El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-06-06

narrow channeI-winding around like
mountain road-it would have been ex-
tremely difficult by day and almost i'm
possible by night TO navigate one
ocean captain declares shat he has al
ways found that when ship begins to
"go hunting" 1t invariably makes for
the nearest bank, and that without the
possibility OF making enough speed TO
hold her true course. it would have
been most difficult to take the curves
involved. He says further that he
doubts if two 60 foot vessels could
pass in the $50 foot channel that was
proposed for a part of the distance.
Fear of the TImid Ones.
IN the light Of present day conditions
and discussions with reference to the
fortification Of the canal it is amusing
to note the arguments that were made
in favor OF a sea level canal, as COM
pared with one Of the lock type Now
the fear is expressed that some ire
sponsibIe nation might blow up the
locks, using an airship and high ex-
plosives to do so. Yet the sea level
canal was to have tidal locks at Sosa
Hill. where they would not only have
been exposed to the same danger, but
to the gunfire OF an enemy's fleet as
well. The timid ones are fearful rnss
an airship might be used to blow down
Gatun dam, which is 400 feet wide at
the water and half a mile wide at the
base. But the sea level plan was to
have masonry dam at Gamboa to
regulate the Chagres, that would have
been called upon TO Withstand the pres
sure Of head of water ITO feet HIGH
twice as high as that at Gatun.
Some of the advocates of sea level
canal planned to build lock canal at
first, and throughout the years of the
future TO continue the work until it
was brought down to sea level and
made the straits of Panama" OF
course this idea was rejected as i'm
practicable. Locks are expensive
things to build, and once built and
working satisfactorily. the people
would not want to change. All men
readily agree that If it were possible
20 build a sea level canal so wide that
It could be navlgated readily, it wouIo
be the ideal condition But every en-
gineer who visits the isthmus now adj
mits that it would have been too great
a task even for the United States
River Above the Canal.
Some Of the advocates Of q sea level
canal thought that it might be built
wide enough that even the Chagres
river might not need TO be regulated
But where the Chagres strikes the line
of the canal at Gamboa it is so feet
stsges it would have produced such an
uncontrolled movement Of water 70. the
sea as would have hurried a ship
around the curves OF the canal so rap
Idly that only a miracle could have
prevented it from running into some
bank and sticking there. In all, there
are p rivers and creeks running into
the canal, and If the ships of the world
had TO face their currents II is doubtful
II they would have considered the Pan
anna canal such a great commercial adj
Tantage, or whether the marine insur-
aace agencies would insure ships pass
ing through it.
Another objection that was urged
against the lock canal was that the
locks would limit the size OF ships that
could go through. 1t was said that we
could not forsee the future of marine
architecture and that we would have
an obsolete canal by reason of the
limitations OF its locks. almost as soor
as it was completed But this is very
far from the truth The biCges+ vessel