New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-10-22
,co7yrisht 1911 By William L Ai'dorferl

-.-,, 1911 b. william L Altdorferl
-HEN President Taft predicted
w the other day that the opening
Of the Panama Canal might be-
fall on July l. 1913, many people were
rnmoved by the prospect. The actual
digging of the big ditch has been going
IN for so many years and its various
cages Of progress have been so elab-
ors,ely pictured and described that the
vast undertaking has become an old
s,crv There is a side TO II. however,
which has so far received comparatively
little notice and which viii carry sur
rr,se TO many when they learn Of the
tremendous preparations which are
making for the handling of commerce
uben the canal does finally open for
business The most striking feature Of
these rreparations consists Of the vast
docks at either end Of the costly water
vav for In keeping with the gigantic
,,r5e~takinc. the Panama Canal is to
have the greatest and most completely
e7uirDed harbor and dock system in the
world Uncle sam intends TO have ia
ciities al each entrance Of the canal
On that when it is opened for business
the largest vessels afioat may be easily
handled. The system Of docks or piers
Will he on a greater scale than any yet
attempted.
The largest docks Will be on the Pa
oifo side of the canal The Atlantic
entrance viii also be equipped with i
number Of gigantic piers. but the dock
inc facilities on this side will not be on
such a vast scale IS those at the Pa
c.dc terminus.
a series If piers on either side OF the
Pacific entrance 10 the canal. each Of
which will be- one thousand feet long.
viii be- constructed. This will leave i
width between the pier ends Of three
thousand feet. There is a strip Of land
srors The waterfront at this end two
miles In-c reserved for the docks. and
while only tw0-thirds Of this VIII be i'm
mediate.r improved the turning basin
alone. when completed. will have an area
Of more than 271 acres.
When 70 is remembered that the new
THbrry docks tn Londcn-the greatest
Of the kind in the world to-day-have a
water area Of only seventy acres. and
t1e Hudson River at Hoboken is only
TWO thousand five hundred feet wide,
and also that the longest docks in New
York had 10 be heightened recently TO
permit the docking Of the olympic,
which IS only $50 feet long, the i'm
nerzi-v OF the Panama dock plans may
De- imagined.
This great dock system will handle
Tie immense quantities of freight ex-
rec.-I c9 trausship at the isthmus
Steamers passing between New York
and san Francisco with freight destined
for South American ports viii transship
or unload at Colon for steamers calling
az ports on the Atlantic Coast Of South
America. while the steamer will continue
on its way % san Francisco. This will
also apply 10 the Pacific end Of the
canal with steamers travelling between
Frisco and New York which accept
trel-ht for South American ports on the
Pacific Coast This freight IN turn, will
he url-aded at the Pacific terminus Of
tie canal for steamers destined for
South American rorts. Iu this way. 1t
is expected there VIII be immense vel
umes Of freight loaded and unloaded at
both the Atlantic and Pacific entrances
% the canal. and Uncle sam intends to
have O. docking system u such magni-
tude chat .t VIII handle any amount Of
business coming his way.
a.. of the construction work on the
new piers is to be 1 steel and concrete.
with foundations resting on bed rock.
The material dredged from the har5or