New-York tribune., 1910-04-28
from re tribune Bgr-au.1

Washington. April -.
CULEBRA MAKES TRoCBLE-That
Chief Engineer Goethals is having mis- share
OF trouble in completing the excavation of
Culebra Cut. IN the Panama Canal Is
learned from inside and authoritative
sources. There is no intimstion that con-
ditons are alarming or that the difficulties
cannot be overcome. but the existence Of
trouble demonstrates the Wisdom Of Colonel
GOethsls in refusing 20 promise the com
pletion Of the canal before January I. 1915.
while its character is the occasion for con-
graduation that the sea level plan for the
canal was rejected The soil strata on
either side OF the canal in the Culebra cut
slope down toward the line OF the canal
a ar angle Of approximately - degrees.
and now that tire lower portion Of the cut
is being made the pressure from either SIDE
is so great as 20 cause the centre Of the
ditch 10 buckle or hump up Of course.
this causes additional excavation. all the
material thus forced up having 20 be
moved. How long this viii continue Or
how much material not previously estimated
will have to be removed. cannot he fore
seen. L IS declared BY the engineer 20 be
obvious. however. that had they attempted
70 make the cut eighty-fve feet deeper
required fora sea level csnal-the difficulties
of dealing with such geological structure
would have been almost. If not quite. in
Surmountsble. or course. the deeper the
cat th- greater the pressure from the in
clined strata on the sides. and the enEi-
neers feel that they have a quite difficult
enough problem 70 deal with in excsvatiug
To the depth required for the lock canal
SIZE OF CT-LEBRA.-To form an sde-
Guate idea or Culebrs cut and the dificuty
which is being experienced there II is
neCesssrv ~ recall that it consists cf an
excsvsted ditch oo5 feet deep. - miles long
and 3no feet vide on the bottom. -ne sides
slopIrG back. Of course. a. an sgle Of on ?.
which means that the top Of the ditch is
approximately six hundred feet across. T.
Is the centre Of tho bottom which is forced
up by The pressure Of the sloping strata ot
either side. Had the sea level plan been
adopted, II would have been necessary 10
CUT this ditch eiEhty-five feet deeper. the
same bottom width being necessary. the In
crease being carried clear 70 the top OF the
excavation. What the pressure from these
sloping strata would have been had the en-
gineers undertaken 70 20 down eighty-ive
feet further can be only s;Irnised. but that
it would have increased IN geometricsl ra-
ITO Is 4 reasonable assumption. The P-esi-
dent and others responsible for the sdop-
tion Of the lock type Of canal are extremely
-rstIfed that President Roosevelt and his
advisers we're not persuaded TO attempt 10
eXcsvate 20 the sea level. There is no fear
that the present trouble will DELAY the com
pletion Of the canal beyond January l. 1915
tho date Colonel Coethals has set for its
completion. but we're no such difficulties
encountered the big ditch would be finished
FAR ahead Of the advertised time.
WARNING TO NTCARAGCA-The an
nouncement Of Secretary Knox. made to-
dsv that ne had instructed the United
States Consul a. MsnsEus 70 advance 10
the widow of Leonard Groce sufficient
funds 70 keep her and her four children
from want pending the payment of indem-
nifty by Nicaragua Tor the execution Of