"Senator MORGAN. When was that? When was the employment? "Mr. CROMWELL. When was my employment by the New Panama Canal Company?

"Senator MORGAN. Yes, sir.

"Mr. CROMWELL. In 1896.

"Senator MORGAN. And this is 1906. You apply that cloture to all questions asked of you in regard to all of your transactions from that time to this in connection with that company, do you?

"Mr. CROMWELL. I do, sir."

Hearing the question again, from what I have read to you, do you still refuse to answer the questions propounded to you in these interrogatories?

Mr. CROMWELL. I do, sir; for the same reasons and with the same explanation which accompanies my reply to the first question. Senator KITTREDGE. It is now 12 o'clock, Mr. Chairman. Senator MORGAN. Then we will have to adjourn.

Mr. CROMWELL. May I be permitted to make a suggestion? If I could in any way assist the committee by considering these questions as read, and the same answer as made

Senator MORGAN. No; I do not choose to take it that way, and the committee can not do so, because you might want to be excused from some of them.

(After an informal discussion as to when the next meeting should be held, the committee adjourned until Tuesday, June 26, 1906, at 10.30 o'clock a. m.)

P C-VOL 4-07-16

ISTHMIAN CANAL.

UNITED STATES SENATE,

COMMITTEE ON INTEROCEANIC CANALS, Washington, D. C., Tuesday, January 22, 1907.

The committee met at 10.30 o'clock a. m.

Present: Senators Millard (chairman), Knox, Kittredge, Ankeny, Morgan, Carmack, Taliaferro, Simmons, and Culberson.

The committee met in executive session and, upon motion of Senator Culberson, seconded by Senator Taliaferro, the committee voted to have printed in the record of the hearings the following correspondence relating to the alleged basis of rumors in regard to the results of recent borings on the site of the proposed locks at Gatun, etc.:

UNITED STATES SENATE,

COMMITTEE ON INTEROCEANIC CANALS,

Washington, D. C., January 8, 1907. DEAR SIR: At a meeting of the committee held this morning it was reported by one of the members that the borings for the locks at Gatun and on the Pacific side of the Culebra cut had been found unsatisfactory, and that the proposed lock on the Pacific side had been changed some 2 or 3 miles from the original point designated. It has also been reported that the borings at Gatun were found to be very unsatisfactory, and it is the desire of the committee that before Tuesday morning next (when our regular meeting will be held) you give us full information in regard to the borings at this point, and also any other borings that may have been had during the past year. It is the wish of the committee that this be as full and complete as possible, as the rumor seems to indicate that at Gatun especially the conditions have been found very unfavorable.

Respectfully, yours,

Hon. THEODORE P. SHONTS,

J. H. MILLARD, Chairman.

Chairman Isthmian Canal Commission, Washington, D. C.

ISTHMIAN CANAL AFFAIRS,

OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATION, PANAMA CANAL BUILDING,

Washington, D. C., January, 14, 1907. SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of January 8, stating that at a meeting held that date one of the members of your committee reported that the borings for the Gatun locks and for the locks on the Pacific side had been found very unsatisfactory, and that the Pacific locks had been changed 2 or 3 miles from

the original location, and requesting complete information relative to borings before the next meeting of the committee, to be held Tuesday morning, January 15.

I have caused to be prepared by those members of the engineering committee of the Commission now in Washington (Messrs. Endicott, Hains, and Harrod) a statement with respect to the inquiries set forth in your letter, and transmit the same to you herewith.

In order, however, that you might be advised of the results of all borings and investigations of a later date than those of which the engineering committee was advised, which included all those up to the time of its latest visit to the Isthmus in November last, a cable was sent to the chief engineer, Mr. Stevens, requesting that he advise me of the result of all borings to date, to which the following reply has been received:

One hundred and twenty-seven holes have been bored at Gatun lock site, cov ering area 1,200 by 5,000 feet. All carried well below bottom lock walls, and 66 to depth of 50 feet or more below sea level, and all show that lock walls will rest on firm and suitable soft rock. Thirty-six borings made covering area of controlling gates for spillway. All show safe foundation in soft rock. Three lines of borings, 63 in number, all extending to rock, have been made across valley Chagres, covering dam site. Pervious material in only four holes, and these below 200 feet. Pedro Miguel lock walls: Ten borings have been made below foundations, all showing rock suitable for foundations. Test pits Gatun and Pedro Miguel so far all show harder material than cores from borings.

