New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-01-23

aaI-ICg us omtiT- length.
1 t pace where serious difficulty Will be encoun-
~ tu ~ navigation viii be through the narrow
~, IN creating this lake the Americans VIII accom-
pl4Hh tnelr greatest work OF simplifcation for
and I'araiso-Pedro Miguel levels, as projected by
me french, entirely obvilte the necessity Of Con
Stucuhg al enormous cost, the auxiliary canal
70 tap the Chagres River at Alheluela. and OF
storage reservoirs to furnish water for those
LsE,ls viii be only the one Of Lake Bohio. into
NE Chaeres can discharge without restriction.
,osG themselves through the easeWay5 and spill
@a!S "agh they become too great for the capacity
Another immense advantage secured by the crea-
m3n o. tbs la5e viii be the submersion OF virtu
10y an the fever breeding spots on the isthmisn
lake in existence the canal win touch Infectious
country only on the sea level sections in neither
larry y.'''-' x Is expected S-iiI' WI" ever have 10
THE LOCKS OF BoHIO.
For these enormously valuable advantages the
United States will pay an engineering fee of only
one minor problem. That deals with the locks 10
be built il the Boho dam. As presently planned the
teVeI Of Lake Roilio VIII be seventy-fve feet aboye
This means that to nas from me t6 Sea. at Inc, te ua
lion on the north 10 the surface of the lake or
wee versa. ships viii have to be elevated or low
cred seyenty-nve feet. To accomplish this it is
proposed to have two sets Of TWO locks each. so
iirso, Lg,Ses may simultaneously pass in either
being thirty-seven and a half feet.
are me fnftheerS Of The United States Army who
etT stationed mere. who have made an intimate
STUDY OF the entire project, say that locks have
TO lift vessels Of the size of those that viii use
49, cA1 IA, so great distance, Whether what
respect can be done remains TO be determined
mhfh the engineers actually tackle the project
Wiih view to solving its every phase along lines
OF ehtlre praC ucahility should it be found. how
4 half feet cannot be successfully Constructed.
there will be an easy way out of the difficulty.
i,aI VII! DC by CARRYING the summit level OF the
lleoIa cut. and along the entire line Of dry cut
cavStH m MIS- iowt wen IL Is now proposed et TO
lee aa19Eg see evsL THIS level may II necessary.
more than 30 or - feet above the sea. thereby
G1,lnE the size OF the lift I'm the locks from % to
n9 ON, eonfronJs the engineers. ..-.
! taking on the entire route of the canal Its 4nl-
neusity can only be appreciated when seen. Orig
! inolly The summit Of the depression in the Cor,
! aileras Mountains where the line Of tho canal
summit level down 20 nifty FEET according 10 pres
| ent plans, is The undertaking before the Ameri-
| The French have already cut IT down to about
lty feet so trat IL remains 70 exeavate a further
bone shall have been broken and It viii be posi-
distance Of only f5rtv-eeven miles In their busiest
| DAYS The French worked thousands Of men on this
yG6e. CONSISTING of hundreds Of small locomotives
LOT H',ll'nE ilts Oh GuIias OF "llich I'm, theIe
many different levels on either side Of the noun
oadne apParatns fully equipped eableways ana
ali the other appliances of a gigantic excavatins
The construction railroads, run for miles in diff
either side OF the mountain range. and the dump
| ngs have raised the surface Of the land many
feet. In all something like $1,000 900 cubic metres
| have been removed by the French leaving about
{4ft9sg cubic meJTss with ne summit lGZei at
are working only about 500 men at the cut. taking
out 1909 cubic metres a month, and the work is
advancing with remarkable lack Of alacrity.
DOWN TO SEA LEVEL AGAIN
WHAT be done at Culebra can only be
guessed at. Nobody supposes however, that the
United States will fail complete this portion OF
the task in about eight years. with modern
machinery the greater facility resulting from the
! use OF electricity, the possibility through the use
Of electric lights OF prosecuting the undertaking
and the generally energetic manner in which
Americans viii undoubtedly grapple with the un-
than the French ever dreamed Of making.
From the deepest part Of the Culebra cut.
through which the waters Of Lake Bohiu viii flow
without restriction to Pedro Miguel the southern
extremity Of the lake, is a distance Of only about
double set OF locks 10 lower or raise the ships;
These locks will have lift of about nifty feet. and
that they can be constructed so that their sue
cessful operation Will never be matter Of doubt
From Pedro Miguel to NIranores will be a short
Sac Of the jstbnus Water for fbs level win ne
the foot Of the Pedro Miguel locks the level
section the Pacific side actually begins. The Pa
| cifc tide has average flow of about IS feet.
ranging from i TO p feet ordinarily and reaching
ssary, therefore;s to introduce tdegates at Mir
! tect the Pedro Miguel dam and locks from the
the ocean there VIII be sea level section which
has only to be dredged 10 the required width and
depth 10 be ready tor commercial use. on this
| sea level section there is engineering problem
except that Of keeping the channel open, the rush
/ Of the tides forming a silt carrying current which
viii have TO be guarded against. This VIII be done
by constant dredging, just the similar condition
/ on the northern end viii be met
On this route. which has been entirely traversed
/ in the foregoing description, the shortest radius
Of will be about $500 feet, giving almost
entire freedom in the handling Of ships along the
entire line, and reducing the problem OF naNlg2t-
ing The canal a minimum. Through Lake Bohio,
except in the Culebra cut IL will be possible for
ships sail practically at full speed while the
and its freedom from Instructions. Will make pos
siule nearly full speed In those portions. BY sub
! CulcUra tie work Of excavation over a good por-
ton OF the route VIII be largely done away with,
| The lake Will form channel. II being necessary,
! Instead Of cutting along the entire route, merely
to take of the top Of the ground at such places
as present elevation viii interfere with depth OF
| thirty-Gve feet OF water.
Drilling and blasting viii have TO be done, as
now. al Culebra. but everyW here else the eXCava-
| ton win be in soft mud soil. that the work
question OF digging. Within the lake Will be ample
room for ships anchor during storms, securing
/ all the advantages Of a protected harbor, and the
lake Itself viii make II possible by dredging In
future wears 70 bring the waterway along it's entire
| routl down tQ The level should that be deemed
advisable without interfering with It's commercial
1t il as was said IN the beginning. project free
| from any grave engineering difficulties. The
| mans and honest I'm their execution. should have
| COMPLETED it 4 decade ago. That 1t can be COM
| nIeted and opened to commerce IN less than a
| 5eca &c seems entirely reasonable; that the United
Stafes VIII do so IS implicitly believed by every
| body the isthmus.
MR.. BUCHANAN COMING HOME.
,,-.stina,ton. Jan 22-The report that Mr.. Blu