South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-11-26
The Story Of the Panama Canal--By the
Man Who Built It.

The French so planned the eXcava-
ton that after the removal of the
peak OF the divide and lesser sum-
mits they could work a number of
eXcavators simultaneously at several
points, so that succession of benches
the othey, each with the natural sur
face at the point Of beginning. By
working in the direction of the length
of the cut. the face of the bank gave
the longest cutting possible, reducing
the number of times the excavatOr
must be hauled back, and secured a
satisfactory drainage arrangement.
since the cutting was carried up grade
en- either side of the summit.
The Americans followed the same
method, the only difference being in
the character of machinery used.
The greatest difficulty encountered
in the excavation was due 10 slides
of material TO slide or move into the
eXcavated area, closing OF the drain
age, upsetting steam shOvels and tear
ing up the tracks.
The term slide" is applied TO the
movement of the everything clay upon
smooth, sloping surfaces of rock or
other material harder than clay.
Breaks" occur at points where the
underlying rock is of poor quality, in
tersected by vertical seams or seams
sloping toward the canal, and which
is unable 10 bear up the superimposed
mass. Generally the upper surface
of the broken portion of the bank re-
mains approximately horizontal,
settling nearly vertically. The weight
Of the broken portion forces up and
displaceS laterally the material lying
directly below it in the bottom or on
the berms or lodges of the canal AS
the material thus forced up is taken
away the upper part gradually settles
and moves towards the avis of the
canal until the entire broken portion
is removed.
The greatest slide was at Cucaracha
and gave trouble when the French be-
gan cutting in 1884. Though at first
confined to a length of 500 feet meas
ured along the line of excavation, the
slide extended to include the entire
basin south Of Gold Hill. This slide
was the last obstruction TO the canal
and it's removal was the opening that
finally makes the canal an accomplish
ed fact
There were, all told, nine slides and
breaks 10 be reckoned with and there
was nothing TO do but remove all the
material embraced within their limits.
There is no other method known to
stop or prevent them. No apprehen-
sion is felt because of the slides in
the future of the canal. They devel-
oped as the depth of the cut increased,
and the banks slid or broke because
of the condition of unstable equilib-
rum. When the grade was reached,
equilibrium was established and the
back pressure of the water results in
greater stability.
Work has been in progress in the
Culebra cut since 1880, and during
the French control 1S,646,000 cubic
yards were removed. eBtween Gatun
and Bas Obispo. the northern end of
the Culebra cut, the French eXcava-
ton which was useful to the present
project amounted to 2,2O1,0 600 cubic
yards or a total in the Central divi-
sion of over 20, 10000 cubic yards.
Some idea of the magnitude of the
operations may be formed from the
fact that this division had within its
jurisdiction over 200 miles of five-fOot
gauge track laid, about SO miles of
which were within the side slopes of
the Culebra cut alone.
GEO. w. COCKTAILS.
The third and concluding chapter
of Col. Cocktails story will be printed
in this newspaper tomorrow.