Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1910-07-02
Greatest Engineering Problem Of The
Twentieth Century---Sanitation
Perfect

Slneer GOetnalS DetOre inc Manufac'
turers' association in Chicago, in 1909:
II is upward OF four centuries that
canal to connect the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans has occupied public at.
tention; but It was not until 1876 that
concession was granted Frenchmen
by the Colombian government for pro
scouting such work Colombia grant
ed the concession and purchase in
1878, and the stock was successfully
floated in December. 1880. The years
1881 and 1852 we're devoted to surveys
examinations and preliminary work.
The differences in the tides of the
two oceans. nine inches in either di.
rection from the mean in the Atlantic,
and from 0 TO II feet from the same
datum in the Pacific, was to be over.
come and the final current reduced by
proper slipping Of the bottom of the
Pacific portion Of the canal No pro.
visions were made for the control OF
the Chargers river.
A tidal lock near the Pacific was
provided in the early eighties. Various
other schemes were proposed and
found to be impracticable. In 1887 a
change to the lock type was made, in
order TO secure the use OF the canal
for navigation as soon as possible.
BY act OF Congress. approved June
2s. 1902, the President of the United
States was authorized to acquire, at
a cost not exceeding $40, 900 900, the
property rights of the New Panama
Canal company. on the lsthmus of
Panama, and also to secure from the
Republic of Colombia perpetual con.
troll OF a strip Of land not less than
six miles wide, extending from the
Caribbean sea to the Pacific ocean.
and bond issue. not to exceed $780,.
100000 was authorized. The United
States was granted control OF 10.
mile strip, constituting the canal zone,
with the right to construct. maintain
and operate canal, the treaty be.
ing ratified by the Republic of Colon.
bia Dec. 2, 1908, and by the United
States Feb. %, 1904. The formal trans.
fer Of the property was made May 4,
1904.
Lock Type.
June 30, 1906. Congress provided
that a lock type Of canal be construct.
ed across the Isthmus OF Panama OF
the general type proposed by a min.
ority OF the consulting board OF engl.
neers, and the work was continued
along this line. Important changes
made in the original project are as
follows: The withdrawal of the locks
from Sosa to Mirahores; the widening
of the AZ miles of Culebra Cut to u
width of 800 feet at the bottom; the
location OF the breakwater in Colon
harbor; changes In the dimensions of
the locks.
The work Of email construction Is
prosecuted under the following depart.
ments: Construction and engineering,
ganltatlGh and civil administration.
quartermaster and sub9lstence.
Tho.canal zone is divided territorial.
ly into three divisions each In charge
OF division engineer the first,
known as the Atlantic division, extend.
ing from deep water In the Caribbean
south, to include the Gatun locks AMI
dams; the second or Central division,
extending from Gatun to Pedro Miguel.
and including the excavation through
the continental divide; the third. or
Pacific division extending from Pedro
Miguel to the Pacific
About 40 900 people are now in the
employ OF the canal commission. Pay
ments Of payrolls are made In cash.
beginning on the l2'h of each month.
All American employees and Euro.
pe9n laborers are paid in gold and
are called gold laborers: all on the so.
called silver roll are paid In Panamian
silver.
The record of the December exca.
walton at the canal follows: Atlantic
division 725 200 cubic yards; Central
division. 25s 533 cubic yards; Paci.
hc division. s27 9iS cubic yards.
Made Larger.
In an address In New Orleans last
February on canal work, President
Taft said; 1--WE have Increased the
Size OF the canal locks over what was
projected by the original commission.
They made tho locks $50 feet long and
90 feet Wide. The navy department
comes In and tells us they are going
TO built ships that will be too wide for
these LOCKS. and, as We are building
the canal to meet the value = the
fighting value of our navy-we want
the canal big enough to carry our larg.
est warship Hence We enlarged the
locks to 40 feet In width and 1000
feet In disable length Then there was
In the middle Of the canal one passage.
way only 200 feet wide across the bot,
tom, In the great Culebra Cut, about
five miles. We thought that that was
one OF the weaknesses of the canal
the plan to be changed SO that now
that width for FIVE miles is 300 feet
instead OF 200 fec. making a very
great difference In the safety of navl,
CATION from one side to the other.
French Relies.
The footprints Of the French project
ore everywhere evident, Instances are
observed in The advantages taken Of