Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-18

the Canal Zone is to be made A military
reservation. The greater part OF this IL
jungle, which along the edges of Gatun
lake and at the approaches thereto -
composed OF swamps filed with trees. 81
bound together with lianss that II would
be impossible for troops to make their
way through them except with the AK
and the saw Any one going over the
line of the Panama railroad can see how
difficult 1t would he for an army to as
vance through this Jungle. under fire, or
to make any kind OF an attack on the
locks.
The plans so far include the use OF the
largest Of the disappearing guns on the
island Notifications and also of big guns
and mortars on the shore. At Fort Grant.
which is the general name given TO the
Notifications on Perico, Flamenco and
Macs islands. there will be one sixteen
inch gun and six fourteen-inch guns, be
sides a number of stx-inch guns and
howitzers. The biggest Of the guns Will
carry a projectile weighing ton. or az
much as two horses could haul on .
wagon for a dis ance for over twenty
miles at a shot. and they Will be 40 deli
cately hung that they can be aimed
accurate as the mountaineer aims wheil
he shoots out the eye of a squirrel with
his rife.
The fourteen-inch guns will carry
shells we;g hing over one thousand pounds
muzzle at speed SO rapid that II Ii were
kept up one could go from Washington TO
Philadelphia in less than minute and
clear around the world In less than four
hours. 1t will take 100 pounds of powder
for each charge and the projectiles will
go through five feet of wrought iron.
There will be seventy rounds of am
munliion on hand or enough for each
gun to keep It firing steadily for two
hours provided shot could be mad
every two minues. 1t Is doubtful whether
this could be done, as the guns would be
too hot from the friction. The b!gs gun
and mortars are Intended to defend tn
canal from attack by water. aithougt
they will also cover parts OF the land
Those on the Pacific island will amply
protect Taboga. and those on the Allan
tic VIII keep the naval vessels Of the
enemy eight or ten miles away. A sin
gle one of their shots would destroy a
battleship. which represents cost OF
$SOo.OoO or s1o.00o,ooO, and which it
would take years to replace.
Another feature Of the Notifications
will be searchlights with reflectors as big
around as cart wheels. There will be
fourteen Of these. each five feet In dame
ter They are being made at a cost Of
$4,000 apiece, and the Nights thrown by
them will reach as far as the range Of
the guns. Indeed, the electric HsntluE
of the isthmus. including the searchlishts.
Is one of he wonuers of the constfue-
ton.
The searchlights can be seen for from
twelve to eighteen miles of at sea ann
the range lights will be from $500 to d.
600 candlepower. The beacons and other
lights have $50 can1lepower. Each light
has its own characteristic and there arr
combinations of flashes which Will tel
the canal operators just where each light
is. On the locks themselves Tungsteit
bulbs Of 500 watt power will be USED anu M
In the operating tunnels there VIII De
numerous lights and reflectors. There
win be $50 such reflectors at Gatun and
LIS at Pedro Miguel and Mirafores.
Speaking of the defense of the locks.
recently asked Col. .Goethals whether
they might not be destroyed by charges
of dynamite dropped from fiyine ma
chimes He replied that the dynamite
would have to be carefully located to du
impossible. Col. Goethals says that the
dynamite charges would have to be
placed between the gate and the lock In
such a way that the man would need e.
be on the ground to do 1t and that II a
dynamite charge were dropped from a
flying machine upon the locks or on the
lock walls. it could not do much damage.
1t would have to be placed behind tne
locks to be effective. Indeed, eTery-
thing of this kind has been carefully
considered in the protection and fortin-
cation of the canal The work is very
comprehensive and it will include the
caring for 10000 troops in case of war
l am told that the chief experts of our
army and navy believe that the arrange
nents will be ample to protect the canal
FRANK G. CARPENTER.