Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1912-11-18
tBy Associated Presso

(By Associated Press)
WASHINGTON, Nov. 18. = Some
time next summer or fall, no exact
date being specified a vessel will
pass from the Atlantic to the Paci-
fic across what is now the lsthmus
of Panama, which consequently must
disappear from the worlds geogra-
ply and by the same human agency,
the western hemisphere will be di-
vided into two continents. The YES
sci will not be the Oregon nor any
other famous ship, but will be one
of the many small water craft in
daily use by the canal builders; and
probably the only passengers will
be Colonel George w. Goethals, and
the staff of American engineers,
who for the past eight years have
been carrying on the creates engi-
neering work the world has ever
seen. 1t will be later than that, any
where from six months to a year,
perhaps, before the formal opening
of the waterway will take place and
naval fleet headed by the famous
old Oregon, will pass through into
the western ocean, and the canal
may be fairly said to be open to
trade.
These facts are not of official
record as yet; the date of January
l, 1915, still stands for the opening
predicted by Colonel Goethals. But
that the opening will be anticipated
to a great extent has been promised
by the canal builders in unofficial
statements, and now comes clear
intimation of their purpose to ad-
vance the opening date, in the annual
report of the canal commission, just
published. 1t is disclosed while the
completion of the great locks by
January l next will not be possible,
owing to contract delays, within six
months thereafter the channel will
be finished, while to insure the safe
passage of the locks, the contractor
has been called upon to finish the
gates in one flight first, so that
if the rest of the work is in condi-
ton passage of ships can be per-
mitted without waiting for the COM
pletion of the other flights. This
statement will be understood when
it is known that the great locks
being built in duplicate, side by side,
Apot only to add to the capacity OF
The canal but to insure its continu-
ance in operation in case of a seri-
Gus accident to a ship in one of the
locks.
The reports shows a most satisfac-
tory state of progress of the whole
great work, though in view of the
fact that it is dated September 10
last, the figures regarding eXcava-
ton, placing of concrete, erection
of dams and locks and subsidiary
works are not as recent as those
contained in the regular monthly re-
ports. Naturally the most interest
ing feature of the report relates to
the operations in the great Culebra
cut. Here, great landslides, many
ranking with an Alpine avalanche is
magnitude, have so increased the
amount of material to be eXcavated
that were it not found possible to
steadily reduce the cost per yard
of dredging and steam shovelling
through the growing eXpertness OF
the employees, and improved engineer
ing methods, the total cost of ex
cavation would have been vastly
greater than the estimates. During
the last year nearly 16,500,000 cubic
yards of earth were taken out oi
this cut, leaving nearly 12,000,000 to
be displaced before the canal car
be opened. The damage caused by
the slides may be appreciated from
the fact that nearly 100000 yards
of earth excavated was so composed
or nearly Sc per cent of the tota'
excavation.
There is only one way to dea
with these slides, and that is to dig
them out as they occur, though some
help is gained by terracing the up
per banks. That is because the gee
lofical formation changes so fre
quently and suddenly that no Other
effective treatment has been found
So unstable is the earth that the
material in one part of the cut be
gins to move on an inclination al
low as l on Z, owing to the mas:
of stratified rock sliding over lay
er of Ignite One slide now in mo
ton, near the bridge of Culebra, GOV
ers an area of SO acres, from which
2,71O,000 yards have already beel
removed, leaving 100000 still t.
be handled.
Then there is another little slid
of no less than so acres on the op
posite side of the canal. The resul
of these earth movements, whicl
are quite exceptional in engineering
practice, has been to leave the ca
nal in it's deepest portions, wit
very flat slopes. The encouraging
features of the heavy work at tha
point is found in the statement i
the report that none of the slide
which occurred during the yea
would have interfered with the pas
sage of ships, had the canal bee
in operation"
Already the appropriations mad
by congress for the canal have ru
into big figures, the total up t
June 80 last being $293,561, ,46S, an
since that date there have been az
ditional appropriations, exclusive
those for Notifications, amounting
AA2S, $50 900, making the grand tot'
~S322.541. .468. On June 80 of all thes
appropriations, the engineers ha
expended SO per cent of the TOT
estimated cost of the canal
OF even greater interest from a
engineering point of view, than til
vast but commonplace work OF e
cayation in Culebra cut, was II
work of constructing the great loci
- ra+,,n ond MiraflOreS and Ped