Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-08-04
The Americans
In Panama
Story OF the Panama Canal
From Start to Finish
By WILLIAM R. SCOTT
Published by the Statler Publish
ing company. sol Fifth avenue
New York city.
Copyright. 1872 and 1914 by William
r. Scott
By WILLIAM R. SCOTT
CHAPTER xI.

Ing installed ~ Panama At q
cost of Sls.OO0OO, These ele-
vat0rs. known as locks will
raise shins to and lower, them from the
great artificial inland lake which Is
eighty-five feet above sen level. i.
There are six locks on the Atlantic
side and six on the Pacific side. at
each end OF the t;atun lake. -
| A ship arriving at Colon from New
York, on it's way to San Francisco. ell
ters the sea level channel In LiInou
bay and steams for seven miles
through the canal. which Is 500 feet
wide and forty-on feet deep. to Gatnn
Here its way Is barred by massive
pile Of masonry with impressive steel
gates. and towering eighty-five feet
above the ship Is the surface Of the
Gatun lake. To the west Of the ship
!, runs the. man made mountain. the
Gatm dam. which holds the lake in
bounds. The problem is to lift the
ship 10 this lake.
AS If by magic. the gates swing open,
and an electric locomotive. which has
run out on a guide walnand fastened
to the ship. flows It into the 6rst lock.
The gates swing together. and the ship
Is IMPRISONED 10 chamber 1000 feet
long aud no feet wide aud built Of
concrete. In moment the water In
this chamber begins to rise. being sup
piled through holes In the bottom. and
the ship rises with the water.
Is Fifteen minutes after entering the
lock the ship has risen with the water
for twenty.seyen and 0ne-half feet. lf
the full capacity for filling the lock
should be used the ship would rise
that height In eight minutes, Another
set of gates swing open In front OF
the ship. aud the locomotives tow 1t
into the second lock. a concrete cham
Der of the same dimensions. The gates
having closed behind. this chamber be-
gins fIling with water until the ship
is raised again for twenty seven and
one-half feet A third set Of gates
open. and the ship is towed into the
fnai lock. where the operation Is re-
peated with a rise Of thirty feet. or
a total lift for the. three locks OF
eigllty-five feet. When the gates In
front swing open the ship steams out
into the Gatun lake. The time spent
in climbing eighty.6ve feet was an
hour and half
For sixteen miles through this lake
the shin steams In channel 1000 feet
wide. for four miles In a channel 800
feet wide and for three miles In q
chafineI 200 feet wide. or twenty-three
miles In all. Then II enters the famous
Culebra cut. which Is 300 feet wide
through the continental mountain di-
vide and nine miles long At the end
OF the cut Is the Pedro Miguel lock.
thirty two miles from Gatun.
After entering this lock. which es-
sentialIy IL the same as the ones on
the Atlantic side. the ship goes through
the reverse Of the process at Gatun.
The water In the concrete chamber be-
gins falling. taking the ship down with
II. When It has fallen thirty feet the
gates In front open and the ship goes
out into another artificial lake. mile
and a half long. at the end Of which
are the Mirahores locks These two
locks lower the ship twenty seven and
half feet each. bra total for the three
locks Of etghty-five feet. which was the
height the ship was raised on the other
side. The. ship then steains through
n sea level channel for seven miles TO
the Pacific. having made the whole
journey from deep water In the At
lautic to deep water In the Pacific.
fifty miles In ten hours. 49,.
At both ends the locks are built In
pairs or twins. SO that ships going
in opposite directions may pass
through them simultaneously. 4 wall
sixty feet thick separates the locks.
and II one set should become disabled
the adjoining set still would be avail
able for passage. The time required
for a ship TO mount the three locks on
one side and descend the three locks on
the other side is three hours ..=.|
On the Atlantic side the locks at
Gatun are connected and constitute
one solid piece Of masonry. On the
Pacific side the lock at Pedro Miguel
is separated from the two locks at MI
rafiores by small lake mile and a
half long. This lake. like the great i
Gatun lake. is formed by damming riy-
ers. A dam at the Pedro Miguel lock.
which is the first lock encountered GO
ing toward the Pacific. holds the wa
tiers of Gatun lake from splitting down
the Pacific slope. e..
Chief ERgtHeer Stevens began the
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