New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-01-23
Easy TASK TO DIG CANAL.
Work of Engineers Has Sinlplifed
Matters Greatly.

be opened to Navigation 10 Glunt
American ] have made three excursions over the !
al route taking in the sea level sections at /
,,ber end and the middle portion, which runs \
through dry cutting; and. while / do pretend /
% speak expertly Of the engineering aspects OF |
+be problern I should say that building Of the
,arsl win be a comparatively easy task for know
,nr entarrrising and energetic Americans. That |
.,raricans have undertaken and successfully con-
used projects presenting vastly greater engineer
,,r complexities is indisputable AS a problem
N engineering science the New-Tork subway sys-
sam dwarfs the canal scheme into insignifcance.
ca does the plan Of the Pennsylvania Railroad
"a tunnel the North River and construct in the
,-e-v heart Of New-York City a great subter-
-anesr tunnel. on of Western railroads
notably the line which runs over Marshall
Pass in Southwestern ColorGdo-infnitely more
Intricate problems We're successfully solved a
time when engineering science was not nearly as
exact as it is to-day; and from the engineering
vel as from the financial point of view New
York State is to-day dealing with a project-the
enlargement OF the Erie Canal-which deserves to
stand on plane with that one which centres
here.
AS / remarked in a previous letter, the activity
az the American engineers who have dealt with
this problem with a view TO its solution by the
United States has been IN the direction of sinpi-
cation. Great success has attended their efforts
In the scheme the United States has gone many
strides ahead OF anything the French, even in
their final plans. contemplated. Instead Of a canal
with i've locks and levels II VIII build water
way with two sets OF locks. tide gate and three
levels. Instead OF a complicated arrangement for
controlling The torrential flow Of the Chagres
River. with auxiliary canals and storage reser-
voirs 10 provide water for certain Of the levels.
the plan is TO build monster dam and then let
the natural swsmps take care OF the Chagrcs-
THE AMERICAN PLAN.
Should the United States build this canal there
viii be & Levi section coo feet wide on the
surface $50 feet Voc or the bottom. and deep
enough safely to accommodate vessels drawing
IS feet CT water extending from the entrance back
OF Cr1stobal Colon Point, the northern terminus,
Boho. a distance q fourteen miles. In this
section VIII be utilized the bed Of the Chagres
River a certain points and the entire section can
be constructed by the dredging process. This sec
tion Is open for ITS entire length 10 very light
rrsught vessels and the soil underlying it is soft
lnud and stin softer alluvfal deposit. that the
Gredges work steadily and without encounter
Ing any serious obstruction. one problem alone
presents itself this portion Of the work, and the
French partially solved that II VIII be necessary
20 make effective the plan divert the current OF
the Mind and Gatun rivers. The French con
Ftructed the diversion canal; Il remains for US TO
put It TO practical Use ~ making it carry the
water Of these rivers. This GOne-and the doing
OF Il viii be a simple matter-there viii be no
difficulty encountered heyond that OF preventing
silt deposits that might cbstruct the channel This
latter viii entail constant dredging. an item which
viii come within the annual cost Of maintenance
and TO which engineers now paying no atten-
ton.
The Man Tor the Bohio dam will. besides great
ty simplifying the whole canal project, minimize
the amount OF work that viii annually be required
TO keep the sea level section from being filed up
by the action OF water washing constantly
against soft, yielc nud banks Tor this Dam
win restrict the IN the Chagres River
,Intf II VIII be =, formidable than is the
tide at Colon which rises only eighteen inches.
The dam at Bohio VIII be one Of the largest ever
constructed extend IN easterly and
oserly direction a distance Of 1.2S6 feet and
g. VIII be 500 feet wide the bottom, narrowing
about p feet the top. which will be about
Z feet above the level OF the Chagres River. The
p-ly problem bothering engineers who have
given careful attention TO the canal plans is IN
relation this dam.
The French, IN prospecting the country about
Botio to secure suitable location for the DAM
did their work in a shiftless manner Their Dor
Ings were wholly inadequate. and Americans have
not gone sufficiently into the matter to have bet
tered to any appreciate extent what the French
aid. As investigation on this particular detail
now stands. IL viii be necessary to sink caissons
10 q depth Of I2s feet in order TO secure suitable
foundation for the dam. This depth is greater
Than las vet been reached by the pneumatic
process-tne only available one-of constructing
foundations. the nearest approach 10 IL having
been 4 depth Of IL feet, TO which the calssohs
for The new Williamsburg Bridge across the East
River IT New-York were sunk. Calsson work Is
deadly i,l lis character and, while the engineers
are confident that The caissons at Bono can De
sunk Us feet IL necessary. they are equally con-
fGel.t that a secure foundation can be found al u
shorter distance do"r. To find that foundation
either north or south of the present proposed 10
cation for the dam 7yiu Joe one Of the first things
10 which The Americans viii address Themselves
upon undertaking. the construction Of the canal
PURPOSES or THE BoHIo DAM
should il De discovered that the caissons will
not have 20 be sunk - feet. and az extensive
system Of boring viii decide the question. the
cost, wen d lhe time required 10 complete ms
dam. VIII be greatly minimized. The dam must
be built, however. 10 matter to what depth the
caissons nave 10. for IN building il there will
be solved problem OF the Chagrcs River, which
key the whole Panama Canal problem.
The dam when completed, VIII call into exist
Lake Boho, artificial BODY Of water whose
bottom viii be about fifty feet above sea level.
and whose areu wiz be approximately 1900 acres
The Chagres River VIII enter this body Of water
from the east, bringing 10 it the surface flow
nom nearly hye hundred square miles OF high
ground that the river drains. During the rainy
season TIE Chagres rises with almost incredible
rapidly and To enormous height To control
l--'Sr @-cc-:; rises there viii be the or Lake
hoho, monster easeway in the Rohio dam Uhe
t.1seWay furnishing water power sufficient for the
operation Ok the double Of locks that Will be
bli.- Il The lam). z smaller easeway around the
locks at Pedro Miguel and a spilway over
on TIE western siGe Of Lake Bohio This spllway
WEI be a mile long, and when the flow OF the Cha
Eres becomes greater than the canacityy Of Tho
lake the water WIN rush the top OF the spill
Wy into Tie Peua Blanca swami and
flowing over the surface Of the swamp discharge
i.-o tEe Caribbean Sea. FAR 10 the westward of tho
present mouth Of the Chagres River.
VITA these accommodations FOR torrents in the
Chsgres that problem Tiu be efCectually solved
and. WIKI tie completion of the Culeura cut Ia,
Eadolo section Of the canal Che summit level