The Washington herald., 1908-07-12

about 2i5 cents cubic yard for excava-
ton In Culebra Cut. But as the output OF
material has been increased by nearly a
half. with only a comparatively small in
crease Of force. II IS probable that thew
have been able TO reduce these figures 10
the neighbOrhOOd Of 0 cents per cubic
yard.
The work that is being done by tbs
dredges Is costing very much less. For
instance. there are the big sea-goinT
dredges "AncOn" and -CUlebra." the for
mer working at the Atlantic side and tbe
latter az the Pacific end The cost per
cubic yard OF dredged material Is about
: cents. They operate in a section of the
entrance channel about so feet IN width
ana mile and a quarter in length Start
ing az the inner end and moving seaward
Slowly. with their big twenty-inch centri-
ingal pumps in operation and their drags
sucking up the mud rs they 20. by the
time they get 20 deep water their bins
are full and they carry the mud out TO
sea and dump it, This is done by opening
the gates IN the bottom Of the vessels.
Ihey then steam back 20 the channel.
having closed the gates Of the bins. and
repeat the operation When the gates ara
closed. water is shut into the bins I'D 10
sea level. As the mud is pumped In the
water flows out. thus enabling them 10
always ill the bins with dredged material.
They work day and night, requiring a
crew Of about sixty
Besides the two big sea-going dradges
they have IN operation on the canal three
twenty-inch suction dredges, three dinner
dredges. five French ladder dredges. and
several others. They are also fitting I'D
several more OF the old French dredges
md NIL
dredging plant VIII have "A capacity OF
not FAR from 100000 cubic yards Of earth
a month. As the rainy season makes
very little difference with the dredges
that part OF the work will proceed without
much interruption from now henceforth.
There are a little more than fifty mil
Hon cubic yards Of material to be moved.
so that counting only LEGO, 900 yards a
month for all the dredging equipment, Il
would take but a little more than four
years 10 complete the dredging end Of
the work. There is now one part OF the
canal where they see the finish That
Is the big spillway at the Gatun Dam.
They have gotten down 20 the final level
on this. and by the 1st OF October it VIII
have been completed, and the concrete
work there can begin.
few studies IN figures VIII serve to
doing. The excavations Of a single month
in the dry season would make a pile OF
dirt 800 feet high, 800 feet across. and over
l,oo0 feet long The Pyramid Of Cheops. IS
80 feet square at the base and 451 feet
high. Il is said 70 have taken 1000 men
ten years 90 build the road from the quar-
~ 20 the pyramid, and the same number
OF men twenty years 10 build the pyramid
itself During the month OF March. the
canal force removed a pile OF dirt larger
by tenth than the pyramid, and If they
realize their ambition Of 100000 yards q
month. they VIII be hauling dirt equlva-
lent in bulk 20 five pyramids every four
months The Suez Canal required twenty
years 70 build. At the rate OF excavation
for March the IsthmiAn Canal force
could dig a Suez Canal IN Just about one
year The Manchester Ship Canal. one OF
the largest IN the world, connecting Liver
pool and Manchester. IS over thlrty-fve
miles long, and required many years 20
build. The commission moved enough
earth IN March 10 make a rate which.
maintained from month 20 month. would
enable them 70 dig a Manchester Canal
in less than fifteen months.
Copyright. 1913. by Frederic J. Hass4-al
To-mOrrOw-Isthm1Rn. Politics.