The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-09-21
Details of the Work of Finally
Joining the Atlantic and Pa
cific Oceans in October to Be
Followed by a Great Celebra-
ton, Whose Details Com
mission Is Now Working Out.
BY JOHN ELFnETII WATKINs

by JOHN ELFRETII WATKINS
washington. ID. c.. September 20
The wedding of the Atlantic and Pacific
Oceans at Panama Is scheduled for next
month.
IhiS contamination of the grandest
engineering enterprise or all time will
DC as Impressive as 1t is simple There
Will be an explosion. A mass Of earth
VIII be hurled into the air. obscurIng
everything for the moment Then will
come the thunder of rushing waters
tho first sweep OF the mighty torrent
through the full length OF the canal.
HE ceremonies at the official open
Ing OF the Panama Canal in the
early part of 1914 will be the
subject OF nations care. A special
commissioner already Is in Washing
ton and Is taking up the various plans
of the grand celebration and festival
To take place when the first heavy
draught ships are sent from the At
lantic TO the Pacific.
But when the oceans meet next
month the exercises will be much more
modest Indeed there will be almost
rothing to inform the great American
public that at last these Two oceans
have been brought together for the
bettermeDt Of commerce.
Colonel Goethals. clad in the white
soldiers uniform which has made him
hgure during the canal enterprise
Will stand Just beyond the mud about
Gatun dam. With him will be n little
stan OF officers. men whose faces are
wrinkled by care and Drowned by con-
slant exposure to the tropic sun.
Behind them Il knot of civilians will
be huddled. "A splotch OF color against
the green OF vegetation. When the ex
plosion comes there will be n mighty
rush of water as n valley. trees and
shrubbery and all. Is inundated by the
tremendous inlet.
That VIII be all. The mighty dredges
will go into the huge valleys SO re-
Gently created. towing out huge trees
which have been left in the lakes bot
tom And over the green spillway
there Will sweep for DAYS and days n
inass OF vegetation torn from earth by
the waters
When the big celebration begins next
year II will represent the combined ge-
MUS of the War and Navy Depart
inents. Secretary Of War Garrison and
Secretary OF the Navy Daniels are even
now holding conferences which are
slowly bringing the plans into shape.
Later they will hold conferences with
Colonel Goethals and with him Will
finally decide, upon the complete cele-
bration TO take place when the canal
is capable officiating the giant battle
ship Oregon. on whose bridge the Sec
rotary OF the Navy will stand as she
plows through the still waters. There
will he dances and receptions and ban
Quets and specchmaking and fireworks
when the work OF the canal Is finally
finished.
Mr.. Dodge in charge OF the division
OF publications OF the isthmian canal
commission recently stated that the
plans for the opening OF the canal were
really merely an extension Of the work
which has been done in the past
When the canal is opened next
month" said he. lit will simply mean
that the last great feature OF the work
is TO he begun. The men who arc in
charge OF this work will have as ar
duous and steady task for months
as the men who handled the shovels
At Culebra cut.
For under the waters of the canal
there are dying forests. swamped by
the entrance OF the waters. And the
sliding earth OF the canals Dv.'om
must be removed and the channel made
safe before the big vessels OF the world
may enter.
The dredges which are to be en-
ployed from now on will find steady
and difficult task in removing the waste
vegetation and earth from the canal.
Thus when the dixie at Gatun dam Is
blown up IL will be the signal calling
the men to work for the final stretch
In the completion OF the canal. How
long 1t will take do not know. There
are many who. visiting the canal when
this work is in progress. will hardly
realize that the canal is at last open
to navigation"
1t is almost impossible to realize