El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-06-15

gree. compete with repair ana similar
suppl wing agencies OF the states, and 1t
must be remembered also that they
VIII be available to the government in
times of military necessity. They viii
be of value to the navy and VIII give
the same advantages that the govern
ment would have from the establish
meut of a naval base here
But have YOU room for the shops on
the Pacific side Of the isthmus g.
Yes. BY the spoil from the Culebra
cut we have built up about $50 acres,
some of which has been redeemed from
the sea, and we have other ground on
the mainland We shall reserve an area
of about 45 acres Tor shop yards and
for the storage Of material and sup
plies, and we shall have ample room for
all our necessities
A Trip Through the Canal.
here asked admiral Rousseau to give
me some idea of what one would see in
making q trip through the canal when
completed. He replied;
Eve shall start in from the Atlantic
Let us suppose that the traveller is
standing on the deck Of the steamer
from New York or New Orleans as it
approaches the coast Nearing the ca
nal entrance he sees the low wooden
buildings Of Colon on the left. the
houses of CristObal among their cocoa
nut trees and the tail white lighthouse
Of TOTO point away at the right he
passes by Colon and its haroOr and,
going IN bv the breakwater iutting out
from CristObal point, enters the canal
He steams on up through 1t TO the
foot Of the Gatm locks, "a distance of
about seven miles. As he comes in he
crosses it near 1iindi, about half way
to Gatun- The channel here Is about
500 feet wide AID the country IS flat
on the left. while on the right in the
distance may be seen grassy hills
Coming through Gatun the man sees
the great green grass sod dam at the
right II IS now ragged and rocky. but
it VIII be filled in with earth and SOD
ded, and it VIII end in green hills with
the white concrete spliway showing out
at the center
AT his left as he moves up the chan
mel he VIII see the mighty white lccks
of Gatun. The lOwermOst one viii
probably be open. and its water VIII be
on the level of the sea. his ship VIII
steam into it, and VIII there be h0r-
messed TO the four towing locomotives
which VIII aid in moving and stea1Fing
1t as it goes onward from gate to gate
As soon as the vessel Is in, the gates
behind viii be closed and the water
rushing through many holes from the
mighty conduit, so BIG That a Pullman
train could 90 through them. Will quick
" raise the steamer to the level Of
the lock above. A moment later the
front gates of the lock VIII open, and
the steamer VIII pass to the second level
or lock and thence in the same way
rise to the third and finally, sail out
through the channel into Gatun lake at
s. feet above the level from which 1t
steamed into lock number one.
Travelling through Gatun Lake
At this point admiral Rousseau stopped
a moment to show me some maps
and then, tracing the course OF the
ship with his finger, ne continued:
Emerging from the locks at GatUn,
the course of the steamer viii be prac-
tically due south for three and one
half miles. 1t viii pass through
thousand foot channel, with the water
extending beyond it. and the tops of
the trees and islands viii take away
the idea Of q canal through large
and deep lake A little farther on this
vessel viii take a sharp turn to the lett
and then 20 in straight course Tor ]
four and a half miles to q point about I
one mile below where BOhiO now IS /
From that point on the right the open /
inc eXcavated by the French for their I
locks NAV be seen. and little farther /
on the vessel VIII pass over the sites
of FniOles and other villages which !
have been submerged by the waters OF
Gatun lake.
after a Journey of 10 miles the
thousand foot channel begins to mar
row. it Is reduced TO 500 feet, and the
canal has now the appearance Of a
wide river with hills on each side. 1t
Is the valley of the Chagres. Still
farther on the channel IS reduced to
500 feet and the vessel sails through
it for a distance of nine miles to the
locks of Pedro Miguel This part of
the Journey viii be especially inter
esting. The canal channel viii be 800
feet wide and the hills viii rise high
above the steamer, reaching in the CEN
ter a maximum of over $50 feet. The
sides win be planted with earth hold
inc grasses and bushes, and there VIII ]