experience and a very        
considerable amount of new and more     
exact information1 ,mr4 ,stevens        
reaffirms his convictions in favor of   
the practicability and superior         
advantages of a lock canal4  ,in        
opposition to the views and conclusions 
of ,mr4 ,stevens1 ,prof4 ,william ,h4   
,burr pronounced himself emphatically in
 favor of the sea-level project4 ,as a  

member of the former ,isthmian          
,commission1 reporting upon the type of 
canal1 ,mr4 ,burr had signed the report 
in favor of the lock project1 but as a  
member of the ,board of ,consulting     
,engineers he had sided with the        
majority favoring the sea-level canal4  
,thus engineering opinion is as apt as  
any other human opinion to undergo a    
change1 and the convictions of one year 
in favor of a proposition may change    
into opposite convictions1 favoring an  
opposite proposition1 only a few years  
later4 ,mr4 ,william ,barclay ,parsons1 
also a member of the ,board of          
,consulting ,engineers1 who had signed  
the report in favor of the sea-level    
project1 gave further evidence before   
the committee1 restating his views and  
convictions in favor of the sea-level   
type4 ,mr4 ,william ,noble1 an engineer 
of large experience1 for some years in  
charge of the ,soo ,canal1 and who1 as a
 member of the ,board of ,consulting    
,engineers1 had signed the report in    

favor of a lock project1 restates his   
views and convictions in favor of a lock
 canal4 ,mr4 ,noble had also been a     
member of the ,isthmian ,commission of  
#aijb1 reporting at that time in favor  
of a lock canal4  ,mr4 ,frederick ,p4   
,stearns1 the foremost ,american        
authority on earth-dam construction1    
gave evidence regarding the safety of   
the proposed dams at ,gatun and other   
points4 ,his views and conclusions are  
based upon large practical experience   
and a profound theoretical knowledge of 
the subject4 ,mr4 ,stearns had also been
 a member of the ,consulting ,board of  
,engineers and as such had signed the   
report of the minority in favor of the  
lock project4 ,he reaffirmed his views  
favoring a lock canal with a dam at     
,gatun4 ,mr4 ,john ,f4 ,wallace1 former 
chief engineer1 gave testimony in favor 
of the sea-level type and strongly      
opposed the lock project4 ,col4 ,oswald 
,h4 ,ernst1 ,united ,states ,army1 than 
whom probably few are more thoroughly   

familiar with conditions on the ,isthmus
 and the entire project of canal        
construction1 declared himself to be    
strongly in favor of the lock-canal     
project4  ,gen4 ,peter ,c4 ,hains1      
,united ,states ,army1 equally well     
qualified to express an opinion on the  
subject in all its important points1    
pronounced himself strongly and         
unequivocally in favor of a lock canal4 
,illustration3 ,,panama ,,canal ,,zone  
,illustration3 ,,profile ,,of ,,canal   
,gen4 ,henry ,l4 ,abbot1 ,united ,states
 ,army1 one of the highest authorities  
on river hydraulics1 thoroughly familiar
 with ,mississippi ,river flood         
problems1 a former member of the        
,international ,technical ,commission1  
of the ,new ,panama ,canal ,company1 and
 for a time its consulting engineer1 a  
member of different ,isthmian           
commissions1 and also a member of the   
consulting board1 reemphasized his      
conviction1 sustained by much valuable  
evidence1 in favor of the lock-canal    

project4 ,general ,abbot1 as a member of
 the consulting board1 had signed the   
report of the minority in favor of a    
lock canal4 ,gen4 ,george ,w4 ,davis1   
,united ,states ,army1 for a time       
governor of the ,canal ,zone and        
president of the ,international ,board  
of ,consulting ,engineers1 restated his 
views and convictions as opposed to the 
lock-canal type and in favor of the     
sea-level project4 ,the last witness1   
,mr4 ,b4,m4 ,harrod1 an engineer of     
large experience1 for many years        
connected with levee construction and   
familiar with the flood problems of the 
,mississippi ,river1 submitted a        
statement in which he restated his views
 in favor of a lock canal4  ,so that1   
summing up the evidence of twelve       
engineers examined before the committee 
7including ,mr4 ,lindon ,w4 ,bates71    
there were eight ,american engineers    
strongly and unequivocally in favor of a
 lock canal1 while four expressed their 
views to the contrary4 ,subjecting the  

mass of testimony to a critical         
examination1 ,i cannot draw any other   
conclusion or arrive at any other       
conviction than that the lock project1  
in the light of the facts and large     
experience1 has decidedly the advantage 
over the sea-level proposition4 ,and    
this view is strengthened by the fact   
that the opinion of the engineers most  
competent to judge--that is1 men like   
,mr4 ,noble1 who has thoroughly studied 
lock-canal construction1 management1 and
 navigation1 who as a member of the     
,united ,states ,deep ,waterway         
,commission reexamined probably as      
thoroughly as any living authority into 
the entire subject of the mechanics and 
practice of lock canals--is emphatically
 opposed to the sea-level proposition4  
,when a man like ,mr4 ,stearns1 of      
national and international reputation as
 a waterworks engineer1 who for many    
years has been in charge of the         
extensive construction work of the      
,massachusetts ,metropolitan ,water and 

,sewerage ,board1 and who probably has  
as large a practical and theoretical    
knowledge of earth-dam construction as  
any living authority1 declares himself  
to be strongly in favor of the lock     
project and believes in the entire      
safety of the dams required in          
connection therewith1 ,i hold that such 
a judgment may be relied upon and that  
it should govern in national affairs as 
it would govern in private affairs if   
the canal construction were a business  
enterprise and involved the risk of     
private capital4 ,when we find a man    
like ,mr4 ,harrod1 who for many years   
has been in charge of levee construction
 in ,louisiana1 thoroughly familiar with
 the theory and practice of river and   
flood control1 express himself in favor 
of the lock project and in opposition to
 the sea-level canal1 ,i hold that we   
may with entire confidence accept his   
judgment as a governing principle in    
arriving at a final decision respecting 
the type of the canal to be finally     

fixed by the ,congress4  ,and1 going    
back to the minority report of the      
,board of ,consulting ,engineers1 we    
find that ,mr4 ,joseph ,ripley1 the     
general superintendent at present in    
charge of the ,soo ,canal1 and ,mr4     
,isham ,randolph1 chief engineer of the 
sanitary district of ,chicago1 and      
thoroughly familiar with canal          
construction and management1 both       
,american engineers of much experience  
and high standing1 pronounce themselves 
in favor of a lock canal4 ,when         
confronted by these facts1 ,i for one   
would rely upon ,american engineers1    
,american conviction and ,american      
experience1 and accept the lock-canal   
proposition4  ,in this matter1 as in all
 other practical problems1 we may safely
 take the business point of view1 and   
calculate without bias or prejudice the 
respective advantages and disadvantages2
 and the more thorough the method of    
reasoning and logic applied to the canal
 problem the more emphatic and          

incontrovertible the conclusion that the
 ,congress should decide in favor of a  
plan which will give us a navigable     
waterway across the ,isthmus within a   
measurable distance of time and with a  
reasonable expenditure of money1 as     
opposed to a visionary theory of an     
ideal canal which may ultimately be     
constructed1 possibly for the exclusive 
benefit of future generations1 but at an
 enormous waste of money1 time1 and     
opportunity4 ,i do not think we want to 
repeat at this late stage of the canal  
problem the fatal error of ,de ,lesseps1
 who1 when he had the opportunity in    
#ahgi to make a choice of a practical   
waterway1 being influenced by his great 
success at ,suez1 upon the most         
fragmentary evidence and in the absence 
of definite knowledge of actual         
conditions1 decided beforehand in favor 
of a sea-level canal4 ,it was largely   
his bias and prejudice which proved     
fatal to the enterprise and to himself4 
,i may recall that the so-called        

