The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1910-12-09
BIG BILLS
BIG DAY At
BIG DITCH
PRESIDENT TAFT TELLS OF HIS
VISIT TO PANAMA CANAL
AND WHAT He SAW.
GATUA DAM ARTIFICIAL HILL
A Good Argument Against High Tar.
i'll in Fact-Workmen Live
Cheap.

Washington, Dec. g. The Pana-
ma canal as it is today as President
Taft saw it upon the trip to the zone
from which he has just returned
presents the most marvellous engi-
nearing feat in the world because of
ats magnitude, and its bearing npon
the future history of the natl ons OF
the earth.
The executives plan in visiting the
lstlmus was to gain first hand
knowledge of the working condi-
The ground as to the future legisla-
tion. to refute baseless rumors Of the
contemplated annexation of che re-
pg1lic of Panama, to stimulate the
aiggers to renewed efforts, and to
bring back his opinions on the work
opinions that are soon to be made
public in his annual message to con-
gress.
Astonishing progress has been
made with the canal work in the %
months since President Taft-then
Dresident-elect-w was last in the zone
The work is on such a gigantic
Bca}e that heretofore it required the
trained mind of the engineer to
trace the course of the ditch. 1t
should be stated at the outset that
The Panama canal will be more of an
Artificially constructed river than
the prim, regularly cut canals With
which the average American is ia
niliar. When completed probably
the only feature that will suggest it
is a canal, will be the locks and the
dam spill-ways, of reinforced con-
crete. For the remainder of the dis
sance the interoceanic will appear
merely as a river winding through
canyons and valleys.
At the present time it is predicted
by canal officials that the canal will
be completed by December, 1913.
This does not mean that it will be
actually in use by that time 1t will
require rainy season. eight or nine
months to store up water to fill
the ditch, and in addition, Col. Geo
w. Goethals, chief engineer, desires
that the force of men who will op-
crate the locks and handle the yes.
eels passing through the canal shall
have several months in which to be.
come expertly proficient in then
work. The canal will be ready fol
commercial business by Jan / 1915
Ne date set a year or more ago.
The date of completion OF the can
al depends upon the continuance
of the present speed of excavation il
the so-called Culebra cut. Save fol
this there is very little real digging
b be done. The locks and dams are
more nearly completed than the Cul
ebra cut. Upon the maintenance O.
the present rate of progress here
and minimum of set-backs causet
BY caving in of the banks OF the cut
depends the religation of the prophe
Oy that the canal will be ready To-
use on January /, 1915.
The Panama canal is of the so
called lock type, with six locks t,
obtain a height of IS feet. The flu
ture Atlantic to the Pacific line
will enter the canal with a bottom
De
around Colon. 1t will steam sevel
miles through the river like canal t
Gatun. Here it will enter serie
. of three locks. and be lifted IS fee
to the level OF the Gatun lake. !
will sail at full ocean speed over
marked channel OF from 1000 t
1900 feet in width in this artificial
constructed body of water for abou
"a miles to Bas Obispo. Here it wi
enter the Culebra cut. The cut e,
tends for nine miles, and the channe
will have bottom width of 80
feet. Pedro Miguel stands at tn
Pacific end of the cut and here tn
vessel will enter a lock and be lower
ed thirty and one-half feet to
small lake over which there is a sa
of one and one-half miles to Mir;
flores. At this point a series (
locks will lower the vessel 81 @
feet to the level of the Pacific oceal
and it will sail out to sea through
channel 8 IL miles in length, an
with bottom width of 500 fee
Great locks, coaling stations, m;
chine shops, and supply stations wi
be located at either end of the cana
From deep water on the Atlantic I
deep water on the Pacific, the di
lance will be about SO 12 miles.
Canal building suggests diggini