Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-12-30

THE PANAMA CANAL.
Not Enough Water for . Lock system
At Pauama.

appointed q committee to investigate INTO
inc Panama canal plans. JUNO r. BOT
zano, q distinguished engineer, q meinoer
or that committee. writes In van NOR
den magazine the results OF his ooserVa-
tons. It Is a sweeping condemnation OF
me lock canal system. One OF the VITA
~derects, Mr.. Sorzano points out, VIII DC q
JACK or water at times for canal WORK
A defect OF this kind In the lock cana
system Is. Of course, fatal. says Mr.. Sor-
xano. and such q statement ehould not he
made unless there Is abundant evidence
10 subetantiate ~. A close study OF inc
water supply for the operation OF the
JOCKS under present plans shows that inc
available amount Of water on the 18th
mus is not sufhcient to maintain, at all
times. In the canal, the 10 feet OF depth
stipulated for by the law. In dry years
the modern nreadnought OF the navy
the largest carriers OF freight and the
army transports will not able to use the
canal.
1t would be impossible to set forth III
detail the testimony upon this subject
and the deductions that the author mas
been able to make from the various re-
ports. It Is sufficient to say hat no hed
In consideration the main features OF the
lock canal system. the available sources
OF water supply OF the present plan. the
present and future requirements FOR nav
iFation, the average rainfall In the Cana
Zone. the consumption OF water under all
conditions, which includes surface evap-
Grafton. border evaporation, percolation,
water needed for lockages, normal-waste
Incident to locSages. water used for ny
dro-electric plants, leakages Mt gates and
valves. water wasted by maintenance
operation. losses Of water at spillway and
regulating gates, and water for local con-
sumption. Taking all these things into
consideration, he feels himself safe In
snyinR that:
Fist: That after so days Of dry wealth
or the large vessels nov aioat and all
men-of-war Of the navy drawing more
than SO feet cannot use the canal on &C.
count of lack OF depth.
Second: After 30 days Of dry season the
limit OF draught will be rs feet. and after
10 days the limit will he q feet.
The sthmian records show many years
OF more than $50 days OF dry weather.
There Ia a far more important element
under this head. Computations Of the
actual time NEEDED for each lockags nnd
the available supply Of water indicate
that the lock canal cannot yield In prac-
tics more than eighteen passages a day in
both directions. and this only II all condi-
tons are favorable: that IL. II there Ia
all the supply Of water which Is stored
In the reservoirs at the height Of the
rainy season.
The actual operating charges Of the
lock canal at Panama will exceed those
OF the sea-level canal by over 49, 100, 900 a
year. The extra cost Is due to the addi-
tional expenditures occasioned by: the
IL locks and the corresponding cost OF
their maintenance, repairs and renewals:
the service on the lake and between the
ZIG Islands formed by 1t; the extra cost
OF skillful crews needed for the opera
ton. repairs and maintenance Of tugs,
buoys. lighthouses. etc. and the sinking
fund necessary to replace every few years
the enormous mass of movable metal work
and expensive appliances to be used only
In the lock canal.
An idea OF the Importance Of these
items will be formed II Il II known that
the steel gates above for tho II locks will
weigh moro than 5000 tons. the metal
work over 10000 tons; the constructive
work to be maintained. repaired and re-
newed will cost over $s3, 0Oo. 900. The
fresh water shore line TO be policed clean
ed and guarded on Lake Gatun, only is
s27 miles long for the lock canal, and
only 80 miles in the sea-level canal.
The policing. cleaning and maintaining
in sanitary condition Of said sT miles
OF lake shores will exceed considerably |
the total Of all the expenses OF the sea
canal.
The sea-level waterway will have alb
solutely no metal work Of any kind what
soever. 1t will be a plain open ditch
at tide water, with no powerful machin-
cry nor expensive appliances OF any kind
to be repaired and maintained; 1t will
call for no annual sinking fund allow
ancc to make p for their inevitable rapid
deterioration under the tropical climate.
1t will require no special crews Of we'll
careful men TO handle vessels
'in and out OF locks, nor the correspond
Ing expense for their intelligent manage
1t will have no "%polygonai" lake
navigation, with its corresponding array
u lighthouses. rangellghts. buoys. tugs.
ferries. etc. to be maintained. renewed
and managed. every year forever.
In the sea-levei canal. fed at zach end
by the ocean. the water supply Is unlim.
tied. and forever free. 1t will not need
the enormous. expensive pumping plants
to MI the lock canal lake during
the dry seasons.
BEYOND lighting and telephoning. she
sea-level canal will have no other ex-
than what Is normal to an open
Hitch free from all kinds OF obstacles.
NEW CAPTAIN FOR co. M.