The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1913-01-08


side are the Panama railroad tracks
\ Dense tropical jungles, teeming with
tropical yerdure, crocodiles, monkeys
and parrots, are being washed under
After passing through the Gatun
locks vessels will traverse the 10 miles
of lake under their own steam to the
CuJebra cut A dixie, stretched across
the depths of the cut at its northern
extremity, is now the only separation
for the cut and the waters of Gatun.
This dixie, over which runs temper
airy railroad, is about a quarter of a
mile wide
Looking toward the Pacific is seen an
army of steam shovels, putting locomo-
tives, trailing dirt cars, gasoline drills,
dynamite squads and dredges. In the
/ distance appears the pinnacle of the
mountain through which the deepest
part of the cut passes. The cut is
eight and one-half miles in length.
Over five miles have been finished, and
the lowest level has been attained
Out of Culebra cut every day are
taken 120 trains of earth. At present
the dirt is used to reclaim 100 acres
of land at Balboa, the Pacific entrance,
and in building the Pacific breakwater,
linking the mainland and three large
islands on which the quarantine sta
lions and Notifications will be installed.
Fighting slides" lends spice to the
blasting and the shoveling of Culebra.
Gold HILL the biggest slide, is now
vanquished. 1t has remained station
airy for two years. But at several
points slides of earth and rock are
pouring into the canal Excavation of
the dirt is the only remedy until the
sides of the canal are leveled off to an
angle at which slides are impossible.
These ayalanches of earth are ex-
pected to cause removal of 100000
more cubic yards of earth in Culebra
cut. When dynamiting, which shakes
the mountain sides, ceases, the slides
will also cease, according to the engi-
neers' estimates. Only one bad slide
is occurring today. This is below the
engineers headquarters at Culebra.
On the Pacific side of the cut is the
Pedro Miguel lock. President Taft
saw it almost completed. Range lights
are being installed and operating ma
chinery perfected. Steam shovels are
widening the north entrance. 1t is the
same size as each of the Gatun and
Mira1ores locks. To the west of the
Pedro Miguel lock another dam has
been completed similar to the Gatun
dam but smaller. 1t will back up
water to form Mirafiores lake, extend
ing mile between the Pedro Miguel
lake and the two locks at Minaf1ores |
The channel between the two is at the |
lowest level and practically completed, |
except the final polish. Greatest activ- !
ity upon any part of the canal is at the |
Miraf1ores locks. Fourteen steam |
shovels are operating there, and train
loads of concrete are being poured into
FORMS The locks themselves are fin
ished and the gates nearly installed,
but the machinery and abutment walls
are not finished.
South of Mirafores the canal widens.
Its lowest depth has been almost
reached, however. A dixie two miles
south of the locks is the scanty barrier
remaining between the locks and the
of the canal, run of about
four miles to Balboa and the Pacific
Water is in this reach of four miles,
he canal being finished except for final
1redging of sediment
At Balboa the railroad terminal and
shops are being enlarged. There a
arge mountain of solid rock, 1900 feet
high, is being RACED to secure more
for the breakwater. Three
Stands reaching into the Pacific are
)eing Joined by the breakwater. On
wo are being built concrete forts for
mighty 12-inch guns. On another is
he quarantine station and on the
arthest island the sentinel of the canal
n the Pacific, is another fort, precipi-