The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-09-03
of 1nternatIonsli peace
Success of Canal

SuooGSS or CaR1Al-
 As regards the Panama canal, l really think that outside nations have juster idea than cur own people of the magnitude and success of the work wish our people realized what is being done on the iSthmus- If a man of intelligence who had never would advise him to make a short trip to Europe or a trip to the Panama canal would without hesitation ad. wise him to go to the Panama canal. He would theres see in operation the completing of one of the great feats of modern times.
 Colonel Goethals4 and the men work ing under him are rendering a service to this country which can only be paralleled in our past history by some of the services rendered in certain wars.
 Six years ago last spring the Amer fcan government took possession of the isthmus. The first two years were devoted to the sanitation of the isth- mus, to assembling the plant and working force and providing quarters, food and water supplies. In all these points the success was extra ordinRry. From one of the plague spots of the globe, one of the most unhealthy re gions in the entire world, the isthmus has been turned into a singularly healthy place of abode, where the death rate is small and where hun dreds of children are now being raised under as favorable conditions as in most parts of the United States.
 The quarters, food and water supply are excellent and the plant the best ever gathered for such a purpose. Ac- tive excavation on large scale did not begin until January, 1907 Three years and a half have gone by since then, and three-dfths of the total excava- ton has already been accomplished The amount taken out has passed any thing which previous experience war ,anted us in believing to be possible.
 In 1908 and 1909 the monthly aver age of rock and earth removed was 5000, 900 cubic yards notwithstand- ing the fact that nine months of each year constituted season of very heavy rainfall There remain to be excavated only about 6O.OOO,OoO cubic yards.
 If we could keep up the past aver age of excavation this should be done in twenty months,s but it is impossible to maintain such a ratio as the depth increases, for the output necessarily diminishes as the field of operation narrows. Still, it is certain that such a rate can be naa1ntained as will enable the workers to finish the excavation considerably in advance of the date fixed for opening the canal, Jan- l. 1915- Indeed, I shall be surprised if the canal cannot be opened six months or even year in advance of the time set
 The work has two great features the CuIebra cut, which I have been considering, and the great dam at Ga tun. The latter is to imprison the waters of the Chagres and other streams into a lake with an area of z 164 square miles. This work is ad- Q vancing steadily and just as success 7 fully as the work on the Culebra cut. The water which is ultimately to fill the lock is now flowing through the concrete spillway in the center of the dam, the Chagres having been divert ed from it's bed and placed under com -plete control The construction of the dam has advanced sufficiently to con vince the engineers in charge of the work of it's absolute stability and i'm perviousness. The concrete work on thes4ocks lsaady anclngeeo zIapidl hat