Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-10-02
QUAKE
SPARES CANAL
CONTINUED from First Page.o


rocked and the entire population was
aroused.
Thousands filled the streets and
remained there in fear of the COL
lapse of their houses.
The earthquake was the heaviest
within memory.
A second slighter shock occurred at
11:40 o'clock.
"Gatun locks" was on everybody's
lips. but it has been impossible to
learn if any damage had been done
there.
The disturbance began with slow
oscillatory movement. which gradu-
ally became more marked. Houses
swayed. clocks stopped and articles
of furniture were thrown to the
floor
WASHINGTON, Oct. Major
Boggs, in charge of the Isthmian
canal offices in this city, this morning
cabled to Colonel Goethals at Panama
for details of the earth shocks on the
isthmus last night, with special ref
erence to its possible effect upon the
Panama canal.
This action was taken as measure
of precaution, though the officials felt
that Colonel Goethals would have ad-
vised them very promptly had the
canal sustained any substantial in
jury.
It is recalled at the commission
offices that from time to time there
have been slight shocks of earth
quake experienced on the isthmus
since the Americans assumed charge
of the canal construction, but in no
case has there been any damage
whatever to the engineering work, al
though a sensational report of one
of these quakes about two years ago
caused considerable alarm.
No quake Could Wreck Canal.
1t is said at the commission offices
that very little danger of extensive
injury to the canal could have been
caused by any earthquake of record,
not only on the isthmus, but in this
hemisphere.
AS far as the isthmus itself is con-
cerned the records which have been
carefully studied by the canal de-
signers fail to show the occurrence
of anything more than slight seismic
disturbances in that quarter as far
back as the history of the isthmus is
known. There are standing today
masonry structures erected several
centuries ago, which probably would
have been destroyed long ago by any
COilSlucfdUle ear lllCiudhe SHOCK.
But in addition to this reported ex-
emption of the isthmus proper from
severe earthquakes, the army engi-
neers base their belief upon the
safety of the canal largely upon the
wonderful enduring qualities of the
modern reinforced concrete construc-
ton, which Is embodied in all of the
great locks, dams and approaches of
the new canal.
Reinforced Structures Safe.
1t is pointed out that during the
San Francisco earthquake. though
the Zine of fault representing the
point of most imminent danger ran
directly through the Mare Island
navy yard, the great concrete dock
there was absolutely undisturbed and
the same was true of the reinforced
buildings in San Francisco itself.
1t Is said at the canal offices that
there was no connection whatever be-
tween last nights earthquake and
the extensive earth slides into the
Culebra cut at Cucaracha, reported
yesterday. The latter movement has
been in slow but continuous process
and it's only i'll effect, it is said,
might be to cause a postponement
for few days or weeks of the OPEN
ing of water communication across
the isthmus, an event originally fixed
for October 10, when the famous Gam
boa dixie was to have been dynamited