Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1914-04-10

that we are now facing other iron
safes. By the same unseen power that
the first were closed, we see these
drawn apart and with a jerk our boat
carts beyond and again stops. Again
as before, We see the gates behind lis
drawn together and securely fastened;
again the waters begin to rise and
with them our boat. A little more and
we are again before other gates which
q en- to let us pass and close behind
Us. And as twice before we rise with
the waters for some thirty feet and
then we are pushed out upon Gatun
lake, some eighty-fve feet above sea
level.
While we are moving quietly along
Upon this lake the guide unfolds its
history: when the Americans began
V orking upon the construction of the
canal, the Chagres river was flowing
along where this lake now IS. After
the lock canal was decided upon it was
very necessary to get in some way
water supply for the locks, so they de-
termined to build a dam which would
check the waters of the Chagres, and
il that way gain water supply. They
began working at once on the founda-
ton of this great concrete wall known
as Gatun dam. Gentlemen, 1 would
gladly tell you all about the copstruc-
ton of this great wall, but such things
are of little interest to ladies, so I'll
wait until next time. Yes; it does look
natural, but it is only covering of
soil which makes it look like a part of
the hills which it joins.
"But the greatest work of the dam
is the spillway by which the waters of
the lake are governed, keeping them
about the same all the time, and in
this way preventing floods. From It
is obtained electricity to run electric
Motors, by which the lights of the ca
nal are furnished, by which the locks
are opened and closed, by which the
ships are taken from one lock to al
other and by which the water supply
of the locks are governed. This" he
finishes, sis always known as one Of
the big jobs"
Here we reach another lock and en-
ter. The gates as before are closed
behind us, but look, the waters in
stead of rising are falling and with
them our boat. Soon we reach other
gates, which draw back to Let US pass.
A little way farther We face other
gates, which as all heretofore have
done, open to let us by, and likewise
close after us. Again we are dropping
lower, lower still, but only to
enter another lock through which we
drop still lower until we face more
gates, which are opened and we are
given vigorous push and informed
that we are again on sea level
The next thing of very great inter-
est is Culebra cut Here again, our
guide comes to our aid with his
bundle of curiosity cure and we use
9th our eyes and bears as he tells us
about this great piece of work. This
cut" he begins, "is five hundred feet
wide, forty-one feet deep and nine
miles long, and it is dug right through
rocky mountain ridge. 1t was the
most difficult of all the works of the
canal (another one Of the big jobS),
for landslide after landslide would fill
in where they had already dug and
would have to dig it all over again
and again. OF course this cost them
much time and expense. Look there IS
where that man was covered up so
long by landslide, but finally he came
back to life. And there is where those
SIX men were killed by that awful
slide, but twas luck that no more were
killed" Thus he points out to us each
place of any great Importance and
tells its story all through the cut.
AS we pass out, we turn our atten-
ton to the natural scenery for a short