Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-08-05
The Americans
In Panama
Story Of the Panama Canal
From Start to Finish
By WILLIAM R. SCOTT
Published by the Statler Publish
Ing company. 6oi Fifth avenue
New York city. e..
Copyright, 1872 and 1914 BY William
r. Scott

As 95 per cent of the vessels In the
world are less than 100 feet long It
would be great waste of water and
+, time to use the full Loo, foot lock in
each passage. So intermediate gates
are being constructed which will per
init the use Of only 400 or 600 feet, as
the particular vessel may require.
There are recesses In the lock walls
which allow the gates to be opened
and still leave clear width OF ITO
feet At the entrance Of the locks a
chain. with links three inches In d.
ameter. stretches from one side to the
other to stop vessels which might not
obey the signals. In case the first
gates should be rammed and broken
q second set Of gates especially pro-
vided for emergencies have been con-
structed behind the first set II both
sets Of gates should be demolished the
water would rush through with. d fear
full velocity. but provision has been
made against this contingency by hay.
ing In readiness. emergency dans.
which would be swung out over the
lock and forced down through the In
rushing water.
II is to prevent such accidents that
the plan Of towing vessels through the
locks with electric locomotives was
adopted. as then no misunderstanding
OF signals from the captain to the en-
gineer of ship could result The
tracks for these locomotives are on
each side wall of the Jocks and two
will fasten to the rear md two to the
front OF d ship to effect q passage. II
all twelve locks were Joined end to
end they would make a canyon nearly
three miles long. ITO feet wide and
eighty feet deep
. The natural topography OF the 18TH
mus at Panama permitted the, Chagres
river to escape into the Caribbean sea
through break In the mountains at
Gatun. Engineers logically considered
that this was the point at which a dam
should be thrown across the Chagres
river. Two valleys were formed at
Gatun By u hill which rose In the
center to an elevation Of 10 feet. and
the dam that was designed runs from
the Gatun locks TO this hill aud from
this hill to the mountains. total dis
lance of 1900 feet, or mile and
half.
As the Chagres river every year dis
charges enough water TO OH the lake.
some means of disposing Of the sur
plus water had to be provided. The
plan adopted called for spilIway to
be constructed TN this hill. about third
way In the dam site This spiIIway Is
Of concrete. requiring 225.OOO, cubic
yards to complete. On July /. 1913. II
was more than % per cent completed
The floor Of the spillway Is ten feet
above sea level and 800 feet wide
through the hill which involved ex.
cavation through rock for a depth Of
100 feet at the highest point of the
hill A concrete dam was built on
this floor to height Of sixty nine feet
above sea level and In shape Ike
semicircle On top of the concrete
dam piers were built with an arrange
ment for steel gates These steel
gates will be electrically operated and
regulate the TOW Of water out Of the
lake. Az much as 10000 cubic feet Of
water per second may escape through
the spiilway when the gates are open
There wifi not he complete loss OF
this water. as on the east side Of the
spillway power plant Of the hydro
electric type Will be operated A drop
Of seventy-fiye feet by the water will
operate turbine engines. which I'm turn
will operate the electric machinery that
will generate all the power and illumi-
mating current needed from one end Of
the canal to the other. But an addi-
tional power plant will be maintained
at Mirahorps for emergencies The
power to operate the lock gates will
come from the spillway plant.
The Gatun dam Is so stupendous that
1t almost seems to be continuation Of
the hills that inclose the lake. II In
fact does complete the natural noun,
tain chains that form the barriers of
the Chagres river. 1t Is los feet high.
or twenty feet above the ordinary level
of the lake at eighty.6ye feet eleva-
don. The plan OF construction has
been to build parallel mounds for the
mile and a half. 100 feet apart Be
tween these mounds. built of rock and
earth, a core for the dam has been con-
structed by pumping mud and sand
from the bed Of Chagres river. About
20 per cent Of the material pumped Is
solid matter. and when II has deposited
The water Is pumped on This opera
don has been repeated until an imper-
vious heart has been made In the dam.
Even u water from the lake penetrnted