New-York tribune., 1911-11-09
CULEBRA CUT NEEDS
MUCH DIGGING STILL
Panama Canals Greatest Prob
lem Contained 23,929,140
Cubic Yards July |.
LOCK PLANS ARE COMPLETE
Lighting of Waterway Perfected
and Arrangement of Termi-
nails Worked 0ut-Mill-
ions Yet Unspent.

washington. Nov. s.--The mechanical
,-ohlems connected with the construction
- the Panama Canal. which is to be
o,sped in January. 1915, are reviewed In the
annual report Of the Isthmlan Canal Com
mission made public to-day. The record Of
~. years achievements in the gigantic
task that is being worked out under Con-
eress appropriations that so far aggregate
s9s5a. .4S6, includes:
Completion Of almost three-ouarters of
Cuebra Cut Total excavation OF material
from Culebra during year 1921 672 cubic
yards al an average cost of SIS cents a
Paps laid for terminals. including stor-
sss OF fuel fresh water and other sup
,iies repair facilities. etc Pacific terminal
10 have drydock, storehouse and coaling
Practical completion Of plans Of all locks
Elaborate scheme for lighting the canal.
Safeguarding Of the canal against land
slides
The report treats the physical aspect Of
the waterway with minute detail Ques-
tons OF tolls. form of government and
character and extent Of population 10
be permitted i'm the canal zone have been
reported on In advance sheets of the re-
port already made public.
Lock Plans Practically Made.
The locks have been great problem. De-
signs for the approach walls at all locks
except one. have been prepared. Contracts
IN force AZ the beginning Of the fiscal year
we're practically completed and new con-
tracts entered into for a vast amount OF
frames valves. gates and other parapher-
naHa needed 10 put the canal into opera
ton More than 954 tons OF castings were
made on ne isthmus. Building Of the
great lock gates. each leaf Of which is
g feet S inches high. was expedited At
each lock entrance strong fender chains at
tached 10 powerful springs will be installed
10 prevent ships from battering down the
locks
4 floating caisson gate is being 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 provided by
range lights for establishing the direction
Of vessels on the LONGER tangents and by
side lights q mile apart, marking each side
OF the channel. Buoys and lighted bea-
cons built Of reinforced concrete, will
abound.
Ile famous tOlehTa cut IS ten miles lpuS
and deep enough 10 receive the United
States Capitol-dome and all From this
cut despite the enormous excavation dur
Ing the year, on July last there remained
2,s29,l4O cubic yards TO be removed. Esti-
mates Of excavation necessary in this cut
have been largely increased to allow for
the great earthslidos. Last year these slides.
thee had TO be removed from the canal
cutting after II had been practically com
p'ete, were 4,S7997S yards, or over 50 per
cent Of all the material removed from the
cut.
Slides Expected 70 Stop Soon.
these slides have occurred where the ma
'tfr'al txcavated was left on slope sleeper
than-the permanent incline will be. and the
trouble is expected to cease when the natural
slope Of the canal banks is restored. Breaks
have occurred on both sides OF the cut,
where the underlying rock is of poor quail
fly and is broken up and squeezed up
ward by the pressure from beneath and
from the sides. interrupting the drainage
and covering up the railroad tracks To
meet this condition, intermediate benches
have been cut along the slope TO distribute
the top weight and reduce the amount of
N steriai to he removed.