Show ln AND 1 1 TIll 11 C. CAI AI S A crisis may bo reached soon In tho the matter mater of constructing the Pana- Pana Pann- Pann mn canal says say the Baltimore Amerl- Amerl v VS can The senate committee which ha has lias the a affair fa h In Iii char charge e took a vote rote last week and tied ted as ns t to td the kind of canal Ual 7 to be built buit five favoring fa a a level high 4 5 and amI live five f e a sea level sea Ic cUal canal Another nother member of tho the committee Is expected f- f S to be bc ent today and anel in v present vote favor or S 5 of a a sea level s lo canul canni This or of ort t 5 sentiment is said to have o been enuse caused h by the thc San Sn Francisco co earthquake It ItIs J t tI F I J Is a n strange e resul result The earthquake at San Sn Francl Francisco co was thousands s of miles mUeN c h S from Panama There have o ha been 5 earthquakes much nearer to the Isthmus t mus mus-in mus In fact there are arc evidences of earthquake action acton on the Isthmus It- It i- i self Th There re would seem to be bc more mole 1 danger elanger front from earthquakes In the vicinity of If the thc canal than from froni shocks s S two thousand miles distant Had the San Francisco Frncisco earthquake I 0 or a a shake like It Jt struck the isthmus S with wih full ful force the thc canal having havIng been 5 built lull It J Is Es more than doubtful if iC It itS I S would have ha seriously injured tho ho Wt waterway The damage by hy shock and anti v fire at San Francisco have ha been so soPA sot PA t min mingled In the popular min mind that the tl 4 S 1 destruction of the hC earthquake has hns hasS S been exaggerated But admitting f that such a catastrophe at ft Panama would seriously injure a level high S S canal wh why would it i not injure a sealevel sea sea- 5 level IC cl canal even en more A sea level S. S canal has locks locks The They call cal them basins r but lut a n rose by any other othor name would 1 smell as sweet It I must have hae t a number num- num 3 t her ber o of dams ams and lakes Jalcs much bigger bler 00 f than a level high anal which a EC- EC Ie- Ie verc earthquake could destroy with rIth S 5 S i Mya l s' s vastly ly more damage than yian han Is likely Y to toS I S S cc occur ur with a n level high-level canal The ems cuts for fol a sea level canal are more 5 S than twice as f deep leep a as aM th the cuts for a level high canal canul and the damage damage f ci from the fall faB of earth carth and rock roc by hy an t. t 1 earthquake would be ten times Limes as great In case easo of a sea level sea Ie canal canal It I is there to follow the W t rf logic of the he senate committee committee- A J great earthquake at Panama such as J has occurred several times In 11 history J I. I would be apt to wreck any artificial S i S canal which can cn be he built buit at P Panama Pama ama t. t but it I would woul not matter mater what sort Olt t of canal It was The deeper the levelS level el 11 S greater reat r would rould be he the toe damage un and if it ir there is actually a purpose of gual guardIng guarding guard guard- ing ng against earthquakes the the most I tt economical an and by hy all al means mals the wl wisest wis S est ost plan would be lie to build a canal i costin costing the least leas money It I Is more prudent to venture u n couple of hundred hun bun r dred millions than to risk five hundred hunt hun hun- t dred millions o of dollars There Is an alternative e plan which nas been several sev sev- e S eral cral times suggested in Iii tho the American Amen Ameri 1 can nan and that is to cut a track between the Pacific an and Caribbean sea and S Jet let the hc waters from tram the Pacific make S. S a f natural canal canal This Is probably J moro mom moro feasible than any o of the thc plans S suggested ted and It would bo he proof S against earthquakes even earthquakes even of the San Francisco variety The wat waters rs would S cut their 0 own 1 wa way just as happened I at the Straits StraUs Straits of ot Magellan with tho tile 4 difference that thal thc they would be he guided Into one short channel by human ingenuity ini in in- in- in i nn and the strait could be tic S j. j dredged throughout Us its Is length to keep keer keepIt m It In order for the thc worlds world's commerce |