Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1913-10-06
LAST BARRIERS IN
PANAMA CANAL
Ditch Diggers Will Break
Them Away During
This Week.
UNION OF TWO OCEANS


1.-THE Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans
will be joined at Panama for the first
time in history of the world this
week, and their union will mark the
beginning of the last grand charge of
the ditch diggers at the two barriers
that exist against the union of the
waters-Gamboa Dixie and the slide,
(which came down at Cucharacha in
December, completely blocking the
channel. The waters Of the Atlantic
have already penetrated Gatun
Lake, when the floating dreGges that
passed through the lock last week
and the lake and ocean connected.
The waters are now pressing against
THE dixie, the destruction Of which,
when blown up on October 10, would
ordinarily accomplish the wedding of
the oceans, but Cucharacha Slide IN
tervenes This wall of earth south
of Gold Hill. on the Pacific end OF the
cut, is thirty feet deep and 400 feet
long and one-fourth as wide.
The water was pressing so hard
against the dixie on Wednesday that
Colonel Goethals began piping the
water in the lake to ease the strain.
There is already five feet of water
between the dixie ard the slide, and
the destruction Of the dixie is frGught
with grave possibilities, so mucl
that Colonel Goethals issued orders
ITO open a trench through the slide,
whereby the pressure following the
destruction of the dixie will be re-
lieved.
The trench will be opened in all
probability on Wednesday where
upon the waters below the dixie will
burst through the passage to COM
plete the channel, and for the first
time in history the oceans will be
united on Friday.
A thousand laborers are placing
twenty tons of dynamite prepara-
cory to blowing up the dyke.
The day it is destroyed will be a
memorable one in the history Of the
camal, and Americans should realize
that this is one of the few remain
ing finishing touches to the compile
ton of the canal. Colonel Gocthals
can send vessel through in less
than month.
The colonel's forces will advance
upon Mirafores Locks from either
side of the canal, and will open fire
upon the obstruction This attack,
by the way, is already on, and a
fankng movement has already been
inaugurated in the rear of the Ouch
aracha Slide.
Colonel Goethals has established a
battery of monitors. which will hur a
rain of eighty-inch streams, having
pressure Of fifty pounGs to the
square inch. against the base of the
slides BY this he calculates to re-
duce the mountain rock to a soft
| mud, which may be sluiced off to the
lowlands. The effect will be to re-
ducc the pressure on the slide and
cause it to crumble BY front and
rear attacks of this character it is
but matter of days until the last
remaining obstruction is broken
away, and which now prevents the
canal from linking ocean and ocean,
| Visitors are rushing in. The scenes
along the Canal Zone resemble those
! of the final charge of an army
against its foe. On the morning of
October 8 the dredges will be foated
through the Gatun Lake On Friday
the mine will be exploded under the
dixie and the channel, where the dixie
stood Meanwhile the dredges to the
south will be waiting word when the
waters shall have swelled through
the trenches.