The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-09-20
VESSEL THROUGH PANAMA CANAL
 IN I3 MONTHS
Col. GoethaIs Says in Report That Big Ditch Will be Com pleted Below Estimated Cost of $4OO, 900, 0,O0O

Washington, Sept. 20.-1n just Is months vessel will go from the Att Iantic to the Pacific Ocean through the Panama Canal, according to new, al the Panama, Canal Commission. October Is, 1913, is the tentative date for the passage of the. first vessel through the canal. The christening" will be done by a naval vessel.
 President, Taft has been advised of the latest estimates of Col. Goethals. work. The Presidents approval of the new canal opening program is awaited.
 Formal opening of the canal will occur Jan. i, 1915, it is. announced. Commercial vessels will be given it's unrestricted use in December, 1914.
 That the canal will be completed far below the estimated cost of $4o0,- o00,000 is reported by Col. Goethals. It may run as low as ss75, ,oo6, 900. About another million dollars will be saved, it is declared.
 Revised estimates of the cost of completion of the gigantic canal were made, today. at the Panama Canal Commission. Col. GoethaIs has set the figures up to September IT, to- gether with latest estimates of the work done and completed. The total to the figures announced by the Isth- 243,184. 900 yards. A recent increase of over 16,oo0, ,00o~yards, according to
 
 Obispo division. The amount of ex- cAvation completed up to Sept Is. was 218,ooo;ooo cubic ab M yards. leaY5ns a;,i be dug. The average rate of excava- ton per month is now about 2,5O0.000 cubic yards, a conservative estimate. the digging should be finished before Sept. Is, 1913.
 It is estimated that the Gatan Locks will require about 100000 V af Sept. Is. well over 19 miles of con crete gatun have been put in place. Miguel Lock is nearly 95 per cent completed and that of the Miraflores Locks over 92 per cent. The Gatun spillway will probably be completed within another month Other en- gineering features show an equally advanced stage toward completion
 The opening of the canal for gen eral mercial purposes will occur during December, 1913, it is stated. Numerous tests of locks and gates will be had before large commercial vessels and batt1eShipS are permitted to go through.
 When the canal is formally opened, Jan 1, 1915. it is announced that the nations of the world will be invited to send representative to take part in elaborate ceremonies. All United States vessels will be 1nobil;zed there. when completed. is between $375, ,oo.-- 900. and S4OO,OOO,OOO. The total amount expended so far is $283, ,874,- 900. The Panama law authorized the issuance of bonds aggregating $375.- 0O0,00O. It is being freely predicted that the canal will be built without further issuance of bonds. In this case, some hundreds of thousands of dollars which would have been ex- pended in interest and premiums will have been saved to the government.
 The canal will have summit ele- vation of S5 feet above sea level, to be reached by a flight of three locks located at Gatun on the Atlantic side, and one lock at Pedro Miguel and flight of two at Mira Flores, on ths Pacific side. Each lock will have a usa,ble length of 1000 feet, and a width of 110 feet, which will be the midim um width of the canal.
 The canal is to be about 50 miles long from deep water in the Carri- bean Sea to deep water in the Pacific Ocean. The channel will vary in width from 1000 feet at a point just south of Gatun Locks to 300 feet at a point near the Pedro Miguel lock. There will be 8 number of places where several boats can. pass abreast of each other and the minimum depth will be fl feet.
 These are all revised estimates just announced, changes from the original plans having been made necessary by engineering and other problems.