Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-10
FINE ARTS COMMISSION
REPORTS TO PRESIDENT
Suggestion of Monumental Light
house at Atlantic Entrance and
Other Recommendations.


man of the committee which prepared
the report to the President, and Col.
Spencer Cosby, L. S. A, is secretary.
Other members are Cass Gilbert, Thomas
Hastings, Charles Moore, Frederick Law
0imstead, Edwin II. Blashfield and Pierce
anderson. Mr. French and Mr. Ohm
stead. a landscape architect, visited the
Canal Zone prior to making the report.
The erection of monumental lighthouses
at the Atlantic entrance of the canal ana
the placing of memorial record or the
building of the canal on the east wall OF
the deepest cut at the continental divide
are the principal recommendations OF the
commission, but minor suggestions are
made. The commission took the stand
that the canal itself Is of such imp essive
character that it needs little ornamental
ton.
Text of the Report.
Outlining the surroundings of the canal.
the commission reported as follows:
/ THE canal itself and all the structures
connected with it impress one with
sense of their having been built with
view strictly to their utility. There is an
| entire absence of ornament, and no evil
| dence that the esthetic has been consid-
| cred except I'm few cases as q secondary
| consideration.
! Because of this very fact there il
little to find fault with from the artists
| point of view. The canal, like the pyra-
mids, or some imposing object In nat
ural scenery, Is impressive from its scale
and simplicity and directness. One feels
that anything done merely for the pur-
pose of identifying 1t would not only
fail to accomplish that pup ose but would
be an impertinence. In such q work the
most that the artist could hope to do
would be to aid in selecting, as between
alternative forms of substantially equal
value from the engineering point OF view.
those which are Likely to prove most
agreeable and appropriate in appearance
I'm approaching from the Atlantic, the
first land to be seen is a stretch OF
mountainous shore at the left Of the
steamers course. This is skirted at
distance of several miles for few hours
before the low shore near the canal en-
trance comes into view ahead. The first
sign of the canal work to catch the eye
will be a low lighthouse just behind the
left end of a rip rap breakwater two
miles long, which reaches out diagonally
from the fiat wooded shore OF Toro point
on the right. 1t is possible that an ad-
ditional breakwater. also having ter
minal lighthouse, may be built at the
left of the harbor entrance. which would
provide nearly symmetrical and effec-
tive entrance. The course of vessels In
approaching is not far from the axis Of
the straight channel which extends from
the end of the Toro Point breakwater
up the five-mile length Of Limon bay,
and is continued into the fat land at
its head as visible canal.
Marked by Buoys.
Through the bay. this channel is to
be marked by pairs of huoys. On the
right the low wooded bay shore Is about
two miles distant On the left. a mile
and a half inside the breakwater light,
lad t,vyf 1o nf CO1n
and Cristobal projects within three
fourths of a mile of the straight chan
mel The end of this point facing the
ocean is conspicuously occupied by the
rather long three-story mass Of the new
hotel. To the left is palm foliage with
a brownstone church and wooden hos
pital buildings and quarters for railroad
employees. Behind is the uninteresting
town of Colon, and further to the right
is Cristobal, which together present to
shabbiness. part aggressive CONNER
cialism.
TAT the head Of Limon bay the canal
as a visible object begins The bank on
the left is somewhat in advance OF that
on the right. Both are very low, and oc-
cupied by a scrubby Jungle rising into
larger trees behind. and. at a distance.
into wooded hills. The canal is 500 feet
on either side to be kept open for sur
veying and maintenance work. For
distance of mile the line Is straight,
and in direct continuation of the buoyed
channel through the bay: then II bends
slightly to the right and disappears from
view. The vista along the first reach OF
the canal terminates, two miles beyond
the bend. in the wooden houses OF the
town of Gatun occupying hills some $50
feet high crowned by O large black steel
water tank on stilts silhouetted against
the sky. This tank, which is nearly on
the axis of the canal. should be incased
in concrete SO as to form a solid tower
permanent In appearance and In fact
The exact axis is marked by two range
lights on concrete lighthouse towers. one
right In the town OF Gatun. These are
not at present very conspicuous. but will
probably be SO painted as to bring them
| out sharply, as an aid to navigation. thus
/ further emphasizing the long. straight
vista.
First Bend Located.
THE first bend in the canal takes place
Just where 1t makes long. diagonal
crossing with the narrower old French
canal, and where also the cut enters
the higher ground of the Mindi hills.
These are hummocks from ten to atty
feet in height. The deepest cuts are
| about opposite each other, at a point
about one-third of a mile beyond tie
bend. Small beacon lights are planned to
| be placed at the edge Of the water on
eac'i side of the canal, exactly at the
1 bend, and at certain other points From
1 the bend the canal makes q straight run
| Of q mile across low, fat ground, to the
Gatun locks, broad. low symmetrical
mass of concrete and steel work the
axis OF which comedies with that of the
/ canal approaching it. and the length Of
1 which Is 8 little over mile.
| "Au the concrete, except such as NAV
/ be kept light In color by paint or other
surface applications, Is rapidly discolored
| in the climate OF Panama to q mottled
| blackish green, and the steel work is to
be painted the dark, battleship gray.
1.-The Gatun locks, like those at Pedro
Miguel and Mirafores, will form q sort
of promontory, projecting from the fiat.
| irregular hills and embankment which re.
| tain the water behind the locks. The
total width occupied by the two locks
side by side. with the central pier sepa-
rating them and the side walls with their
| towing tracks, ETC., Is about 400 feet Out
| side OF these on each side II to be q flat
earth space, 100 feet or more wide slop-
| ing Just enough to drain the surface wa
| ter away from the lock. This 10 intend
| ed for use as q wharf for the handling OF
material to be loaded on or unloaded from
vessels when passing through the lock,
and for other purposes. AT the outer edge
| of these fiat spaces the ground Is to de-
scend in steep banks. Each pair OF locks,
| OF which there are three at Gatun, will
| thus form a sort of raised terrace, near
| Iy 600 feet across and about 1000 feet
| from front to rear, and the next higher
pair Of locks will rise from It with .