Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-11-19
ISTHMlAN CANAL COMMISSION
MAKES REPORT OF WORK ON
GREAT ENGINEERING FEAT.
COST ALREADY GREAT.
BY June 80 There Was Expended SO
Per Cent Of Total Estimated
Cost-Immense Electrical
Power Needed.

time next summer or fall no exact
date being specified, vessel will pass
from the Atlantic to the Pacific across
what Is now the Isthmus of Panama
which consequently must disappear
from the worlds 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
crafts in daily use by the canal build
ers: and probably the only passengers
the staff Of American engineers, who
for the past eight years have been
carrying on the greatest engineering
work the world has even seen. 1t
will be later than that, anywhere from
six months to a year perhaps, before
the formal opening Of the waterway
will take place and a naval fleet head
ed by the famous old Oregon will pass
through into the western ocean, and
the canal may be fairly said to be open
to trade.
Early Opening Promised.
These facts are not of official record
as yet: the date Of January l. 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 intimatfon Of their
purpose to advance the opening date.
in the annual report Of the canal COM
mission, Just published. 1t Is dis
closed while the completion of the
great locks by January 1 next Will not
be possible, owing to contract delays,
within six months thereafter the chan
mel will be finished, while to insure the
safe passage of the locks, the contrac-
tor has been called upon to finish the
gates in one flight first, so that IT the
rest of the work Is in condition pas
sage Of ships can be permitted without
waiting for the completion of the other
flights. This statement will be I'M
derstood, when it is known that the
great locks being built in duplicate,
side by side, not only to add to the
capacity of the canal but to insure its
continuance in operation in case OF
serious accident to a ship IN one OF
the locks.
Report Is Satisfactory.
The report shows a most sat1sfac-
tory sta Of progress OF the whole
great work, though in view OF the fact
that it is dated September 10 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.
Naturally the most interesting fea-
ture Of the report relates to the oper-
atoms in the great Culebra cut. Here
great landslides, many ranking with
an Alpine avalanche in magnitude,
have 50 increased the amount OF ma
terlal to be excavated, that were II
not found possible to steadily reduce
tie cost per yard Of dredging and
steam shovelling through the growing
expertness of the employees, and I'M
proved engineering methods, the total
cost of excavation would have been
vastly greater than the estimates.
During the last year nearly 16,50O,OOO
cubic yards of earth were taken out
of this cut, leaving nearly 100000
to be displaced before the canal can
be opened. 81,
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 by terracing the upper banks.
That is because the geological forma-
ton changes so frequently and sud
denly that no other effective treatment
has been found. So unstable Is the
earth that the material In one part OF
tn, cut begins to move on an 1ncl1na-
ton as low as 1 on 7, owing to the
mass of stratif1ed rock sliding over a
layer of Ignite. One slide now In
motion, near the bridge Of Culebra.
covers an area Of SO acres, from which
2,71o,O0O yards have already been re-
moved, leaving 100000 still to be
handled.
Then there is another little slide Of
no less than 80 acres on the opposite
side of the canal. The result OF these
earth movements, which are quite ex-
ceptional in engineering practice, has
been to leave the canal in it's deepest
portions, with very fiat slopes.
The encouraging features Of the
heavy work at that point is found in
SPECIAL PRICES |