The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-02-27
WATERS Of oceans
Do NOT M|N6(F
CAN'T FLOW UPHILL, WRITES
COL sIBERT, OF PANAMA Ca
NAL---BI0 QUESTION.

WASHINGTON, ID. c., Feb. 26.---
Leutenane Colonel William NJ. Sibert.
T. s. A.. the builder of the Gatum
locks the Gatun dam. the breakwateE
at Colon harbor, and the excavations
Of the channel between the Gatun
locks and the Atlantic ocean has
written an interesting article on the
Panama canal. his first contribution
on the subject, for the National Geo
graphic society. at Washin gton. ID. G.
In his article Colonel Sibert asks thiA
significant question:
Now that the canal is essentially
finished. what are the American peo-
pie going 10 do with it? Shall tho
new markets. brought into existence
on the Pacific shores of Central ana
South America by this new cheap
transportation route, be supplied by
the United States or by foreign coun-l
tries? In my Judgment that denends
more than anything else, upon
whether the congress Of the United
States enacts such laws as viii bring
INTO existence a United States mer-
chant marine engaged in foreign COM
nerce"
/. If there are any people who yet
hold the idea that the waters of the
Atlantic and Pacific will mingle In
the canal. Colonel Sibert dispels that
idea with the two statements, that
for about thirty-two miles the canal
is eighty five feet above the level OF
the oceans, and that water will not
flow uphill"
"A little to the North Of the Gatun
locks the American and French canals
tntersect," continues Colonel SfbeTt
Had the French canal been COM
uleted il would now he out OF date,
for its locks would not be of sum
cient size to~pass the boats that would
aow offer.
Painting Mosquitoes.
In 1912 Gatun had probably tina
greatest influx Of n1alarial mosquitoes
in it's history. The sanitary depart
ment determined to locate all the
breeding places for mosquitoes near
Gatun, catch mosquitoes at each place,
.und after painting them turn them
loose, and determine from the color
# the mosquitoes caught in Gatun
from what point they came. / went
down there one morning to see how
gaey were caught and painted. Mos
mosquitOe bars were suspended from
limbs tied up at the bottom. They
had thousands Of mosquitoes in them
ready 10 he sprayed with a colored
LIQUID, and the sanitary Inspector was
asked how ne caught them He said,
We have a more scientific way, but
this had to be done in a hurry. We
simply let the mosquito bar DOWN,
SIS You would open bed, left one
side Of 1t open, and put a Jamaica
negro in there for bait. As soon a.
the mosquito bar was full the bait
was removed and the end tied up.
] saw a Jamaica negro standing there.
John. were you the bait in that barr
asked, and he replied. Yes, boss:
that is the easiest money | ever earn
ad--ten cents an hour for sitting there
and doing nothing but just inviting the
mosquitoes in
In case a ship should break the
upper lock gates and the Gatun lake
should start to flow through the
flight of loc';s to the sea. a swing
bridge is provided for each upper
lock. by means of which an emer-
geney dam can be built across the
/ locks 1t Is purposed to allow no
! ship to go through the locks under
sts own steam Towing locomotives,
I four Of them, will run down the guide
walls. pass lines to the ship, two for
ward and two aft. and will then tow
the ship into the locks. hold 1t dur
ne the time it is being raised or
lowered. and finally deliver it along
side the guide wall at the other end.
This is a precaution that has never
been taken before in operating locks