The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-03
PLANS OF The PANAMA CANAL
SUMMIT LEVELtaBOrT Ss FEET
ABOVE rae SEA.

This 10 re ReHchcd 10y a Flight Of Locks on
the Atlantic Side. u AZ Pedro Miguel
ant TwO Others on Pacific side width
Of Canal 1000 Feet, Depth As Fret.
WAsAINuroN, Nov. 1.-The lsthmian
Canal Commission issued a statement TO-
dav describing the general plan for the
construction OF the Panama Canal. II is
explained that the type Of canal proposed
by the minority OF the consulting board
Is to form a summit level about eighty-hye
feet above the level of the sea, which is to
be relcaej by a flight OF locks built at
Gatum, on the Atlantic side. by one lock at
Pedro NJ, guel 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 a large dam at Gatun and
q small one at Pedro Miguel. A second
lake, with a surface elevation OF S. feet,
will be formed on the Pacific side between
Pedro Miguel and Panama Bay by the con-
struction of q dam at La Bocs, 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 a channel is to be excavated
having a bottom width Of 500 feet and a
depth Of IS feet below mean tide. From
the mouth Of the Mlndi to the Gatun locks
the width and depth are to be the same
ss from the sea to the mouth Of the river.
The Gatun locks are to be built in dupli-
cate. The lift will be overcome by a flight
Of three locks Of rs 3 feet or by two locks
Of a. feet each. The Gatun dam will reach
from a point near the Gatun Hills, on which
the locks are to be located. to the hill, $500
feet westward, in which the spillway will
be built. The object of this dam is to form
Areservo Or in which the floods Of the Chagres
will be received. Its area will be approx
mately 10 square miles. Works for regu-
Iating the level of the lake will be situated
in the mills that lie midway between two
extremes of the dam. They will consist
of a system Of gates constructed on founda-
tons OF concrete. The gates will be almost
counterparts Of those used on the Chicago
Drama ge Canal.
From the Gatun locks to San Pablo, a
distance Of about fifteen miles, only a small
amount of execa\ alton will be required.
The width OF the canal will be about 1000
feet and the depth IS feet. The growth
for City feet along the shores is TO be re-
NOV ed, Further up the lake, as the amount
OF excavation necessary To obtain a depth
OF IS feet increases, the width of the channel
will be decreased, first to 800 feet, then TO
NhuN NhNA " OAV " DbER w AUD ~NS-
cades, a distance of about one and a half
miles, where the Culebra cut begins.
The channel from Matachin to Bias Obispo
may be narrowed to lOO feet. From Las
Cascades to Paradise, a distance OF Al miles,
the width OF the channel will be 200 feet.
This is the most difficult work of the whole
canal construction. From Paradise, the end
Of Culebra c I TO the Pedro Miguel lock, a
distance less than two miles, the channe
will be 800 feet wide. Tn Pedro Miguel
lock will have a lift of 81 feet and will be in
duplicate, with approach walls at each
end. From the lock for a distance of 1877
miles the channel will be 500 feet wide and
will then be increased to 1000 feet for a
shore of Panama Bay, where the Scsa
locks will be b"ilt. These locks will be In
two hichts, with lifts OF 2715 feet each,
and will be in duplicate.
A dam will be constructed across the Rio
Grande from San J"au Hill to Sosa Hill,
another from Scsa Hill to Corozal Hill, and
a small dam from Corozal Hill TO the high
ground eastward. These dams will form
n lake known as Sosa Lake. IL will have
an area of eight square miles and will be
provided with regulation works for dis
CHARGING the srrnl's water.
Firm the Scsa locks tn deep water in
Panama Bav, a distance Of four miles, the
channel is u ave a b. ttom width Of 500
feet and a depth Of fifty feet below mean
tide. The mean rise and fall of the tide
is about fifteen feet.
The Panama Railroad will be relocated
throughout almost the entire distance
from tie north If the Mipdi River u Pan
anna, ard some heawv embankments will
be required to cross certain parts of Gatun
Lake.