international congress of #ahgi was a   
mere subterfuge2 that the opinions of   
eminent engineers1 including all the    
,americans1 were opposed to a sea-level 
project and in favor of a lock canal1   
but ,de ,lesseps had made his plans1 he 
had arrived at his decision1 and in his 
own words1 at a meeting of the ,american
 ,society of ,civil ,engineers held in  
,january1 #ahhj1 said1 ,i would have put
 my hat on and walked out if any other  
plan than a sea-level canal project had 
been adopted4  ,the situation to-day is 
very similar to the critical state of   
the canal question in #aijb4 ,what was  
then a question of choice of route is   
to-day a question of choice of plan4    
,what was then a geographical conflict  
is to-day a conflict of engineering     
opinions4 ,it has been made clear by the
 reference to the report of the ,board  
of ,consulting ,engineers and by the    
testimony of the engineers before the   
,senate committee that the opinion of   
eminent experts is so widely at variance

 that there is little1 if any1 hope of  
an ultimate reconciliation4 ,it is a    
choice of one plan or the other--of a   
sea-level or a lock canal4 ,in respect  
to either plan a mass of testimony and  
data exists1 which has been brought     
forward to sustain one view or the      
other4 ,in respect to either plan there 
are advantages and disadvantages4 ,the  
majority of the ,senate ,committee on   
,interoceanic ,canals have reported     
favorably a bill providing for the      
construction of a canal at sea level4   
,from this majority opinion the minority
 of the committee emphatically and      
unequivocally dissent1 and in their     
report they express themselves in favor 
of the lock canal4  ,the minority report
 calls attention to the changed         
conditions and requirements1 which now  
demand a canal of much larger dimensions
 than originally proposed4 ,even as late
 as #aija the depth of the canal prism  
was to be only #ce feet1 against #dj to 
#de feet in the project of only five    

years later4 ,the bottom width has been 
increased from #aej to #bjj feet and    
over4 ,the length of the locks has been 
changed from #gdj to #ijj feet1 and the 
width from #hd to #ij feet4 ,these facts
 must be kept in mind1 for they bear    
upon the questions of time and cost1 and
 a sea-level or lock canal1 as proposed 
to-day1 is in all respects a very much  
larger affair1 demanding very superior  
facilities for traffic1 than any        
previous canal project ever suggested or
 proposed4 ,this change in plans was    
made necessary by the ,spooner act1     
which provides for a canal of such      
dimensions that the largest ship now    
building1 or likely to be built within a
 reasonable period of time1 can be      
accommodated4  ,now1 the estimated      
saving in money alone by adopting the   
lock plan--that is1 on the original     
investment1 to say nothing of           
accumulating interest charges--would be 
at least #ajj1jjj1jjj4 ,granting all    
that is said in favor of a sea-level    

canal1 it is not apparent by any        
evidence produced that such a canal     
would prove a material advantage over a 
lock canal4 ,all its assumed advantages 
are entirely offset by the vastly       
greater cost and longer period of time  
necessary for construction1 and ,i am   
confident that they would not be        
considered for a moment if the canal    
were built as a commercial enterprise4  
,i do not think that they should hold   
good where the canal is the work of the 
nation1 because a vast sum of money     
otherwise needed will be eventually sunk
 if the sea-level project is adopted1   
and entirely upon the theory that if    
certain conditions should arise then it 
would be better to have a sea-level than
 a lock canal4 ,we have never before    
proceeded in national undertakings upon 
such an assumption2 we have never       
before1 as far as ,i know1 deliberately 
disregarded every principle of economy  
in money and time2 we have never before 
in national projects attempted to       

conform to merely theoretical ideas1 but
 we have always adhered to practical1   
hard common-sense notions of what is    
best under the circumstances4  ,the     
majority of the committee attack the    
proposition that the proposed lock canal
 will have locks with dimensions far    
exceeding any that have ever been made4 
,if this principle were adopted in every
 other line of human effort all         
advancement would come to an end--even  
the canal enterprise itself--for1 as it 
stands to-day1 it far exceeds in        
magnitude any corresponding effort ever 
made by this or any other nation4 ,they 
say that the proposed flight of three   
locks at ,gatun would be objectionable  
and unsafe1 but we have the evidence of 
,american engineers of the highest      
standing1 whose reputations are at      
stake1 who are absolutely confident that
 these locks can be constructed and     
operated with entire safety4 ,the       
committee say that the entry through and
 exit from these contiguous locks is    

attended with very great danger to the  
lock gates and to the ships as well2 but
 if mere inherent danger of possible    
accidents were an objection there would 
be no great steamships1 no great        
battleships1 no great bridges and       
tunnels1 no great undertakings of any   
kind4  ,the committee point out that    
accidents have occurred in the ,soo     
,canal and in the ,manchester ,ship     
,canal2 but the conditions1 in the first
 place1 were decidedly different1 and1  
in the second place1 they proved of no  
serious consequence as a hindrance to   
traffic and did no material injury to   
the canal4 ,the ,soo ,canal has been in 
operation as a lock canal for some fifty
 years2 it has been enlarged from time  
to time1 and to-day accommodates a      
larger traffic than passes through all  
other ship canals of the world combined4
 ,it is a sufficient answer to the      
objections to say that this experience  
should have a determining influence in  
arriving at a conclusion1 for the       

inherent problems of lock-canal         
construction are as well understood by  
,american engineers as any other        
problems or questions in engineering    
science4 ,the proposed deep waterway    
with a #cj-;foot channel from ,chicago  
to tide-water1 which has been surveyed  
by direction of ,congress1 proposes an  
expenditure of #cjc1jjj1jjj1 and several
 locks with a lift of #dj feet or more4 
,the enlargement of the ,erie ,canal by 
the ,state of ,new ,york1 at an         
expenditure of #aja1jjj1jjj1 involves   
engineering problems1 including lock    
construction1 not essentially different 
from those inherent in the lock-canal   
project at ,panama2 and if these        
problems can be solved by our engineers 
at home1 it stands to reason that we may
 rely upon their judgment that they can 
be solved at ,panama4  ,the majority of 
the ,senate committee object to the     
proposed dam at ,gatun1 and say that--  
,earth dams founded on the drift and    
silt of ages1 through which      water  

habitually percolates1 to be increased  
by the pressure of the      #he-;foot   
lock when made1 have been referred to by
 many of our      technical advisers as 
another element of danger4 ,the vast    
masses of      earth piled on this      
alluvial base to the height of #ace feet
 will      certainly settle1 and as the 
drift material of this base or          
foundation has varying depth1 to #bej   
feet or more1 the settlement      of the
 new mass1 as well as its base1 will be 
unequal1 and it is      predicted that  
cracks and fissures in the dam will be  
formed1 which      will be reached and  
used by the water under the pressure    
above      mentioned1 and will cause the
 destruction of the dam and the         
draining off of the great lake upon     
which the integrity of the      entire  
canal rests4  ,but all of this is mere  
conjecture4 ,the evidence of ,engineer  
,stearns1 a man of large experience1 and
 of ,engineer ,harrod1 familiar with    
river hydraulics and levee construction1

 and of many others1 is emphatically to 
the contrary4 ,there is not an ,american
 engineer of ability1 nor an ,american  
contractor of experience1 who would not 
undertake to build the proposed dam at  
,gatun and guarantee its safety and     
permanency without any hesitation       
whatever4 ,the alternative proposal of a
 dam at ,gamboa would be as             
objectionable upon much the same ground1
 and the dam there1 which is            
indispensable to the sea-level project1 
has also been considered unsafe by some 
of the engineers4 ,in all questions of  
this kind the aggregate experience of   
mankind ought to have greater weight    
than the abstract theories of           
individuals1 and ,i am confident that   
our engineers1 who have so successfully 
solved problems of the greatest         
magnitude in the reclamation projects of
 the far ,west and in the control and   
regulation of the floods of the         
,mississippi ,river1 will solve with    
equal success similar problems at       

