The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1905-06-29
Plans for The Panama { ANAL

Plans tor The Panama | anal
can engineering work of the great
size and complicated character OF inc
Panama canal should be the sub!ect OF
most exhaustive examination De1ore
the final plans for its construction are
adopted" SAYS the Scientific American.
TO the lay mind it might seem thaG
already time and expense enough had
neen incurred in preliminary iivestlga,
lions; but to the engineer 1t IS wen
known that in hydraulic works OF the
magnitude of the Panama canal it takes
years to acquire that intimate knoWl-
edge OF climate, topography and sup
surface conditions which is absolutely
essential before he can say, 4 will build
TINS work upon such plan, for such
cost, and within such time
That the last word must not be TOO
hastily spoken i'll the matter of select
ing the general plan of this canal Is
shown by the fact that Mr. Lindon w.
Bates, one of the most experienced OF
American engineers in work involving
heavy excavation, has recently pre-
scented to the President two alternative
plans for the reconstruction of the canal
which have so much to recommend
! them that they are certain to receive
most careful consideration from the
| Canal Commission. The first PROJECT
involves the construction of two large
lakes one extending from Mindi near
the Atlantic ocean to Bohio, a distance
OF twelve miles, and the other reaching
/ from La Boca to Pedro Miguel, a dis
lance of five miles. These two large
reservoirs would afford about seventeen
miles of lake navigation, and because
OF the higher speed at which ships could
travel in crossing them, would reduce
the time of transit three hours below
that which would be necessary to pass
through the proposed sea-level canal.
Entrance to the lake at the Atlantic
end would be by locks with lift OF
about twenty-five feet. One advantage
OF the lake would be that a large area
OF swamp land would be covered by
fresh water, and fine interior harbor
created Tor vessels moreover, all exca-
walton of the channel along the sailing
route could be performed by floating
dredges. The canal between the two
lakes thus formed would be excavated
through the divide at the same level as
the lakes, there being thus single sum-
nit level of plus 20 from the Mindi
dam on the Atlantic to La Boca dam
on the Pacific. AT Gamboa, which is
Pedro Miguel, Mr.. Bates proposes, for
control of the Chagres, the construc-
ton of dam provided with under
sideways, with provision for discharg-
ing one-half of the flood waters of the
Chagres river to the Pacific and one
half to the Atlantic. Tie great advan-
tage OF this plan over the one proposed
by the present chief engineer of the
canal is that it will be possible to re-
ceive the sudden floods of the, ,Chagres
in a reservoir that is normally empty
and permit them to escapaat will.
''Ihe second project offered by Mr..
Bates provides for four locks, with a
summit elevation 52.5 feet above mean
sea level. This plan. in addition to
dams at the Atlantic and the Pacific
end of the canal, calls also for the cree
ton of dams at Bohio and at Pedro
Miguel, and the creation of lake at
Bohio with surface level of - 5,
which is entered by locks with lift of
about thirty feet, and which extends
for fifteen miles to the foot of the
Culebra DIVIDE. The canal is cut
through the divide with the same sur
face level as that of Bohio lake, descent
being made at Pedro Miguel to the
twenty foot level, which extends from
Pedro Miguel to the Pacific. Briefly
stated, the first scheme will consist of
two lakes and connecting length of
canal, all at an elevation of twenty feet
above mean sea level. The second
scheme will consist OF two terminal
: lakes at an elevation of twenty feet
above mean sea level. and summit
lake and length of canal with an eleva-
ton of 52.5 above mean sea level.
ga comparison of these two projects
Of b,tn 1, {t,, low
recommended by the present chief en-
! gineer shows that unless there are some
physical features that would prevent
its execution, either of the new plans
would have several important points of
: advantage over the sea-level plan. For
J in the first project there would be
seventeen miles of lake navigation, and
in the second twenty-slx miles (Over
, one-half the length of the canal as
against an all-canal navigation in the
, case of a Sea-level canal. The time of
transit of large vessels would be reduc-
!, ed from, say, twelve hours to about
nine hours and the time of completion
from ten years, which is the most opti-
mistic estimate of the chief engineer,
to eight years. Finally, judged on the
question of cost, Mr.. Bates estimates
that there will be saving of about
So, 100000.
''The fact that an eminent engineer,
as the result of an independent investi-
CATION of the problem, should be able
at this late day to present scheme
that has SO many admirable features
certainly shows the wisdom of the
President in determining to call in
some of the most eminent engineers of
Europe to act in consulting position
with our own engineers in choosing the
final plans for the canal. So monu-
mental is this work, so far-reaching
will be it's effects upon the commerce
of the world, that the plan upon which
it is built should be not merely good
one, but the very best possible for the
conditions"
The vacancy in the department of
electrical engineering at the University
of Maine created by the promotion of
Walter X. Ganong from Instructor to
acting professor, has been filled by the