The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1913-08-14

are told OF the slides. anu we see
small ones coming down the noun
tainslde. A particular hill we are
passing has moved forward 90 feet;
here below US the ground "buckles"
as the opposite banks crowd toward
one another. Such industry never
before fell beneath the sight OF
human eyes, 1t would seem that
those great walls, hundreds OF feet
high on either side, would tumble In
upon US, yet our car pushes on and
on, down through the nine miles Of
the cut; and were not most OF II
finished, and were not most OF the
slides dead" the final accomplish
ment would seem impossible. It Is
a seething, moving kaleidoscope
moving too fast to watch il all; be-
side the hill and the deep excava-
tions these steam shovels seem like
children's toys, thoufih we realize
that this immensely has startled
modern engineering enterprises
the trains seem ridiculously insig-
ni6cant, yet we know they repre-.
sent the heaviest implements OF
trans pertation. My hot has been
forgotten. Someone sevs: "And
Goethals bosses all this" The reply
is: God Almighty is the powel
here. Yes, it Is too big, too colossal
for human hands, for even Yankee
endeavor-truly this is the under
taking OF God Almighty-and He
directs His children at Panama.
i've got this thing through my
head today" one OF our party con
fessed, and coniidentially / remarked
Sand so have l." Again and again
was 10 hear this confession from
those who were for the first day or
1.-The Isthmus. So then why describt
10 detall-it is 80 hopeless. Suffice
TO relate:
| Water seeks It's level, and the
Atlantic and Pacific are OF exact
height; ths tides rise twenty feet or
the Pacific, twenty inches on th'
| Atlantic.
The surface OF the water elevation
| In the canal will be 90 feet above thu
seas.
The Gatun locks on the Allan tit
side lift the water the entire IS feet
while the Pedro Miguel and Mira
Flores locks divide this same
task-lifting ships the same 81 feet
but the depth Of the Culebra Gu
Inside the locks), is but As feet.
To understand the canal imagin,
sets OF locks over 80 miles apart
Between them lies high stretch o
land, parts OF which are mount tain
GUS. There Ia ditch part OF th'
way, and over a great portion lake
called Gatun. A mighty river, th'
Chagres, pours into this lake, ant
water finding its level" backs its
way through to the locks. Forget
the "spillway," which though i'm
portant, carries away all the waste
water. That's the canal.
The canal will cost $4,000, 600.
Boats will pass through the cana
in eight to ten hours.
The area of the canal zone is 49,
square miles. It1 width 10 miles.
Work commenced by the United
States May A, 1864. Gates and CO
ment work are practically complete
and the fall rains of the coming sea-
son, beginning in October are ex
pecsed to fill Catun Lake by Jan. l
1914.
The formal opening OF the canal is
set for January 1, 1915. Small Graf
will. however, pass through full
year ahead of this.
/ Fertilization work is being PLACID
lat both ends OF the canal.
| ali the buildings Ia the canal ION,
have been built by the United State.
government aud every employee is
hou-ed surrounded by every modern
convenience.
| Copyright, 1918, by U. S. Pres:
Association.