The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1914-05-07
STILL DIGGING
CULEBRA CUT
PROBABLY 100000 MORE YARDS
It'd BE REMOVED TO MINE
MIZE THE DANGER OF
SLIDES.

Panama.-Rook and dirt are still
moving down the Cucaracha Slide in
to the Culebra Cut, but the engin-
GERS who have been fighting the trea-
cherous slides in this vicinity are at
last gaining upon natures Fears that
the opening OF the canal, set for Jan
uary 1915, would have to be post
poned indefinitely, have been grow
ing less each day. for the dredges and
|steamshoyels have been taking out
the dirt and rock much faster than
it slid into the canal.
The Culebra Slide. Just to the south
Of the Cucaracha trouble, is entirely
at rest and it is hoped IL Will remain
SO, but the canal engineers viii watch
this tr%eacherous hillside with some
anxiety as the rainy season approa-
ches. Breaksarleady r showing
far back from the canal prism and
these may indicate a movement which
might any day, p~recipitate 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 continne day and night.
Back of Gold Hill the hydraulic
pumps are washing away vast guam
titles 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 remov-
ing the dirt out of the channel itself
while far up the side of the slide 9TH
.er hydraulic operations are tearing at
the very heart OF the hill.
Within a 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
operation. AT the same time the DIRE
dye "Corozal' will begin deepening
the channel which now averages
about 25 feet, to the required %
feet.
This deepening of the channel The
engineers believe, will be a tedious
operation, for the weight on the hill
sides at Gold, Culebra, and Contract
ors hills is. constantly forcing the bot
tonic the canal upward.
1t is anticipated that this will con-
'tinue until the weight on the hill
sides has been sufficiently lessened.
According to figures just compiled
there have been removed from the
canal prism between Gamboa and Pc
dro Miguel, which includes the entire
Cu1ebra Cut area, a total of 9 ,000,-
900 cubic yards of dirt with a pro-
able 6,000,0 900 cubic yards remaining
to be ~eXcavated..
Landscape Gardening About Canal.
Work has begun on landscape gar
dening in the vicinity OF the Gatun
locks and Dam. The top of the dam
Ia being graded for tropical plants.
The work is being done by IL. II.
Reed, supervisor of the Fourth Divis-
ion. 1t is planned to beantify the
grounds surrounding all the locks
just as fast as the construction work
has been completed.
canai
kx1lka q allowedaio grow up in their
natural tropical yerdure, confined
within certain limits. Already in
many places the canal looks more like
la natural waterscourse than one CON
structed by the hands of men.
At Cristobal it is proposed to build
a tropical park along the land ends
Lof the wharyes of the Panama Rail
way.