THE PANAMA CANAL ROUTE 
B}" Robert T. Hill, 
United Stales Geological Survey 
Within the space assigned to me for the discussion of the most 
unpopular of the three rival isthmian routes, I can do little more 
than present a brief summary of the facts concerning the Panama 
canal. At the outset it ma3"be stated that if the Nicaragua route 
could he exclusive!}" controlled by the United States, even if it was 
far more costly, my personal preference would be for it. In no 
case, however, does such personal preference necessitate or justify 
misstatements as to the rival Panama route, concerning which, 
since it was allowed to pass out of American control into the 
hands of the French and to become involved in serious financial 
difficulties, imblic opinion in this country seems to be singularly 
misinformed. 
That this route is in control of a foreign power ; that it is a 
rival enterprise to one supposedly controlled by a private corpo- 
ration in which American citizens and officials are interested, and 
that it has fallen into ill repute through scandalous mismanage- 
ment are facts which are undeniable. 
These questions of adiuinistration have, however, little to do 
with the purely scientific problem of what constitutes the most 
feasible route for uniting the two oceans by a maritime canal. 
Some ])atriotic Americans, while admitting that national preju- 
dices draw them to a preference for the rival route, can yet see 
the arguments on both sides of the question and can di.stinguish 
the proposition that the financial failure of the Panama Canal 
Company in Paris is no condemnation of the feasibility of the 
Panama canal route. 
The engineering investigations that liavc been conducted since 
the ])ractical susj)ension of operations on any extensive scale on 
the canal itself have been singularly overlooked. At least three 
thoroughly e(iuip|)ed eorj)S of engineers have resurveyed the 
entire route and recommended modifications in the plans. The 
rejiorts of two of these commissions descrihing the ini|)roved 
lock-level .system are in print. 'I’he third and more recent com- 
mi.ssion was engaged in studying the canal during my visit to tin; 
6'J 
