The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-01-07


sells. are nearly finished. small
harbor, with abutnent walls, to nestle
the merchant fleets of nations before
entering, are almost completed. A
mammoth concrete wall, 100 feet in
height and 1900 feet in length, is be
ing finished to divide the entrances to
the double row of locks. Installation
of steel buffers, operated with
springs of high tension, to protect the
delicate sides Of vessels, only remains
to be done.
Interior work of the locks, each
1000 feet in length and 40 feet wide
and each elevated like giant steps of
a mighty marine ladder, F. puaotically
of a skyscraper are Installed. Blec-
trica1 machinery, hidden beneath the
concrete abutments at the sides. is in
operation. President Taft saw, them
slowly swing open and shut-au in
three minutes. Only the buffers re-
main to be installed, and the bottom
of the locks, where men viewed from
the crest, appear like pyguries, is to be
cleaned of debris.
Above the three pairs of locks, jeal-
ousiy guarding their mighty but deli
cate mechanism, is another harbor and
at0uttment wall of LOCO feet, dividing
the upper entrance. Range lights
have been erected at night to guide
Alta ntic side.
Like a mammoth steel bridge, SHIN
mering red in the tropic sun above the
locks is the emergency dam, almost
completed This dam, is in two Sec
ttons, like a drawbrfdge, to swing it's
mighty bulk before the upper mouth
the locks should be broken and the
locks left open. The emergency dam
is intended to be swung out and drop
ped-a powerful shield of steel plates
100 feet high, and 200 feet in width.
Ranking only next to Culebra, Cut, at
the west side OF the Locks Is the Ca
tan Dam. This great mountain has
been built to harness the turbulent
E91IyoY. ord a
of 164 acres. For, contrary to gener-
al belief. the water in the canal is to
salt water will enter it's portals. The
entire canal is IS feet above sea level
This height is maintained throughout
almost its entire length, except where
the dips I'd the ocean level are made
by means of the LOCKS.
AS there are three locks at Gatuus
RAISING vessels So feet. 50 are there
Pedro Miguel and two at Nfinadores
to lower vessels IS feet ALI Of the wa
ter to float vessels will be obtained
from the artificial lakes. one at Ca
tun and the other at Minaf1ores. But
the Gatun lake, nanU5fa ctured literally
by man, is the result of the Gatn
dam. The dam is one in name only.
small mountain, reaching from the
western range of mountains into the
valley where the Gatun locks lie. It
was built almost entirely with earth
excavated from CuIebra 1t is en-
tireIy of dirt, except rock riprapping
at the base. 1t is nearly two miles in
ing from the heights of Gatun city
across the valley to the mountains.
Behind it pound the waters of the Cha
gres, Flooding valleys, villages and
tropical jungles for a distance of thir-
teen miles to Ceu1ebra-
President Taft saw the finishing
touches put on the dam. It's top is
iPf from dozens (iFE
and winding their way up its sides
This artificial lake is fed by the, Cha
gres and other rivers. Tops of trees
are to be seen to-day waving their
last protest against the ruthless hand
of man To-day the, lake is 81 feet
deep. Tt will be raised thirty feet
Ga#l1n docks.
Nearing completion is the Gatun
spillway, a concrete orifice in the dam
to carry off waste water after the nee
essary depth is attained. Gates,
above and below the waiter level are
to be operated with electricity manu-
featured by turbines set in the waste
waters Passing through and over the
dam. This spi1lway is about 1900
feet long, at the edge of the upper Ga
tun lock- 1t has been in operation for
some time and is being raised thirty
feet in the center, the last concrete
work of completion
Back from Gatun is the artificial
lake. Dense tropical jungles. teeming
keys and parrots, are being washed
under.
After passing Through the Gatun
Locks. vessels will traverse the 10
miles of lake under their own steam,
ito the CuIebra Cut. dixie, stretch
ed across the depths of the Cut at its
separation for the Cut and the waters
of Galtl1n. This dixie over which
runs a temporary railroad, is about a
quarter of a mile wide.
mi inc fr1TxT ord Don
an army of steam shovels, putting loco
motives. trailing dirt cars, gasoline
In the distance appears the pinnacle
of the mountain Through which the
deepest part of the cut passes. The
cut is eight and one-ha1f miles in
| length. Over five miles has been fin
ished, and the lowest level attained.
Out of Culebra, Cut every day are
taken 12G trains of earth. At pres
ent 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
atine stations and Notifications will be
installed.
Fighting Slides lends spice to the
blasting and the shovelling of Culebra
| Gold HILL" the biggest slide, is now
/ Vanqufshed- 1t has remained sta
| tiOnery for two years. But +at several
points, slides of earth and rock are
pouring into the canal. Excava ton
of the dirt is the only remedy, until
the sides of the canal are IeveIIed off
| and an angle at which slides are i'm
| possible.
| These avalanches of earth are ex-
pected to cause removal of 1000 900
more cubic yards of earth in CuIebra
| Cut. When dynamiting, which shakes
| the noun tain sides, ceases, the slides
will also cease. according to the en-
gineers' estimates. Only one bad slide
| is occurring to-day. This is below
the engineers headquarters at Guile
| bra.
On the Pacific side of the Cut is tn
Pedro Miguel lock President Taft
saw it almost completed. Range lights
are being installed and operating ma
chinerv perfected. Steam ShOVeIS arr
widening the north entrance 1t is
the same size as each of the Ga tun and
| MiraflOres locks To the west of the
Pedro Miguel Lock another dam has