The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1912-11-22
FORMAL OPENING OF
THE PANAMA CANAL.
Completion of Locks Likely to Delay
the Opening-Tentative Date Janu-
airy 1, 1915-Already $322,541 1853
Spent on the Great Work.

Washington, Nov. 18.-Some time
next summer or fall, no exact date
being specified, vessel will pass
what is now the Isthmus of Panama
which consequently must disappear
from the worlds geography and by
the same human agency, the western
Hemisphere will be divided into two
continents. The vessel will not be
ship, but will be one of the many
small water craft in daily use by the
canal buildings; and probably the
only passengers will be Col. George
w. Gothals, who for the past eight
years has been carrying on the great
est engineering work the world has
ever seen. 1t will be fater than that,
anywhere 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.
January 1918, The Date
These facts are not OF official rec
ord as yet; the date OF January 1,
1915, still stands for the opening pre-
dicted by Colonel Bothals. 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 in
timation of their purpose to advance
the opening date, in the annual re-
port of the canal commission just
published. 1t is disclosed while the
completion of the great locks by Jan
uary l next will not be possible, ow-
ing to contract delays, within six
month 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 condition pas
sage of ships can be permitted with
out waiting for the completion of the
other flights. This statement will be
understood, when it IS known that
the great locks being built in dupli-
cate, side by side, not only to add to
the capacity of the canal, but to in
sure its continuance in operation in
case of a serious accident to a snip
one of the locks.
The report shows a most satisfac-
tory state of progress of the whole
great work, though in view of the
fact that this 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 reports. Nat
urally the most interesting feature
of the report relates to the operations
in the Great Culebra Cut. Here, great
landslides, many ranking with an
'lpine avalanch in magnitude, have
so increased the amount of material
to be eXcavated that were it not
found possible to steadily reduce the
cost a yard of dredging and steam
shoveling through the growing ex-
pertness of the employees and i'm
proved engineering methods, the total
cost of excavation would have been
vastly greater than the estimates.
During the last year nearly 16,5OO,OOO
cubic yards of earth were taken out
# this cut, leaving nearly 100000
to be displaced before the canal can
be operated. The damage caused by
the slides may be appreciated from
the fact that nearly 100000 cubic
yards of early excavation was so COM
posed or nearly 36 per cent of the to-
lal excavation.