REPORT OF BOARD OF CONSULTING ENGINEERS, PANAMA CANAL.


 The Chairman stated that the cablegram which was sent to the chief engineer relating to the making of certain borings and surveys at Gatun, had been followed by a letter sent to the Chairman of the Commission, together with a memorandum and map prepared by Mr. Stearns, showing the general scheme for a dam at Gatun, with indications in this memorandum as to where further surveys and borings were to be made. That letter would go to Panama on the steamer sailing the next day. It would reach Panama in due time in about seven days. The boat on which the Board would take passage would make the trip in five days, so the letter would be only about two days ahead of the Board.
 Mr. Stearns then spoke at length on the subject of dams, their location and construction.
 At 1 p. m. the Board took recess.

 The Board reassembled at 3 p. m., all members being present except Mr. Quellennec.
 The Chairman stated that he had received from the Isthmian Canal Commission a copy of two original sheets showing the recent hydrographic survey of Limon Bay by the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. The data, in very great detail, are shown on two sheets of considerable size.
 Another sheet, made about a year ago, which was procured from the Commission, shows soundings in mud to rock or hard material. The data respecting that bay are quite complete.
 It had been found, during recess, that a report was made by Mr. Dose and forwarded to the Commission by the chief engineer, showing the results of borings on the axis of the canal all the way from kilometer 20 to kilometer 60, at intervals of 1 kilometer; these were carried to a depth of -40; and the borings that had been conducted since had been for the purpose of showing lepth to rock at intervals of 500 feet between these kilometer borings. The data at kilometer intervals were nearly complete. At the time the report was made three or four holes had not reached the proposed limit of penetration, i. e. -40, but had since.
 A telegram had been sent to the chief engineer, requesting him to have prepared, before the arrival of the Board on the Isthmus, a report, with samples of the material penetrated, showing the results of these borings, especially from Obispo to Paraiso. The Board might expect to find on arrival very complete information concerning the strata and their constitution throughout the whole of the deep cut.
 Another fact mentioned was that a member of the Commission had prepared from the records of the Panama Railroad Company a map showing the high-water mark, as referred to the profile of the railroad line, for all of the important floods that occurred and which caused damage to the railroad from 1879 to 1890. The data were not great in amount, but were important as showing the water elevation with date as referred to the railroad track-all derived from reports written at the dates of the floods.
 Mr. Stearns stated that it was desirable to have borings on a line from Sosa Hill to the mainland.
 The Chairman stated that he would amend the telegram about to be sent so as to include the request for borings on the site of the suggested dam from Sosa Hill across to the mainland at Panama.
 The meeting adjourned at 4 p. m., to meet at the Wachusett reservoir, Clinton, Mass., on Wednesday, September 27, at 11 a. m.
 JOHN C. OAKES,
 Captain, General Staf, Secretary.


 NINTH MEETING.

 CLINTON, MASS, September 27, 1905.
 The Board assembled at the Wachusett reservoir, Clinton, Mass., at 11 o'clock.
 Present: The CHAIRMAN, and Messrs. NOBLE, ABBOT, STEARNS, RIPLEY, RANDOLPH, HUNTER, GUf'RARD, QUELLENNEC, TINCAUZER, and WELCKER.
 An inspection of the various features of the reservoir and its controlling devices was made


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