The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1909-07-29

II is predicted and hoped in Official
circles that the Panama canal will be
completed and doing business by not
later than January Is, 1915. The only
item OF uncertainty as to the canal
being ready for vessels then is the
length OF time II will require to COM
plete the big locks. These are to be
1000 feet long. 110 feet wide and built
In duplicate to provide for the passing
OF vessels going in opposite direc.
tions.
BY this method n series of locks and
huge dams many feet above sea level
have TO be constructed, the purpose
being to elevate the largest ocean-go-
ing vessels height OF So feet above
sea level at one end OF the canal and
permitting them to drop through the
sections OF the canal, protected and
lowered by the locks to sea level at
the opposite end OF the canal
The canal as II is being constructed
has width at the bottom of 300 feet
for 26 per cent OF It's length. Fifty
per cent OF the length the width is
1000 feet The locks are practically
the same as those in use in the 800"
canal, the latter being almost as large
as those being constructed In the
Panama canal Indeed, the 800"
canal has been constructed TO carry
vessels fully as large as any that will
utilize the Panama canal.
| n, ~ ha ID.
when completed, including interest on
moneys as they are being expended
cost OF sanitation and government OF
the zone and s50.000.000 paid to
France by the United States govern
ment is estimated at 1876, 100000
when finally completed President
Taft believes, and presents facts and
figures to substantiate his belief, that
sea level canal would have cost ap-
proximateIy s477,000,000 and then
would not have been so safe nor expe-
dltious in the carrying of vessels as
the lock plan.
One OF the greatest difficulties to
have been confronted in the construc.
tion of sea level canal. were the
and the streams pouring into IT, II Is
estimated that even with the most
elaborate and expensive dam facilities
that IL would have been possible to
construct, at the period of high water
the canal current would have been at
least three miles an hour. The only
/ route OF a sea level canal that was
. completed and submitted for approval
made the turns and curvatures in the
canal much more frequent than those
in the Suez canal BY the experience
of vessels in the Suez canal IL is es
timated that in current of this We
locity In the Panama canal OF a sea
level character, the danger to the yes
sells would have been such that com
merce would have been delayed a con
: siderable portion of the year. In addi
tion to this would have been the difn
Guilty of the larger vessels passing
each other while in motion. Being un
able to pass without one of them stop
> ping and tying up would have been a
constant cause OF delay OF serious
consequence in the rapid handling Of
traffic.
Considerable of the recent criticism
of the lock canal as 1t is being pushed
TO completion arose as the result o
the sliding after an excessively heavy
rain fall OF part OF the bank of the
Gatun dam. The whole mass that slid
in this way was not more than 20l
, feet across. and nothing more than al
. ordinary slide Similar slides Occur
, frequently in the construction of rail
road banks and similar operations
where the banks are not properly bal
anced and do not have the prope
slope.
The material taken out of the exca
/. walton contains q great deal of ella.
, which, as is we'll known, is slippery
II is the positive statement OF Presi
} dent Taft as well as Of the foremos
!. engineers engaged In the work. tina
future slides OF this nature can b.
/ provided against.
The many public Improvements ur
) dertaken by the Panama governmen
, and the establishment OF new indus
D tries, OF which note is constantly b,
! ing made, render OF significance tn
q fact that In the disbursement G
moneys for 1909. public works an