The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1911-11-09
Are Solved as Shown by a
Report of the Canal
Commission.
WAaHTNGTf

opened to the government In jan
uary. 1915, pass IN review In the an
nua1 report OF the Hsthmian Canal
Commission Just made public. The
record OF the years. achievement in
the gigantic task that is being
worked out By the washington gov
eminent, under congressional apprO-
priatfons that 80 for aggregate
1898. 561.4S6, Includes:
/ Completion sof almost three-quar-
tiers of culebTs cut Total excava-
ton of material from Culebra dur
ing the year, 1921. 672 cubic yards
at average cost OF IS. 8 cents per
yard.
| Big plans laid for canal terminals,
including storage OF fuel, fresh wa
ter and other suppltess repair faciI-
tiles, etc, Pacific terminal to have
dry dock, storehouse and coaling
stations
Practical completion of plans of
all locks.
elaborate scheme for lighting the
canal.
Safeguarding OF the canal against
big land slides.S
The, report treats the physical
aspects of the big waterway with
minute detail. Questions OF tolls,
form of government and character
and extent of population to be per-
mItted in the canal zone have been
reported upon In advance sheets OF
the report already made public.
The locks have been a great prob
lem. Designs for the approach
walls at all locks. except one, have
been prepared Contracts In force
at the beginning OF the fiscal year
were practically completed and new
contracts entered into for a vast
amount OF frames, valves. gates and
other paraphernaffa needed to put
the canal into operation. More than
ga tons OF castings were made on
the isthmus. Building of the great
lock gates, each leaf OF which is .
feet eight inches high, was expe-
dited. AT each lock entrance.
strong fender chains attached to
powerful springs Will be instaIled1
to prevent ships from .battering
down the locks.
A floating caisson gate is beinSE
Installed for use in closing a lock
so as to enable workmen to repair
the permanent locks and the bottom
sluices.
Canal illumination will be pro-
vided by range lights for establish
ing the direction OF vessels on the
longer tangents, and by side lights
q mile apart marking each side OF
the channel. Buoys end lighted
beacons. built OF reinforced con-
crete, will abound.
The famous Culebra cut is ten
miles long and deep enough to re-
ceive the United States capitol,
dome and all. From this cut. do
spite the enormous excavation DUR
ing year, on July L, last, there re-
NAMED 23,929,140 cubic yards to
be removed. Estimates of excava-i
ton necessary In this cut have been
great earth slides. Last year these
slides that had to be removed from
the canal cutting after it had been
practically completed was 4.ST9,-i
37S yards or over thirty per cent
of all the material removed from the
cut.
These slides have occurred where
the material excavated was left on
slope sleeper than the permanent
incline will be and the trouble is ex-
pected to cease when the natural
slope of the canal bank is restored
Breaks have occurred on both
sides of the cut where the under
lying rock is of poor quality and is
broken UP and squeezed upward by
the pressure from beneath and from
the sides, interruptinE tho drainage
and covering up the railroad track.
To meet this condition, intermediate
benches have been cut along the
slope to distribute the top weight
and reduce the amount of material
to be removed. 1t is declared that
when the bottom grade OF the canal
is reached no further trouble need
be anticipated as greater stability
will be given by the water. with
both slides and breaks" tho Com
mission says, "the question is ono
of ultimate amount of excavation,
and whatever the feeling elsewhere,
there Is no apprehension on thej
isthmus as to the final outcome