The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-04-07
A Trip Through Uncle Sarms Mighty Channel
BIZ FRANK @. CARPENTER,
balboa, Canal Zone, Panama.


MI 7 last lettor described tho At
Vi iantto end OF Unclo FANS great
Waterway. I am writing this
at Whet VIII be tho yreut port ON tho
Pacitic, tho new town Of Balboa. 1t Is
now made up OF shops and the homes
Of employees. but rivers Of earth anu
rock arc pouring down into the nats
to build up the space for the whnrves,
ana mighty Lreakwater Is moving
out from the coast to tho IBlund OF
Neos, distance OF more than three
miles This breakwater is almost
completed. II runs parallel to thu
axis OF the canal prism, and rlaes
above sea level to the heIgh. OF
ihrne OF four-story house. oan ser
the cars running out upon It unJ
dumping their grea. massca Or rock
az write
a Mighty wall.
The breakwater has almost reached
Naos island. and 1t now contains mil
lions of cubic yards OF Garth and rock
ali OF which have come from the crest
Of the mountains at the Culebra Cut.
To give you some idei, Of the amount
OF rock and earth which Il has taken
20 mako 1t, VIII say that when com
pieted ~ Will contain about 10000 900
cubic yards. This is enough 20 make
wall almost twice as wide as Penn
Eyivan!a Avenue. In washington. taller
'"hH Tue tlpS OF inc feathers %Eicn
crown the head OF tho Goddess oil the
dome of the national Capitol, and long
enough TO reach from the White House
clear down Pennsylvania Avenue all
the way TO the Library Building. II
would make wall 300 fee, high zoo
icrt thick and $500 feet long. These
Quantities are SO vast that they
amaze me. They seem too big for
my little rcd head. would say. how
ever. that the estimate is based OH
the hgures of Eng ncer Rousseau, who
states that million cubic yards OF
Garth and rock will equal cube
measuring 400 feet on each side.
Fighting Old Ocean.
This great breakwatcr Is necessary.
II protects the canal from an ocean
current which here whirls around
through the sea. swcepins up the
eastern shore Of Panama Bay and then
coming down the western shore SO
;set Il crosses the canal from east
TO west. The current lie SO strong that
II carries quantities OF silt and refuge,
and this is liable to clog the canal
nave put In the breakwuicr which
shuts the current on, from the low
portion OF the canal and forces II TO
run north and south In the channel
The tides here rise as high as twenty
ieet. AND part OF the land near the
hrcakwe'er 10 hhre at low tide al
though when tho lido Is high eighteen
or twenty fet OF water flowe over It
Civilian Engineer.
But come with NE and let us tax
Trip through the canal ae II runs
IN and out TO the Pacific ocean. RI
made such a trip to-day with W. c.
: Eonibcr, the engineer in charge Of
this part OF the work. He IL man
who understands hts Job and who has
won his way 10 the top by his worth
as civilian, The most of the en-
s!noers here belong to the army. They
are Graduntcs OF West point, and
they haze been on government work
al the!T H%es. Or this Pacific d.
r!sion there are many civilians. Col
one! Cocktails uses the best men he
can get whether they be military or
civil and he seems 10 have bunche ed
The civilians into this end OF the work
aiE. Comber is now man OF Nifty or
more. He Is AT Ensl!shman by birth,
put he ran away from home to thi.
country as q boy OF fifteen and three
wears after began work with the Mis-
s!ssippi River Commission In 1878 He
started In there an axman for
Il term OF three months and stayed on
the job eighteen years. At the end
OF that time he accepted q position as
resident engineer with the Isthm!an
Canal Commission, and he has been
here ever since He has had much
10 do With making the marine plans
for this Pacific end of the canal. and
mas also had charge OF carrying them
out
Trip the Canal.
Engineer Comber Will go with us on
our trip through the canal. We take