DOCtTMENTARY HISTORY OF THE FLORIDA CANAL


for Rivers and Harbors has never yet presented a complete, final
review of this project, and that it has held up its report at the request
of the proponents of the canal Have you any information on that?
 Secretary IKEzs. I don't know. That information would not come
to me, because, as I said in the beginning, it is a War Department
project.
 The CHAIRMAN. Did not General Markham in his appearance
before us the other day state that in the excavation that is now under
way he has not yet gone and does not intend to go for the time below
the level which would be the one necessary if he had a lock canal?
 Senator FrLTCHER. Yes.
 The CHAIRMAN. Did he say that
 Senator FwrLCHEB. Yes; I understand so. Locks can be put in
later if necessary.
 The CHAraMAN. What I wish to ask is, Does that indicate any
 question on the part of the Army engineers as to the propriety of
 going below a level; that is, to go down to sea level?
 Senator FiEnmHER. I have a letter here from General Markham.
 I wrote him and asked him some questions the other day, and I have
 his reply here. It covers that, I think.
 The CHAIMAN. I hope so, because that is a matter which has a
 bearing on the ground waters.
 Senator FLETCHER. Yes. Now, I get to this point, Mr. Chairman:
 Do you know, Mr. Secretary-I am not sure whether you have any
 personal knowledge of this or not-but you probably know that a
 special board of Army engineers was appointed on this subject of the
 water supply and effect on the waters and artesian wells and all that
 sort of thing, and that board, composed of Mr. Clarence E. Boesch,
 Sidney Paige, Frank C. Carey, E. B. Burwell, and Malcolm Pirnie,
 made a report on December 18, 1935, to the district engineer, United
 States Engineer Office, on this subject, in which they say:
 The board is studying all available information, which includes published and
 unpublished data obtained by former War Department boards which have studied
 the feasibility of a canal across Florida, extensive and valuable unpublished data
 obtained and compiled by the United States Geological Survey on the geology
 and ground water of Florida, published and unpublished data of the Florida
 State Geological Survey, special reports of and data gathered by Mr. Malcolm
 Pirnie, and miscellaneous publications pertaining to the geology and water
 resources of the State, supplemented by data so far obtained from surveys to
 date, and by personal observation of important areas.
 Taking all that into consideration, they made this report which I
 hold in my hand, which maybe you have seen.
 Secretary ICKES. I have never seen the report, Senator, and I have
 no personal knowledge of it.
 Senator FLmCHEB. Yes. We have that report before us, and it will
 be made a public document, and is being printed now. That is the
 latest thing on the subject of the effect of the ground water and
 contamination of wells.
 Senator VANDENBERG. Senator, will you just permit me--
 Senator FLrCHEB. Certainly.
 Senator VANDENBERG. The Senator says that is the latest report,
 and I think he is correct, but may I quote from General Pillsbury's
 letter of December 14, 1935, which is still later, in which he says:
 An exhaustive geological investigation is now being undertaken to determine
 the possibility of such damage.


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