,panama4  ,the committee further says   
that the sea-level project contemplates 
the removal of some #aaj1jjj1jjj cubic  
yards of material1 while the lock canal 
would require the removal of only about 
half that quantity1 or1 in other words1 
that there is a difference of some      
#eg1jjj1jjj cubic yards1 which1 to omit 
to take out 444 is to confess our       
impotence1 which is not characteristic  
of the ,american people or their        
engineers or contractors4 ,by this      
method of reasoning a nation which can  
build a battleship of #af1jjj tons      
displacement is impotent if it can not  
build one of twice that tonnage1 and if 
this reason applies to quantity of      
material1 why not say that a nation     
which can dig a canal #aej feet wide    
through a mountain some seven miles in  
length admits its impotence if it can   
not dig one #cjj feet wide1 or #fjj     
feet1 if it should please to do so8 ,but
 why should it be less difficult or a   
declaration of impotency on the part of 

our engineers to build a safe lock canal
 including a satisfactory and safe      
controlling dam at ,gatun8 ,as ,i       
conceive the problem1 it is one of      
reasonable compromise1 and while ,i do  
not question the ability of ,american   
engineers and contractors to build a    
sea-level canal1 ,i am convinced by the 
facts in evidence that they can not do  
it within the time and for the money    
assumed by the advocates of the         
sea-level project4  ,this question of   
time is of supreme importance4 ,ten     
years in a nation's life is often a long
 space in national history4 ,many times 
the map of the world has been changed in
 less than a decade4 ,no man in #ahij   
anticipated the war with ,spain in      
#ahih1 and no man in #aijf can say what 
important event may not happen before   
the next decade has passed4 ,the        
progress during peace is far greater in 
its permanent effect than the changes   
brought about by war4 ,the world's      
commerce1 the social1 commercial1 and   

political development of the ,south     
,american republics and of ,asiatic     
nations1 all depend1 more or less1 upon 
the completion of an ,isthmian waterway4
 ,it is the duty of this nation1 since  
we have assumed this task1 to construct 
a waterway across the ,isthmus within   
the shortest reasonable period of time4 
,valuable years have passed1 valuable   
opportunities have gone by4 ,in #ahhd   
,de ,lesseps1 with supreme confidence   
and upon the judgment of his engineers1 
anticipated the opening of the ,panama  
,canal in #ahhh4 ,that was nearly twenty
 years ago4 ,shall it be twenty years   
more before that greatest event in the  
world's commercial history takes place8 
,had ,de ,lesseps in #ahgi gone before  
the ,international ,congress with a     
proposition for a feasible canal at     
reasonable cost1 free from prejudice or 
bias1 had he then adopted the ,american 
suggestion for a lock canal1 he would   
probably have lived to see its          
completion1 and the world for fifteen   

years would have had the use of a       
practical waterway across the ,isthmus4 
,as to safety in operation1 which the   
committee discuss in their report1 there
 is one very important point to be kept 
in mind1 and that is that nine-tenths1  
or possibly a larger proportion1 of     
shipping will be of vessels of          
relatively small size4 ,if this should  
be the case1 then the sea-level project 
contemplates a canal chiefly designed to
 meet the possible needs of a very small
 number of vessels of largest size1     
while the lock canal provides primarily 
for the accommodation of the class of   
steamships which of necessity would make
 the largest practical use of the       
,isthmian waterway4 ,now1 it stands to  
reason that special precautions would be
 employed during the passage of a very  
large vessel1 either merchantman or     
man-of-war1 and even if necessity should
 demand the rapid passage of a fleet of 
vessels1 say twenty or thirty1 it is not
 conceivable that a condition would     

arise which could not be efficiently    
safeguarded against by those in actual  
charge and responsible for safety in the
 management of the canal4 ,considering  
the immense tonnage passing through the 
,soo ,canal1 which would not be equaled 
in the ,panama ,canal for a century to  
come1 the very few and relatively       
unimportant accidents which have        
occurred during the fifty years of      
operation of that waterway are in every 
respect the most suggestive indorsement 
of the lock-canal project which could be
 advanced4  ,the time of transit1 in the
 opinion of the majority committee of   
the ,senate1 would be somewhat longer in
 the case of a lock canal4 ,this may be 
so1 though much depends upon the class  
of ships passing through and their      
number4 ,to the practical navigator the 
loss of a few hours would be a          
negligible quantity compared with the   
higher tolls that will necessarily be   
charged if an additional #ajj1jjj1jjj is
 expended in construction and an        

additional interest burden of at least  
#b1jjj1jjj per annum has to be provided 
for4 ,i understand that the actual value
 of an hour or two in the case of       
commercial ships of average size would  
be a matter of comparatively no         
importance in contrast with the         
all-suggestive fact that the alternative
 project of a sea-level canal would     
provide no navigation whatever across   
the ,isthmus for probably ten years     
more4 ,if it is an advantage to gain an 
hour or two in transit ten years hence  
by having no transisthmian shipping     
facilities for the ten years in the     
meantime1 then it might as well be      
argued that it would be better to       
project a sea-level canal #cjj feet wide
 at every point1 so that the commerce of
 the year #bjjj may be properly provided
 for4 ,but to the practical navigator of
 the year #aiaf1 who leaves the port of 
,new ,york for ,san ,francisco by way of
 ,cape ,horn1 a possible loss of two or 
three hours or more would be many times 

preferable1 if the ,isthmus were open   
for traffic1 to a certain loss of from  
forty to fifty days to make the voyage  
all around ,south ,america4  ,upon the  
question of cost of maintenance the     
majority committee in their report point
 out that the ,board of ,consulting     
,engineers did not submit the details of
 any estimate of cost of maintenance1   
repairs1 etc41 but they say that this   
factor was properly taken into account  
by the minority favoring a lock canal4  
,now1 there is probably no more         
important question connected with the   
whole canal problem than this1 for if   
the annual expense of maintenance1 to be
 provided for by ,congressional         
appropriations1 should attain such an   
exorbitant figure as to make any fair   
return upon the investment impossible1  
it is conceivable that the most serious 
political and financial consequences    
might arise and the success of the      
enterprise itself might be placed in    
jeopardy4 ,upon a maximum cost1 in round

 figures1 of #bjj1jjj1jjj for a lock    
canal1 and of #cjj1jjj1jjj as a minimum 
for a sea-level canal1 the additional   
annual interest charge would be at least
 #b1jjj1jjj4  ,but ,mr4 ,stearns        
estimates that under certain conditions 
a sea-level canal might cost as much as 
#daj1jjj1jjj1 which would add millions  
of dollars more per annum to the fixed  
charges which must be included in the   
cost of maintenance1 to say nothing of a
 possibly much higher cost of operation4
 ,nor can ,i agree to the statement that
 the cost of operation of a sea-level   
canal would be #hjj1jjj per annum less  
than in the case of a lock canal2 but1  
on the contrary1 ,i am fully satisfied  
that the expense would be very much     
greater in the sea-level project1 if    
proper allowance is made for interest   
charges upon the additional outlay1     
which cannot be rightfully ignored4     
,upon this important point the evidence 
of the engineers and of the minority    
members of the ,board is strongly in    

favor of the lock-canal project4  ,as   
regards ultimate cost1 the estimates of 
the majority are very much more         
indefinite and conjectural than the more
 carefully prepared estimates of the    
minority of the ,board of ,consulting   
,engineers4 ,upon this point the        
majority of the ,senate committee say3  
,there are two estimates now before the 
,senate1 both originating      with the 
,board of ,consulting ,engineers4 ,the  
basis of computation of      cost at    
certain unit prices was adopted         
unanimously by the ,board1      and we  
are told that the cost1 with the #bj per
 cent4 allowance for      contingencies1
 will be1 for the sea-level canal1 the  
sum of      #bdg1jba1bjj4 ,your         
committee has adopted the figures stated
 by the      majority on page #fd of its
 report of a total of #bej1jjj1jjj for  
the ultimate final cost of the sea-level
 canal4  ,the estimate of the minority  
for a lock canal at a level of          
eighty-five feet is1 in round figures1  

