The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1913-10-17

TelOchtlHp the f'dnulnH THHFOuQ uuu
been done. and actual construction of
the new line was begun In June. 1907,
shortly after his arrival Excavations
in the lock sites were uncompleted. and
1t was two years later. IN 1909. before
any concrete was laid. In April, the
month he arrived. nearly 100000 yards
were removed from the Culebra cut.
the best months work to that date
Dredging In the Atlantic and Pacific
entrances Of the canal had gone ahead
steadily. though not extensively. Less
than I,000,000 yards had been removed
from the Cuebra cut by both Wallace
and Stevens.
The fall of 1907 and the month of
October presented a new problem i'll
the canal construction which ever since
has been one of the most formidable
and uncertain factors in the project.
A slide began ut Cucaracha Oh the east
side of the cut near the town of Guile
bra and suddenly filled the cut, closing
it for transportation. In 1881 I'll,
French had noted this earth move
ment. aud during Colonel GOpthalS
first years on the canal it invol ed All
area of fortv.srvcn acres Before dir.
tro,iS lOIIii move through The cut
steam shOvels had to work night and
day for several weeks. and from that
time onward the slides have been the
bugbear of the organization, not be-
cause they were insuperHhe. but from
the extra work they involved and the
possibility that they might delay the
completion of the project.
Right then it WAS realized that the
| canal involved more excavation than
| the minority Of the board Of advisory
engineers had estimated Several i'm
portunt changes in the plans for the
canal came within the first eighteen
months OF the Cocktails administra
ton to make the job far more stu
| pendOus than contemplated In the
plans Of 1906. Colonel Goethals recon-
mended and President Roosevelt ap
proved OH Dec 20, 1907, Il change in
| the location of two of the Pacific locks
! The revised plans changed two locks
from La Boca on the Pacific coast. to
| AIiraflOres. about seven miles inland
which not only would make til On safe
| from bombaI dment. hut was II more
| practicable engineering plan. A mile
and Il half farther inland We're the Pc
| drO Miguel locks, which would raise
ships the final height to the great Ga
| tun lake mt its Pacific terminal, and be
tween the Pedro Miguel and MirafloreS
locks was a small artificial lake. From
Mirahores to the Pacific a sea leve!
channel 800 feet wide was to be dug.
Another change in the plans was ap-
proved by the president on recOmmen-
dations by the navy board on Jan. 10,
| 1908. The locks were ordered enlarged
from 95 by 900 feet to ITO feet by 1000
feet, disable dimensions. to meet the
anticipated increase in the size of com
mercial and war vessels.
The Pennsylvania of our navy will
be ninety-seven feet wide. or six and
one-half feet on each side of the ship
in the locks. The Imperator of the
| Hamburg American line is 81 feet wide
and 9l9 feet long, 50 that it appears
before they become too short. The cost
Of the locks was increased $5,000.000
by the change in plans.
! A third vital change in the original
plans came ON Oct. %. 1908. when the
| president authorized the widening of
the Culebra cut for five miles from
! 200 feet to 800 feet at the bottom. This
! would enable ships to pass going in
| opposite directions anywhere in the
cut and increased the cost of this part
of the canal by $l4,OOO0OO. Since these
three important changes there have
been no substantial changes in the ca
nal plans except the decrease in the
| proposed height of the huge Gatun
dam. Additional excavation to the ex-
tent of 7O,ST ,594 cubic yards was ne
ceSSitated by the new plans over the
estimate Of 1913, $4,000 yards made in
1906, or total Of 174,666,594 yards for
the completed canal. But slides that
| later developed and further changes in
the plans since 1908 have added A..
100000 yards to that total, bringing il
up to 22l,0UO,O00 yards. Thus Colonel
Goethals has had to dig more than
twice as much dirt as Mr.. Stevens ex.
pected to take out and has done it in
less time than was estimated for the
original yardage.
Basing his figures on the revised
plans, Colonel Cocktails in 1908 issued
the following estimate of the cost OF
the Panama canal:
ATLANTIC DlVIsION-SEVEN MILES
| Breakweter in Lmon bay........ 81, 1872 OOC
From Caribbean sea channel to
| H"'un loc"s ''''.''................ 1876 OOt
Gatun locks, three twin locks.... 25,S24.OOC
Gatun dam Observation-Disclosures. 1882, OOC
s6S, ,0OC
| CENTRAL DIVISION - THIRTY-TWO
MILES.
| Channel from Gatun locks to
BaS Oblspo ....................... SI,977, 00C
| Culebra cut, nine miles, Bias
Obispo to Pedro Miguel lock- 80 4Sl OOC
sSS,FiS,OOC
| PACIFIC DlVISlON-EIGHT MILES.
Pedro Miguel lock..................S l2,6S3. 90,
Pedro Miguel dam.................. 25l, OOC
Mirafiores LOCKS ............"...... 1915, OOC
Mirafores dam NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 2,156.OOC
| Channel, Pedro Miguel to Pa
ciic ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. $4,000
$47,9 ,0OC
New Panama railroad ........... $S,l64, OOC
/ Land damages MISREPRESENTATION. 500, O0C
GENERAL ITEMS.
| Municipal improvements ......... S12.1i4.OOC
Buildings Observation-Disclosures. l4651, OOC
General expenses, salaries, sub
sistence. etc. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS." %, 100000
Loans to Panama railroad........ $500, OO(
Contingencies NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 2OOOO. O0l
I fnl,t 90