New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-17
CANAL GATES
TO OPEN IN OCTOBER
Last Dixie Holding Water Out
of CuIebra Cut Will Be Blown
Up Early in Month.
READY FOR SHIPS ON JAN. |
Colonel Goethals Goes Back to
Finish His Great Work with
Entire Confidence of
Administration.

Washington. June l6.-The Panama
Canal will be practically completed by
December |. BY that date ii will hc
| possible, should the necessity arise -
transfer the entire Atlantic fleet from
the Atlantic to the Pacific by way OF
/ the canal.
Early i'm October the last dixie. that
which is holding the water out OF
Culcbra cut, will he blown up and the
cut will fill Immediately 10 depth OF
ten feet or more, which depth will
steadily increase until by December
with normal rainfall. the surface in
Gatun AXE and TIE cut will be up to
its normal level of eighty-five Feet
above sea level.
only one complete set Of locks will be
completed by October !. hut the com
pletion of the others will proceed stead
lily. All the locks are twins, the two
being side by side at each point. The
filing Of the canal depends solely on
the completion of the locks, or. more
specifically speaking. the lock gates,
which are of steel and are being made
and installed by a Pittsburgh concern.
When Colonel Goethals leaves Wash
ington this week 10 return To the 18th
mus IL will be with the entire conf
denCe of both the President and the
Secretary Of War. He will remain at
the head Of the great enterprise as long
as he desires and will continue 10 he
the sole and absolute director OF the
canal The incipient insurrection OF
certain Of his associates. who looked
for change because If the change of
the national administration, is already
a thing OF the past. President Wilson's
administration will not make the blum
der Of disturbing conditions which have
produced results that command the re-
spect and admiration Of the world.
One Year for Practice.
BY January /. 1914 the canal will be
i'm condition 10 handle such commerce
as IL may be thought best 10 send
| through it. and IL can be used by the
/ vessels Of the naval feet II that is
deemed wise. Then will follow the or
/ ganization Of the permanent admins
| trativc force-somctimes mistakenly
called the civil government-and the
whole OF next year will be devoted o.
training this force. correcting any err
rors which may be discovered and get
ting everything into smooth running
order for the formal opening on Janu-
airy !. 1915.
When the canal Is completed and IN
running order Colonel Cocktails Will
ask permission 10 step aside Just be-
foe the formal opening. and he Will 10
So with the satisfaction 81 knowing
/ that he has completed the canal with
an ample margin inside Of schedule
time and well within the cost he est
mated when he undertook the work.
| What steps may be taken by a
grateful nation TO show It's anprecia
ton Of the great work Colonel Goethals
has accomplished in the face Of almost
! Uncomfortable obstacles is not matter
with. which ne Is willing 10 concern
himself. Like true soldier, he con
tents himself with saying i have
merely carried out my orders
The alleged friction and difference OF
opinion regarding the advisability OF
turning the water into the Culebra cut
as soon as possible or Of waiting until
an the soil deposited by the slides has
been removed by dry excavation
proves TO be merely an evanescent
piece Of augmentation when the chief
engineer Of the canal explains the -it-
uation.
Excavation with dredges is cheaper
and more expeditions" says the colo
mel. III flooding the cut IL going u
aggravate the slides the sooner Ne
know IL the better and the more time
we will have to handle the increased
material.