Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1913-11-04
CHAPTER XII.
Wonderful Locks and Dams.

\ elevator system for ships Is be-
"a ing installed at Panama at
"A cost Of $5S.OOO.OOO These ele-
vators. known us locks. will
raise ships to and lower them from the
great artificial inland lake which is
eighty fiveNfeet above sea level
There are ST. locks on the Atlantic
side and six on the Pacific side. at
each end of the Gatun lake.
A ship arriving at Colon fror, New
York, on its way to San Francisco, en-
tiers the sea level channel in Limon
bay and steams for seven miles
through the canal, which is 500 feet
wide and forty one feet deep. to Gatun
Here its way is barred by massive
pile of masonry with impressive steel
gates, and towering eighty five feet
above the ship is the surface Of the
Gatun lake To the west OF the ship
runs the man made mountain. the
Gatun dam. which holds the lake In
bounds. The problem is to lift the
ship to this lake.
AS If by magic, the gates swing open.
and an electric locomotive. which has
run out on guide wall and fastened
to the ship. tows it into the first lock.
The gates swing together. and the ship
is imprisoned in a chamber 1000 feet
long and 40 feet wide and built of
concrete In moment the water In
this chamber begins to rise. being sup
piled through holes in the bottom. and
the ship rises with the water.
Fifteen minutes after entering the
lock the ship has risen with the water
for twenty seven and one-half feet. II
the full capacity for filing the lock
should be used the ship would rise
that height in eight minutes. Another
set of gates swing open in front OF
the ship. and the locomotives tow 1t
into the second lock. concrete cham
Der of the same dimensions. The gates
having closed behind. this chamber be-
gins filing with water until the ship
is raised again for twenty-seven and
one-half feet A third set Of gates
open. and the ship ia towed into the
6nal lock. where the operation is re-
peated with a rise Of thirty feet. or
a total lift for the three locks Of
eighty.hve feet When the gates in
front swing open the ship steams out
into the Gatun lake. The time spent
in climbing eighty-6ve feet was an
hour and half.
For sixteen miles through this lake
the ship steams In channel 900 feet
wide. for four miles in channel 800
feet wide and for three miles in
channel 800 feet wide. or twenty-three
miles in all Then it enters the famous
Culebra cut. which Is 800 feet wide
through the continental mountain d.
vide and nine miles long At the end
Of the cut is the Pedro Miguel lock.
thirty-two miles from Gatun.
After entering this lock. which es-
sentially is the same as the ones on
the Atlantic side. the ship goes through
the reverse of the process at Gatun
The water in the concrete chamber be-
gins falling. taking the ship down with
1t. When it has fallen thirty feet tho
gates In front open and the ship goes
out into another artificial lake, mile
and half long. ut the end of which
are the Miratlores locks. These two
locks lower the ship twenty-seven and
half feet each. or total for the three
locks Of eightytive feet. which was the
height the ship was raised on the other
side. The ship then steams through
Il sea level channel for seven miles to
the Pacific. having made the whole
journey from deep water in the AT
lantic to deep water in the Pacific
fifty miles. in ten hours.
At both ends the locks are built In
pairs or twins. 50 that ships going
in opposite directions may pass
through them simultaneously. A wall
sixty feet thick separates the locks.
and If one set should become disabled
the adjoining set still would be avail
able for passage. The time required
for ship to mount the three locks on
one side and descend the three locks on
the other side Is three hours.
On the Atlantic side the locks at
Gatun are connected and constitute
one solid piece of masonry. On the
Pacific side the lock at Pedro Miguel
is separated from the two locks at Mi
rahores by small lake mile and n
half long. This lake. like the great
Gatun lake, is formed by damming riv
ers dam ut the Pedro Miguel lock
which Is the first lock encountered 90
ing toward the Pacific. holds the wa
terS of Gatun lake from spilling down
the Pacific slope.
Chief Engineer Stevens began the
excavations in the Gatun and Pedro
Miguel lock sites in 1906 shortly after
the decision was made for lock type
canal. hut most Of the excavation and
all OF the concrete laying have been