Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1909-06-30

GCZ/7H.
1t is predicted and hoped I'm official
circles that the Panama canal will be
completed and doing business by not
later than January Is, 1915. The only
item or uncertainty as to the canal
being ready for vessels then is the
length OF time 1t will require to COM
piete the big locks. These are to be
i'ooO feet long. ITO feet wide and built
In duplicate to provide for the passing
OF vessels going in opposite direc-
tions.
by this method a series of locks and
huge dams many feet above sea level
nave 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 it Is being constructed
has width at the bottom of 300 feet
lor 20 per cent. of its length. Fifty
per cent. Of the length the width is
BOO to 500 feet. and for the remainder.
LOCO feet The locks are practically
the same as those In use In the 500"
canal. the latter being almost as large
as those being constructed I'm the
Panama canal. Indeed, the 500"
canal has been constructed to carry
vessels fully as large as any that will
utilize the Panama canal.
The total cost of the Panama canal
when completed, including interest on
moneys as they are being extended.
cost OF sanitation and government Of
the zone and $5O,OO0,0OO paid to
france by the United States govern
ment Is estimated at $4,000. 900
when finally completed. President
Iaft believes. and presents facts and
figures to substantiate his belief. that
sea level canal would have cost an.
proximately $477,OOOOOO and then
would not have been so safe nor expe-
ditious in the carrying of vessels az
the lock plan.
One of the greatest difficulties IN
nave been confronted in the construc.
ton OF a sea level canal. were the
annual freshets of the Changers river
and the streams pouring into II II ,s
estimated that even with the mos,
elaborate and expensive dam facilities
that 1t would have been possible IN
construct, at the period of high water
the canal current would have been at
least three miles an hour. The ONLY
a
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 II is ca.
timated that In a current OF this We.
locity In the Panama canal OF son
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 add.
ton to this would have been the dif.
Guilty of the larger vessels passinq
each other while In motion. Being nm.
able to pass without one of them ston.
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 It is being pushed
TO completion arose as the result Of
the sliding after an excessively heavy
rain fall of a part of the bank of the
Gatun dam. The whole mass that slid
In this way was not more than 2Oo
feet across, and nothing more than AN
ordinary slide. Similar slides occur
frequently in the construction OF rail.
road banks and similar operatioua
where the banks are not properly hal.
anced. and do not have the proper
slope.
The material taken out of the exca.
walton contains a great deal OF clav
which, as is we'll known, is slipperv
II Is the positive statement of Presi.
dent Taft. as well as OF the foremost
engineers engaged in the work. that
future slides of this nature can be
provided against.
The many public improvements I'm.
dertaken by the Panama government
and the establishment of new jndus.
tries, Of which note is constantly be-
ing made, render Of Significance the
TACT that in the disbursement of
moneys for 1909, public works and