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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1913)
it !fXU-'s The Commoner VOL. i3, NO. 32 22 ' "I Landslides May Delay Opening of the Panama Canal An Associated Press dispatch, dated Washington, Nov. 24, says: No dellnito dato for the olllcial opening ot the Panama canal is set in tho annual report of Colonol Georgo Goethals, chairman and chief: engineer of the canal commission, which has just been submitted to Secrotary Garrison. Nelthor is there any prediction of when the ships may first pass from ocean to ocean. Tho first day of the canal's actual oporation still depends upon the treachorous slides of Culebra cut and how well the dredges can keep the channels open. "It has beou the general belief that the effect of the water in tho cut would tend to retard slides and ox- THESE FANCY GOLD HANDLED SCISSORS will make an Elegant Holiday Gift a W "2 m-i w4 o a) ft d at u " n H3 m U C 5o -a a U W C te-P s rt d c b. p,n w .!& o s B o 3 MU f,CJ 111 114 Hi I -ill Ifll 8 3P50 l: Si m - & Pi i li If Sal jl I J l rri mmv-jca ! IP 1 n . "ivft. -m II II B If 13 s 5 on UPSuSS 0J5 .25 r m r gvgSC 2sH 03 .' urj O i-jKIk-, s - c w W ro to re o t-tZipja ra r. &rtO3& to ft tS CR perience below the Gatum locks fully justifies this belief," said Colonel Goothals. "On the other hand the geologist is of the opinion that the water may to some extent develop new slides. Again much ado was made in 1009 over the seamy char acter of the rock on the isthmus, through which water flows quite rapidly, in consequence of which tne in brief, these were based on the ap- question was raised that tho laue prehension that Gamboa dike would mining on the. JPaqinc coast, we're brought into play to wash away the treacherous hills from the rear, carr rying the material into unused valleys distant from the canal. PICKED WET METHOD A great engineering problem was involved in tho solution of the ques tion of continuing the excavation of the canal by steam shovels or by hy draulic dredges and Colonel Goethals for the first time makes an official statement of the reasons which im pelled him to choose the wet method. 1 Send This Order Today jj ' S Tho Commoner, Lincoln, Nob. I 3 enclose- $1.15 for above offer which Includes a pair of yoxir Fancy Gold- -; IlniMlliMl Scissors, px'cpaid, by return : mall. ' : Namo , mf v - t h M might leak out through seams and crevices. SOONER THE BETTER "If these things are liable to occur, the sooner the better, if the official opening of the canal is lo occur Jan uary 1, 1915; for if water was not admitted this fall, but were deferred until May 1, 1914, tho full height could not be reached until October, 1914, leaving little time for the de termination of these questions. These considerations led to the conclusion that the water should be turned into the cut at the eailiest date practic able for getting the dredges to work on the slides. "The present plans, therefore, are based upon the blowing up of Gam boa dike on October 10, iti removal by dredges immediately therafter, the transfer of two suction dreiges and a ladder dredge to the Cucaracha slide, the smaller dipper dredges to work on the other slid J until tho full width of the channel is attained, and the passage of vessels through the canal as soon as channels of full depth and of sufficient width have been secured. "Before boats can be passed it will be necessary to remove the Gamboa dike by dredges and to remove the slides as already outlined. The pass age of commercial vessels is depend ent, therefore, upon the time when proper channels can be dredged through the slides; should additional ones occur, they will necessarily ad vance the date when this will be oc-complished." DELAY BY SLIDES The canal proper, exclusive of the approaches, the machine shops and warehouses and great ocean docks at either end, would have been com pleted during the last fiscal year, but for the extensive slides in the Culebra cut. And to deal with the great problems Involved in the removal of the slides no effective way was found except the bodily displacement of vast hills. The slides and breaks in creased as the cut was deepened. "No treatment has proven effective for slides when once developed ex cept that of excavating and hauling away material from the moving mass until the slide comes to rest or until the angle of repose for the particular material in motion is reached," said Colonel Goethals. Last year It was predicted by geolo gists that the slides had been con quered and that little more activity could be expected because all the loose surface soil and stone had al most slid off, exposing great ridges of solid basalt rock which wruld act as barriers to further earth move ments. Yet, when all was most promising and the canal excavation had gotten within sixty feet of the bottom of the cut on the east side, the rocks broke under the tremen dous pressure and 2,000,000 cubic yards of material slid into and closed up the cut. Since then, the canal workers have been digging away that material and though there have been several slides, steady progress was made, for not only did giant dredges work on the face of the slides but powerful hydraulic monitors, such as were extensively used in hydraulic not bo strong or high enough to keep the water out of the cut as the Gatun lake rose in the wet season. Also, steam shovel operations would be re tarded by the seasonal rains which would not affect the operation of the dredges and finally the measure was one of economy. It would have been possible with the shovels to have re moved all of the slides by January 1, 1914, next except tho Cucaracha slide which could not have been entirely carried off before April, 1914. The financial operations of the canal are told in big figures: The disbursing officer has paid out $20, 524,705 on pay rolls alone. Congress so far has appropriated $349,505,223 for canal construction of which $10 676,950 went for fortifications '' . HOW THE LOCKS WORK In great detail Colonel Goethals tells the story of the engineers' work during the last year and with par ticular satisfaction it is reported that the mechanism of the vast locks aud dams was tested with perfect success. The gates at Gatun were swung in one minute and fifty-one seconds for each leaf. The heavy iron chains which are depended upon to prevent an unruly vessel from crashing into the locks were raised and lowered in ample time to meet any emergency, and demonstrate their ability to check or stop any vessel unless of very great size and moving at exces sive speed. The locomotives which will tow the ships through the locks were tried out and proved their ability easily to handle the largest of vessels and the electric installation which will involve the use of a cur rent of 44,000 volts was completely successful. Altogether the technical sections of the report seem to demenstrate the accuracy of Colonel Goethal's statement that practically nothing but the great slide at Cucaracha re mains to prevent the successful operation of the canal. SELECT THIS APPROPRIATE GIFT : Give Parker Pens. Let this suggestion end your hunt for suitable Christmas presents. A Parker Fountain Pen will be as much appreciated as any gift that you can select. Why not decide the question now. Geo. 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