The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1912-11-28
THE GREAT CANAL NEAR
LY COMPLETED
Work is Progressing Very Rapidly
Now. Some Wonderful Engineering
Problems Solved.

Sometime next summer, or fail, no
exact date being specified, vessel
will pass from the Atlantic TO the
Pacific across what is now the 18th
mus of Panama, which consequently
must disappear from the world S
geography and by the same human
agency the Western Hemisphere will
be divided into two continents. The
vessel 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 prob
ably the only passengers will be Col.
George W. Cocktails and the staff Of
American Engineers, who for the past
eight years have been carrying on the
greatest engineering work the world
has ever seen. 1t will be later than
that, anywhere from six months to a
year perhaps, before the formal open
ing of the waterway will take place
and a naval fleet headed by the fa-
nous 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 official record
as yet; the date of January /, 1915,
still stands for the opening predicted
by Col Goethals. But that the open
ing will be anticipated to great eX
tent has been promised by the Canal
builders in unofficial statements, and
now comes q clear intimation OF their
purpose to advance the opening date
In the annual report of the Canal
/ Commission, just published il is dis
closed while the completion of the
great locks by January LIST next will
not be possible, owing to contract de-
lays, within sir months thereafter the
channel will be finished. while to in
sure the safe passage of the locks, the
contractor has been caiied upon to
finish the gates in one flight first, so
that if the rest of the work is in con-
dition passage of ships can be per
+
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, not
only add to the capacity of the canal
but to insure its continuance in opera
ton in case of a serious accident to a
shin i'm one of the locks
IN THESCULEBRA CUT.
The report shows a most satisfac-
tory state of progress of the whole
great work, though in view of the
fact that it is dated September 10th
last the figures regarding excavation;
placing of concrete, erection of dams
and locks and subsidiary works are
not as recent as those contained in
the regular monthly reports. Natural
ly the most interesting feature of the
report relates to the operations in the
slides, many ranking with an Alpine
avalanche in magnitude, have so in
creased the amount of material to be
eXcavated, that were it not found
possible to steadily reduce the cost
per yard of dredging and steam shovel
ling through the growing experiences
of the employees, and improved engi-
neering methods, the total cost of eX.
cayation would have been vastly great
er than the estimates. During the last
year nearly 100000 cubic yards of
earth were taken out of this cut, leav
ing nearly 100000 to be displaced
before the canal can be opened. The
damage caused by the slides may he
appreciated from the fact that nearly
100000 yards of earth eXcayated was
so composed or nearly Sc per cent of
the total excavation.
HOW THE EARTH SLIDES
There is only one way to deal with
these slides and that is to dig them
out as they occur, though some help
is gained in terracing the upper banks.
That is because the geological forma
ton changes so frequently and sud
denly that no other effective treat |
ment has been found. SO unstable is
the earth that the material in one
part of the cut begins to move on an
inclination as low as one to seven,
owing to the mass of stratified rock
sliding over q layer of Ignite. One
slide now in motion, near the bridge |
of Culebra, covers an area of Go acres, /
from which 2,71O0OO yards have al
ready been removed, leaving 100000 |
still to be handled
Then there is another little Glide of
no less than 80 acres on the opposite I
side of the canal. The result of these
earth movements. which are quite cN-
ceptioHal IL eIts.. cering practlch. mas |
been to leave tho final in its deepest |
portions with very Tat slopes in3
encouraging feature Cf the heavy work |
az that point is fen q in the state ,.crt
In the report that none of the slides
which orrurred during the year would !
have interfered with the passage OF
ships had the canal been in operation"
Z.