The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-01-07

level is practicable enough, but the
strip of elevated land at Culebra is
800 feet high at places. and better
adapted to locking. The control of the
Chagres river Is another serious enigma,
as yet unsolved, but just now is re-
ceiving more earnest attention than
any other problem on the isthmus, with
the exception of the sanitary arrange
merits
The question Of locks is important.
The suggestion for sea-level canal
seems to have come from De Lesseps,
who strongly favored the idea. It is
known to be impossible to build the
canal without at least one lock on the
Pacific side, since the tide rises and
falls there twenty feet on an average,
as against less than two feet on the
Atlantic side. A tWenty-foot tide could
not be allowed to flow in and out of
any canal. The building u enormous
canal locks has become an exact,
science, and there is nothing in.z5 the
way of constructing them Of any re-
quired capacity. -,
ALI questions on this point are being
considered by the force of eminent en-
gineers stationed at the isthmus, and
Shosea at Washington who have looked
o Yer the ground. The actual work on
the canal, in fact, is waiting only upon
1.-THE Sesision, and when it is rendered,
the American people will doubtless see
the % dirt fly"
How the. Canal Will Be Dug.
One has only to look over the scene
of future operations at Panama, and
inspect the gigantic machines left
strewn along the swamps by the
Frenchmen to appreciate the enormous
interest the work will have from an
engineering standpoint. New records
will be established; new methods in
troduced; new inventions and mac hines
tested, and new theories proven-all
of which will be of greater Importance
to the engineering lore Of the world
than any enterprise ever. yet under
taken by man.
New machines, costing thousands and
thousands of dollars, have commenced
arriving at Colon already, and several
were unloading at the wharves during
my visit Much of the machinery
| abandoned by the French company lis
| being repaired, and will be brought
/, into use. The hundreds of small
French locomotives are to be utilized.
Nearly all the actual work of dig
ging and dredging will be done by con-
| tract, after the commission s engineers
i have laid out the various sections and
determined the nature of the soil, as to
relative proportion of earth, rock, etc
For the deep heavy work, such as III the
/ 4 mi al, cfo oh -
| liar to those used in the Lake Superior
open cut iron mines, will be the main
/ dependence. Several of these machines
now at work average over 1000 cubic
! yards of broken rock daily. There have
also been ordered two of the largest
/ size steam shovels ever made, ninety
five tons weight, and one. of these has
a record Of over 800 cubic yards re
moved in one hour, the enormous dippel
picking up five yards at each lift. In
order to form a better idea Of what
rapid work this is, let us compare ii
with manual labor. One good man with
aSgood shovel can dig about yard OF
| rock out of bank and throw it in a
Lear in one hour; therefore this great
ashovel, with crew Of only three men
did the work of 800 men, and it will
average the work of 500 laborers the
/ year round.
/ The earth-spreader is. another typical
American machine of which number
are being ordered for the isthmus. The
largest size, weighing 100000 pounds
! will do the work of 1000 men, and
consists of a heavy fat car, bearing 8
powerful engine and operative mechan
i ism, and carrying a great wing OF
/ spreader on each side. It runs along 8
i track a1Id thn snraa dnra lauaI tho Milo,