The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-03-18
STORY OF THE PANAMA CANAL

would be much more satisfactory tnan
the lock canal that is under construc-
ton. There can be no question about
the practicability of the lock canal. The
expense will he S2O0.000,000 less than
that of the sea level canal. The canal
will be completed sooner 1t will be
much wider. Vessels will pass from
ocean to ocean quicker. The difficulty
to be encountered with & Pacific high
tide of from twenty to twenty five
feet viii be avoided. the Cnaoris
river emoSving in the canal, which
river often rises forty feet in twenty
four hours during the wet season of
eight months, would, it Is argued, often
have a disactrous effect on a esa level
canal as the volume OF water added
would be torrential AMI rock, sand ar,1
silt wouli be carried mo the canal i'm
large quantities, imparing greatly its
usefnll1css. There are over twenty
other streams running into the course
of the canal, which would make the
increased volume of water extremely
difficult to control. BY making the large
Gatun lake, the Chagris river and all
their own dangerous waters and the
immense rainfall, which is so frequent,
during eight month of the year, will
not raise the lake more than an inch
or two at any one time. There is a
large spillway in Gatun dam by which
any Unnecessary quantity OF water can
be let out Colonel Cocktails at first
favored a sea level canal but he has
now no hesitancy whatever in saying
that he considers it less desirable than
the lock canal. The waterway in
course of construction should be fully
as seryiceablc and as safe as the 500
locks which are recognized among the
most satisfactory in the world. There
can be no question about the strength of
Gatnn dam, which is 1900 feet long,
1000 feet thick at the bottom and 394
feet thick at the surface of the water
in the lake. The dam rises thirty feet
above the surface OF the lake and is
100 feet wide on top. Only for dis
tance of 400 of the 1900 feet of its
length will there be a pressure OF So
feet of water against it. In making
the dam two rock walls are built that
are 1900 feet apart. The space between
them is filled with a core made of clay
and sand which mixture is pumped into
the vacant space from a place some
distance. This core is impervious to
water Additional filling is then placed
on both the inside and the outside of
the dam which is made eighteen times
stronger. than experts considered neces-
sary. The dam at Padro Miguel and
Mirafores are considered corresponding
iy strong. ,ao53
Abo,1lt 4.5oo.Sdo ibSaifrfneslss of cement is
being used in making the dams and
locks. It. ms. purchased in the eastern
states. 2n9 IT, oosts3f Sl.l9 per barrel.
The cement is mixed with the sand at a
proper ion of zone TO three and with
crushed rock at a proportion OF one to
six Large Machines are used for
mixing the mammoth cranes for carry
ing the cement, nsand. rock ana concrete
from place to place. The evaporation
of water i'm Gatunt lake will be one
seventh of an inch, perG'iay or fifty in
ches per- year. y The lake can be low
cred sixty-siN incIies{ ofrOm its lowest
level without effecting in the least the
passage ~--ef---vessels through Cuebra
I 1 I
rainfall on the isthnus is 100 inches
per year. II averages from 40 to
40 on the Atlantic slope and sixty
to eighty on the Pacific slope. At nc
point along the course OF the canal are
the Cordilleras mountains, the bacl;
bone of the isthmus, more than 53t
feet above the sea level. After the
completion Of Gatun dam it will take
though the rainfall last year was suifi-
ciont to fill it twice; The season hay
ing been exceptionally wet. When the
Chagris river is high it will deliver LOG
times more water into Gatun lake than
when it is low 1t drains 1900 miles oil
territory The Rinidad drains BAG
square miles of country. The spilway
in Gatun dam will, when necessary let
out 10000 'lcubic feet of water per
second and the Padro Miguel and
Miranores dams will let out 10000
cubic feet of water per second. Hence
there will be no danger OF damage tc
the dams by overiiows. There are
many towns along the course of tho
canal. Every building will have to be
moved before the flooding of the Lake
is commenced. The Panama railroad
which is also close to the canal route
will have to be moved This expense
alone will be $S,O00,00O. The line wher
relocated will pass along the edge o.
the lake about ten feet above the
waters edge. Fortynine per cent o
the total cost of r'aking the canal vii
be for dry excavation. Twelve pei
cent for wet excavation and thirty
nine per cent for locks, dams, spill
ways, etc.
These figures are exclusive of tht
amount to be paid for sanitary pur
poses, civil administration, the purchase
price of the zone and various othe
items. The cost of eXcavating unde
French management was 81 per cubi
yard. The American commission un
dertook to take out 96,000,OOO cub
yards in dry eXcavating and 73,OOO,OO'
in wet eXcavating The approximate
Of l,.1r tho GSna