Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1910-12-03
OF
THE CANAL AS
FOUND BY TAFT
Exact State of Affairs on
the lsthmus OF Panama
al Present Time.
GREAT WORK BEING DONE
By GOVERNMENT
ecial by United Preas VIZ.


Washington, Dec. 3:-The Panas
ma Canal as it is today-as Presi-
dent Taft saw 1t upon the trip to
the Zone from which he has Just re-
tarned-presents the most marvel
Gus engineering feat In the world
because. of It's magnitude and it's
bearing upon the future history of
the nations Of the earth.
The executives plan in inspecting
the Isthmus was to gain q flrst-hand
knowledge of working eopditlansS
there, to confer with those onSaFa,,- I
ground as to future legislation, iii
refute the baseless rumors of the
contemplated annexation of the Ra-
public of Panama, to stimulate the
diggers 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 in the canal work In the twen-
ty-two months since President Taft
then President-elect-wa last on
the Zone. The work is on such 8
gigantic scale that heretofore 1t has
required the trained mind of an en-
gineer to trace the course of the
ditch. IT should be stated at the
outset that the Panama Canal will
be more Of an artificially constructed
river than the prim. regularly eut
canals with which the average Amer.
fcan is familiar When completed
probably the only feature which viii
suggest that it is canal will be the
locks and dam spill ways, Of conl,,
crete. For the remainder of ths J
distance the interoGeanic canal wifi
appear merely as river, winding
through canyons and valleys
AT the present time it ls predict
ed by canal officials that the canal
will be completed by December.
1913. This does not mean that Il
will be actually in use by that time.
It will require a rainy season eight
or nine months-to store up water
to fill the ditch, and in addition, Col,
George E. Goethals, chief engineer.
desires that the force OF men who
will operate the locks and handle
the vessels passing through the
canal, shall have several months In
which to become expertiy proficient
in their work. The canal will be
ready for colHmerciai business ny
January 1, 1915--the date set q yeas
or more ago.
The date of completion Of the
canal depends upon the continuance
of the present speed Of excavation In
the so-called Culebra cut Save for
this, there is very little real digging
to be done. The locks and dams are
more nearly completed than tbs
Culebra cut. Upon maintenance OF
the present rate of progress here,
and minimum of set-baeks, caused
by caving in OF the banks OF the cut,
depends the realization of the pro.
phecy that the canal will be ready
for use on January 1. 1915.
The Panama Canal Is of the so.
called lock type, with six locks to
obtain a height of eighty-five feet.
will enter channel with bottom
width of 500 feet, at Port Limon,
around Colon. 1t will steam seven
miles through the river-like canal, to
Gatun. Here it will enter a series
of three locks and be lifted eighty
five feet to the level OF Gatun lake,
1t viii sail at full ocean speed over a
marked channel of from 1000 to
500 feet in width IN this arttfcially
constructed body Of water for about
twenty-four miles to Bas Obispo.
Here it will enter the Cuiebra cut.
The cut extends for nine miles and
the channel will have bottom width
of 800 feet, Pedro Miguel stands at
the Pacific end of the cut and here
the vessel will enter lock and be
lowered so II feet to q small lake
over which there Is a sail Of IL
miles to Miradores. At this point
series OF locks will lower the vessel
54 2-3 feet to the level OF the Pacific
ocean, and it win sail out to sea
through a channel 8h miles in
length and with a bottom width of
500 feet. Great locks, G0&t4as,1sta-
tions, machine shops. and supply
stations will be located at either end
of the canal. From deep water on
the Atlantic to deep water on the
Pacific the distance viii be about
501a miles.
Canal building suggests digging,
and 1t is for this reason that perhaps
the most interesting portion of the
Panama work to the iayman, Is that
FContlnued on paga -