The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-31

work here at Ciatum. He hass had charge of what fs known as the Atlantic division, including the impoundlng of the waters of the Chagres and the construction of the canal from here to the sea. Colonel Si- bert is d graduate of West Point, and he began his engineering career at the time he left the academy. He made some reputation In connection with great locks at the 500, which he aided in building, and also in the rebuilding of the railroad in central Luzon at the close of our war with the Spaniards. After that he had charge of the construction of the dam on the Ohio at pittsburg, and of the other river Improvements there. It Is now over five years since he came to Panama. He Is man who should know whereof he speaks. and his remark that this part of the canal will be completed on time Indi- cates that il is one of the sure things of the future.
 Through Locks on Roller Coaster
 You all know the devilish roller coaster. l mean the bilowy little railway of the summer resort whose tracks run uphill and down and wind about like snake. sending the heart of the passenger to the roof of his mouth This in a feeble way will give you an idea of my ride in motor car through the, locks. The steps taken by the steamer in getting over the mountain from ocean to ocean we ascend cd and descended on a railroad track We would climb up and dive down 70 feet at time. and above us would be ma chinery carrying Iron and stone On both sides of the locks rose great walls of masonry which made one think of the side of the Washington monument as he looked above him.
 Now the ear would take turn and We would shoot down As.oasn Yte mighty tubes which will let in the water. and u.@ a 10 bed of the locks.
 We went up to the gates, which are now swarming with workmen. and as looked at the men the engineers told me that each leaf weighed 6c0 tons, making iao tons for each gate. Nevertheless. tht-f are so delicately poised that they move as easily as a girl opens a fan after a hot dance on a Saturday night at the Tivoli hotel. Each of those gates weighn 1260 tons. 1 laugh as I think HOW one C them would have rattled old Samson. who bore away the brass gates of GaA on his back. A ton is a good wagon load for two horses. Break those gates inte pieces and il will take 2000 horses to pull them.
 Leaving the locks we transferred our motor car to the construction tracks lead-s ing down 10 the Atlantic, and rang along the banks of the canal where it comes m to the locks We stopped awhile at the point where the old French canal crosses it, and going on loses itself in the dam. Here the excavation Is almost com pleted although a score of mighty dredges can be seen working clear out Into Limon bay The canal here Is about deep enough for the most of the way. but dredging has to he done for five miles out into the Atlantic. and there is a lttle batch of something like 13,f00,0D cubic yards of dirt between here and the locks. r1e tunnel three feet wide and three feet deep running straight through the globe only a little above the equator, but that is only a small thing here. where figures sum- ming Into tens of millions are dealt with.
 FRANK c. CARPENTER