The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-22
,THEPANAMA CANAL
Plan For Its Economical Con-
stEuctIon 10 -Four Years.
n. BUNAU.vARILLA'S IDEAS.
Provision For Sea Level Passage
10 The Future.

10 The FUTURE
Dstans q . Desisn - LINK ne Oceans
IN ths hortess Possible Pssaod OF
T,me - Praotsoability OF Lowering
To Completed Canal b Sea- Level
Without Tntorruptins Trafnc - Nine
Year, for . Ditch without Looks-
ptsposaI of tho Chagrcs F1oods-In.
expansive Excavation b. Floatins
Dredsors-Reduced Danger Of Inter-
ference From enthusiastically for
Five Times suexs Trsmo-Fronoh EN-.
stnsss'p Simple but ingenious Devices
for fastening and ProtoCting the work.
There follows the description OF nnethod
By which tho Panama Canal
1. Can b. opened without strain OF risk In
four years;
.. with q power Of transit Of sc. 900, 900
tons, or 10 other words. with the capacity
to carry q trade I'VE times greater than the
one which has been reached after thirty
years operation by the Sues Canal:
g. With faculty to carry tho largest ships
likely to be built within fifty years.
L. Can be. whenever necessary. trans
formed gradually into a sea level passage;
s. without losing the use OF the excava-
lions made for the canal under its first form:
6. without any contact between the works
then executed and the double track navi-
cation channel Of $50 feet width st the bot
- A~l
without interfering In the least with ns v1gation;
7. without any use for tho transportation
BY water Of the excavated ground Of tho
locks consecrated to International navigs-
ton:
8. Without any loss Of wstsr Of the summit
level on account Of the transportation OF the
excavated ground;
O. without spending moro than i've years
for the transformation OF the lock canal at
$50 feet elevation into sea level canal. II the
bottom width Of $50 feet is preserved. or moro
than seven years II the bottom width Of the
sea level canal is brought to 300 feet:
10 without mourning q greater cost Of OK
ravation per unit than would result from tho
immediate excavation OF the sea level canal
as actually proposed;
II. Without harm to internAt ional ma vigation
II softer strata are found In tho low part OF
the great cut. compelling supplementary e.
cavatlon or special works.
lin Four Year,.
In the most difficult part OF the Panama
Canal line (Culebra) the ground has been
lowered from its original altitude OF 800 feet
above sea level to $50 feet by the works
actually accomplished. II the waterlne
Of O lock canal should be fixed across the
massit central tbetween Gamboa and
Pnraiso) at an altitude OF $50 feet. only 70 feet
vN,,ll In IN votn NJ hA Oh
point TO reach the actual prism OF the canal.
The digging Of the prism itself and oithe
20 feet above IT, the widening OF the out actu-
ally opened. constitutes a task OF very limited
scope, which could be easily accomplished
within four years.
The union Of this high level passage With
the so-called 90 foot level plan would be easily
made by ono flight Of two looks at oblspo
tnear Gamboa>. on the Atlantic side. and by
one flight Of two locks at Paradise, on the
Pacific side. Each Of the locks would have
a lift Of as feet. each flight therefore lift OF
10 feet, which would allow ships to pass from
the 1870 foot level to the 90 foot level.
The communication between the 60 foot
level and the sea would be insured on the
Atlantic side by flight OF locks at Boho.
Writing into communication the Bohio Lake
100 foot leveD and the tidewater canal actually
opened between Bohio and the Atlantic.
Hvel and the sea would be insured on the
Pacific side by a lock at Pedro Miguel and
another at Mrafores. or by two locks placed
on any other loca tons which might be selected
between Mirafores and Paradise.
glance at the profile in length OF the canal
will show that the amount OF excavation to be
made outside Of the nasslf central (from
Gamboa to Paraiso, Is relatively very small,
and that In no place has any cut to be made
requiring moro than a couple OF years OF active
work.
With "a plan such as the one just outlined
T. can be stated that no place " III be found
where more than four years eNcavating would
he required. Let us now consider thea aux Hilary
works which would be necessary. They
would consist
/. or three flights Of locks, one at Obispo.
one at Paradise. one at Bohio. and OF two
hncks. one at Pedro Miguel. one at Mirafiores.
TIE construction Of such structures. which
should consist OF steel gates and cement
concrete. reinforced with embedded steel.
'sn be easily built within one year and half
titer the elements OF the construction steel.
rand. gravel and cement have been brought on
the spot and stored for the corresponding
use
2 The Bohlo dam and the spillway. This
Gam. II limited to keep back the water OF the
lake at the 90 foot level. Ia easy to build. No
engineer will be scared by the underground
sorpage II the conception Of this dam con-
sists in a huge deposit Of sandy clay $500
10 a.Oofv feet thick across the valley Of the
thaqres.
The valley OF the Chagres In the imme-
t,ate vicinity Of Bohio and above Bohlo,
namely. between Bohto and Tavernilla, will
furnish in unlimited quantity the ideal ma
trrial for the erection OF the simple but huge
deposit Of impervious ground which should
form the Bohio dam. This sandy clay should
be dredged. unloaded in scow and tugged
70 the vicinity Of the dam: there. after being
mixed with n large quantity of water thrown
into the scow by centrifugal pumps. 1t should
be pumped by other centrifugal pumps,
according to the Dutch method and led In
'losed pipes to the point Of deposit. prac-
lily in a state Of suspension In the water
This method would insure a most perfect
r'!herence OF all the particles Of tho enormous
C'poslt. and would give the most &c cure
'-ucture and the most simple handling Of
5 elements A mass Of 5000. 900 to 1000, 900
& bic yards would be easily dredged, trans.
lorted and deposited in less than one year.
This could be accomplished by two bucket
feat ting dredgers, having buckets Of one
cubic ya-d capacity and working at the
velocity Of fifteen buckets per minute. Such
n dredge has theoretical exoavatlng power
Of $1,000 cubic yards per day OF twenty-four