Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-12-03

l IL.
Mr. Bates points out, is that it secures
both salt waite. and 4 fresh water
harbor ut each terminus OF the canal.
! IL is q we'll known fact among navisa-
tors that vessel whose hull is coy.
| cred with barnaclcs and whose speed
! Is thereby very greatly curtailcd, be,
| comes clear OF these after n short STAY
IN fresh water. Thus fresh water
/ harbor which would be i'll the nature
| OF secluded naval station at each
terminus OF the canal would also serve
the purpose OF Il cleaning dry dock.
After going across Lake Chasris. n
few miles inland the ship will pass
thorough another gap near Gatun. a
| crcvicc in the second oil Panama's four
hill ridges. Now the vessel will
| emerge either directly or through n
! lock proposed under an ALTERNATIVES
| plan) upon an extension OF the lake.
Under an alternative plan, IL lock at
Gatun and another at Pedro Miguel
! tho Pacific end of the Culcbra cut
would raise the intervening passage To
! height OF G25 feet above sea level.
an additional lock of Bohio and sec.
! ond lock ut Pedro Miguel may raise
the summit level 10 975 feet.
! How to Deal With the Chaores.
FipHl INC Illnn lOck the vessel
would cross the big central lake. an.
preaching the narrow Gamhoa Gap
near Ohlspo, where the torrents of the
Cha"rcs have for centuries pourc,!
down. bathing engineers AMI every
body else. There where the Chaeras
Is most forbdding, Mr. Bates propose,
- throw great sluce dam, quite sim
liar Ia the dam 1T Assuan. When tho
problem OF the Chagres was first al
tackled great many years ago, The
ASSlan dam had not bee nbuilt Sir
: william Wilcocks. the designer of the
| great Egyptian barrier, said that ii the
ASSuan dam was successful ii would
/ mark an epoch in dam building. He
stated that provided with its cncr
nous food openings. it (tho dam
may he looked upon as weir capahlc
a controlling The miGhtiCSt rivers in
, Hood. JUST rs ordinary woirs control
Them in times oI low supply. Ii MAY
he thus utilized for the regulation OF
the flood supplies of rivers and for
other cmnloymcn.S Of basins al inun.
dation irrigation" the purpose Of tho
ASSuan dam was To impound largo
volume Il Mi" waite: and tn let il out
gradually during the irrigation season
after allowing the early silt hearing
HNtbS 10 LASS.
y reversal OF this duty is proposed
ny Mr.. Bates for tho Panama sluicc
dams. What is here required h. saws,
Is Ia catch and hold the high floods.
and by manoouverias the Sluiccs let
them run OF gradually and harmless
~. MI l;atcS pronnscS To divide tho
waters oI the ChaGrCs, send n part OF
il Ia the Pacific ami part to the AL
-
thus create the lakes. sthmcr.ine tho
swamps near the coast. as well MS pro.
vide the wafer for the canal through
the great Cu!obra cmt.
AS Il still further protection AGAINST
the tcrrors Of the Chagros. Mir. Bates
plans a series OF sluice dams behind
which will be empty basins TO inter
cept the flow Of the rivers; OF various
points. The Sluicc gates" he SAWS.
will allow the proper amount only to
go into the canal. When q sudden
torrent comes down from the uppcr
Chasrcs watershed, two empty basins
win n capacity OF far more than the
maximum excess recorded will he
ready 10 receive it. Then as The flood
ahatcs. the surplus waters will he SUI.
forcd TO pass ont gradually, leaving
the basins again empty"
From Obispo Basin, Mr.. Bates plan
leads one through tho Culehra Cut.
lie would make this part OF the pas,
sage 2 canalizcd river, with n deep,
splendid. slowmoving current. Going
down through the Culcbra to Panama
as the ship approaches the coast, it
energies into Lake Panama. which
again will submcrgc the swamps of
the district. Mr.. Bates estimates that
less than one mile of impOunding
structure would bc required in con-
structing Lake Panama.
Electrically Operated Locks.
Under this plan. barrages and locks
would he ut each terminus of the ca.
nal The ruling depth OF the water"
MIR Bates declares. can be increased
To some 10 feet without cubic ward
OF dredging" lie says also that it
viii be extremely easy TO operate The
locks and sluiccs. a superintendent
i'll his office at Panama by moving n
control switch could regulate the lev
cl OF the lakes and OF the entire canal
}y electrically manipulating their SIM
ceS. the levels of Lake Chagres and
fanama could be raised and lowered
Mr.. Bates says thai the canal
should not adjust Itself to the little .
'fi1scS winch nave already been bnilL
on the lsihmns. but should dictate the
location OF the settlement along the
way. lie thinks that the inhabitants
should be taken OUT of the lowlands
and onto the hily shores OF the new
lakes. He would reconstruct tho har-
hor Of Panama, so that it would be a
healthy. well built city. He says that
the deposit ground which could he
here established besides adding To the
domain of the Panama Republic, would