The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1913-10-24

form under the constant dumping Of
rock and earth from the Culebra cut.
On Nov. 20, 1908, toe of the great
dam slipped where the dam intersect-
ed the old French canal channel, carry
ing about 200 feet of the structure
away. The hostile press and those
who had consistently opposed dam
at Gatun Immediately raised a storm
Of criticism against the stability of the
proposed artificial mountain. The old
wound, caused from the battle Of the
levels, was reopened, and so violent was
the outburst that President Roosevelt
took a characteristic step to quiet the
issue.
He asked President Elect Taft to go
to the isthmus, accompanied by Fred
eric P. Stearns, Arthur P. Davis, Henry
A. Allen, James D. Schuyler, Isham
Randolph, John r. Freeman and Allen
Hazen, all eminent engineers, to make
an investigation The report made on
Feb. 16, 1909. completely indicated
the plan for a dam at Gatun with the
statement that if any error had been
made it was on the side of precaution.
They found the dam started along
lines so excessively stable that they
recommended that the height be cut
from 1875 feet above sea level to lis
feet, which would still leave the top of
the dam thirty feet above the level of
Gatun lake.
The six years from Jan. l, 1907, to-
Jan. /, 1913, constitute the main con-
struction period of the Panama canal
Colonel Goethals has been chief engi-
neer all but three months of that time
Steadily, foot by foot, the walls of the
locks crept up and the bottom of the
Culebra cut went down. By October,
1908, the preparatory work, substan-
TALLY accomplished by Mr. Stevens,
passed its highest point, and all ener
gies were centered on the work Of con-
struction Quarters, municipal work,
roadmaking, subsistence and commits.
sary were solved problems, and the
mo Help Wanted" sign was displayed.
the labor problem, too, being substan.
TALLY worked out
Sixty-three steam shovels in 1907
were increased to 100 the mileage in
the canal zone was increased from 1856
to about 500 miles for the Panama rail-
road and commission tracks; the num-
Der of unloaders, bank spreaders, track |
shutters and pile drivers was increased |
from third to three times the num- |
Der left by Mr. Stevens; twenty |
dredges were put in service, besides |
much other machinery and equipment |
not so noteworthy. Practically all re-
pairs and creative mechanical work
were concentrated in the Gorgona and
Empire shops, with capacities COM
mensurate with the equipment. The
date when the equipment reached a
maximum is fixed by Colonel Cocktails
as July /, 1910. About 35OOUO tons of
coal and 100000 barrels of oil have
been used annually.
Dredging had progressed in the Pa
cific entrance to a point where five
miles of the canal could be opened to
navigation on Feb. l, 1909 The New
port and San Jose Of the Pacific Mail
fleet, Of American register, were the
first ships to go through
Columbus had been honored by NAM
ing Colon and Cristobal for him at
the Atlantic entrance of the canal and
an executive order on April 80 1909,
honored the discoverer of the Pacific
by changing the name of the Pacific
terminal from La Boca to Balboa. 1t
is at Balboa that the permanent ma
chine shops, drydocks, yards, wharves.
warehouses and general equipment to
cost $50 100000 will be located.
In 1909 Colonel Goethals seems TO
have had the idea of making the canal
zone habitable, but since then he
changed his views in favor of making
the canal zone a military reservation,
the part not in use toA, left to the
jungle and only canal employees allow
ed without special permission in the
ten mile limits
---------------- ----------------------~