The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-26
LOCKS OR SEA LEVELr
A Distinguished French Authority On
the Panama Canal question.
From ne Jonuary number Of La Seiencs a,
IKE SidcIt

A~Ats ntGttts
Tho old dispute between the idea Of sea
level canal and tbs idea OF lock canal has
started up again. II 10 discussion between
a university professor arG s1AoolInaster
with limited spheres Of vision the one can
not understand instruction lower than the
study OF Sophocles and Euripdes. the other
anything above the he Virls lnusiribus.
II IL discussion between a nearsightei ana
a iongsiehted man. The ono cannot see
what Is far Cd; the other. what Is close az
hand. Each Ia right for what his sight can
discern. The truth lies In the combination
OF their two idels. They do not exclude one
another, they complete each other.
That Is what VI. de Tesseps admitted In
1887 when said TO him: / do not ask you 10
give up the soa level canal. your prophetical
and admirable idea. The Panama passage
must be 4 Bosphorus, free from every MN,
drance. to serve as II should the colossal
amount OF navigation that 1t will call lot !
ask you TO adopt plan for lock canal when
will enormously relieve the expense and the
difficulty Of opening the passageway but
which may ultimately and gradually oe
changed into sea level canal without IN
terruptng ma cation for five minutes ana
without demanding any abnormal or e1-
ceptionh labors.
For all the world the Panama Canal VIII
be opened: for you In this first form II viii
DC uOIDlnR OUT al WI N'''Nb Va f+-a'
lied In such O way that the construction OF
sea level canal may 90 on while allowing
vessels to croes the American isthmus.
1t Is this method OF transformation that
the editor OF La Science nu 4Ae. AectC my
eminent friend MHneuvrier asks mo 10 ex-
plain TO his readers. / accept HIS invitation
with pleasure in gratitude for the hospitality
which his journal showed me in tile painful
periods OF the tGht for the preservation OF
he tHan ~ pa anna teh aN u
to show a magnificent indifference TO that
great national interest. an Indifference which
costs us tho sum which l hgured out TO be
ten billion francs. a figure to which hold,
and which would have cost us something
still more important. namely, part Of the
honor OF French genius II ! had not sue
ceeded In causing TO triumph among foreign
ors that holy cause thnt was lost In France.
This was the solution which builds bridge
between the immediate and the distant future.
between the lock canal and the sea level
canal.
Let us ina zinc a summit level pond with
the two locks which enclose IL and suppose
that they are built In tho ordinary fashion.
Tho only way OF efaclng the summit level
pond with such locks would be By dredging
the upper reach down to the level OF the bot
tom OF the lateral reaches THAT is the two
lower reaches on either side OF the two locksl,
at the same time retaining certain mass OF
earth close 20 the locks. and without chang
ing for u moment tho level OF the upper reach
In order 10 be always a bic TO pass over the sill
OF the upper gate. u hich Is vital organ OF
the canal, that must not be touched during
the Transformation.
This first operation, which would involve
dred ging as much as twenty-five metres
deep, a thing that Is absolutely abnormal.
would have to be followed BY another which
would call for the interruption Of naTEn-
ton: namely. the removal OF the lock gates
and OF the mass OF earth left In contact with
the retaining walls OF each lock u wall under
the upper lock gate retaining the earth Of the
bottom OF the reachl.
II will be seen then that. With the usual
construction. very great difficulties in e1ecu-
ton are met with. and the suspension OF
traffic cannot be avoided
Tho solution found for this problem in
1887 consists merely 10 expressing the lit
wall and In terminating the mass OF the earth
at the bottom OF the summit level lake by
slope pure and simple the foot OF which
stops about 200 metres from the upper lock
snta IA the lift wall is suppressed. the
upper gate ia made exactly as hiGh as the
lower gate. II will be perceived that this
simple arrangement permits gradual and
continuous deepening.
Let us suppose that the intention Is 10 lower
the level OF the upper rench by means of four
operations Assuming the difference Of level
between the upper and the two lateral lowerl
reaches to be twelve metres. each operation
will consist in lowering the level by three
metres.
II three metres are dredged from tho bot
tom OF the upper reach. II will be seen readily
that the whole dredging can DO performed
without touching any vital organ OF the canal.
At tho end OF the operation nothing win have
been changed except that the draught of
water will have been raised from ten to thir-
teen metres
At that moment a section OF water three
metres thick will be allowed TO flow out the
draught OF the canal viii become normal
again. ten metres and the elevations OF the
summit level lake OF the canal above sea
level win be three metres lower than before
the operation
As dredg ing Ia the only operation that IL
CALLED for within the canal itself and az the
oanal will be wide enough 20 allow Of two yes
soils passing each other. the conclusion may be
drawn that the presence Of a dredger will no
more be In tho way OF a vessel in transit than
will be the meeting with any cruising vessel
whatever.
When the operation has been performed
over gain four times. the upper reach will
have been lowered successfully four times
three metres: it viii have disappeared then
ari have merged In the lateral Oower)
reaches. The new summit level lake thus
lormod VIII be treated Ike tho former one,
aud thus lower elevations will be obtained
until the lateral reaches are level with the
oceans.
The presence of the masonry OF tho locks
after the ellsion OF the first summitlevel lake
offers no difficulties. This artificial rock will
bo treated like the natural rock met In ex-
cavntion: either by symmetrical mining ac-
oording TO the system which invented and
applied for the first time to Klometre : OF
the canal In isss. and which permitted me
10 render the rock perfectly dredgeable. as
described 10 the book published In 1902. or
By crushing, making use OF the Lobnltz ram
"A heavy msss OF steel Weighing ten tons). az
has been done generally with success.
Must the United States pass through the
intermediate stage OF a lock oanal' To this
question, which arises naturally. answer
cate gorically, Yes.
To be sure, the questions Of time and Of the
cost OF construction. which are vital for a
society that exists only On credit are OF much
less wei ght with powerful State.
Nevertheless II IL takes fourteen years
instead Of seven TO open the canal, II 500
600 900 francs more are spent Immediately,
those are not things 10 be passed over. HUI
uanity would be deprived OF an essential
organ Of commerce and Of progress for
considerable period OF time and a sum would