Show A PANAMA CANAL PLAN among the plans for the constructing the panama canal which may yet be used though not recommended by the recent international commission that of W bates an american engineer A striking feature of this plan is that under it the greater part of the noisome climatic conditions of panama will be eliminated and the canal may be built for less money and in a shorter time than under any other boheme yet outlined this is the only plan too which will provide for a complete passage through the canal from sea to sea in daylight it is pointed out by mr bates that it a sea level canal were built a large amount of dredging would be necessary around colon and in the swamps for a good many miles toward the interior and even when it was built ships would not be able to proceed at a speed of more than five or aix miles an hour whereas under the plan which he proposes ships could go at a rate of 9 12 1 2 miles per hour over the greater part of the distance mr bates has set forth his plan in a very elaborate volume a few copies of which have been distributed it is understood that he was requested to prepare the plan in this elaborate fashion by persons largely concerned with the responsibility of building the canal and for this reason unusual interest attaches to tho conclusions which his careful study of the situation has led him to draw mr bates has had very wide experience in large engineering construction he was retained by the belgium government to develop plans tor improving the port of antwerp to the lay mind the first feature air bates plan abich stands out conspicuously Is his scheme for getting rid of climatic difficulties it is well known that tho principal source of trouble in this respect is the feasting swamps in the lowlands near the coast by the very method of building a series of dykes and barrages at each of the terminal ports and submerging all the lowland region mr bates obtained a saries of deep lakes which will drown out alie obnoxious lowlands he believes that it is absolutely impossible to make panama permanently safe by any ordinary methods of sanitation any campaign which may be waged against mosquitoes qui toes or by any process of he says that the two vital difficulties of panama are first the mosquito and miasmatic shampa of the country which breed fever loo rapidly and extensively ten for science to cope with it by or by any other measure short ot the annihilation of the source second the malaria lly infected state of human and insect bodies the unsanitary conditions of the dwellings and towns and he lack of proper water supply and sewage sir bates plan therefore provides that a vessel entering the canal near colon will go through a lock immediately thence entering upon the waters of what bo would call lake chagros Chag clean and free from behms every ship through the canal always has to spend toiuo almo at the terminals coaling taking out papers etc and in this interval of natural stay in port the vessel may pass through tho lock thus losing no time knotner great advantage ot this plan mr bate points out is that it secures both a salt water aad a fresh water harbor at each terminus of the canal it Is a well known fact among navigators that a vessel whose hull is covered with barnacled barnacles barn acles and whose speed is thereby very greatly curtailed becomes clear of these after a short stay in fresh water thus a fresh wafer harbor would be in the nature of a secluded naval station at each terminus of the canal would alao serve the purpose of a cleaning dry dock |