Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1913-11-04

water would rush through with fea'
full velocity. but provision has beet
made against this contingency by hav
ing in readiness emergency dams.
which would be swung out over the
lock and forced down through the In
rushing water
1t Is to prevent such accidents that
the plan of towing vessels through the
locks with electric locomotives was
adopted. as then no misunderstanding
Of signals from the captain to the en-
ginepr of IL ship could result. Inc
tracks for these locomotives are on
each side wail of the locks. and two
will fa~t-n to the rear and two to the
front Ut ship To effect Il passage. 1t
all twelve locks were joined end to
end they would make II canyon nearly
three miles long. no feet wide and
eighty feet deep
The natural topography Of the 18th
mus at Panama permitted the ChngreS
river to ESCAPE into the Caribbean sen
through break IN the mountains at
Gatun. Engineers logically considered
that this was the point ut which dam
should bp thrown across the ('hagrpS
river Two valleys were formed at
Gutun by hill which rose In the
center to an elevation of 10 feet, and
the dam that was designed runs from
the Gatun locks to this hill and from
this hill to the mountains. q total dis
lance of $500 feet. or a mile and a
half
AS the Chagres river every year dis
charges enough water to ill the lake.
some means of disposing Of the sur
plus water mad to be provided. The
plan adopted called for a spillway to
he constructed in this hill. about third
way in the dam site This spiilway is
Of concrete. requiring 225.O0O cubic
yards to complete On July l. 1918. 1t
was more than % per cent completed
Til" funr ut the spilway Is ten feet
above sea level and BON feet wide
through the hill which involved ex
ravntion through rock for Al depth Of
100 feet at the highest point Of the
hill A concrete dam was built on
this floor to II height Of sixty nine feet
above sea level and in shape like
Semicirle On top Of the concrete
dam piers were built with an arrange
ment for steel gates These steel
gates will he electrically operated and
regulate the tlow Ut water ont Of the
lake. Az much rs l40.NM cubic feet Of
water per SECOND may escape through
the spillway when the gates are open
There will not he complete loss OF
this water. IA on the east side Of the
spillway power plant OF the hydro
electric type will be operated A drop
Of seventy five feet by the water will
operate turbine engines. which in turn
will operate the electric machinery that
will generate all the power and lllumi-
mating current needed from one end Of
the canal to the other But an add.
tionnl power plant will he maintained
Mt Miralores for emergencies The
power to operate the lock gates will
come from the spilIway plant.
The Gatnn dam Ia NO sturendous that
II almost seems to be continuation Of
the hills that inciOsp the lake. II In
fact does complete the natural moun.
tain chains that form the barriers Of
the Chagrex river II In 105 feet high.
or twenty feet above the ordinary Level
OF the lake at eighty-6ve feet eleva.
tion. The plan Of construction has
been to build parallel mounds for the
mile and half. 1900 feet apart Be-
tween these mounds. built Of rock and
earth, core for the dam has been con.
structed BY pumping mud and sand
from the bed Of Chagres river About
20 per cent Of the material pumped is
solid matter. and when 1t has deposited
the water Is pumped of This opera.
ton has been repeated until an imper.
vious heart has been made in the dam.
Even If water from the lake penetrated
the outside walls Of rock and earth 1t
would find this core water tight. The
dam Is nearly half mile thick at the
base, 1903 feet thick where the water
surface strikes 1t at eighty-fve feet
and Is 100 feet wide ut the top The
outer coverings Of rock and earth on
the dam close over the hydraulic core
at the crest. For about 500 feet the
dam will be subjected to the full pres
sure Of eighty-6ve feet Of water, at