The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-08-28
Power for Panama
How Electricity is Produced From the Waste Waters Of
Gatun Lake to Tow the Ships, Light the Fairway and
Operate the Huge Locks.

Operate the
-LECTRICITY for the Panama
< canal Is secured from the waters
or the canal ITSELF. The sur
plus water OF Gatun Lake is used to
produce the power necessary for tow
ing the large ships, for operating the
locks, ror light and power purposes.
aTne tremendous water storage IN
the arrlnclal uatun Lake, fed by the
Cnagres river, not only carries vessels
the greater part OF the way across
the lstnmus on a level about IS feet
above the oceans, M provides water
ror raising and lowering them gently
through ne Gatun, Pedro Miguel ana
, M1ranores locks, but 1t also has at
roroed an excellent opportunity to
generate electric current for lighting
the canal. FOR operating the gigantic
gates n other locking machinery,
and Tor the locomotives which tow The
ships through the locks.
Electric cul.-nt will likewise pc
used Tor coal handling plants at both
ends or the canal, for machine shops,
w~aterworKs, d%rydocks, and possibly in
the ruture Tor hauling trains on the
tanama railroad. 10 insure contin-
ulty or service in case of accident. a
steam-eIectr1c station at Mdrat1ores,
erected a rev years ago to supply
power FOR construction work, will be
ready to pick UP the load when neces-
sary.
Brief Data on the Canal.
Inc extreme length OF the canal IS
ABOUT 81 miles, It has a min1mu n
depth OF Al feet and the channel
varies from 800 to 1,UOO feet wide.
Inc famous Culebra cut has a length
OF about y miles. III crest OF Gatun
dam mas a length OF 5000 rect and an
extreme width OF 2,lOO feet, the height
ABOVE the normal lake being 80 feet.
Inere are three double sets of locks
at Gatun, n douDle set at Pedro
Miguel and two double sets at Mira
flores. the average lift Of each set is
2SR rect, the ength OF each chamber
De1ng I,UOO reet n the width 10
rect. The time required for the pas
sage or vessel through the locks is
about ! hours, and through the canal
from ocean to ocean y to 10 hours.
Inc width OF the canal one Is 10
miles n 1t has an area OF 436 square
miles. More than 10000 men have
Deen employed in building the canal
and over 2OO,OUU 900 cubic yards OF
earth nav been e~xcavated. 1t Is esti-
mated that $s1o,UOO,OO0 will represent
the total cost OF this mammoth pro-
1ect. -
Power and Distribution Equipment.
Inc compIete equipment for the
power ana distribution system on the
canal comprises the .7500-kv-a., 22OO-
volt curtis turDo generator electric
power plant at M1rat1ores for emery
ency; a double 4~4,UVO-voIt transmits
sion line across h lsthmus, connect
Ing Cr1stoDal ana Balboa with the two
power plants: four "A ,NUO-z2OU-volt sup.
stations, stepping down al Cristooal
ana Balboa. and up or down at Gatun
ana Mlrar1ores, depending IN which
or Inc two pants is supplying power;
tnlryr-slx 2UU-24U-voit transmission
stations for powe.., traction and light
at Gatun, Pedro Miguel and Miratiores
locks; three 22UU-22O-volt transformer
stations Tor the control boards at the
locks; n stations at Cristobal and
Balpoa for III coal handling plants,
machine shops and ~drydocks.
Tne Gatun hydro-eIectric station has
a capacity or 500 XIV; and provision
, mas Deen made to increase this to an
ultimate capacity OF 12,U0O XIV, should
tnls amount OF power be required lat.
railroad, the three outlet pipes in the
dam having been installed along with
the original pipe lines.
Operating Head and Intake.
Inc gross head available rom Lake
Gatun to mean tide level Of the Pa
cine ocean varies from a maximum OF
VI rect in the extreme flood times to
a minimum OF 70 feet, to which level
the lake may possibly drop toward the
close or the dry season. The plant is
designed consequently to develop the
IuII water output when operating IN
der an enect1ve head OF rs feet. For
three or four months or every year
there is absolutely nc rainfall on the
Istnmus; and curing this period it IS
desirable to conserve the water to as
great an extent as possible. Maxi
mum efficiency was therefore demand
cd Tor the apparatus OF both the
~waterwneel n generator manurac-
turers.
water IS taken from Lake Gatun
through passages IL feet wide. fitted
with wrought iron racks % feet, Z
lncnes nigh t prevent trash from en-
terlng the pipe lines. The water IS
admitted into the pipe lines through
three 10 root, 6 1ncnes diameter head
gates. These gates are Of massive
cast iron construction, the seats where