The chronicle=news., 1914-11-05

cheaper rates to Pacific ports. Bulk
products like lumber. wool. hides.
wheat and wines will get lower freight
rates through the canal from the Pa
c!nc ports. Aust. sia Will be four
thousand miles nearer to the Atlantic
ports, thus cheapenins the freight on
the wool from thar country. II Will
cost about $4,000. 900 annually to oper
ate the canal and ubout twenty-five
hundred employees will be required.
Balloon a Real City.
Balboa, at the Pacific terminal. will
likely become the big city of the Canal
Zone, as many OF the employees who
aaSe change of tshs locks will 1--we
here. Great dry-docks, wharves, re-
pair shops and warehouses and other
facilities 10 the canal are In course OF
erection, several of which are at Bal
boa. one OF the monster 270-ton
cranes to be used in handling wrecks
or accidents in the canal or locks will
te kept ~ that point. A fuel station.
too. will be located at Balboa. A large
number Of translen,s may be counted
upon as many people will leave the
ships at this point. Buyers. too. will
meet vessels there.
Christobn!. the Atlantic terminus, Is
.!rendy a thriving town. and the new
Washington Hotel will draw hundreds
winter tourists from all parts of the
.,Irld to the Isthmus. This hotel. like
re Tivoli at Ancon. is run by the Gov
eminent and everything is first class.
umparinS favorably with the winter
,otels in Florida. The clearing away
,t the negro quarters has been going
~ for some time. This is carried out
"a pidly. the shacks being burned as
non as they are no longer needed.
AT LaBoca permanent quarters are
neins set up for such laborers as may
!v. needed in the working of the locks.
They are being erected on land re-
claimed by the dumping OF the spoil
from Culebra Cut. Most of them are
family quarters, as nearly every negro
mas some member OF his family to
keep house and cook his meals.
Canal Qualifications Guarded.
The canal will be heavily fortified
It each end, and the army work there
Is, nearing completion. The mounting
Of the powerful guns and mortars will
p-sin in the early fall. Already these
fortiiicaiions are being carefully
Guarded and no photographing is per-
'uitted anywhere near them. On April
18th the Secretary of War issued in
s;truGtiuns asking that increased vigil
,.ncc Il" exercised at these points and
1t the locks. governor Cocktails at
once requested The commanding officer
~ IT,. fem u. 5. Infantry. n regiment
which has been stationed on the Zone
Tor the past two years, to take over the
guarding OF the canal property. 1his
officer sent two companies of the regi-
nlent to GItun. one company to Pedro
Miguel and one 20 Miraf1ores. 1t is
he duty of these men to protect the
locks and splliways. Several times re-
pots have been circulated that an at
tempt would be made to dynamite the
locks, and on one occasion several sus-
T'oious chara were arrested after
u large amount of dynamite had been
stolen.
Some difficulty has been experienced
with the Macs Island breakwater
which had a tendency to bulge after
he fashion OF the Cucurachn slide, but
happily this has been overcome. and d
+hrm foundation for the breakwater
secured. These were constructed on
the same plan as the foundation for
the oversee ailway of the Florida
East Coast Railroad Company.
The lighting facilities of the canal
have been entirely completed except
for one Cr two lighthouses which are
still! In course of construction. The
light effects on the canal at night are
beautiful and can be seen for many
miles.
Radio Station.
Work IN the Tree GC0-foot steel
towers of the proposed Darien radio
station at Caimito has begun and will
be completed before opening CAV.
l:ac1 tower is built in the form of an
cqu!iateral triangle, loo feet on the
side. At each corner of the triangle
Will be a footing Of concrete. The
depth ot the excavation for the footing
has varied from twelve to twcnty-eight
feet below the surface of the ground.
the greater depth being necess!tated
by q he Irregular surface elevations.
,fItan c4H vi ,fi,, Rase will be rectangular