The Lamar register., 1909-06-09

II is predicted and hoped in official
circles that the .'anama 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 1t will require to com
plete the big locks. These are to be
1000 feet long. 40 feet wide and built
in duplicate to provide for the passing
of vessels going in opposite direc
lions.
BY this method 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 a height of IS 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 a width at the bottom of 300 feet
for rs per cent of its length. Fifty
per cent of the length the width Is
500 to 500 feet, and for the remainder.
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 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 expended;
cost of sanitation and government OF
the zone and $50.oOO.0O0 paid to
France by the United States govern
ment is estimated at s375.000.000
when finally completed. President
Taft believes. and presents facts and
figures to substantiate his belief. that
sea level canal would have cost ap-
proximately s477.000.O00 and then
would not have been so safe nor expe-
ditious In the carrying of vessels as
the lock plan.
One of the greatest difficulties to
ton of n sea level canal. were the
annual freshets of the Changers river
and the streams pouring into 1t. II is
estimated that even with the most
elaborate and expensive dam facilities
that 1t 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 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 II Is es
timated that in current OF this ve-
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 con
siderable portion of the year. In add.
ton to this would have been the diff.
Guilty of the larger vessels passing
each other while in motion. Being I'M
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 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 200
feet across, and nothing more than an
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 proper
slope.