#adj1jjj1jjj1 or about #aaj1jjj1jjj less
 than for a sea-level canal1 which would
 represent a difference of #b1bjj1jjj   
per annum in interest charges at the    
lowest possible rate of two per cent4   
,the majority of the ,senate committee  
attempt to meet this difference by      
capitalizing the estimated higher       
maintenance charge1 which they fix at   
#hjj1jjj per annum1 and they thus       
increase the total cost of a lock canal 
by #dj1jjj1jjj2 but this1 ,i hold1      
involves a serious financial error1     
unless a corresponding allowance is made
 for the ultimate cost of the sea-level 
project4 ,there is1 however1 no serious 
disagreement upon the point that a      
sea-level canal in any event would cost 
a very much larger sum as an original   
outlay1 certainly not less than         
#abj1jjj1jjj more1 and1 in all          
probability1 in the opinion of qualified
 engineers1 including ,mr4 ,stevens1 the
 chief engineer1 twice that sum4        
,reference is made in the report to the 

probable value of the land which will be
 inundated under the lock-canal project 
with a dam at ,gatun1 the value of which
 has been placed at approximately       
#cjj1jjj4 ,the majority of the ,senate  
committee estimate that this amount     
might reach #aj1jjj1jjj1 or as much as  
was paid for the entire ,canal ,zone4   
,the estimate is based upon the price of
 certain lands required by the          
government near the city of ,panama1 but
 one might as well estimate the worth of
 land in the ,adirondacks by the prices 
paid for real estate in lower ,new      
,york4 ,the item1 no doubt1 requires to 
be properly taken into account1 but two 
independent estimates fix the probable  
sum at #cjj1jjj for lands which are     
otherwise practically valueless and     
which would only acquire value the      
moment the ,united ,states should need  
them4 ,in my opinion1 the value of these
 lands will not form a serious item in  
the total cost of the canal1 and ,i have
 every reason to believe that           

independent estimates of the minority   
engineers of the ,consulting ,board1 and
 of ,mr4 ,stevens1 may be relied upon as
 conservative4  ,the majority of the    
,senate committee further say that--    
,it is not necessary to dwell upon the  
fact that all naval      commanders and 
commercial masters of the great national
 and private      vessels of the world  
are almost to a man opposed unalterably 
to the      introduction of any lock to 
lift vessels over the low summit that   
nature has left for us to remove4  ,i am
 not aware that any material evidence of
 this character has come before the     
,senate ,committee on ,isthmian         
,affairs1 investigating conditions at   
,panama4 ,i do know this1 however1 that 
until very recently it has been the     
,american project to construct a lock   
canal4 ,all the former advocates of an  
,american canal by way of ,panama or    
,nicaragua1 or by any other route1      
contemplated a lock canal of a much more
 complex character than the present     

,panama project4 ,all the advocates of a
 canal across the ,isthmus1 including   
many distinguished engineers in the army
 and navy1 have been in favor of a lock 
canal1 and almost without exception have
 reported upon the feasibility of a lock
 canal across the ,isthmus and upon its 
advantages to commerce and navigation1  
and in military and naval operations in 
case of war4 ,the ,nicaragua ,canal1 as 
recommended to ,congress and as favored 
by the first ,walker ,commission1       
provided for a lock project far more    
complex than the proposition now under  
consideration4  ,colonel ,totten1 who   
built the ,panama railroad1 recommended 
as early as #aheg the construction of a 
lock canal2 ,naval ,commissioner ,lull1 
who made a careful survey of the        
,isthmus in #ahgd1 recommended a lock   
canal with a summit level of #abd feet  
and with #bd locks4 ,admiral ,ammen1    
who1 by authority of the ,secretary of  
,war1 attended the ,isthmian ,congress  
of #ahgi1 favored a lock project1 in    

strong opposition to the visionary plan 
of ,de ,lesseps4 ,admiral ,selfridge and
 many other naval officers who have been
 connected with ,isthmian surveying and 
exploration have never1 to my knowledge1
 by as much as a word expressed their   
apprehensions regarding the feasibility 
or practicability of a lock canal4  ,as 
a matter of fact and canal history1 the 
lock project has very properly been     
considered an ,american conception of   
the proper treatment of the ,panama     
canal problem4 ,mr4 ,c4,d4 ,ward1 an    
,american engineer of great ability1 as 
early as #ahgi suggested a plan almost  
identical with the one now recommended  
by the minority of the ,consulting      
,board1 including a dam at ,gatun1      
instead of ,bohio or ,gamboa2 and1 in   
the words of a former president of the  
,american ,society of ,civil ,engineers1
 ,mr4 ,welsh1 ,the first thought of an  
,american engineer on looking at ,m4 ,de
 ,lesseps' raised map is to convert the 
valley of the lower ,chagres into an    

artificial lake some twenty miles long  
by a dam across the valley at or near a 
point where the proposed canal strikes  
it1 a few miles from ,colon1 such as was
 advocated by ,c4,d4 ,ward in #ahgi4    
,the site referred to was ,gatun1 and   
this was written in #ahhj1 when the     
sea-level project had full sway4  ,so   
that it is going entirely too far to say
 that all naval commanders and          
commercial masters are in favor of the  
sea-level project4 ,admiral ,walker     
himself1 as president of the former     
,isthmian ,commission1 and as president 
of the ,nicaraguan ,board1 favored a    
lock canal4 ,eminent army engineers1    
like ,abbot1 ,hains1 ,ernst1 and others1
 favor the lock project4 ,it requires no
 very extensive knowledge of navigation 
to make it clear that passing through a 
waterway which for #ce miles1 or #ga per
 cent4 of its distance1 will have a     
width of #ejj feet or more1 compared    
with one which1 for the larger part1 or 
for some forty-one miles1 will have a   

width of only #bjj feet or less1 must   
appeal to the sense of security of the  
skipper while taking his vessel through 
the canal4  ,but it is a question of    
general principles1 and not of personal 
preference4 ,our concern is with a      
matter of fact1 and not with a theory4  
,no ship-owner on the ,great ,lakes     
considers it a serious hindrance to     
navigation for vessels to pass through  
the lock of the ,soo ,canal2 no shipper 
running #a1jjj-ton barges through the   
future ,erie ,canal will have the least 
apprehension of danger or destruction2  
no captain navigating a vessel or boat  
through the proposed deep waterway from 
the ocean to the ,lakes will hesitate to
 pass through locks with a proposed lift
 of over forty feet4 ,these             
apprehensions are imaginary and not     
real4 ,they are not derived from        
experience or from a summary statement  
of shipmasters and naval officers1 but  
from the individual expressions and     
prejudice of a few who are opposed to   

the lock project4 ,i am confident that  
if the matter is left to the practical  
navigator1 to the ship-owner1 and to the
 self-reliant naval officer1 there will 
be no serious disagreement with the     
opinion that a lock canal1 which can be 
built within a reasonable period of     
time1 is preferable to any sea-level    
canal which may be built and opened to  
navigation twenty years hence or later4 
,there are two objections made by the   
majority of the ,senate committee       
against a lock canal which require more 
extended consideration4 ,these are1 the 
protection of the canal in case of war  
and the danger of serious injury or     
total destruction by possible earth     
movements or so-called earthquakes4     
,regarding the military aspects of the  
canal problem1 the majority of the      
,senate committee say3       ,the       
,spooner act and the ,hay-,varilla      
treaty contemplated the                 
fortification and military protection of
 the canal route4 ,no      proposition  

affecting this policy is now before the 
,senate4 ,in so      far as the type of 
canal to be adopted has a bearing upon  
the      jeopardy to or immunity of the 
canal from risk of malicious injury1    
the subject of safety and protection is 
pertinent and most      important4 ,if a
 canal of one type would be more liable 
to injury      than another1 this       
liability should under no circumstances 
be      neglected in determining the    
type or plan4 ,it does not require      
argument that the use of the canal by   
the ,united ,states will cease      if  
the control passes to a hostile power   
between which and the      ,united      
,states a state of war exists1 but this 
is true whatever the      type may be4  
,as the majority of the committee point 
out1 no proposition affecting this      
project is now before the ,senate4 ,in  
my opinion1 none is necessary4 ,the     
neutrality of the canal is1 by          
implication at least1 assured1 and we   
have pledged our national good faith    

that the waterway will be open to all   
the nations of the world4 ,some time in 
the future1 when the canal is completed 
and an accepted fact1 it may be         
advisable to adopt the course pursued in
 the case of the ,suez ,canal4 ,the     
original concession for that canal      
provided1 by section #c1 for its        
subsequent fortification1 but this was  
never carried into effect4 ,by a        
convention dated ,december #bb1 #ahhh1  
among ,great ,britain1 ,germany1 and    
other nations1 the free navigation of   
the ,suez ,canal was made a matter of   
international agreement1 and the same   
has been reprinted as ,senate ,document 
,no4 #aea1 ,fifty-sixth ,congress1 first
 session1 under date of ,february #f1   
#aijj4  ,this1 in any event1 is a       
problem of the future4 ,the canal is the
 property of the ,united ,states1 and we
 shall always retain control4 ,in the   
event of war we shall rely with         
confidence upon our navy to protect our 
interests on the ,pacific and in the    

