Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-09-26

~ tentereo cnieny IN the excava
tion phase Of canal construc-
ton. losing sight Of the fact
that the locks, dams and breakwaters
call for an expenditure Of SS5.84S.0OO
The Culebra cut has been exploited
more than any other feature Of the
canal. yet II was estimated to cost
$S0.4Sl .OOO or $5.OO0OOO less than the
features Just enumerated. Even the
dredging Of fifteen miles Of sea level
channel has received little publicity.
and this was to cost no less than $50.
9O6O00
The Culebra cut ~ nine miles long.
with curve for nearly every mile.
At these curves the cut Is widened to
permit the ships to pass easily. Al
ways the chief problem has been one
Of transportation. or how to keep empty
cars In front Of the steam sbovels con-
stantly. In d canyon only 300 feet wide.
In a working day Of eight hours It has
been found possible to keep the steam
sbovels working only about six hours
because OF this circuniscribed field of
operations 70.
Naturally the seventy-nve miles Of
track In the Culebra cut must be
shifted constantly az the excavation
work carries. the levels down This
kept the track shifters and hundreds
Of men at work day and night During
the maximum operations In the cut
COCO men were employed In the day
time. while at night 400 men worked
to keep the steam shoyels In repair. to
replenish their coal bins. blast more
material for the shovels and otherwise
to get the cut In shape for the next
days activities.
About IO0000.OOO cubic yards were to
be removed to. complete this part OF
the canal. or practically half the total
excavation On Iuly I. 1918. the begin
ming of the last year of work. there
were 100000 yards left to be re-
moved
For the whole length Of the cut the
average depth from the surface to the
proposed bottom OF the canal was about
12o feet. the highest point on the cen.
ter line Of the canal being at Culebra.
between Gold and Contractors hills.
where excavation has gone down 272
feet After the soil had been removed
for a short depth solid rock was struck.
and to Jan. I. 1918. 54.504, $50 pounds
Of dynamite were used In blasting. or
the staggering total Of 27.252 tons.
The lay mind thinks Of a pound Of dy-
Mantle as impressive. but its use In
the canal work has been bewilderingly
heavy.
Most Of the explosive has been used
In the Culebra cut. II is estimated
that pound Of dynamite will break
up 2l4 cubic yards Of rock and earth.
and as much as twenty-six tons have
been set or 10 one blast in the canal.
Stringent rules have prevailed to pre-
vent accidents. and. while deaths from
this cause have run into the hundreds.
the handling Of this amount Of dyna.
mite has been distinguished for the
small number of fatalities. The largest
single shipment of dynamite to Pan
anna was $40 tons. received on June q.
1911. without an accident In loading or
unloading from the steamer.
All through the day drills operated
by compressed air bored into the rock
in the cut for twenty-four feet A
small charge Of powder was set of at
the bottom Of these holes to enlarge
them for the real charge Of as much
as 200 pounds. Then after the men
had quit for the noon hour or after 5
o'clock In the afternoon the charges
were set of by electric current Many
persons have been killed by being
struck by rocks hurled long distances
in these blasts The next morning the
steam shovels found plenty Of food for
their hungry jaws. which bit OF four
or Eve cubic yards at a dip. swung
around and dropped the six or seven
tons upon the cars. Frequently they
lifted rocks 40 heavy that the ears
were broken.
From $50 to l75 trains a day loaded
WIFI eAVuNdltN iclt TIC Suic
bra rut for the dumps. A great deal
went to build the mighty Gatun dam:
much has been used In reclaiming near
~ 400 acres from the ocean at Balboa.
the Pacific terminal: the new Panama
railroad required millions Of yards In
making hlls. aud the break water at
Balboa also took considerable
amount. What could not be usefully
employed was wasted OH dumps. The
average haul from the cut has been
twelve miles, but us much as thirty
miles was Travelled by some of the dirt
trains. Twenty Hat cars constituted u
train. and one car could be loaded by
u shovel In two ami half minutes. or
with seven scOOpfuls Of earth and rock
When the trains got to the dumps an
unloading plOw was drawn by steel
cable over the Hat cars. sweeping the
material of the side which was open
Then Spreaders were pushed over the
track To shove the material to one side
and down the embankment. Track