Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-10-10

Length snd 9tOam oroooso Apo First
ehips 70 Entsr-leeal Links ~ Canal
Now opsn 70 Navigation.
Panama, Oct. 1o-1hs oasWbea
dixie wAs exploded st 2:o2 p. m. -.
day. The destruction 81 ths dilss
was successful In ivory way.
New York, Oct. 1o.-The Atlantic aaA
Pacific oceans were actually united to-
day when tho GamboA dixie was de.
| stroyed and the waters OF 0atun Lake
| were allowed to flow into Culebra cut.
| as lake and cut are. at tho noemAl
| surface Of the water. eighty-nve feat
above the level Of the sea.
The destruction OF the Gamboa dike.
however. removes the last obstructioa
to the navigator OF the greater part of
| the canal by light-draft vessels and
opens up direct connection between the
| Gatun lake. which already 10 prac-
tically ready TO discharge vessels into
tine Atlantic thru tho locks and the
Pacific division. Tho waters OF the
| lake rushing thru the broken dixie at
Gamboa sweep thru the Culebra cut
until they reach the great locks at
Pedro Miguel. which mark the begin
ming OF the descent from the top level
Of the canal to the Pacific.
Spark Travels Long Route.
Experts calculated that within four
| seconds after tho initial Impulse tho
current threw q small switch at the
Gamboa dixie which in turn set In mo-
tion other apparatus furnishing the
current which exploded the charges.
Elaborate preparations had been
made by the Western Union Tele-
graph Company and tho Central and
South American Telegraph Compan-
les for the transmission OF tho presi-
dents signal. From Washington 10
Galveston. Tex, 1855 miles, . single
wire carried the spark. There 10 was
taken up instantaneously by sentative
| repeating instruments and spod over
the cable along tho bottom Of tho Gulf
of Mexico to Coatzacoalcos. Mexico.
793 miles further. From that point is
sped overland across the isthmus Of
| Tehauntepec. 1873 miles. to another
cable station at Salina Cruz. on the
Pacific ocean. wherc another set OF
sensitive Instruments snatched it up
and hurried 1t 766 miles thru another
cable on the bottom OF tho PaciAo
ocean to San Juan del Sur. Nicaragua,
| n cable station. There other delicate
machines transferred 1t to stfll anoth-
er cable and shot 1t 71S miles mora
to Panama. When the spark emerged
from its long submarine journey It took
the overland wires of the Panama
Railroad Company and completed its
mission at the Gamboa dixie.
Hours before the time set experts Of
| the telegraph and cable company were
| busy perfecting the arrangements SO
the flash might have unobstructed
passage.
Exactly at 2 o'clock eastern time
this afternoon. President Wilson. press
ing button at the White House. sent
an electric current more than 1000
| miles over lands and under seas to
blow up the Gamboa dixie and remove
the last obstacle in the great oceanic
waterway.
Steam Dredsss Enter.
The first craft to enter will be the
great steam dredges whose work 10
to clear and deepen the CHANNEL. The
presence OF small craft in portions OF
the canal. however. does not as yet
mean ocean to ocean navigation. This
will be first possible when each link in
the canal has a sufficient depth OK
water and all the locks are working.
In the intermediate stag navigation
may be effected in local links Of tho
canal and to some degree may be ex-
tended from length to length along tho
whole waterway.
Todays event served to demonstrate
the nearness OF the canal to the oper-
ating stage. 1t also formally brought
10 d close the work OF the central di-z
vision OF the work in the cut, for tho
dredging work will be under a different
organization.
chasrss River Hold in Check.
Gamboa dixie was built in 1908 60
hold the Chagres river in check during
it's turbulent periods and to prevent ito
waters entering Culebra Gu. and delay.
ing the work OF the steam shovels.
1t was important solely from its 10.
cation. Twenty -four miles to the north
the mighty Gatun dam. which to the
uninitiated appears to be nothing more
than q low mountain range stretched
across the valley, keeps the water from
the lake from escaping to the sea.
These two barriers. ono tho greatest
man made dam in history and the
other low ridge of earth and rock.
which would ordinarily have passed
unnOtlCeu, iiuNO hSRS AA SAASSsS SAAS
ers Of the lake. 4g4#= s=az r
Lake Thirty Miles In Length.
Today there Is only one, and the
waters OF the lake now extend from
Pedro Miguel lock on the south 70
Gatun locks on the north. q distance
of about thirty-three miles. approxi-
mately two-thirds of the canafs
length.
Drills were at work on the dixie near !
ly the whole month OF September ana
Il was mined with over 1900 holes
charged with dynamite. Tho barrier
contained about $4,000 cubic yards OF
material. or the same number Of two
horse wngonloads.
When Gatun lake rose to . height ct
ATTY feet IN the latter part Of 1919 the
dixie was wiasssea 90 an ayeFa - ~
fifty feet by dumping clay on the side
toward the cut and raised to TIA red
above the sea level. szss slss
"a