OCR Text |
Show MUST FOOT THE BILL. Panama Canal Will Have to Pay for Its Own Fortifications. Washington. The Panama canal will have to pay the expense of its own fortifipations. This appears to be the opinion of the vanguard of the army expert board which has just arrived ar-rived in Washington from Panama, after a careful examination of the line of the canal with reference to the selection of sites for the forts and the determination of the extent of the armament needed. The act of 1902, though much amended by subsequent legislation, would seem to carry that inference and consequently the cost of fortification fortifica-tion probably will be met by the issue of Panama canal bonds. It is impossible at present to state the cost of this work. In the first place the commission has tentatively selected the sites for the defenses of the canal and at points along' the line in the interior where it is exposed to destructive attack, such as the Gatun dam and the great Milaflores locks, much of this land belongs to private parties and its value must be assessed before it can be acquired. |