,caribbean ,sea1 but even more may we   
rely upon the all-important fact that it
 could never be to the interest of any  
other nation sufficient in size to be at
 war with us to destroy this            
international waterway1 which will      
become an important necessity to the    
commerce of each and all4 ,no neutral   
nation engaged in extensive commerce or 
trade would for an instant allow another
 nation at war with the ,united ,states 
to injure or destroy the canal or to    
seriously interfere with the traffic    
passing through it4 ,to destroy as much 
as a single lock1 to injure as much as a
 single gate1 would be considered equal 
to an act of war by every commercial    
nation of the earth4 ,in this simple    
fact lies a greater assurance of safety 
than in all the treaties which might be 
made or in all the fortifications which 
might be established to protect the     
canal4  ,the majority of the committee  
well say in their report1 that the power
 of mischief is within easy reach of    

all4 ,the possibility of an assumed     
occurrence is very remote from its      
reasonable probability4 ,we have to rely
 upon our own good faith and the        
watchful eyes of our officers4 ,against 
possible contingencies1 such as are     
implied in the assumed destruction of   
the locks by dynamite or other high     
explosives1 we can do no more than take 
the same precautions which we take in   
all other matters of national           
importance4 ,we have to take our chances
 the same as any other nation would2 the
 same as commercial enterprise would4   
,certainly the remote possibility of    
such an event1 the still more remote    
contingency that the injury would be    
serious or fatal to the operation of the
 canal1 should not govern in a decision 
to construct a canal for the use of the 
present generation rather than for the  
generations to come4 ,no canal can be   
built free from vulnerable points2 no   
forts1 no battleships1 can be built free
 from such a risk4 ,it would be folly to

 delay the construction of a canal2 it  
would be folly to sink a hundred million
 dollars or more upon so remote a       
contingency as this1 which belongs to   
the realm of fanciful or morbid         
imagination rather than to the domain of
 substantial fact and actual experience4
  ,as a last resort1 the opposition to a
 lock canal brings forward the          
earthquake argument4 ,it is a curious   
reminder of the early and bitter        
opposition to the building of the ,suez 
,canal2 its enemies had to fall back    
upon the absurd theory that the canal   
would prove a failure because the       
blowing sands of the desert would soon  
fill the channel4 ,it was seriously     
proposed to erect a stone wall four feet
 high on each side of the embankment to 
provide against this imaginary danger to
 the canal4 ,another early objection to 
the ,suez ,canal was that the ,red ,sea 
level was #cj feet above the level of   
the ,mediterranean1 only set at rest in 
#ahdg by a special commission1 which    

included ,mr4 ,robert ,stephenson1 the  
great son of a great father1 bitter to  
the last in his opposition to the canal1
 which he considered an impracticable   
engineering scheme4 ,there was much talk
 about the assumed prevalence of strong 
westerly winds on the southern          
,mediterranean coast1 and the danger of 
constantly increasing deposits of the   
,nile1 it was said1 would render the    
establishment of a port impossible4 ,it 
was necessary to place a war-ship for a 
whole winter at anchor three miles from 
the shore to prove the error of this    
assumption and set at rest a foolish    
rumor which came near proving fatal to  
the enterprise4  ,earthquakes have      
occurred on the ,isthmus1 and there is  
record of one shock of some consequence 
in #ahhb4 ,the matter has been inquired 
into in a general way by the various    
,isthmian commissions1 and assumed some 
prominence during the discussions and   
debates regarding a choice of routes4   
,it was plain to even the least informed

 that the volcanic belt of ,nicaragua   
constituted a real menace to a canal in 
that region2 and one of the strongest   
arguments advanced in the minority      
report of the ,senate committee of      
#aijb1 submitted by ,senator ,kittredge1
 now a leading advocate of the sea-level
 project1 in opposition to the          
,nicaragua ,canal1 was the assertion of 
the practical freedom of the ,panama    
,isthmus from the danger of earth       
movements4  ,the minority of the ,senate
 committee of #aijb in their report1    
summing up the final reasons in favor of
 the ,panama route 7section #ab71 said3 
,at ,panama earthquakes are few and     
unimportant1 while the ,nicaraguan      
route passes over a well-known coastal  
weakness4 ,only five      disturbances  
of any sort were recorded at ,panama1   
all very slight1      while similar     
official records at ,san ,jose de ,costa
 ,rica1 near the      route of the      
,nicaragua ,canal1 show for the same    
period fifty      shocks1 a number of   

which were severe4 7,p4 #aa1 ,s4 ,rep4  
#ghc1 part #b1      #egth ,cong41 #ast  
session1 ,may #ca1 #aijb47  ,in another 
part of their report the committee said3
       ,with the dreadful lessons of    
,martinique and ,st4 ,vincent fresh in  
our minds1 we should be utterly         
inexcusable if we deliberately          
selected a route for an ,isthmian canal 
in a region so volcanic and             
dangerous1 when a route is open to us   
which is exposed to none of      these  
dangers and is in every other respect   
more advantageous4  ,and they quote     
,professor ,heilprin1 an authority on   
the subject1 in part1 as follows3       
,it has1 however1 been known for a full 
quarter of a century that      the main 
,andes do not traverse the ,isthmus of  
,panama1 and that      there are no     
active or recently decayed volcanoes in 
any part of      the ,isthmus4 ,so far1 
however1 as danger from direct volcanic 
contacts is concerned1 the ,panama route
 is exempt4 7,pp4 #bb-bc47  ,and        

further3       ,this district represents
 the most stable portion of ,central    
,america4 ,no volcanic eruptions have   
occurred there since the end of      the
 ,miocene epoch1 and there are no active
 volcanoes between      ,chiriqui and   
,tolima1 a distance of about four       
hundred miles4 ,such      earthquakes as
 have occurred are chiefly those        
proceeding from the      disturbed      
districts on either hand1 with intensity
 much diminished      by the distance   
traversed4 ,the canal lies in a sort of 
dead angle      of comparative safety4  
,the report continues3       ,the       
situation being1 then1 that the danger  
from volcanoes at ,panama      is       
nothing1 and that from earthquakes      
practically nothing1 while at           
,nicaragua the canal would be situated  
in one of the most dangerous            
regions of the world from both these    
causes1 the question should be          
considered settled4  ,this was the      
opinion of the committee of #aijb2 it   

was emphatic and plain in its language2 
it had considered expert views and the  
available data4 ,it had before it the   
full report of the ,nicaragua ,canal    
,commission1 printed under date of ,may 
#aeth of the same year1 ,chapter ,,vii  
of which considers the subject at much  
greater length than has been done since 
that time and with a full knowledge of  
the facts and free from bias or         
prejudice4 ,with the then recent        
occurrence at ,mount ,pelee in mind1 and
 with a full understanding of the       
liability of the ,isthmus to seismic    
shocks of minor importance1 the         
committee emphatically indorsed the     
lock-canal project at ,panama4  ,much   
can be said with regard to this matter1 
and it is one which should1 and no doubt
 will1 receive the most careful         
consideration of the engineers in charge
 of the work4 ,seismic disturbances have
 occurred in all parts of the world1 and
 they have occurred at ,panama4 ,where  
they are not directly of volcanic origin

