The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-04-23
90 not think there is any danger
from ea~rthquakts.'
The Great Dam and Lake catuu.

The Great Dam and Lake Gatun.
but. colonel. are You sure as 10
the Gatun dam? VIII il be strong
enough 10 hold back that let square
miles OF water which Will be stared
up IN the lake"
There is o~douht about the dam"
said Colonel Cocktails. 1T has been
made according To the regulations
winch provided that it should lie 4
Mariner which would convince beyond
douht both legislators and lavntn IF
It's stability. | believe We could have
made 4 dam Of less size for less
money which would have satisfied the
engineers, hut the designers eonSid-
cred this lam desirable and il has
been constructed. The factor If
safety III it is far beyond the ahSo-
lutte necessity. There has been 4
great interest in the dam and Il has
been given more prominence among
the engineering features OF the work
than is warranted by its construction.
1t IS nothing but i hill built across
the valley With the spillvaN in the
middle. You understand how il is
made. We have formed two great
dumps OF the waste material. mostly
the rock from Culebra and the lock
site and Mindi IN the outer lines of
the structure. and have filed in the
space between these dumps With the
material from the hydraulic dredges.
The SpillWaN is SO arranged that it
controls the height Of the lake. II
at tmhe same time gives us electric
power sufficient for the machinery of
the canal, including the locks. The
locks are among the most interesting
features
The Canal Cost to BE Less Than
600. OOO
What will be the probable cost Of
the canal when it is cOrHpleted?."
That will depend Very much or
the accessories, such as drN-doCks
terminals. coalins stations and supply
houses. 1t Will certainly be less thar
three hundred and seventy-hNe mil
lions At the present time we ar,
expecting to SAVE from fifteen t,
twenty million dollars o nthe est
mated cost.
How can You make such calclula
tons as to Il job of these mighty Iii
menSionS?'
: 1T is very simple said Colone
l Cocktails. we make our measur
2 ments and estimate the quantity
Their from the records Of simjla
l york elsewhere w can fix the COS
t per unit of cubic yard of ~excavatio
or construction or pound of stee
work, and by the ordinary courses @
arithmetic find just h it should bt
In the present case the unit price
a We're those adopted BY the board ,
contracting engineers for 1906"
Have YOU kept within thos
t prices?"
Yes, we have cut most Of thel
e Very considerably. Take the I'm
d price Of the concrete The engineer
d put that at So per cubic yard. "
y are making the locks in the spillua
at Gatun for 81 a cubic yard and {
Ie the Pacific division we have got II
e concrete work down to IS 4 cub
II yard. You may know what tn;
is means when YOU remember hat v
} shall use over 100000 cubic yar'
n at Gatun, and over 100000 on tt
80 Pacific division. This means a Sa'
id ing Of at least 50 ,000, 900 at Cat,
re and Of $500, 600 N the Pacific a
Of together it is a saving Of $4,000 90
Y But hat is d saving on but one un
I'd price. We have done equally well
others.
Management.
l But how can YOU max such a r
duction?'
s w do it by keeping cost sheets
IS everything and by watching the lea
,.y and stopping them. 1t is the du
$ Of the engineer not only to design Al
OF construct, but to design and co
Ie1 struct economically. That is VII
al we are trying to do here at Panam
es But are not the wages on I
I'D canal excessively high and can tn
be so maintained in the future?'
he The wages here were fixed at
in beginning Of the work, and it Wot
have been difficult to change tn
while in process of construction. T
| chief thing about this work was II
m it had to be done we'll. and DO
quickly, and everything else had
be subordinate to that. AS it is nc
Ike there Will probably be a change in
wage scale. and this should be
is ranged for by Congress at its pres
he session. If Congress Will a>t.
shall be able to select the operat
VI force from our present employees, Z
this will be a great saving IS TO til
money and in other respects. G
gress should fix Il wage scale for
est the positions of the permanent op
ar ating force, doing away With the
eet eQualitieS which now exist. AS is
tn some of ourp resent wages have b
DIS. made in connection with org;tnl
is Ia hOr and he unions have StJcCepi