The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-21
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easeway furnishing water power sufficient
for the operation OF the double set OF locks
that will be built in the damn, a smaller
easeway around the locks al Pedro Miguel,
and spillway far over on the western
side of Lake Bohio This spilway will be
mile long, and when the flow of the Chagres
becomes greater than the capacity of the
lake the water will reach over the top OF
the spillway, down into the Pena Blanca
swamp, and flowing over the surface of the
swamp. discharge into the Caribbean sea,
far to the westward of the present mouth
or the Chagres river.
HOW WE HAVE CHANGED PLANS.
With these accommodations for torrents in
the Chagres that problem will be effectually
solved, and, with the completion of the
Culebra cut, the middle section of the canal
(the summit leveD will be created as soon as
the water from the Chagres can ill Lake
Bohio. This lake, stretching from Bohio to
Pedro Miguel, will be twenty-five miles
long. It's sides, east and west will be
formed by natural hills, while on the south
it will be controlled by the Pedro Miguel
locks. At no point along the route to be
followed by ships in passing from ocean to
ocean will it's depth be less than thirty-fve
feet, so that vessels will have practically
clear sailing over its entire length. The only
place where serious difficult will be encoun-
tered in navigation will be through the mar
row mountain defile of the Culebra cut
In creating this lake the Americans will
accomplish their greatest work OF simpliti-
cation, for they will, by abolishing the Bias
Obispo-Paraiso and Paraiso-Pedro Miguel
levels as projected by the French, entirely
obviate the necessity of constructing, at
enormous cost, the auxiliary canal to tap
the Chagres river at Alhejuela, and of stor-
age reservoirs to furnish water for those
levels through the dry season. Instead of
those levels will be only the one OF Lake Bo-
hio into which the natural and extraOrdi-
nary currents Of the Chagres can discharge
without restriction, to lose themselves
through the ease and SpillwayS when they
become too great for the capacity of the
lake.
Another immense advantage secured by
the creation OF this lake will be the submer-
sion of virtually all the fever-breeding spots
on the isthmian interior between Colon and
Panama, for with the lake in existence the
canal will touch infectious country only on
the sea-level sections, in neither of which ii
is expected ships will ever have to tarry.
THE LOCKS OF BOHIO.
For these enormously valuable adj
vantages we pay an engineering fee of only
one minor problem. That deals with the
locks to be built in the Bohio dam. AS
presently planned the level of Lake Bohio
will be seventy-five feet above the level of
the Chagres, or the sea, at the dam. This
means that to pass from the sea level sec
ton on the north to the surface of the
lake. or vice versa, ships will have to be
elevated or lowered seventy-f1ve feet. To
accomplish this it is proposed to have two
sets of two locks each, so that vessels may
simultaneously pass in either direction,
the lift in each single lock of each set be-
ing thirty-seven and one-half feet.
The engineers of the United States army
who are stationed here say-and 1 accept
their statements, for they have made an
intimate study of the entire project-that
locks have never been constructed and sue
cessfully operated to lift vessels OF the size
of those that will use the canal so great a
distance. Whether we can do what others
have never before done in this particular
respect remains TO be determined when our
engineers actually tackle the project with
ne Hie% Uf e3 ISly practeaby Should IL bs
found. however that locks to lift these
ships thrty-seven and half feet cannot
be successfully constructed, there Will be
an easy way out of the difficulty.
That will be by carrying the summit
level of the Culebra cut, and along the
entire line Of dry cutting, down a little
lower IL is now proposed TO eXcaVate at
Culebra until the level shall be fifty feet
above sea level. This level may, If neces-
sary. be carried out until the summit level
will be not more than thirty or thirty-five
feet above the sea, thereby reducing the
size of the lift I'm the locks from seventy
five to fifty-fve or sixty feet, and solving
the lock problem as IL now confronts the
engineers.
THE GREAT CUT AT CULEBRA.
taking on the entire route Of the canal.
Its immensely can only be appreciated when
seen. Originally the summit of the depres-
sion in the Cordilleras mountains where
the line of the canal crosses was 1868 feet
above the sea- To bring his summit level
down to fifty feet, according to present
plans, is the undertaking before the Ameri-
cans.
The French have already cut II down to
about leo feet. so that IL remains for us 10
eXcavate further depression OF 100 feet be-
backbone and made IL possible for ships
10 sail from ocean TO ocean over distance
of only fOrty-seven miles. In their busiest
days the French worked thousands of men
on this cut. They have there now a plan
of great magnitude. consisting of hundreds
or small locomotives for hauling trains
OF dumping cars, OF which there are thou
sands construction railroads built on many
tain which is TO be cleft: steam shovels.
drills, loading apparatus. fully equipped ca
BILE ways and all the other appliances of a
gigantic excavating undertaking.
The construction railroads run for miles
in different directions over the low-lying
country on either side of the mountain
range, and the dumpings have raised the
surface OF the land many feet In all
something like 50.00O.0o0 cubic meters have
been removed by the French. leaving about
49, 100000 cubic meters, with the summit
| level at fifty feet, TO be excayated by us.
fAA oh Il.