The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1911-11-09
REVIEW Of THE WORK
ON THE PANAMA CANAL
Isthmian Commission Presents Com
prehensive Statement in Re-
port--Plans for Locks.
Associated Press Special.


nal, which is to be opened to tn
b. government in January, 1915. pas
II in review in the annual report C
N the Isthmian Canal Commission jus
lie made public. The record of tn
L. years achievements In the giganti
lie task that is being worked out by tn
10 Washington government, under con
e gressional appropriations that so ia
aggregate 293,5G1,4S6, includes,
Completion of almost three-quat
tiers of Culebra Cut. Total exvava
ton of material from Culebra duI
), ing year. 16,221,672 cubic yards a
average cost of SIS cents per yard
Big plans laid for canal terminals
- including storage of fuel. fresh wa
ter and other supplies, repair facili
+ ties etc. Pacific terminal to hav'
dry dock. sterehouse and coalins
stations
Practical completion of plans o
. | sill locks
Elaborate scheme for lighting the
canal
Safeguarding Of the canal agains,
big landslides
The report treats the physical as
pests of the big waterway with mir
ute detail Questions OF tolls, form
Of government and character and ex
| tent Of population to be permitted
/ in the canal zone have been report
/ ed upon in advance sheets of the re-
port 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 con-
tracts entered into for vast
amount of frames, valves. gates and
other paraphernalia needed to put
the canal into operation. More than
954 tons of castings were made on
the lsthmus Building of the great
lock gates-each lead of which is 81
feet s inches high-was expedited.
At each lock entrance, strong fen
Ter chains attached to powerful
springs will be installed to prevent
ships from battering down the locks. !
A floating caisson gate is being in
stalled for use in closing a lock SO
as to enable workmen TO repair the
permanent locks and the bottoml
sluices.
Canal illumination wfh be PROVE
\ ed by range lights for estabhshins
| the direction of vessels on the lon
ger tangents, and by side lights !
mile apart marking each side of
the channel. Buoys and lighted bea~
cons. built of reinforced concrete
| will abound.
Famous Culebra Cut is ten miles
long and deep enough to receive the
| United States capitol dome and all
| From this cut, despite the enormous
| excavation during the year, on July
/, last, there remained 23,92s,i4p
cubic yards to be removed. EST
mates of excavation necessary IN
this cut have been largely increased
to allow for the great earth sides
Last year these slides that had to be
removed from the canal cutting after
IT mad been practically completed
j was 4,879.37S yards or over thirt'
O per cent of all the material remoV
Il ed from the cut.
lneSG SIOeS nave pNNhl w "hN'
the material removed excavated wa
n left on slope sleeper than the pei
Id manent incline will be and the trol
- uauuiai stvi,e -ot ,nv oanai 'rdnne-
restored
Breaks have occurred on boi
is sides of the cut where the underl
y, ing rock is OF poor quality and
lg broken up and squeezed upward
ny the pressure from beneath and fro
as the sides, interrupting the drainal
VI. and covering up the railroad trac
To meet this condition informed
H. ate benches have been cut along Il
IN slope to distribute the top weig
as and reduce the amount of materi
'er to be removed. 1t is declared tn
he when the bottom grade OF the can
rs is reached no further trouble ne
be anticipated as greater stabili
h. will be given by the water. WI
ar both slides and breaks, the col
- mission says, the question is one
- ultimate amount of excavation, al
y, whatever the feeling elsewhei
H. there is no apprehension on the list
mus as to the final outcome amol
those acquainted with the facts
The commission thus answers pr
10 dictions that the canal would
u" overwhelmed by gigantic landslide
as preventing the execution of the pr
ject.
go The commission contends that
"a would be uneconomical to terra
the banks everywhere in advance
the cutting of the canal because
~ large part of that expensive wo
D. might prove wholly unnecessar
n Deepening of the cut and wideniI
re of the lower reaches has progress
W satisfactorily with less interruptit
s. or interference on account of slid
that at any time since trouble wi
them began. The slides have caus'
no increase in the total estlmat'
an cost OF Culebra Cut The Cucarac'
IL slide covered All acres and Il
tie Culebra slide 1915 acres
| a