racticable route for the unfinished portion of the road and estimate
the cost of completing it. In due time he advised us that it was
practicable to complete it, but that the cost would be at least
$1,000,000. Warned by our experience with Meade, we wished additional
expert advice, so summoned to Baguio Colonel L. W. V. Kennon, a man
of great energy and executive ability, who had had large experience
in engineering work in mountainous country, and requested him to go
down the Bued River valley and report on the progress of the work,
and the practicability of completing the road on the route which had
been determined upon.

Being the youngest and most active member of the commission, I was
detailed to accompany him. On this trip I became convinced that
all of the engineers interested, except the consulting engineer,
had grossly understated the difficulties which must be overcome
before the road could be completed. Colonel Kennon decided that it
was entirely feasible to build the road, but that the comparatively
short stretch already completed from Baguio into the upper end of
the canon must be abandoned and a new line adopted. Furthermore,
he gave us some very definite and extremely unpleasant information
as to the probable cost of completing the work, his statements on
this subject confirming those of the consulting engineer.

The commission was thus put face to face with the hard facts but did
not flinch. On the contrary, it passed the following resolution on
June 1, 1903:--

"On Motion, _Resolved_, That it be declared the policy of the
Commission to make the town of Baguio, in the Province of Benguet, the
summer capital of the Archipelago and to construct suitable buildings,
to secure suitable transportation, to secure proper water supply,
and to make residence in Baguio possible for all of the officers and
employees of the Insular Government for four months during the year,
that in pursuance of this purpose the Secretary of the Interior,
the Consulting Engineer to the Commission, the Chief of the Bureau
of Architecture, and Major [510] L. W. V. Kennon, United States Army,
whom it is the intention of the Commission to put in actual charge of
the improvements in Benguet Province, including the construction of
the Benguet Road, the erection of the buildings and the construction
of a wagon road from Naguilian, be appointed a Committee to report
plans and estimates to the Commission for the proposed improvements
in th