Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-10-05

COLON. PANAMA. Oct. Next
FRIDAY the Panama Canal will become
reality. on that day the great
Ganrboa dixie, the last obstruction
sansrating the waters of the Atlantic
and the Pacific Oceans, will be blown
nm and the two bodies will be united.
Then the canal will be truly com
Melted. There Will be some work to
be done before heavy draft vessels
can be sent from one ocean to the
other, but that work consists merely
NJ the removal of distractions from
the channel and Is relatively insig-
niflcant
Already four 26-inch pipes have
been inserted in Gamboa dixie, through
which the waters OF Gatun Lake may
flow into Culebra cut. The flow, prob
ably will be started Tomorrow.
But next Friday will come the real
union OF the two oceans, when the
Gamboa dixie will be dynamited. The
engineers in charge will allow the
water to trickle through the pipes in
4 the meanwhile to settle in the Guile
bra cut, and to form thus a cushion
TO receive something of the force OF
the shock that comes when Gamboa
dixie is dynamited. Already wOrkmen
are drilling 3O-foot holes in the dixie
10 take the charges Of explosive.
Jungle Must Be Removed.
But these charges will not demolish
the dixie They will merely loosen the
material 80 that the water will be
able to trickle through and cut its
own channel. The steam dredges will
complete the work of opening the
channel, and once this is done, a clear
passage from the Atlantic to the Pa
cifc will result.
Then there is work to be done in
removing the dense tropical vegeta-
ton from the channel where II has
grown since the cutting was done.
The canal fora grows apidly Guile
bra cut is covered in many places ny
trees and rank underground and much
vegetation there is in the bottom OF
Gatun Lake
And because there is work yet to
be done, Colonel Goethals has put his
foot decisively on all projects for a
great celebration. II will all be done
quietly said the Colonel, without fuss
or feathers. Even when the great ex-
plosion comes that will demolish
Gamboa dixie, there will be no dem
onstratiOn, nor any crowds to watch,
TOR any notice taken, it Is believed
Explosions are common enough in the
Canal Zone to warrant that this one
should 20 unnoticed.
Climax Truly American.
So the union Of the Atlantic and
the Pacific will be a secret nuptial
and the end Of nine years work, of
80 years OF great visions, will be eff
fected quietly, In a manenr typically
American.
It is expected that by December the
waters In Gatun Lake will have risen
high enough to bring the waters in
the entire canal up to the deep water
level when the large ships can be
sent through.
Gatun Lake is the keystone of the
entire canal the one secret of its
being. 1t is "A large artificial body Of
water made by impounding the wa
ters OF the Chagres River in the val
ley Without its construction, the en-
ire canal system would be a failure.
Gatun Lake is the feeder for the ca
nal At one end is the Culebra Cut,
leading down through the Miraflores
locks into the inlet from the Bay Of
Panama. At the other end of the
AXE the canal leads through a series
OF three pairs OF locks into the chan
rel which has been dug to 1imon
BAY The water level in Gatun Lake
When the full supply is accumulated
VIII be 81 feet above sea level.
II is the wall between Cfatun Lake
ana Culebra Cut that5is being tapped
by pipes, and that will be dynamited
next Week.
Canal Virtually Finished.
IL is to be seen that the canal vir-
tually can be called complete. for the
remaining work will be mere .child's
pay compared with the herculean
ieats already accomplished. Thus the
americans have finished in nine years
Ll.e task which baffled the French
diter many years of work.
When the Americans began work in
4Sy+ the world scoffed. But after the
american engineers had been on the
!oo year or more the world began
70 lose its scornful smile and to
tedilze that the Americans means
business. Many mistakes were made
I|lce az much earth has been exca-
ssAIed as the plans originally called
LoF' and 1t has cost twice as much
money a Q