The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1913-12-05

declared itself independent. Within
a month treaty had been negotiated
with the new republic by which the
United States was given control of a
strip of land 10 miles wide for the
purposes Of canal. The French
company's property was bought and
in February, 1904, a commission for
the construction of canal was
appointed. In May of that year, work
was begun where the French COM
pany had abandoned it. In June,
1905, a board Of consulting engineers
was appointed to consider whether
the canal should be at sea level or
with elevating locks.
The greatest and most difficult
problem which the American build.
ers Of the canal had to solve was not
one of engineering, but Of health.
Under the French company's opera
more than so per cent Of the work.
men were continually incapacitated
by disease. In one year the death
rate among them reached so per
cent. To Col. w. c. Gorgas, of the
army medical corps, was intrusted
the sanitation of the canal zone.
Recent medical research had proved
that yellow fever and malaria alike
were transmitted only by mosquitoes
and Colonel Gorgas organized san
itary corps, the main object of which
was to exterminate every mosquito
and every fly on the isthmus. As a
result the canal zone death rate is
lower than in most American cities.
The canal itself, from deep water
to deep water, is so miles long. Its
general direction from the Atlantic
entrance to the Pacific end is from
northwest to southeast, the northern
terminal being about 22H miles
farther west than the southern en-
trance from the Pacific. The first
7 miles Of the canal, beginning at the
Atlantic end, are at sea level. Five
miles Of channel, 500 #. wide, have
been dredged to depth of Aft.
directly south through Limon bay,
and two miles OF this sea-level section
has been cut through low-lying land
to the entrance to the Gatun locks,
where the ships are raised, in three
steps. to height of IS #. above sea
level, into the great body of fresh
water called Gatun lake.
These Gatun locks are not only
the largest Of their kind, but together
comprise the largest monolithic con-
crete structure ever built, exceeding
in volume the great Assouan dam
and bulking % as large as the Great
Pyramid, which is still the worlds
largest masonry structure. These
locks, like the ones at the Pacific end
Of the canal, are built in pairs, so
that the danger from accident is
halved and the efficiency doubled.
Since o5 per cent of ocean going
ships are less than 600 #. long, and
it would be waste Of water and Of
time to use the entire 1000 #. lock
for short vessels, each lock is provid-
ed with intermediate gates, so that
any one of five different lengths Of
chamber may be used. In all there
are 46 lock gates at Panama. These
are made of steel plates riveted to
structural-steel frames, and so strong
ly have they been constructed and SO
carefully braced that the largest Of
them, weighing 1883, 700 lb., droops
less than 1s Of an inch at the extreme
end, IS #. from its pintle, or hinge.
The total weight of the gates is 49,
488, 100 h., and their cost, including
the cost Of erection, was IS, 374, 474,
or more than 4 cents a pound.
Vessels will be lifted or lowered in
the locks at the rate OF 3 #. a minute,
and the total time for passing the
Gatun Locks will be about an hour
and half. Ships will not be allowed
to pass through the locks under their
own power, for fear of damaging the
lock gates by collision.
In Gatun lake ship may steam at
g. ~ ccool e.. "a H.