Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-09-26

"A cost Of s5s.0OoOO0. These ele-
vators. known as locks. viii
raise ships to and lower them from the
grent artificial inland lake which IL
eighty FIVE feet above sea level. 49,
There are six locks on the Atlantic
side and six on the Pacific side. at
each end of the Gatun lake. H
A ship arriving at Colon from New
York. OIL It's way to San Francisco. en-
ters the sea level channel In Limon
bay and steams for seven miles
through the canal. which Is 500 feet
wide and forty-one feet deep. to Gatun.
Here It's way IL barred by q massive
pile of masonry with impressive steel
gates. and towering eighty-fve feet
above the ship Is the surface OF the
Gatun lake To the west Of the ship
runs the man made mountain. the
Gatun dam, which holds the lake In
bounds. The problem Is to lift. the
ship to this lake.
As II by mugic. the gates swing open.
and IN electric locomotive. which has
run out on guide wall and fastened
to the ship. tows II into the first lock.
The gates swing together. and the ship
is imprisoned In chamber 1000 feet
long and 10 feet wide and built OF
concrete. In a moment the water In
this chamber begins to rise. being sup
piled through holes In the bottom. and
the ship rises with the water. -
Fifteen minutes after entering the
lock the ship has risen with the water
for twenty-seven and one-half feet. lf
the full capacity for filling the lock
should be used the ship would rise
that height In eight minutes Another
set of gates swing open in front Of
the ship. and the locomotives tow II
into the second lock. q concrete cham.
ber of the same dimensions. The gates
having closed behind. this chamber be-
gins filling with water until the snip
is raised again for twenty-seven and
one-hnlf feet A third set Of gates
open. and the ship Is towed into the
final lock. where the operation Is re-
peated with a rise Of thirty feet, or
a total lift for the three locks OF
eichty-fve feet. When the gates In
front swing open the ship steams out
into the Gntun lake. The time spent
In climbing eighty-6ve feet was an
hour and a half
For sixteen miles through this lake
the ship steams in channel 1000 feet
wide. for four miles In channel SO0
feet wide and for three miles In q
channel 500 feet wide. or twenty-three
miles In all. Then 1t enters the famous
Culebra cut. which Is 300 feet wide
through the continental mountain d.
vide and nine miles long. At the END
of the cut IL the Pedro Miguel lock.
thirty-two miles from Gatun.
After entering this lock. which es-
sentially is the same as the ones ON
the Atlantic side. the ship goes through
the reverse of the process at Gatun.
The water In the concrete chamber be-
gins falling. taking the ship down with
Il. When 1t has fallen thirty feet the
gates In front open and the ship go@
out into another artificial lake. mile
and a half long. at the end Of which
are the Mirafores locks These two
locks lower the ship twenty-seven and
a half feet each. or total for the three
locks Of eighty-five feet which was the
height the ship was raised on the other
side. The ship then steams through
a sea level channel for seven miles to
the Pacific. having made the whole
Journey from deep water in the At
lantic to deep water In the Pacific.
fifty miles. In ten hours.
At both ends the locks are built In
pairs or twins. so that ships going
In opposite directions may pass
through them simultaneously. A wall
sixty feet thick separates the locks,
and If one set should become disabled
the adjoining set still would be avail
able for passage. The time required
for a ship to mount the three locks on
one side and descend the three locks on
the other side Is three hours.