New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-13

.,r the Pacific coast 1his miuu'e pun. 10 Inc
%" :" c,,e,ra cut through high mountain.
a" ouarter Of a mile OF this Is now being
Wv 49,, the entire cut. when finished VIII
nles long. Between this part OF the
enc TWO ends. where the dredging Is
80 60 there are long stretches where no
has vet been done.
"" .,oomnanving photograph OF the Culebra
-" nc view looking south upon the work.
%, excavation already made may be seen
:, .,so the cutting which - still 10 be done.
w ,sa TOP OF the cut which is about third
- milo a-ross the width lessons toward the
-, Ievel vet reached 10y regular succession
a,x,ches" This plan Of cutting is adopted
of the necessity for having level ground
:. tho various depths upon which cars CON
&c the eXcavated material may be run to
=. Sumping-grounds. The cutting at this point
,ow several hundred feet deep, and if the
:. favorable Of the plans now under discus
=. i adopted il, Will be. when finished, about
:, hundred and twenty feet below the lowest
',.l shown in the picture. The downdisgers
g., in the foreground are at work discharging
=, sumpcars which run out on the correspond
ag levels.
T will he understood that most Of the work
=. tho Culelra cut is carried on at levels CON
,as-ab'y below that q the surrounding coun-
- and that consequently cars carrying out
40 excavatcd material would have TO ascend
Zines often of great steepness. According to
american engineering IDEAS this would he re-
,,,3-5 as practicable. but it is characteristic Of
=. French methods 20 ignore the use Of in
,5-es and 10 substitute system Of tunnels
Which IS much more costly. This system is, in
General as follows: \ tunnel is driven along the
,sr,-e line Of the canal, about forty feet below
se surface Shafts are sunk every five hun
~ feet. down which the eXcavated material
ERASED into the cars in the tunnel below. This
rables the trains to move out on slight grades
the dumps
In some parts Of the canal narrow cuttings
tsye been made 10y means of which the com
vsny intends 10 disclose the materials TO be net
With IN completing the work, without the at
andant expense Of making the fuN-width eXca-
walton In these places dump trains are used
While the cutting is shallow, but as soon as II
becomes leep enough TO require heavy railway
grades cableWays. Of American design, ere en-
tloyed These cahleWays are mounted on liked
towers instead Of on moving towers, as - the
custom in this country when the ground per
n,,s This practice makes an additional hand
llg necessary. since all material must be
brought 10 the cableWays from the excavation
cars instead Of having the galloway take
be material directly from the face. In parts Of
De cutting may be seen rows of huge cranes,
es,y and useless purchases Of the former canal
anlany. These machines are. or rather were,
Tsrh from $1,000 to $4,000 each. They
TTe utterly unsuted 10 the work, and are now
rginr away. representing loss of upward Of
tooUo Hundreds Of iron buckets, formerly
sd in connection with these cranes, are also
q Be seen scattered along the line
another instance Of an expensive machine,
sd for a time. but now given Up as imprac-
TABLE. is to Toe found in the huge digger Of
French design illustrated in one Of the accom-
'arying pictures.
The work at the ends of the canal up 10 the
point whore the locks are to be constructed is
.one BY means OF dredges and steam barges
he photograph which shows this process was
skeu on 'h.. Atlantic side. at Mind "A here. tho