The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-07-27
By FRANK @. CARPENTER.
Washington. d.

aShlnRtOn ~. 4.
TT WAS In little ten by twelve
room in the top of the Mills Build
ing that talked with Colonel
George ". Goethals as to the compile
ton or the Panama Canal. The colonel
sat In front OF window looking out
on the Potomac, the War Department
and tho Washington Monument and
tho hot breeze which blew through
seemed like North Pole zephyr in
comparison with Panama. 1t made his
blue eyes bright. his dark cheeks rosy.
and he seemed as cool as the centre
seed OF a cucumber. / know now that
he was loaded with work. but he did
not show IT then. Indeed. I find that
the busiest men are those who seem to
have the most leisure. They know how
TO use their minds, and 90 not let their
souls fly to the four corners OF the
world while talking to you. The chief
ot the great work ut Panama has had
only week TO spend in Washington.
and every BIT OF that time. with the
exception. perhaps, OF six hours at
night for sleeping. has been occupied
Win the President, tho Secretary of
War and anxiously inquirins members
of the Senate and the House. Big
questions were discussed. and matters
involving millions were weighed in the
balance.
/, was during one of tho intervals of
such discussions that ] got an appoint
mont for all interview. put my Ques-
tons, ard the answers promptly came
Said !.
when will the canal be doneT'
i cont know. 1t will be finally
opened in 1915 ] expect to see II done
long in advance Of that"
When Will tho water be let into tho
Culebra cutr
EARLY In October next"
But will the cut be ready by that
timer
The cut Is ready for the water now.
TIE difficulty is that we cannot get the
dredges In. The situation is briefly
This: When / went back last February
found that two slides had developed,
and the engineers told me that the cut
could not be made ready for the water
u:til January l, 1914. SO 1 had to
figure backward and see how soon after
that time could raise the level OF
Catun lake from the nifty feet which It
IS now, 10 the required level of eighty
five feet. Tpis could be done only
during the rainy season. which does not
begin until July. and 1t would have
been far along in November of i 14
before we could have the maximum
lake level The canal had to be open
Ell. thoroughly tested and ready for
work by 1915, and L could plainly see
that this was impossible If we relied
upon eKcavating the balance Of the
Culehra cut in the dry and did not
finish II before January !. That de-
termined me upon letting the water in
during the coming rainy season and
completing the work with the dredges
The rainy season As now ut about It's
beginning. II Will rise to the level
of seventy five feet by the LIST OF o.
tober. when the dixie which separates
the lake from the cut Will disappear
and the waters flow in"
But how about the work then? What
kind of progress can you make in
scoopng UT the earth and rock out
of that mighty ditch of water forty
feet decp?'
The progress is all n question OF
slides" replied the enginec In chief.
we expect 10 put in three dredgos. and
Mr. Comber who is in charge of the
Pacific division, tells me that these
three dredgcs will take out n half mil
lion cubic yards N one month. l be-
lieve we can dc the work cheaper
\and quicker by the drcdgcs than by
Ahc steam shovels. The arrangements
are such that we will get the dredges
IN about the lst of October. The CON
tractors Will finish one flight OF locks
throughout the canal by that time. We
shall then blow up the dixie and lot
the suction dredges in from the At
lantic end. We will bring up the
Corozal from the Pacific end, and we
VIII have three great dredEes carry
ing tho material OF the Cucuracha slide
and other material over the sides of tho
cut into the Rio Grande Valley on
the west. have also installed
sluicine plant which will carry the
top OF the Cucuracha slide back into