Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-09-24

WlQe at the water Surface, dUOul lVV
feet wide at the top, and its crest as
planned will be at an elevation Of 115
feet above mean sea level, or thirty
feet above the normal level Of the lake.
Gatun lake will impound the waters
/ of q basin comprising 1920 square
miles. When full the surface Of the wa
ter will have an area Of about 164
square miles, and will contain about
2O6, ,OO0, 100000 cubic feet Of water.
The water level Of Gatun lake. ex-
| tending through Culebra cut, will be
maintained at the south end by an
earth dam connecting the locks at Pc
dro Miguel with the high ground to the
westward, about 1,4O0 feet long, with
its crest at an elevation Of los feet
above mean tide. A concrete core wall
containing about 700 cubic yards will
connect the locks with the hills to the
eastward. This core wall will rest di-
rectly on the rock surface, and is de-
signed to prevent percolation through
the earth, the surface Of which is above
the lake level.
There will be six double locks in the
canal. Three pairs in flight at Gatun,
with a combined lift of IS feet; one
| pair at Pedro Miguel, with lift Of 3O3
feet, and two pair at Mirafiores, with
combined lift Of 81 23 feet at mean
tide. The dimensions Of all are the
samoa length Of 1000 feet, and width
of 10 feet. Each lock will be a cham
Der, with walls and floor Of concrete,
and mitering gates at each end.
The lock gates will be steel struc-
lures 7 feet thick, IS feet long and
from AZ to 50 feet high. They will
weigh from 800 to 600 tons each. Nine
| ty two leaves will be required for the
entire canal, the total weighing $1,000
tons. intermediate gates will be used
| in the locks, in order to save water and
time, II desired, in locking small ves-
sells through, the gates being 80 placed
| as to divide the locks into chambers
600 and 400 feet long, respectively.
Ninety five per cent Of vessels navi-
eating the seas are less than 600 feet
long. In the construction Of the locks
it is estimated that there will be used
approximately 100000 cubic yards Of
concrete, requiring about the same
| number Of barrels of cement. Elec-
tricity will be used to. tow all vessels
into and through the locks and to op-
crate all gates and valves, power be-
ing generated by the water turbines
from the head created by Gatun lake.
There are in all twenty-one slides
along Culebra cut. Twelve cover areas
carrying from one to forty-seven acres,
and nine cover areas Of less than one
acre each, making in all total Of 149
| acres. The largest is the Cucaracha
slide, on the east side Of the canal,
which covers an area Of forty seven
| acres, and which has broken back
1920 feet from the center line of the
canal.
Statistics Of the Builders.
The gold force" is made up of the
officials, clerical force, construction
men and skilled artisans Of the 18TH
mian Canal commission and the Pan
anna Railroad company. Practically all
of them are Americans. The silver
| force" represents the unskilled labor
ers of the commission and the Panama
| Railroad company. OF these about
$500 are Europeans, mainly Spaniards,
with a few Italians and other races.
| The remainder, about $4,000, are West
Indians, about $500 Of whom are en-
ployed as artisans, receiving 16, 20 and
A cents an hour The standard rate Of
the West Indian laborer is 10 cents an
hour, but a few of these doing work of
an exceptional character are paid 16
and 20 cents. The larger part Of the
Spaniards are paid 20 cents an hour,
and the rest 16 cents an hour.
| The material and supply branch car
ries in eight general storehouses
| stock Of supplies for the commission
and Panama railroad valued approx
mately at s4,5OO,OO0. About s12,000,-
900 worth of supplies are purchased
annually, requiring the discharge of
one steamer a day.
The canal and Panama railroad
forces are supplied with food, clothing
and other necessities through the sub
sistence department, which Is divided
into two branches-commissary and
/ hotel 1t does a business Of about ST.
/ 100000 per annum. The business done
by the commission department amounts
to about s6,OOO,0O0 per annum, and
that done by the hotel branch to about
$1,500,000 per annum.
The commissary system consists Of
twenty-five general stores in as many
Canal Zone villages and camps along
the line Of the Panama railroad. 1t Is
estimated that with employees and their
dependents there are about $4,000 peo-
pie supplied daily with food, clothing
and other necessaries.
The cost estimated by the Isthmian
Canal commission for completing the
canal is s235,201 900, which included
$20,053,000 for sanitation and $780,
600 for civil administration.
These figures do not include the $4O,-
100000 paid to the new French COM
pany and to the republic Of Panama
for property and franchises. 1t Is es-
timated that the total cost of the canal
to the United States will approximate
1915, 100000.
i A careful official estimate has been
made by the canal commission Of the
value to the commission at the pres
ent time of the franchises, equipment,
material work done and property of
various kinds for which the United
States paid the French Canal compa-
ny $4O,OOO,OO0. 1t places the total value
at s42,79s,S26.
The total amount of excavation dur
ing the fiscal year 1901 was $780,
120 cubic yards.
The opening of the Panama canal
will be a grand world-helper," the glo-
rious credit of which will belong to the
United States" says Senator John
Sharp Williams of Mississippi.
1T has been a splendid engineering
| foot ,rb;ob will peyer he forgotten but