The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-05-02
SPECIAL TO FORUM
FROM PANAMA

Panama, April May 2.-Rock and
dirt are still moving down the Gu
caraCha slide into the Culebra cut,
but the engineers who have been
fighting the treacherous slides in
this vicinity are at last gaining upon
nature. Fears that the opening of the
canal. set for January 1915 would
have to be postponed indefinitely,
have been growing less each day, for
the dredges and steamshOVels 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 1t Is hoped it will remain
so, but the canal engineers will
watch this treacherous hillside with
some anxiety as the rainy season ap-
p~roaches. Breaks already are showing
far back from the canal prism and
these may indicate a movement which
might any day precipitate tons of
crushed rock and dirt into the canal
for the t~ireless 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 M dSIlln6 away vast QIdnll-
ties 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 h side of the
slide other 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 re-
ceived on the isthmus and is almost
ready for operation. At the same
time the dredge "Corozal" will begin
deepening the channel which now
averages about % feet, to the required
IS 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 Con-
tractors hills is constantly forcing the
bottom of the canal upward. 1t is
anticipated that this will continue un-
til the weight on the hillsides has
been sufficiently lessened.
According to figures just compiled
there have been removed from tht
canal prism between Gamboa and
Pedro Miguel. which includes the en-
tlrt Culebra cut area, q total Of
$4,000, 600 cubic yards Of dirt with a
probable 10000 600 cubic yards remain
ing to be excavated.
The recent announcement of Col.
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 diff
CIl1tV The nrinnS panPoInnfa1 m
the isthmus met and formed the Metal
Trades Council and obtained strike
sanction from their parent bodies to
be prepared for any emergency that
might arise. No further action, how
ever, Is contemplated by the unions,
it is generally believed.
Work has begun on landscape
gardening in the vicinity Of Gatun
Locks and dam. The top of the dam
is being graded for tropical plants.
The work Is being done by H. H.
Reed, supervisor Of the fourth divi-
sion. 1t Is planned to beautify the
grounds surrounding all the locks just
as fast as the construction work has
been completed.
The navigable reaches Of the canal
VIII be allowed to grow up in their
natural tropical verdure. confined
within certain limits. Already in
many places the canal looks more like
a natural water course than one con-
structed by the hands Of men.
At Cristobal it Is proposed to build
a tropical park along the land ends
Of the wharves Of the Panama rail-
way.
Discarded canal machinery Is be-
ing sold to several private corpora
tons in South and Central America.
Venezuela has had a commission on
the 1sthmus which purchased con-
siderable dredging machinery with
which to deepen several harbors. A
number Of the large dredges that dug
their way through Culebra cut have
been sent 10 Porto Rico where they
are 10 to be engaged in harbor
work. Many Of the locomotives that
hauled the spoil cars but of the cut
have been sold to South American
concerns. Because Of their wide
gauge they are not suitable for rail-
ways In the United States.