The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-11-18
TO GO THROUGH
NEXT SUMMER
Continued from first page.l

employees and improved engineering
methods, the total cost of excavation
would have been vastly greater thar
the estimates. During the last year near
lily lo.500,0o0 cubic yards Of earth Were
taken out of this cut, leaving nearly
100000 to be displaced before the ca
nal can be opened The damage caused
| by the landsldes may be appreciated
from the fact that nearly 100000 yards
OF earth excavated was so composed, or
nearly SO per cent. of the total exca-
walton.
| There is only one way to deal with
these slides, and that is to dig them
out as they occur, thought some help is
gained by terracing the upper banks.
That is because the geological forma.
tion changes SO frequently and suddenly
that no other effective treatment 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 | on Z, owing TO the mass OF
stratified rock sliding over a layer OF
Ignite. One slide now in motion, near
the bridge of Culebra, covers an area of
Oh acres, from which 2,7l0,000 yards
100000 still to be handled.
Then there is another little slide of no
less than so acres on the opposite side
OF the canal The result of these earth
movements, which are quite exceptional
in engineering practice, has been to leave
the canal in its deepest portions with
very fiat slopes, The encouraging fea-
ture of the heavy work at that point
is found in the statement in the report
"that none of the slides which occurred
during the year would have interfered
with the passage of ships had the canal
been in operation
Already the appropriations made by
Congress for the canal have run into
big figures, the total up to june 30 last
being 5000, 58l ,46s, and since that date
there have been additional appropria-
tions, exclusive of those for fortifiea-
lions, amounting to S2s .9s0,000. making
the grand total s322,54l ,4Gs. On June
80, of all these appropriations the en-.
gneers had expended 60 per cent. OF
the total estimated cost of the canal.
OF even greater interest from an en-
cheering point of view than the vast
but commonplace work OF excavation in
Culebra cut, was the work of construct.
ing the great locks at Gatun, and Mira
flores, and Pedro Miguel for there many |
novel problems have been solved and I
lock machinery constructed of special
designs of a magnitude never before
heard of. For instance, so big are the
valves at the side of the locks that a
test showed that it required a pull of
over ten tons on the stem to open one
1f these valves. All this work is done 4
electrically, and here again the engineers
we're confronted with new difficulties.
Owing to the peculiar climatic condi-
ions on the isthmus. with tropical heat
md extreme humidity, and the deteri-
,ratng effect of these conditions on the
insulation of electrical machinery. the
insulation proved unreliable,
md the engineers found it necessary to
make great number of experiments,
70 less than l6 sample motors being
tilted against one another. IL was an
wful test for dynamo and motor build
RS to have their machines required to
perate for period of ten days in a
uilding filed with steam at temper
ture of 80 degrees centigrade and hav-
ne the motor cases filed with wafer for
We hours at 30 degrees Gut finally the
meriean motor builders responded and
litable apparatus is being installed.
Thus electric motors under tests are
ow swinging the great gates Of the
NAL, each weighing very many tons
nd as tall and broad as great sky
,raping building, in the remarkable time n
one minute and forty-eight seconds.
il appears that to make
lcse gates the iron workers must drive
I'd head $3.50. 900 rivets. The pivots Of
Iese great locks are being made Of
iecial grade Of steel and bronze. not
lly for strength, but TO protect them
-ainst eorrosion. a very necessary pre-
ution in view OF the fact that they i,
IN always be submerged in sea water X
ter the canal is open. To guard
ainst galvanic action, link rings are
20 placed on the bronze bushings.
To supply the power 10 operate the
ties an dsluice valves in the locks. and
rnish current for the monster electric
which are to tow the steam
ips through the locks. great hydro
ctric station is being erected adjacent
the spillway in Gatun dam. There
, three 1850 kilowatt wtaer turbines,
three 1000 kilowstt generators with
table exciters and other auNiliaries.
ere viii BE- enough available water "
che - =. ~. Eaess~. 40