388 DOCUMENTARY HISTOB OF THE FLORIDA CANAL

 tenant Field Artillery, United States Army, 1917-19; mining engineer and chief
 engineer, Low Moore Iron Co., Virginia, 1919-25; assoolated with Weld &
 Liddell, construction engineers, 1925-28; chief geologist, Missouri-Kansas Zinc
 Corporation, 1926-27; in charge of explorations Central America Mines, Inc.,
 1927-29; assistant manager, Mimourl-KaInsa Zinc Corporation, 1929-81;
 geologist, United States Engineer Department, 1981 to date.
 The next is Sidney Paige, geologist, and here is his record:
 Born Washington, D. C, November 2 1880; educated University of Michigan;
 Yale Graduate School; engineer with Nicaraugua Canal Commission, 1896-1900;
 United States Geological Survey, 190-28; geologist, Panama Canal Commis-
 sion, 1907; construction geologist, 1928 to date; author of numerous articles on
 geology.
 The next is Malcolm Pirney, construction civil engineer, and here is his
 record:
 Born New York City; educated Harvard College; Harvard University Grad-
 uate School of Applied Science; assistant engineer with Hazen & Whipple,
 1911-16; member of firm Hasen, Whipple & Fuller; later Hazen, Everett &
 Pirney, 1916-29; private practice, 1929 to date; sanitary engineer, American
 Bed Cross Commission, Russia, 1917; captain, Transportation Corps, American
 Expeditionary Forces, 1918-19; designed water purification works, Providence,
 .E I., West Palm Beach, Stewart, St. Petersburg, Fla., and many other cities.
 The next is Brehon Somervell, lieutenant colonel, Corps of Engineers, and I
 will give you his record, as follows:
 "Born Little Rock, Ark., May 9, 1892; graduated United States Military
 Academy, June 12, 1914, and promoted second lieutenant, Corps of Engineers;
 graduate Army Engineer School; Command and General Staff School; honor
 graduate Army War College; served in grades from second lieutenant to lieu-
 tenant colonel; returned to major, Engineers; after war with troops on surveys,
 New England, Texas; road building with punitive expedition in Mexico; charge
 of construction at Mehun, Is-sur-Tille, and elsewhere in France; assistant chief
 of staff, G-1, G-8, Eighty-ninth Division, and Army of Occupation, Germany;
 assistant and district engineer, New York City, Washington, Norfolk, New
 Orleans; assistant to president, Mississippi River Commission; assistant to
 Walker D. Hines on survey navigation conditions Rhine and Danube Rivers for
 League of Nations; special adviser, General Economic Survey, Government of
 Turkey; temporary duty National Emergency Council; district engineer, Ocala,
 Fla., September 6, 1985; awarded Distinguished Service Medal and Distinguished
 Service Cross."
 I might say, with reference to Colonel Somervell, he was directly connected
 with the construction of the Panama Canal, and I doubt If there is an engineer
 in the country who is more capable, better qualified, or more competent than the
 geologists and engineers who reported on this matter.
 The Army engineers made their survey, and the amount submitted by them
 was too large. Then the Public Works engineers made an independent survey,
 and their estimate was too low. They were all competent engineers.
 Mr. TavuoNw. What were their estimates?
 Mr. SEAms One was something over $200,000,000, and the other, as I recall it,
 was $115,000,000. They differed in construction, width, amount of excavation,
 cost of excavation, and so forth. The President asked for an independent survey
 of it or a resurvey by two Army engineers and two Public Works engineers, they
 to select another engineer of outstanding ability. This was done, and they went
 into it thoroughly. They made a thorough and complete investigation, and
 reported on the proposition favorably.
 Mr. Tuesrow. What was their estimate?
 Mr. Sma. $143,000,000.
 Mr. THwtaron. They were about half way between the other two.
 Mr. SBaXa It would be lower than halfway. So the President has had it thor-
 oughly investigated. The Chief of Engineers went over it, and recommended it
 to the President. Therefore, repeating I can say that there has never been any
 proposition that was more thoroughly surveyed than this proposition. There
 has never been anything of the kind that was more carefully gone into.
 Mr. THnaswT N. What is the general width of the canal to be?
 Mr. Sm&s. The general width is 200 to 400 feet It will be 30 feet below sea
 level. It would have a depth, in cut, roughly speaking, on an average of 40 feet.
 There is a section of about 56 miles that will be, perhaps, 90 feet deep in some
places, because that is where it crosses the ridge of Florida.