Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1913-11-24
COL. GEORGE GOETRALS, CHAIR
MAN AND CHIEF ENGINEER OF
CANAL COMMISSION. MAKES AN.
NUAL REPORT On CANAL.
EVEN NO PREDICTION
FIRST DAY OF ACTUAL OPERATION
STILL DEPENDS UPON TREACH-
EROUS SLIDES OF CULEBRA CUT
AND SPEED OF DREDGES.
(Bu Associated PreSS.)

for the official opening of the Panama
Canal is set in the annual report Of Col
Onel George GOethals. chairman ana chief
engineer of the canal commission. which
has Just been submitted to Secretary Gar
riSOn. Neither is there any prediction of
when the ships may first pass from ocean
to ocean. The first day OF the canals ac-
tual operation still depends upon the
treacherouS slides Of Culcbra cut and
how fast the dredgcs can keep the chan
nelS open.
1T has been the general belief hat the
effect Of the water in the cut would tend
to rctard slides and experience below the
Gatun locks fully justifics this belief said
Colonel Cocktails. "On the other hand
the geolOgist is of the opinion that the
water may to some extent develop new
slides. Again much ado was made in
1909 over the Seamy character of rock on
the IsthmuS. through which water flows
quite rapidly. in consequence of which
the question was raised that the lake
might leak out through seams and GREY
ices.
If these things are liable to occur. the
sooner the better, if the official opening
Of the canal is to occur January |. 1918:
for if water were not admitted this fall.
but were deferred Ontil May |, 1914, the
full height could not be reached until
October. 1914. leaving little time for the
determination of these questions. These
considerations led to the conclusion thar
the water should be turned into the Cut
at the earliest date practicable for get
ing he dredgcS to work on the slides.
The present plans, therefore. are based
upon the blowing up Of Gamboa Dixie on
October 10. its removal by dredges imme-
diatelv thereafter, the transfer of TWO
suction drcdges and a ladder drcdgc TO
the Curaracha slide. the smaller dipper
dred.cs to work OIL the other slides until
the full width Of The channel is attained.
and the passage of vessels through the
canal as soon as channels Of full depth
and of sufficient width have been secured.
Def re boats can be passed it will be
necessary to remove the GambOa Dixie by
drcdops and to remove the slides as all
ready outlined. The passage Of CONNER
cial vessels is dependent, therefore, upon
the time when proper channels can he
dredgcd through the slides: should a!il
tional ones occur, they will necessarily
advance the date when this will be &C
ccmpliShcd."
Tie canal proper, exclusive of the ap
DroachpS. the machine shops and ware
houses and great ocean docks ut either
end. would nave been completed durln"
the last fiscal year, but for the extensive
slides in the Culebra cut. And to deal
with the great problems involved III the.
removal of the slides no effective way
WAS f und except the bodily displacement
of vast hills. The slides and breaks in
creased as the cut was dcepenel.
mo treatment has proven effective for
slides when once developed except that OF
cxcavating and hauling away material
from the moving mass until the slide
comes TO rest or until the angle OF repoSe
for the particular material III notion Is
rcachcd.' said Colonel Cocktails.
A great engineering problem was IN
volycd in the solution of the question OF
continuing the excavation OF the canal by
steam shovels or by hydraulic dredgrS
" ahA
and c lionel GocthalS for the first time
makes an official statement of the reasons
which impellcd him to choose the wei
method.
Tn brief these were based on the appre-
bcnsion that Gamboa dixie would not ne
strong or high enough to keep the water
ont Of the Cut as the Gatun Lake rose
in the wet season. Also. steam shower
opcrations would be retarded by the sea
sonal rains which would not affect the
opcration of the drcdges and finally the
measure was one of economy. 1t would
have been possible. with the ShovelS. 10
have removed al of the slides by Jan
uarv | 1911. except the Cucaracha sllde
which should not have been entirely car
ried off before April, 1914.
The financial operations of the cahai
are [ Id in big figures: The disbursing
officer has paid out s2O.52l.7O5 on pay
rolls alone. Congress so far has appro-
nriated $:3i9.J 500. 2223 for canal construc-
,ion. of which $%10.G76.950 went for forti-
~icationS.
CD &,uoIn heaviest ShiOmpnt