Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-01-28
DIGGING THE PANAMA CANAL.

IL Is estimated that two-fifths of the
excavation on the Panama canal has
teen completed. Some work is going
ON now 1nder the supervision of the
frehch company especially at the
main cut through the mountain back
bone OF the isthmus. How long will
1t take the United States to finish the
canal? No doubt the undertaking will
be pushed through with characteristic
american energy and inventiveness.
Great improvements in all forms of ex-
caVaiIan have been introduced in this
country within the last fifteen years
Nov NN-'r'z 7"hw7y Will he ready on
time. The excavation of the Chicago
drainage canal was begun September
j, 1872, TO be finished in four years
Eight yrars We've rC4uir I'd Tor that
largest artificial waterway yet CON
siructed 1t is thirty-seven miles
long, 20 feet deep and 1870 feet wide.
II Is but nine miles shorter than the
Panama canal. The Chicago drain
age canal cost S33, 100000 In its ex-
cavation enough earth and rock were
removed to make pyramid a mile
square and 50 feet high. The glacial
drift In which the canal has its bed
j. composed of earth, muck. sand.
gravel, clay. hard pan, howldcrs and
iragmeniary rock. About $1,000 tons
OF dynamite were used in the work,
and on the average 5000 men were
employed on II while going forward
Nothing can be more certain than
that American operations in building
the Panama canal will be marked by
an immense mechanical advance in
every direction Electricity win be
extensively employed. No unusual
difficulty is presented in the big cut
The main engineering problem is the
great dam that is 10 create a lake
81 feet above the sea level and cov-
ering an area OF 1885 acres Next
to that. engineers expect difficulty in
the sitting up of the canal during the
flood season in the Chagres river
The iiln Oi tae canal, briefly, is this:
ship entering on the Atlantic side
will proceed in the canal lor fourteen
miles at the sea level. Then the yes
sci Will be lifted by locks about g.
leet to the lake formed by the dam
There will be plain sailing in the lake
for twenty-one miles. when the shiI
will be dropped by locks about ct
feet. A run of one and a third miles
reaches the last locks, where a dror
OF less than 80 feet places the vesse
al the Pacific level, with a final run OF
a few miles.
About $4,000 men can be utilized
for eight years in digging the Panama
canal. This is a larger number than
can be obtained in the West Indies
and ii is an open question where the
labor is to come from. The climate
is not suitable to white men. For
some reason. white Americans there
suffer more than white Europeans
The route has the advantage of par
allel railway in full operation; also o.
good hospital plants. built by the
French. The market success OF
American sanitation in Cuba is
promising feature. While an i'm
mense amount of French machinery is
distributed along the line, American
contractors are familiar with better
appliances and will resort to then
'"' '~R'ic-A'iN - @9ohS anu idpiu
progress. II was this unfinished can
al, so necessary to commerce. that Co
lombia tried to obstruct Indefinitely.
in spirit of the grossest rapacity
The United States was pledged to
build the canal. and will proceed to do
1t. in broad devotion to mankind as
well as to protect itself, the consider.
atoms that impelled It, many years
ago. to assert its purpose to preserve
order nd keep open the line of tran
sil across the isthmus, the natural
road Tor the passage of the traffic of
the world.