The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-05-02
DIRT STILL SLIDES
INTO PANAMA CUT
But Engineers Are Gradually Getting
Control and There Is Not So Much
Fear Now That Opening of Canal
Will Have to Be Postponed.

Panama, May Rock and dirt are
still moving down the Cucaracha slide
into the Culebra cut, but the engineers
who have been fighting the treacherous
slides in this vicinity are at last gain
ing upon nature. Fears that the open
Ing of the canal, set for January, 1915,
would have to be postponed indefinitely,
have been growing less each day, for
the dredges and steam shovels have been
taking out the dirt and rock much faster
than it slid into the canal.
The Culebre slide, just to the south
of the Cucaracha trouble, is entirely at
rest and it is hoped it will remain so,
but the canal engineers will watch this
treacherous hillside with some anxiety
as the rainy season approaches, Breaks
already are showing far back from the
canal prism and these may indicate
movement which might any day precipi-
tate tons of crushed rock and dirt into
the canal for the tireless dredges and
steam shovels to remove. The coming
wet season will be likely to loosen any
thing ready to slide.
Dredging and hydraulic operations in
the cut continue day and night. Back
of Gold hill the hydraulic pumps are
washing away vast quantities of loose
soil greatly relieving the pressure which
has forced so much of the dirt into the
canal prism At the toe of the slide
the dredges have been busily engaged in
removing the dirt out of the channel
itself while far up the side of the slide
other hydraulic operations are tearing
at the very heart of the hill.
Within short time two new large
dipper dredges will be engaged. These
are the largest yet built of this type.
One already has been received on the
isthmus and is almost ready for opera
ton. At the same time the dredge "Cor-
ozal' will begin deepening the channel
which now averages about 25 feet, to
the required 45 feet.
This deepening of the channel the en-
gineers believe, will be tedious opera
ton, for the weight on the hillsides at
Gold. Cllebra and Contractors hills is
constantly forcing the bottom of the ca
nal upward. 1t is anticipated that this
will continue until the weight on the
hillsides has been sufficiently lessened
According TO figures Just compiled
there have been removed from the canal
prism between Gamboa and Pedro Mi
guel, which includes the entire Culebra
cut area, a total of 2T,000,000 cubic
yards of dirt with a probable 100000
cubic yards remaining to be excavRted.
The recent announcement of Colonel
George w. Goethals, governor of the
Panama canal zone, that there would
be no immediate reduction of the wage
scale, averted what threatened to become
a serious labor difficulty. The unions
represented on the isthmus met and
formed the Metal Trades council and
obtained strike sanction from their par
ent bodies to be prepared for any emer-
gency that might arise. No further ac-
tion, however is contemplated by the
unions, it is generally. believed.
Work has begun on landscape garden
ing in the vicinity of Gatun locks and
dam. The top OF the dam is being grad
ed for tropical plants. The work is be-
ing done by r. n. Reed. supervisor of
the fourth division. IL is planned to
beautify the grounds surrounding all the |
locks Just as fast as the construction
work has been completed.
I The navigable reaches of the canal will |
be allowed to grow up in their natural |
tropical verdure. confined within certain |
limits. Already in many places the ca
nal looks more like a natural water !
course than one constructed by the |
hands of men.
At Cristobal 1t is proposed to build |
tropical park along the land ends of the |
wharves of the Panama railway.
Discarded canal machinery is being |
sold to several private corporations in |
South and Central America. Venezuela |
has had a commission on the isthmus |
which purchased considerable dredging |
machinery with which to deepen several |
harbors. A number of the large dredges |
that dug their way through Culebra cut |
have been sent to Porto Rico where /
they are soon to be engaged in harbor |
work Many of the locomotives that |
hauled the spoil cars out of the cut have |
been sold to South American concerns. |
Because of their wide gauge they are
not suitable for railways in the United
Sta1aa