Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-01-10
CANAL ACROSS
THE ISTHMUS

by M. Choran, who is said to
be connected with the new Panama
Canal company. Gen. Abbott, who was a
member of the International technical
composed of engineers of
the United States, France, Russia, Eng
land, Germany and Colombia, and who
recently made an inspection of plans and
suggested changes in the route of the
Panama canal, is on his way to WASH
ington to lay before the government all
the information he possesses regarding
the inter-oceanic waterway at the 18TH
mus of Panama.
He said that the French government
had nu longer had anything to do with
the proposed canal and that the new COM
pany could dispose of it's interests in the
work of the United States without OPP
position from any source, provided the
terms offered were satisfactory. He fur
ther said that the new canal company,
with the 65,000,000 francs which it pos
Sessed when it secured the control of the
big cut, has simply began the preliminary
work necessary on account of the mis-
taken ideas of the old engineers. Now all
obstacles, such as the overflow of the
Chagres river during the period of fresh
cts, have been arranged for and the old
idea of making the connection between
ocean and ocean a tidewater one has been
modified so that the part that is yet to be
finished will be built on the lock prin-
ciple.
The work of two sections are actually
completed and the balance is under course
Of construction and large force of engi-
neers and 5000 men are at work. The At
lantic waterway have been completed
and are navigable for vessels drawing %
foot of water. Beyond that point there
has been considerable excavation to the
21 mile line from the Atlantic. Over four
miles of the work on the Pacific side of
the canal have also been finished. Gen.
Abbott says the new plans for completion
of the Panama canal are perfectly
feasible and that the canal can be COM
pleted in one-half the time and at much
less the cost it will take to build the
Nicaragua canal.
Were the two routes completed to-
day. said Gen. Abbott, eight vessels to
one would prefer the Panama route be-
cause 1t is only 46 miles across and
the Nicaragua course will be four times
that length and the windings of the San
Juan river are very numerous and sharp.
There is no reason why this country
should not take hold and finish the
Panama canal. President Mckinley has
recently been furnished with the full re-
port of the international technical COM
mission and the present status of the
canal as stated may be the means of
by this government and the completion
by the United States4sof the Panama
rotlt.. @
II have been called to Washington for
consultation and can talk intelligently
on any subject concerning the canal. The
report of the commission is probably the
most authoritative document ever pre-
sented on an engineering subject. 1t has
been prepared with the greatest care
after the most thorough and competent
investigation and examination with most
exhaustive surveys before the members
which cover every foot of the ground to
be treated, and by the most experienced
engineers of five different nations. The
total length of the Panama canal is 462
miles including 3.35 miles dredged in the
Pacific to deep water. The profile of the
canal presents in the central part, a high
summit from which the ground slopes
gradually although irregularly, toward
the lower grades adjacent to the sea. The
portions Of the canal adjacent to the sea
have been eXcavated and although the
Chagres river has been for years flow
ing through them they can be partially
utilized.
AT the present time the topography of
all the grounds involved in the project
and the character Of the materials to be
encountered are accurately known and
delneated; deep and extensive eXcava-
tions, as well as sOundings and bOrings
have made known the subterranean
strata underlying the surface and by
those means no doubt is left as to the
soundness of the materials through
which the canal is to be dug to get depths
and on which the foundations of the
locks, dams and other structures are to
he established. Sixteen different plans
have been worked out in detail including
estimates of cost and time needed for
construction. 1t is on these complete data
furnished by the local engineers and by
the observations of it's own members on
the isthmus that the international tech
nical commission has based it's con-
clusion.
In order to properly regulate the flow
of the river dams will be erected. One
of the dams will be located at Bohio, at
the last group of locks on the Atlantic
side. This dam will transform the
Chagres into a vast lake, which will ex-
tend to Obspo, a distance of 13 miles, and
will cover an area of over 21 miles. The
dam, besides acting as regulator of the
ChagreS flood, will obViate strong cur
rents where the canal traverses the bed
of the river, an extremely important mat
ter for ocean ships. The other dam will
be located at Alhajuela, on the upper
Chagres, about 8 1-3 miles from the canal.
1t will form a reservoir covering 10 miles
which will be feeder to the summit level
of k1rc canal and will assist in effectually
controlling the floods of the Chagres. 1t
will lalso furnish hydraulic power, trans
mitting electricity for operating the locks
and lightning at night the entire canal
from the Atlantic to the Pacific Both
dams consequently can accumulate a
storage of at least $4,000, 100000 gallons,
which, with proper adjustable weirs,
would more than sufficiently control the
largest freshetS known. Should larger
freshets occur navigation might be inter-
rlpted for a day or two, but owing to the
precautions observed in designing the
various structures the canal will suffer
no damage.
t"S,lch in brief is the present status of