The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1906-12-01
PANAMA CANAL PLANS
Greatest Width 1000 Feet and
the Depth 45 Feet.

the Depth 45 Feet.
SUMMIT LEVEL ABOUT IS FEET
THIS IL to BE Renched by Flight OF
Locks on Atlantic side. One Lock
at Pedro Miguel and TwO others on
Pacific Side-LarEc Dam 20 De Built
at Cntun-The Locks Are Al TO DO
In Duplicate.
The sthman canal commission Is.
sued "a statement recently from Wash
iu-ton describing the general plan for
the construction # thc Panama canal
II is explained that the type Of canal
proposed by the minority Of the con.
sult.ng board is - form a summit level
about eighty-tiye feet above tie level
Of the sea, which is 10 be reached by
flight Of locks built at Gaiuu, on the
Atlantic side, 10y one lock at Pedro
Miguel and two others at La Boca, on
the Pacific side. The locks are all to
be In duplicate.
The summit level will be formed by
the construction of q large dam at
Gatun and small one at Pedro MI
sucl. \ second lake. with a surface
elevation of hfty-hye feet will be
formed on the Pacific side between
Pedro Miguel and Panama bay by the
construction Of a dam at Ia Boca,
across the mouth OF the Rio Grande.
and another dam between Soca hill and
high ground near CorOZal
From the Caribbean sea to the mouth
Of the Mindi river channel is 10 be-
cxcavatcd having bottom width OF
900 feet and n depth OF forty five feet
below mean tide From the mouth Of
the Mnd TO the Gatun locks the width
and depth are 10 be the same as from
the sea 10 the mouth Of the river.
The Gatun locks are 10 be built in
duplicate. The lift will be overcome
10y a flight OF three locks OF twenty
eight and one third feet or by two
locks of forty-two and onehalf feet
each The Gatun dam will reach from
point near the Gatun hills. on which
the locks are to be located. 10 the hill.
$500 feet westward. in which the spill
way will be- built The object of this
dam is TO form a reservoir in which
the floods of the Chagres will be re-
cclvcd. Its area Will be approximate
" 40 square miles Works FOR regll-
mting the level Of the lake Will be sit
uated in the hills that lie midway be-
tween two extremes Of the dam. They
will consist Of system Of gates con
structed on foundations Of concrete.
The gates will be almost countcrparts
OF those used on the Chicago drainage
canal
From the Gatun locks to San Pablo,
distance OF about fifteen miles. only
n small amount Of excavation will be
required. The width Of the canal will
be about 1000 feet and the depth for
ty-hve feet. The growth for fifty feet
along the shores is 10 be removed.
Farther up the lake. as the amount Of
excavation necessary TO obtain depth
Of forty-fye feet increases, the width
Of the channel will be decreased. first
10 $40 feet. then to 800. then to 800
from Obispo TO Las Caspades. dis
tance Of about one and a half miles.
where the Culebra cut begins.
The channel from Matachn to Bas
Obispo may he narrowed to 100 feet.
From Las Cascades to Paradise. a dis
tance Of A. miles. the width Of the
channel will be POO feet This IS the
most difficult work Of the whole canal
construction. From Paraiso, the end
Of Culebra cut to the Pedro Miguel
lock. distance less than two miles.
the channel will be 300 feet wide. The
Pedro Miguel lock will have lift Of
thirty feet and will be in duplicate,
with approach walls at each end. From
the lock for d distance of Isl miles
the channel will be 500 feet wide and
will then be increased TO 600 feet for
9. distance of 36l miles 10 Sosa hill on
the shore of Panama bay. where the
sosa locks will be built These locks
will be IN two flights, with lifts Of
twenty seven and one-half feet each,
and will be In duplicate.
A dam will be constructed across the
Rio Grande from San Juan hill TO SOsa
hill. another from SOsa hill to COrOZal
hill and a small dam from Corozal hill
to the high ground eastward. These
dams will form a lake known as SOsa
lake. II will have an area Of eight
square miles and will be provided with
regulation works for dscharging the
surplus water.
From the Sosa locks 10 the deep wa
ter In Panama bay. a distance Of four
miles. the channel is to have a bottom
width Of 500 feet and depth Of fifty
feet below mean tide. The mean rise
and fall OF the tide Is about fifteen feet.
The Panama railroad will be relocat-
ed throughout almost the entire dis
tance from the mouth Of the Mindi river
to Panama. and some heavy embank-
ments will be required to cross certain
parts Of Gatun lake