 they appear to be the result of        
subsidence or contraction of the earth's
 crust1 and they have occurred and      
caused serious destruction far from     
centers of volcanic activity1 among     
other places1 at ,lisbon1 ,portugal1 and
 at ,charleston1 ,s4,c4 ,some sections  
of the earth1 as for illustration ,japan
 and the ,philippines1 are no doubt more
 subject to these movements than others1
 and sections subject to such movements 
at one period of time may be exempt for 
many years if not forever thereafter4   
,the fearful earthquake which affected  
,charleston1 ,s4,c41 in #ahhf had no    
corresponding precedent in that section1
 nor has it been followed by a similar  
disturbance4 ,regardless of the terrible
 experience of #ahhf1 the government has
 now in course of construction at       
,charleston a navy-yard1 and a great    
dry-dock1 costing many millions of      
dollars1 which will be operated by locks
 or gates1 and1 ,i presume1 the question
 of earthquakes or earth movements has  

not been raised in any of the reports   
which have been made regarding this     
undertaking4 ,earthquakes formerly were 
quite frequent in ,new ,england1 and    
they extended to ,new ,york during the  
early years of our history1 and for a   
time ,boston and ,newbury1 ,mass41      
,deerfield1 ,n4,h41 and particularly    
,east ,haddam1 ,conn41 were the centers 
of seismic activity1 which by inference 
might be used as an argument against our
 navy-yards at ,portsmouth1 ,n4,h41 and 
,charlestown1 ,mass41 our torpedo       
station at ,newport1 or the             
fortifications at ,willets ,point4 ,the 
earthquake which destroyed ,lisbon in   
#agee might with equal propriety be used
 as an argument against the building of 
the extensive docks and fortifications  
at ,gibraltar1 but no one1 ,i think1 has
 ever questioned the solidity of the    
,rock4  ,seismology is a very complex   
branch of geologic inquiry and it is a  
subject regarding which very little of  
determining value is known4 ,theories   

have been advanced that under certain   
geological conditions earth movements   
would be comparatively infrequent1 if   
not impossible4 ,whether such conditions
 exist at ,panama would have to be      
determined by the investigations of     
qualified experts4 ,it would seem1      
however1 from such data as are          
available1 that the local conditions are
 decidedly favorable to a comparative   
immunity of this region from serious    
seismic shocks1 at least such as would  
do great and general damage4 ,nor can it
 be argued that the locks and dams would
 be exposed to special risk4 ,the       
earthquake of #ahhb did more or less    
damage1 but the reports are of a very   
fragmentary character4 ,newspaper       
reports in matters of this kind have    
very small value4 ,injury was done to   
the railway1 but not of very serious    
consequence4  ,if the risk exists1 it   
would affect equally a sea-level canal1 
in that it would threaten the tidal     
lock1 the dam at ,gamboa1 and the       

excavation through ,culebra cut4 ,very  
little is known regarding earthquake    
motions1 and there are very few seismic 
elements which are really calculable in 
conformity to a mathematical theory of  
probability4 ,it is a subject which has 
not received the attention in this      
country of which it is deserving1 but   
enough of seismic motion is known to    
warrant the conclusion that the ,senate 
committee of #aijb was1 in all human    
probability1 entirely correct when it   
made light of the danger of the         
probability of seismic shocks at        
,panama4  ,in fine1 the earthquake      
argument has little or no force against 
a lock-canal project1 and it has never  
received serious consideration as such  
or been used in arguments against a lock
 canal until the recent ,san ,francisco 
disaster brought the subject prominently
 before the public4 ,it is a danger as  
remote as a possible destruction of the 
proposed terminal plants at ,colon and  
,panama by flood waves equal in         

magnitude to the one which destroyed    
,galveston in #aijj1 but such dangers   
are inherent in all human undertakings4 
,they must be taken as a matter of      
chance and remote possibility1 which for
 all present purposes may be left out of
 account1 except that the subject should
 receive the due consideration of the   
engineers and perhaps be made a matter  
of special and comprehensive inquiry by 
the ,geological ,survey4 ,in any serious
 consideration of the facts for or      
against a lock canal1 ,i am confident   
that the earthquake risk may safely be  
ignored4 ,the comprehensive report of   
the minority members of the ,senate     
,committee on ,interoceanic ,affairs is 
a sufficient and conclusive answer to   
all the important points which are in   
controversy1 and it remains for         
,congress to cut the ,gordian knot and  
put an end to an interminable discussion
 of much solid and substantial          
conviction on the one hand and of a vast
 amount of opinion and guesswork on the 

other hand4 ,all of the evidence1 all of
 the supplementary expert testimony     
which may be obtained upon the merits of
 the two propositions1 will not change  
the position of those who rest their    
conclusions upon ,american experience   
and upon the judgment of ,american      
engineers1 and who favor a lock canal4  
,while there is no doubt that such a    
canal can be constructed and can be made
 a practicable waterway1 there is a very
 serious question whether a sea-level   
canal can be constructed and made a safe
 and practicable waterway1 at least     
within the limits of the estimated      
amount of cost and within the estimated 
time4  ,the view which ,i have tried to 
impress upon the ,senate is nothing more
 nor less than a business view of what  
is1 for all practical purposes1 only a  
business proposition4 ,if a lock canal  
can be built1 useful for all purposes1  
at half the cost and within half the    
time of a sea-level canal1 then ,i can  
come to no other conclusion than that a 

lock canal would be decidedly to our    
political and commercial advantage4 ,a  
decision1 however1 should be arrived at4
 ,the canal project has reached a stage 
where the final plan or type must be    
determined1 and it is the duty of       
,congress to act and to fix1 for once   
and for all time1 the type of canal1    
with the same courage and freedom from  
prejudice or bias as was the case in the
 decision which finally fixed the route 
by way of ,panama4  ,any amount of      
additional testimony and expert opinion 
will only add to the confusion and tend 
to produce a more hopeless state of     
affairs4 ,let ,congress fix the type in 
broad outlines and leave it to          
responsible engineers in actual charge  
to solve problems in detail1 and to     
adapt themselves to local conditions and
 to new problems which in the course of 
construction are certain to arise4 ,let 
us take counsel of the past1 most of all
 from the experience gained in the      
construction of the ,suez ,canal1 an    

engineering and commercial success which
 challenges the admiration of the world4
 ,we know how near it came to utter     
defeat by the conflict of opinion1 by   
the intrigue of conniving and jealous   
powers1 and last1 but not least1 by the 
ill-founded apprehensions and fears of  
those who were searching the vast domain
 of conjecture and remote possibilities 
for arguments to cause a temporary delay
 or ultimate abandonment4  ,it is not   
difficult to secure the opinion of      
eminent authority for or against any    
project when the facts themselves are in
 dispute1 and when the objects and aims 
are not well defined4 ,the great ,lord  
,palmerston1 the most bitter opponent of
 the ,suez ,canal scheme1 in want of a  
more convincing argument1 seriously     
claimed that ,france would send soldiers
 disguised as workmen to the ,isthmus of
 ,suez1 later to take possession of     
,egypt and make it a ,french colony4 ,by
 one method or another ,palmerston tried
 to defeat the scheme in its beginning  

and to bring it to disaster during the  
period of construction4 ,it is a far    
from creditable story4 ,history always  
more or less repeats itself1 whether it 
be in politics or engineering           
enterprise1 but in few affairs are there
 more convincing parallels than in the  
canal projects of ,panama and ,suez4    
,lord ,palmerston and ,sir ,henry       
,bulwer1 then the ambassador at         
,constantinople1 did all in their power 
to destroy public confidence in the     
enterprise1 and they were completely    
successful in preventing ,english       
investments in the stock of the canal4#b
  ,it was the same ,sir ,henry ,bulwer  
who1 in #ahej1 succeeded by questionable
 diplomatic methods in foisting upon the
 ,american people a treaty which was    
contrary to their best interests and    
which for half a century was a hindrance
 and barrier to an ,american ,isthmian  
canal4 ,we owe it chiefly to the        
masterly and straightforward            
statesmanship of the late ,john ,hay    

