The Cairo bulletin., 1906-12-11
BLUNDERS MENACE
PANAMA SUCCESS
REBUILDER OF GALVESTON, IN
LETTER, DESCRIBES CANAL
FAULTS.
TROUBLE TO BUILD DAM
Are Declared to Be inadequate
---Worthess Hercuean e.
periments.


day prints a signed article by Lor
don w. Bates the rebuilder of Galve.
ton, in which he declares that blunder
menace the success of the Panama
canal Among other things MI
Bates says
"Of all vexed questions of the Pan
anna problem, bit one other (the locf'
by which the mighty steamers Of th'
future are to climb to the surface o
this great artificial lake, has draw
more fire than has the great GatHt
dam. The doubt expressed has been
whether the structure, when built, viii
have the stability requisite for is
maintenance.
AN equally vital question is, car
the dam be built at all by the preserib
ed methods? The rock for this mon
ster construction, though costly of
distribution by train. is attainable.
But the great body of water is another
reads: The lower part of the dam
up to an elevation of fifty feet, or
even eighty feet is to be made from
material dredged from the canal be-
tween the Gatun locks and Simt Bay,
and pumped by suction dredge into
the dam
Testimony is corroborated.
"The testimony Of Mr. Sterns before
the senate committee, when being eX-
amined as to the process further cor
roborated this specified method. The
material is 10 be pumped in by dredges
such as are in use in Galveston. tSen-
ate report page 1901)
THE dredges in use at Galveston
are the only machines of this type in
the United States. They are engaged
in the work Of raising that city. Il
may be conceded that tho writer, who
is in active direction of that work, may
attest with rome acknowledgement and
experience as TO the capacity OF this
style Of dredge.
This pumping radius, compelled by
circumstances, at Gatun is G,500 feet.
The estimates propose that .at this
distance from the pump the mater
ial shall then be raised from fifty TO
eighty fee;
Might as Well Pump to Moon
The Galveston dredges or any 9th
or ever bUilt might as well try to
pump to the moon Further, increas
ing Of size would not enable them TO
do it. because of the mechanical limi-
taticus of The method. The largest
dredge at Galveston has practical
limit Of twelve foot Eft at $500
feet
In the whole world no such hercu-
lean experiment has ever been at
tempted as The flight of locks designed
10 raise or lower the giant steamers of |
1915 through the eighty.fivc foot differ
ences that will exist between canal |
level and Gatun Lake level as plan |
ned Eaich lock, Il was decided by a |
vote of II 10 in the international !
board before the secession of the min |
ority should have as minimum work
ing dimensions a length Of 1000 feet |
= width Of 100 feet and a depth of 40 /
feet These dimensions were adopted /
TO meet the legislative supuations of
The Spooner bill regarding convenient
passage for vessels of the largest ton
age and greatest draught now in use
and such as may reasonably be anticl.
pated
Dimensions Are Reduced.
Eventually these dimensions were.
by the minority with the approval of
the commission, reduced to goo feet:
each lock 10 contain two safety gates
further reducing the available length
to 500 feet The gate width was 10 be
feet and The depth on the
sill forty feet.
In view of the fact that the Mari
fania fthe Cunard line. already in
.he water. is 7SS feet long and eighty
eight feet in BAN. one may well pom
Ter upon he provision for the future.
.The work of the actual building is
lot truly on. yet the reports give 90
900 men on the payrolls. Twenty
steam shovels. tho chairman an
Iounces. are doing the United Siataes
Sork of four or five The output Of
wenty-seven Of these and the digging
II two OF three patched up dredges of
he vintage Of twenty years ago vir-
ually represent the canal excavation.
rhe rest of the work is railroading /
sanitizing and distributing
he millions of dollars worth Of Am !
,rica1 supplies. The force far out
numbers that of the French at their
ienith Of achievement when their :
plant was digging every
yberc from sea to sea.
What Are They Doing7
The chairman announces the force