While the report of the members of the engineering committee and the cable from Mr. Stevens relate primarily to the lock sites, your attention is called, nevertheless, to the statement that "there is nothing in the later examinations made affecting the practicability or permanence of the Gatun dam.”

Very respectfully,

Hon. J. H. MILLARD,

T. P. SHONTS, Chairman.

Inte

United States Senate.

Chairman Committee on Interoceanic Canals,

P. S.-It is requested that, if practicable, the blueprints transmitted herewith be returned after they shall have served your purpose, as they are nearly all made from tracings on the Isthmus, and therefore would require considerable time to be replaced.

T. P. S.

ISTHMIAN CANAL COMMISSION, Washington, D. C., January 12, 1907.

DEAR SIR: In compliance with the request of Senator J. H. Millard, chairman Senate Committee on Interoceanic Canals, of date January 8, 1907, referred to the engineering committee, it has the honor to transmit the following information concerning the borings at Gatun, accompanied by plans of all borings that have been made heretofore. This information is as full and complete as possible, including everything bearing on the subject of the Senator's letter which is on file in this office.

No. 1.-Blueprint showing locations of borings on lock site and dam site at Gatun.

No. 2.-Blueprint showing borings additional to those on sheet No. 1.

No. 3.-Blueprint showing profiles of borings on or near the axis of the Gatun dam.

No. 4.-Blueprint showing location of borings for the Gatun lock site, and the axis of the location adopted for the lock.

No. 5. Series of six blueprints showing profiles on boring lines to develop the lock site at Gatun.

Nos. 6 and 7.-Blueprints showing borings on cross sectional lines through the lock site and the relative position of the lock walls.

No. 8.-Blueprint showing the stratification of material and the top of lock wall and level of lock floor on a profile along the axis of the locks, and also profiles on parallel lines 170 feet east and west of the axis of the locks.

The Commission at its meeting on November 20, 1906, directed the continuance of examinations to furnish information for the designing of locks, by sinking test pits under the lock walls, and the testing of block samples from these pits, to determine the bearing power of the material and other physical characteristics.

The materials disclosed by the observations of the strata underlying the lock site show, below the surface soil, either what is denominated by the engineers in the field as "indurated clay or "chopped sand and clay." These terms may be misleading. The chopped material is different from the "indurated clay " and seems to be a sort of hardpan or conglomerate, either of which will make a good foundation. Referring to the physical, and not to the geological character of these formations, the "indurated clay " has a rock-like consistency which resists compression and erosion, and makes an entirely satisfactory foundation for the proposed lock structures. This is established by the borings and by the exposure of the material in the French work at the dry dock at Cristobal.

By the term "chopped," in connection with the other material, is designated the method found most rapid and economical in penetrating it with boring tools. While a diamond drill was used in the so-called "indurated clay," a chopping bit was found most useful in the other material. It could have been taken out in cores by a diamond drill, and, in fact, this process was used at times. The terms are not intended to convey an impression of the value of their physical properties for a lock foundation. An opinion of the relative values of the two materials for foundation purposes is expressed in correspondence by Mr. Stevens, chief engineer, as follows:

It will be noted that under the so-called indurated clay in cross sections 1, 2, and 3 exists what is called blue clay and sand-clay, gravel, and fine sand, etc. This material, while not so hard as the so-called indurated clay, is in every respect an equally good and sufficient foundation in my opinion for the locks or a structure of any weight or importance. In fact, if there were not a particle of indurated clay in Gatun Hill I would not have the slightest hesitancy in founding the whole structure on this material.

I beg in this connection to inclose under separate cover a sample of this material, which was taken as a core from the borings as it is found in cross section 1 as the material underlying the indurated clay, and I think you will agree with me that there is no doubt whatever as to its character for foundation purposes. I believe it is as good as indurated clay and good enough in

any case.

We know of no foundation for the report "that the proposed lock on the Pacific side has been changed some 2 or 3 miles from the original point designated." The locks, both at Pedro Miguel and Sosa, occupy substantially the sites chosen by the minority of the advisory board. These locations were necessarily general. When special examinations were made, it was found that the rock foundation for the