Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1913-02-09
Uncle S ans Largest Work

The Canal crosses the continental
divide al Culebra. Gold Hill being the
highest point; the maximum depth
OF the cut at this point is 375 feet,
and the rock is a hard basalt: the
average depth OF the Culebra cut IS
100 feet: the width at bottom is 800
feet widened to 500 feet at the turns
TO allow easy passage for boats 1000
feet long. AT top the width varies
according TO the character of the
sides. This cut called for the eXcav-
alton OF 80 million cubic yards, but
owing to the numerous slides from
the sides the amount required TO be
taken out has been greatly in excess
OF that, and these slides will certain
~ give trouble for years 10 come, and
dredges vii have TO be kept con-
stantly at work after the canal s
filled with water to prevent choking
OF the Canal
On each side of Gold HIN n
ground is very treacherOus: much OF
il consists OF hard rock hard enough
to require blasting, but which disin-
tegrates quickly on exposure 10 the
air; much OF IL is decomposed and
clayey. and there are also rotten
shales and interbedded Ignite, the
whole intercepted by cross slips ant
faults, consequently. in many places
the sides will not stand up at any Dr.
binary angle, but keep sliding in,
ever breaking away further and fur
Their back from the cut till in one
case discovered during my visit 4
new break was found Ia the jungle
three quarters OF a mile back from
the cut, in some cases they move
slowly. Ia others they come quick,
q with little warning and bury muck
trains aud steam shoyels that can
not be gotten out OF the way in time
There are about 40 steam shovels
at work in this cut at present load
ing ] 500 yards a day each The
muck is hauled away in trains OF
twenty ca ) OF 20 yards capacity
each. or ahout 170 trains per day ;
ii is indeed a busy sight Hundreds
Of churn drills and machine drills
are used for drilling holes far in adj
vance OF the shovels and blasting is
done at night. The steam shoyels
are operated with coal, but the ms
chine drills are run with compress ed
air carried along the sides of the
cut in eight inch pipes. There are
three power stations COMPRISING
air for this system, one at each end
and one at the middle. The dirt
thus excayated is run out and USED
for dams, or filling swamps, or dump
ed where convenient.
Practically all the rest of the ex-
l.
largest of which was built in Scot.
land, and is working in the Pacific
end Of the Canal; this has a capac.-
ty of zoe yards per hour. The prin-
cipal features of interest in the
Canal are perhbps the locks. There
are three sets of double locks near
each end; these are most spectacuia.
creations OF concrete and in their IN
ternal working Arrangements are
most interesting.
Entering the Canal from the At,
antiC. vessels will steam at sea leve!
through a channel 7 miles long TO
Gatun, where the first locks are sit,
Iated; here they will be forced 20
come to a dead stop and tie up at an
approach pier ! 600 feet long they
will then be taken in charge by 4
electric locomotives. to pull IN
front ard ? to restrain behind: the
front gates will be opened and they
will be towed in and the gates clos
ed behind them; the locks are l,OJC
feet long By 10 feet wide, so will
accommodate the largest vessels now
in use. The water will be let in
through a tunnel in the side wall and
will rise through holes in the bottom
Of the lock, raising vessels 2S.3 feet
in the first lift They will then be
towed into the second lock and %
raised another step OF 2S.3 feet; and
finally into the third lock and be
raised another 2S.3 feet, making SO
feet total life: they then come out
mt the level of the Gatun Lake.
These locks required over two mil
lion yards Of concrete; the huge
gates and mechanism for operating
them, as veil as the valves for let
ting in and out the water. are ex-
tremely interesting; also the precau-
tons provided for the prevention of
accident and the taking care OF mis-
lapss, should they occur.
Should, for instance, a vessel fail
90 come to a stop at the approach
pier. a hugh chain attached to a ny
dFsulic cylinder and stretched across
the entrance TO the lock will be en-
countered: this will be capable OF
sretarding 10000 ton vessel going at
the rate of 4 miles per hour in 20
feet. Should the chain fail the front
gates of the lock are made in two
sets; the first set may be carried
way or disabled. but there is sti;i
she second set to fall back on; or, IL
he accident be so terrible that AL
he gates are carried away and the
contents of the lake being pouring
through the locks urrestrained and
threatening to destroy them, then a
huge steel emergency gate is provid-
ed to be swung across and gradually
close the gap. after which a pontoon
gate will be floated into place and
completely seal the entrance; moth
ing appears TO have been left UNI
thought OF.
The Gatun Lake has been formed
by the damming OF the Chagres River
at Gatun near its mouth. This is a
great. ece Of work; the dam is a
mile and a half long and $500 seet
thick at the bottom and raises the
wafer "a feet II consists of two