Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-11-26
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the minority plan in lieu of the sea
level plan as advocated by the ma
jority, and show how clearly the
greater difficulties that would have
been encountered in an attempt TO
construct a sea level canal. An Eng
lish scientist, who at first was skepti-
cal as to the Gatum dam, after a
visit, thought that the expressed
opinion of the consulting engineers
with reference to the dam, namely,
that no such vast and doubtful eX-
pertinent should be INDUCED in,' was
now applicable to Culebra Cut. There
are probably some who. still believe
a wrong choice was made, but visit
to the Isthmus is a sure cure for
such cases, provided always that they
are open to conviction.
The canal consists of q sea level
entrance channel from the sea
through Limon bay to Gatun about
seven miles long, 500 feet bottom
width and forty-one feet deep at
mean tide. AT Gatun the eighty-five-
foot lake level is obtained by dam
across the valley. The lake is con-
fined on the Pacific side by dam
between the hills and Pedro Miguel
locks thirty-two miles away The
lake thus formed has an area OF
about 164 square miles and a chan
mel depth of not less than forty-five
feet at normal stage.
Three Locks mt Gatun.
At Gatun ships pass from the sea
to the lake level and vice versa. by
three locks in fight. On the Paclf1c
side there is one lift of thirty feet at
Pedro Miguel to small lake held at
fifty-lve feet about sea level by the
xt.l,o ttxyn
overcome the difference of level to the
sea. The channel between the locks
on the Pacific side is 500 feet wide
at the bottom and forty-five feet deep
at mean tide Through the lake the
bottom widths are not less than l,ooo
feet for about sixteen miles, 800 rect
for about four miles, 500 feet for
about three miles, and through the
continental divide or, as it is com
monty called, the Culebra Cut, from
Bas Obispo to Pedro Miguel, as
lance of nine miles, the bottom Widta
is 300 feet. The total length of the
canal from deep water in the Carrlp-
can to deep water in the Pacific, IS
practically fifty miles. fifteen miles
of which are at sea level.
Provisions have been made to ann
ply protect the entrances of the
canal. During the winter months oc-
casional storms occur on the Atlantlc
side of such violence that vessels
cannot lie with safety in Colon mar
Dor, and during the progress of such
storms entrance and egress from the
canal would be unsafe. To overcome
this condition a breakwater has been
extended from Toro point in o
northeasterly direction which not
only protects the entrance but pro-
vides a safe harbor. Another break
water extended from the east side
of the entrance will give some pro-
lection against sitting and enable
small boats to lay alongside snip
ping anchored in the outer harbor
during the more severe trade WINDS.
The Pacific entrance requires no pro.
lection from storms, but the set OF
the silt bearing current from the
east is at right angles to the chan
mel and the sitting made dredging
necessary.
(By sitting Colonel Goethals means
the deposit OF fine sediment in a
channel or waterway as the rusult
Of the action of current or tides or
the natural flow of stream)
big Dixie at Balboa.
To prevent this shoaling dixie has
been constructed from the mainland
at Balboa 10 NdoS lSltthu, q uio'oSS
of about. four miles.
The lakes submerged the tracks or
the Panama railroad for the greater
part of its length, and as this road
was necessary for construction pur--
poses and for the operation and
maintenance of the canal, it was
reconstructed throughout, with the
exception of a few miles at either
end. 1t was originally intended to
pass the new railroad through Guile
bra Cut on ledge. ten feet above the
water surface, to be left for this pur-
pose during the excavation of the
channel through the cut, but the
slides and the absolute necessity for
keeping open railroad communiea-
ton between the two ends of the line
necessitated change in the location
and a new line to the east of the cut
was selected.