that this obstacle to our progress was  
disposed of to the entire satisfaction  
of both nations4 ,i refer to these      
matters1 which are facts of history1    
only to point out how an interminable   
discussion of matters of detail is      
certain to delay and do great injury to 
projects which should only receive      
,congressional consideration in broad   
outlines and upon fundamental           
principles4 ,if we are to enter into a  
discussion of engineering conflicts1 if 
we are to deliberate upon mere matters  
of structural detail1 then an entire    
session of ,congress will not suffice to
 solve all the problems which will arise
 in connection with that enterprise in  
the course of time4 ,i draw attention to
 the ,suez experience solely to point   
out the error of taking into serious    
account minor and far-fetched objections
 which assume an undue magnitude in the 
public mind when they are presented in  
lurid colors of impending disasters to a
 national enterprise of vast extent and 

importance4  ,so eminent an engineer as 
,mr4 ,robert ,stephenson by his expert  
opinion deluded the ,british people into
 the belief that the ,suez ,canal would 
not be practicable2 that1 even if       
completed1 it would be nothing but a    
stagnant ditch4 ,said ,palmerston to ,de
 ,lesseps3       ,all the engineers of  
,europe might say what they pleased1 he 
knew      more than they did1 and his   
opinion would never change one iota1    
and he would oppose the work to the end4
  ,stephenson confirmed this view and   
held that the canal would never be      
completed except at an enormous expense1
 too great to warrant any expectation of
 return--a judgment both ill advised and
 erroneous as was clearly proved by     
subsequent events4 ,i need only say that
 the ,suez ,canal is to-day an extremely
 profitable waterway1 and that although 
the work was commenced and brought to   
completion without a single ,english    
shilling1 through ,french enterprise and
 upon the judgment of ,french engineers1

 it was only a comparatively few years  
later when1 as a matter of necessity and
 logical sequence1 the controlling      
interest in the canal was purchased by  
the ,english government1 which has since
 made of that waterway the most         
extensive use for purposes of peace and 
of war4  ,these are the facts of        
history1 and they are not disputed4     
,shall history repeat itself8 ,shall we 
delay or miscarry in our efforts to     
complete a canal across the ,isthmus of 
,panama upon similar pretensions of     
assumed dangers and possibilities of    
disaster1 all more or less the result of
 engineering guesswork8 ,shall we take  
fright at the talk about the            
mischief-maker with his stick of        
dynamite1 bent upon the destruction of  
the locks and the vital parts of the    
machinery1 when history has its parallel
 during the ,suez ,canal agitation in   
the ,arab shepherd1 who1 flushed with   
the opportunity for mischief and with a 
few strokes of a pickax1 could empty the

 canal in a few minutes8 ,shall we be   
swayed by foolish fears and             
apprehensions of earthquakes or tidal   
waves1 and waste millions of money and  
years of time upon a pure conjecture1 a 
pure theory deduced from fragmentary    
facts8 ,again the facts of canal history
 furnish the parallel of ,stephenson and
 other engineers1 who successfully      
frightened ,english investors out of the
 ,suez enterprise by the statement that 
the canal would soon fill up with the   
moving sands of the desert1 that one of 
the lakes through which the canal would 
pass would soon fill up with salt1 that 
navigation of the ,red ,sea would be too
 dangerous and difficult1 that ships    
would fear to approach ,port ,said      
because of dangerous seas1 and1 finally1
 that in any event it would be          
impossible to keep the passage open to  
the ,mediterranean4  ,it was this kind  
of guesswork and conjecture which was   
advanced as an argument by engineers of 
eminence and sustained by one of the    

foremost statesmen of the century4 ,how 
absurd it all seems now in the sunlight 
of history6 ,the ,panama ,canal is a    
business enterprise1 even if carried on 
by the nation1 and with a thorough      
knowledge of the general facts and      
principles we require no more expert    
evidence1 so called1 nor additional     
volumes of engineering testimony4 ,the  
nation is committed to the construction 
of a canal4 ,the enterprise is one of   
imperative necessity to commerce1       
navigation1 and national defense1 and   
any further discussion1 any needless    
waste of time and money1 is little short
 of indifference to the national        
interests and objects which are at      
stake4  ,of objections to either plan   
there is no end1 and there will be no   
end as long as the subject remains open 
for discussion4 ,to answer such         
objections in detail1 to search the     
records for proof in support of one     
theory or another1 is a mere waste of   
time which can lead to no possible      

useful result4 ,among others1 for       
illustration1 there has been placed     
before us a letter from the chief       
engineer of the ,manchester ,ship       
,canal1 who is emphatically in favor of 
a sea-level waterway4 ,it would have    
been much more interesting and much more
 valuable to the members of ,congress to
 have received from ,mr4 ,hunter a      
statement as to why he should have      
changed his opinions2 or why1 in #ahih1 
he should have signed the unanimous     
report of the technical commission in   
favor of a lock canal1 while now he so  
emphatically sustains those who favor   
the sea-level project4 ,it is not going 
too far to say1 appealing to the facts  
of history1 that ,mr4 ,hunter may be    
seriously in error in this matter and   
may have drawn upon his imagination     
rather than upon his engineering        
experience1 the same as ,mr4 ,robert    
,stephenson was in serious error in his 
bitter opposition to the canal          
enterprise at ,suez4  ,mr4 ,hunter1 in  

his letter1 argues1 among other points1 
that the lifts of the proposed locks    
would be without precedent4 ,without    
precedent8 ,why1 of course1 they would  
be without precedent4 ,is not           
practically every large ,american       
engineering enterprise without          
precedent8 ,was not the ,erie ,canal1   
completed in #ahbe1 without precedent8  
,were not the first steamboat and the   
first locomotive without precedent8     
,were not the ,hoosac ,tunnel and the   
,brooklyn ,bridge feats of ,american    
engineering enterprise without          
precedent8  ,without precedent is the   
great barge canal which the ,state of   
,new ,york is about to build1 which will
 mean a complete reconstruction of the  
existing waterway which connects the    
ocean with the ,great ,lakes4#c  ,all   
this is without precedent4 ,but it is   
,american4 ,it is progress1 and takes   
the necessary risk to leave the world   
better1 at least in a material way1 than
 we found it4 ,in the proposed deep     

waterway1 which is certain some day to  
be built to connect the uttermost ends  
of the ,great ,lakes with tide-water on 
the ,atlantic1 able and competent       
engineers of the largest experience have
 designed locks with a lift of #eb      
feet4#d ,that will be without precedent4
 ,on the ,oswego ,canal1 proposed as a  
part of the new barge canal of the      
,state of ,new ,york1 there will be six 
locks1 two of which will each have a    
lift of #bh feet1#e and that will be    
without precedent1 but neither dangerous
 nor detrimental to navigation          
interests4  ,need ,i further appeal to  
the facts of past canal history8 ,is it 
necessary to recite one of the best     
known and most honorable chapters in the
 history of inland waterways--,i mean   
the problems and difficulties inherent  
in the great project of constructing the
 canal of ,languedoc1 or ,canal du      
,midi1 which forms a water communication
 between the ,mediterranean and the     
,garonne and between the ,garonne and   

the ,atlantic ,ocean1 one of the best   
known canals in ,france and in the      
world8 ,need ,i refer to that pathetic  
story of its chief engineer1 ,riquet1   
one of the greatest of ,french patriots1
 who1 in his abiding faith in this great
 engineering feat1 stood practically    
alone8 ,need ,i recall that he met with 
scant assistance from the government1   
with the most strenuous opposition from 
his countrymen2 that he was treated even
 as a madman and that he died of a      
broken heart before the great work was  
finished8  ,that canal stands to-day as 
an engineering masterwork and as a most 
suggestive illustration of man's        
ingenuity and power to overcome         
apparently insuperable natural          
obstacles4 ,it has been in existence and
 successful operation1 ,i think1 since  
#afha4 ,for a sixth part of its distance
 it is carried over mountains deeply    
excavated4 ,it has1 ,i think1           
ninety-nine locks and viaducts1 and as  
one of its most wonderful features it   

