Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-01-08

| 10 CuleOra.
President Taft saw the finishing
touches put on the dam, Its top is be-
ing leyeied off b. dumping dirt from
dozens of dirt trains putting and wind
ing their way up its sides.
This artificial lake is fed by the
Chagress and other rivers. Tops of
trees are to be seen today waving
their last protest against the ruthless
hand Of man. Today the lake is 81
feet deep. 1t will be raised thirty
feet more to the level Of the canal
and the Gatun docks.
Nearing completion is the Gatun
spillway, concrete orifice in the dam
to carry off waste water after the nee
essary depth is attained. Gates, above
and below the water level, are to be
operated with electricity manufactur-
ed by turbine set in the waste waters
passing through and over the dam
This spillway is about 1900 feet long,
at the edge of the upper Gatun lock
1t has been in operation for some time
and is being raised thirty feet in the
center, the last concrete work of COM
pleton.
Stretching back from Gatun is the
artificial lake. Winding on its east
side are the Panama railroad tracks.
Dense tropical jungles teeming with
tropical verdure, crocodiles, monkeys
and parrots are being washed under.
After passing through the Gatun
locks, vessels will traverse the Is
miles Of lake under their own steam,
to the Culebra cut. A dixie, stretched
across the depths of the cut at its
northern extremity, now is the only
separation for the cut and the waters
of Gatun. This dixie over which runs
a temporary railroad, is about a quar-
ter Of mile wide
Looking toward the Pacific are seen
an army of steam shovels, putting To-
comotives, trailing dirt cars, gasoline
drills, dynamite squads and dredges.
In the distance appears the pinnacle
of the mountain through which the
deepest part of the cut passes. The
cut is eight and one-half miles in
length. Over five miles has been fin
ished, and the lowest level attained.
Out of Culebra cut every day are
taken 12O trains Of earth. At present
the dirt is used to reclaim 100 acres
Of land at Balboa, the Pacific entrance
and in building the Pacific breakwater
linking the mainland and three large
Islands on which the quarantine sta
tlons and Notifications will be install
cd.
Fighting slides" lends spice to the
blasting and the shoveling of Culebra.
Gold HILL" the biggest slide, is now
vanquished. 1t has remained station
ary for two years. But at several
points, slides or earth and rock are
pourings into the canal. Excavation
OF the dirt is the only remedy, until
the sides Of the canal are leveled off
to an angle at which slides are impos-
sible.
These avalanches of earth are ex-
pected to cause removal of 2 900, 600
more cubic yards Of earth in Culebra
cut. When dynamiting, which shakes
the mountain sides, ceases, the slides
viii also cease, according to the en-
gineer's Rtimates. Only one hal slide
Is occurring today. This is below the
enginee e headquarters at Culebra.
On the Pacific side of the cut Is the
Pedro Miguel lock. President Taft saw
II almost completed. Range lights
are being installed and operating ma
chinery perfected. Steam shoyeIs are
widening the north entrance. It ip
the same size as each of the Gatun and
MiTallores locks. To the west Of the
Pedro Miguel lock another dam has
been completed, similar TO the Gatun
Gam, smaller, 1t will back up water
to form Miranores lake, extending a
mile. between the Pedro Miguel lake
and the two locks at Miranores The
channel between the two is at the
lowest level and practically completed.
except the final polish. Greatest ac-
tiVity upon any part of the canal IS
at the Miranores locks. Fourteen
steam shovels are operating there, and
trainloads Of concrete are being pour.
ed into forms. The locks themselves
are finished and the gates nearly in
stalled, but the machinery and abutt-
ment walls are not finished.
South of Mranores, the canal Wild
ems It's lowest depth has been almog.
reached however. A dixie two miles
south Of the locks Is the scanty bar
rier remaining between the locks and
the last leg" Of the canal--a run of
about four miles to Balboa and the
Pacific. Water Is in this reach of four
miles, the canal being finished except
for final dredging Of sediment.
At Balboa, the railroad terminal