The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-09-01
How Great Ships Will Be Moved From Ocean to Ocean
BY FRANK g. CARPENTER,


IAN writing these notes this bright
sunday morning in the great locks
at Miraiiorcs. am within eight
miles Of doep water in the Pacific
Ocean and at tho two FIRST great steps
up which the steamers Will climb on
their way across TO the Atlantic.
Beyond this is Miranorcs Lake.
and at It's end tho lock OIL
Pedro Miguel. which. with it's boos,
OF thirty feet ahoves the vessels 10
tho level OF the culobra Cut where
tho canal VIII be eishty-nyo feet
above the surface OF tho sea below.
IT is quiet hero to-day. for Uncle
sam keeps the Sabbath. The men
nave stopped work, the mighty cranes
arc at rest and long lines OF cars
loaded with spoil stand on the tracks.
That steam shovel down there AT the
right Is black and dirty and It gives
no indication of the work 1t has done
tho past week.
How hot tho sun is and how duz-
cling The concrete which walls the
lock Is made or white sand. and ,vhere
II catches the rays II Is binding
How high the walls are, l am in n
mighty chamber ia which you could
drop two city blocks OF six-story
houses and there would be still room
to spare
walk over 10 ono side and look up
with my chin touching the concrete
wau-The whole earth IS shu; or. and
tho wall reaches tho sky. II looks
like smooth white sandstone, put to-
eethcr In blocks bigger than those or
tho pyramids. but far smoother and
more closely laid. 1t Is solid wall
and was nodded as such. the appear
ance OF blocks coming from the Joints
in tho Mods Midway In the wall Is
an iron ladder abou, two FEE; In width.
! lahoriously CLIMB to the ton ana i'll
seems as though the ladder would
never end,
The Locks of the canal
Thee locks are ahou; tho most 'n-
torosting features OF Uncle Sans
mighty Panama works Tho ditch IT.
eeir Is wonderful. hu; It's construction
has been merely matter OF blasting
out earth and rock and carrying them
INTO tho holiows or down TO tho sea.
The rocks are remarkable creations In
that here man tries to initiate nature
and he has built these gigantic rock
masses, molding sand. cement and rock
INFO stone
There are six grca, locks on tho
canal ]; does no. sound big as
write II, but these locks contain CO.
ment by tho millions of barrels, Thcy
cave ship-loads Of sand which has
been brought from tho Atlantic and
Pacific. and mountains OF rock have
been blasted out and crushed to form
their concrete The materials arc now
80 united that they are one solid
stone Let me give you some idea OF
tie extent OF the concrete alone They
contain over four million cubic yards.
or enough OF this ARTIFICIAL rock TO
make a solid wall nfty feet high ten
feet thick and over NIFTY miles long.
Such a wall would reach from Wash
inston TO Baltimore and have ten miles
10 spare
Each OF these locks has twin. Tho
whole consists OF two mighty cham
bcrs. tho side walls OF which are about
ffty fect wide AT tho bottom and grow
narrower and narrower as they come
10 the TOP. whero tho width Is eight
feet They are about eighty feet high
There IS another wall IN the middle
which is sixty feet wide. and within
these walls are the TWO mighty
chambers which are closed II each end
by the gates.
No snIt Water in the CnnaI.
SO much for the outlines OF the
struoture The Foundations OF the locks
are az complicated as catacomb
They have tunnels ana galleries run
ming this way and that. and IN their
roors are many great holes as big IS
nour barrel where the water comes
can be filed or omp,ied IN the space
OF eight minutes. The water H. adj
mitted by mighty culverts or condults
which run along the side. These are
tunnels Though tho concrete constitute
ton and they viii carry rivers from
Lake Gatun TO lit and lower the yes
sells.
You often hear it said that we are
bringing the waters OF tho Atlantic
and tho Pacific together. This is so
only fgurativcly speaking. There Will
he no salt water IN tho canal except
at the ends The locks Will be nlled
with fresh water from Lake Gatun.
and it will be the Chagres which VIC
small harness and make pull up and
Let down the steamers from ocean 10
ocean.
But let me tell you more about these
big tunnels. into which the water nrst
flows They are so huge that you
could drive a caravan OF elephants and
piranes through them. and tho Gle
pnants might walk four abreast and
not touch the sides while a monkey
seated on the head OF one Of tho 81
RATES. would not reach tho ceiling.
They would easily hold Pullman
train. and a brakeman might stand on
the ton and not rufie his hair
Those great tunnels or culverts are
connected by pipes which run down