has an octuple lock1 or eight locks in  
flight1 like a ladder from the top of a 
cliff to the valley below4 ,if in #afha 
a ,french engineer had the ability and  
the daring to conceive and construct an 
octuple lock1 will any one maintain that
 more than two hundred years later1 with
 all the enormous advance in            
engineering1 with a better knowledge of 
hydraulics and a more perfect method of 
transportation and handling of          
materials--will any one maintain that we
 are not to-day competent to construct  
successfully a lock canal such as is    
proposed to be built at ,panama upon the
 judgment of ,american engineers8  ,mr4 
,president1 the overshadowing importance
 of the subject has led me to extend my 
remarks far beyond my original          
intention4 ,i express my strong         
convictions in favor of a lock canal and
 of the necessity for an early and      
specific declaration of ,congress       
regarding the final plan or type of     
canal which the nation wants to have    

built at ,panama4 ,i am confident that  
it lies entirely within our power and   
means to build either type of waterway2 
that our engineering skill can          
successfully solve the technical        
problems involved in either the lock or 
the sea-level plan2 but there is one    
all-important factor which controls1 and
 which1 in my opinion1 should have more 
weight than any other1 and that is the  
element of time4 ,if ,i could advance no
 other reasons1 if ,i knew of no better 
argument in favor of a lock canal1 my   
convictions would sustain the project   
which can be completed within a         
measurable distance of years and for the
 benefit and to the advantage of the    
present generation4 ,time flies1 and the
 years pass rapidly4 ,shall this project
 languish and linger and become the     
spoil of political controversy and a    
subject of political attack8 ,can we    
conceive of anything more likely to     
prove disastrous to the canal project   
than political strife1 which proved the 

undoing of the ,french canal enterprise 
at ,panama8  ,shall the success of this 
great project be imperiled by the       
possible changes in the fortunes of     
parties8 ,shall we incur the risk that  
changes in economic conditions1 hard    
times1 or panic and industrial          
depressions may bring about8 ,time      
flies1 and in the progress of industry  
and commerce1 in international          
competition and the growth of modern    
nations1 no factor is of more supreme   
importance than the years1 with new     
opportunities for political and         
commercial development4 ,shall we1 then1
 neglect our chances8 ,shall we fail to 
make the most of this the greatest      
opportunity for the extension of our    
commerce and navigation into the most   
distant seas which will ever come to us 
in our history1 because of the demands  
of idealists1 who1 with theoretical     
notions of the ultimately desirable1    
would deprive the nation and the world  
of what is necessary and indispensable  

to those who are living now8  ,vast     
commercial and political consequences   
will follow the opening of the          
transisthmian waterway4 ,in the annals  
of commerce and navigation it is not    
conceivable that there will ever be a   
greater event or one fraught with more  
momentous consequences than             
uninterrupted navigation between the    
,atlantic and the ,pacific4 ,little     
enough can we comprehend or anticipate  
what the far-distant future will bring  
forth1 but this much we know--that it is
 our duty to solve the problems of      
to-day and not to indulge in dreams and 
fancies in a vain effort to solve the   
problems of a far-distant future4  ,but 
money also counts4 ,can we defend an    
expenditure of an additional            
#ajj1jjj1jjj or more for objects so     
remote1 and upon a basis of theory and  
fact so slender and so open to question1
 when a plan and a project feasible and 
practicable is before us which will meet
 all of our needs and the needs of      

generations to come8 ,shall we disregard
 in the building of this canal every    
principle of a sound national economy   
and commit ourselves to an enormous     
waste of funds and to the imposition of 
needless burdens upon the taxpayers of  
this nation and upon the commerce of the
 world8 ,at least #b1jjj1jjj more per   
annum will be required in additional    
interest charges1 at least #ajj1jjj1jjj 
more will be necessary as an original   
investment4 ,do we fully realize what   
that amount of money would do if applied
 to other national purposes and         
projects8  ,i want to place on record my
 convictions and the reasons governing  
my vote in favor of the minority report 
for a lock canal across the ,isthmus at 
,panama4 ,i entered upon an             
investigation of the subject without    
prejudice or bias and have examined the 
facts as they have been presented and as
 they are a matter of record and of     
history4 ,i have heard or read with care
 the evidence as it has been presented  

by the ,board of ,consulting ,engineers 
and the vast amount of oral testimony   
before the ,senate ,committee on        
,interoceanic ,affairs4 ,i am confident 
that the minority judgment is the better
 and that it can be more relied upon1   
because it is strictly in conformity    
with the entire history of the ,isthmian
 canal project4 ,i am confident that the
 objections which have been raised      
against the lock plan are an undue      
exaggeration of difficulties such as are
 inherent in every great engineering    
project1 and which1 ,i have not the     
slightest doubt1 will be successfully   
solved by ,american engineers1 in the   
light of ,american experience1 exactly  
as similar difficulties have been solved
 in many other enterprises of great     
magnitude4  ,i am not impressed with the
 reasons and arguments advanced by those
 who favor the sea-level project1 for   
they do not appeal to me as being sound1
 and in some instances they come        
perilously near to being engineering    

guesswork characteristic of the earlier 
enterprises of ,de ,lesseps4 ,i cannot  
but think that bias and prejudice are   
largely responsible for the judgment of 
foreign engineers so pronounced in favor
 of a sea-level project4 ,furthermore1  
,i am entirely convinced that the       
judgment and experience of ,american    
engineers in favor of a lock canal may  
be relied upon with entire confidence1  
and that such an enterprise will be     
brought to a successful termination4 ,i 
believe that in a national undertaking  
of this kind1 fraught with the gravest  
possible political and commercial       
consequences1 only the judgment of our  
own people should govern1 for the       
protection of our own interests1 which  
are primarily at stake4 ,i also prefer  
to accept the view and convictions of   
the members of the ,isthmian            
,commission1 and of its chief engineer1 
a man of extraordinary ability and large
 experience4  ,it is a subject upon     
which opinions will differ and upon     

which honest convictions may be widely  
at variance1 but in a question of such  
surpassing importance to the nation1 ,i1
 for one1 shall side with those who take
 the ,american point of view1 place     
their reliance upon ,american           
experience1 and show their faith in     
,american engineers4  ,illustration3    
,founded by ,,john ,f4 ,,dryden         
,pioneer of ,industrial ,insurance in   
,america  ,,the ,,prudential ,,insurance
 ,,company ,,of ,,america  ,incorporated
 under the laws of the ,state of ,new   
,jersey  ,,forrest ,f4 ,,dryden1        
,president  ,,home ,,office1 ,,newark1  
,,new ,,jersey   ,,footnotes3  #a       
,report of the ,new ,panama ,canal      
,company of ,france2 ,senate ,document  
#ahh1 #efth ,congress1 #ast session1    
,february #bj1 #aijj4  #b ,the ,maritime
 ,canal of ,suez1 from its inauguration1
 ,november #ag1 #ahfi1 to the year      
#ahhd1 by ,prof4 ,j4,e4 ,nourse1        
,u4,s4,n41 ,washington1 #ahhd 7,senate  
,document #aih1 #dhth ,congress1 #ast   

session74  #c ,for a history of         
,american canal building enterprises see
 ,history of ,new ,york ,canals1 ch4 #e4
  #d ,report of the ,board of ,engineers
 on ,deep ,waterways1 ,h4 of ,r41 ,doc4 
,no4 #adi1 #efth ,congress4 #b;d        
session1 ,atlas4  #e ,history of ,new   
,york ,canals1 ,appendix ,l4 ,annual    
,report of the ,state ,engineer and     
,surveyor4 ,vol4 ,,ii1 ,albany1 ,n4,y41 
#aije4