Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1912-11-18


00O, making the grand total aaS,bti,.
tee, on June 30 Of oil these appro.
priations the engineers had expended
0S per cent OF the total estimated cost
Of the canal.
OF even Rreatcr interest from an
engineering point ut view, than the
vast but commonplace work Of excR-
walton In Culebr, cut waS the work OF
constructing the great locks at Ca
tun, and Mira1ores, and Pedro miguel,
for there many novel problems have
been solved. and lock machinery con-
structed % special designs OF a mag.
nitude never before heard Of. For
Instance, 90 big are the valves At the
side OF the locks that . test showed
that It required pull OF over ten tons
on tho stem TO open one OF these
valves, All this work IL done cleo
trically, and here again the engineers
were confronted with new dihlcultics.
! owing to the peculiar climatic con
dltons on tho iathmus, with tropical
heat and extreme humidity, and the
dcterioratlng erect OF these conditions
on the insulation OF electrical machln-
cry, the ordinary inHulatlon proved
unreliable. and tho engineers found II
necessary to make a great number OF
~ experiments, no less than 10 sninpl0
motors being pitted against one am
other. II was an awful test for dye
numo and motor builders TO have their
machines required TO operate for NJ
period OF ten days IN n building filled
with steam at a temperature OF so de-
grees centigrade and having the motor
cases Allied with water for ave hours
at 80 degrees, But finally tho Ameri-
can motor builders responded and
suitable apparatus Is being installed.
Thus electrical motors under tests.
are now swinging the great gates OF
the canal. each Weighing very many
tons and as tall and broad as a great
sky Bcraping building In the romark-
able timS OF ono minute and forty
eight seconds. Incidentally It appears
that TO make these gatea, tho Iron
workers must drive and head $780,
900 rivcts. The plvots OF these great
locks ara being made Of n special
grade OF steel and bronzo, not only for
strength, out To protect them against
cOrrusion, very necessary preCau-
ton In view Of the fact that they will
hANh1 y Wv hA'lNAfA hNN III HNN NAANA
after the canal In open. To guard
against Ralvanic action. zinc rings are
also placed on tho bronze buahings,
To supply the power to operate tho
gates and sluicc valves In the locks,
and furnish current for tho water cleo
trio locomotives which are tn tow the
steamships through the locks, "a
great hydro-clcCtriC station In being
erected adjacent To the splllway In
Gatun dam. There are three 1850
kil0watt water turbines, and three
1000 kilONdtt generators with suit
uhlu cNritcTs and other auNiliarlcs.
There viii bo enough available water
from tho storage In Lake Gatun to
warrant the installation ~ 5000 kllO-
watts. though In the dry season II will
be necessary to draw upon the stor-
age. Altogether II Ia figured that for
this electrical work seven per cent OF
tina minimum water ABytcm OF the
canal viii be required. A part OF tho
electricity |, Ia be- used Tor lignting
tho limo Of the cnnaL There viii 90
concrete lamp posts 100 feet apart
throughout Tho .SnIHe length OF each
lock wall. Altogether 1000 lamps
will 10 Installed NJ the locks.
Outside OF IA" canal prOpnr. tho
report shows that work has been no
Ing on rapidly IN preparing hurbors
for the shelter ~ ships at each ond
Of tho waterway. Tho work Of forti-
ficutiGn hua also been progressing well.
nearly half II million yards uf concrete
hvaing been placed In the mortar pits
and gun ompln lmcnU during the
last year. Tho sanitation of the lHth.
mus also has boon maintained at thu
high level set by colonel j. GOethalS,
tho chief sanitary officer, from the
beginning
Contrary to the common Impression
tho sanitary work In TAO way of clear
Ing land does not extend over The en-
tire zane but less than i,2G0 ncrcH Of
IN" ?iS.Nis acres In the tract are kept |
clear FOR sanitary purposes and almost
the entire zone ls In liz original con- |
ditipn ~ regards brush ana jungle.