The leader-enterprise. [volume] (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1912-1915, 1914-01-23
Continued From Last Fridays Issue)


The first concrete for the Pacific side
locks was laid at Pedro Miguel on
Sept l, 1909. seven days after the be-
ginning of operations at Gatun, 1t
was in February, 1910, that concrete
work was started in the two locks at
Mirafores For all twelve locks 4,48O,-
600 cubic yards of concrete were re-
quired.
For the three locks at Gatun 2O0O,-
600 cubic yards of concrete were requir-
ed, for the one lock at Pedro Miguel
$4,000 cubic yards and for the two
locks at Mirafores 100000 cubic
yards. A contract was awarded for
4.5OOOO0 barrels of cement, with the
privilege of increasing this order by Is
per cent. and in 1912 another 100000
barrels were bought to complete the
canal.
All twelve locks were half done as
regards the concrete work about May
l, 1911. The best months record for
laying concrete was made in April,
1912, in the Pacific division, when o.
735 cubic yards were laid The con-
crete is all of REINFORCED construction.
and an unusual feature has been the
placing of rocks weighing many tons
throughout the walls. The lock walls
at Pedro Miguel were not built in Sec
tons, as at Gatun. but as one solid
Fiece Of masonry more than 1000 feet
long. At Mirafores the two locks were
built in sections. as at Gatun.
The gates for the locks were con-
tracted for, in 1910, to cost $5.374.-
474.S2. Their construction and cree
ton are by the McClintic- Marshall Con-
struction company of Pittsburgh, I'M
der the inspection Of the commission.
This concern in 1918 had more than
5000 men at work and was rushing
the construction to meet the dates
agreed upon for their completion. I'm
der the contract this company has until
Jan. l. 1914. to finish the work. On
July l. 1913. out Of a total of $4,000
tons of steel required in all the gates.
$4,000 tons had been erected, or "a per
cent, leaving to be erected before Oc-
tober. 1913. when the first ship is
scheduled to go through. 1000 tons.
There are forty-six gates in all
twelve locks. with two leaves to the
gate or nin"'" Two leaves. The gates
are from # even to eighty-one feet
high, are feet thick and weigh
from 300 - tons each leaf. They
are &C led with interior cells.
which hoE40r1 will bo MI bo
berS .SSiSt in their manipulation,
and at ne top water chambers to in
crease their weight as the water rises
in the locks. The sheathing is with
steel plates riveted on heavy Orders.
These gates will be opened and shut
to permit the entrance or egress of
ships by electrical apparatus.
AS 95 per cent of the vessels in the
world are less than 600 feet long it
would be great waste Of water and
time to use the full 1000 foot lock in
each passage. So intermediate gates
are being constructed which will per-
nit 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 di-
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
a second set of gates especially pro-
vided for emergencies have been con-
structed behind the first set. If both
sets of gates should be demolished the
water would rush through with fear
full, velocity. but provision has been
made against this contingency by hav-
ing in readiness emergency dams,
which would be swung out over the
lock and forced down through the in
rushing water.
1t 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 a ship could result. The
tracks for these locomotives are on
each side wall of the locks, and two
will fasten to the rear and two to the
front of a ship to effect passage. If
all twelve locks were joined end to
end they would make canyon nearly
three miles long, 40 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 a 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 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 and from
this hill to the mountains. total dis
lance of 1900 feet. or mile and a
half.
AS the Chagres river every year dis
charges enough water to fill the lake.