The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-07-19
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cheaper rates to Pacific ports. Bulk
products like lumber. WOOL hides.
wheat and wines will get lower freight
rates through the canal from the Pa
cine ports. Australia will be four
thousand miles nearer 10 the Atlantic
ports. thus cheapening the freight on
the wool from that country. II viii
cost about $4,000, 900 annually To oper-
ate the canal and about twenty-five
hundred employees will be required.
Balboa A Real City.
Baepoa. st the Pacific terminal, will
likely become the big city of the Canal
Zone, as many OF the employees who
have charge of the locks Will live
there Great dry-dacks. wharves, re-
nair shops and warehouses and other
facilities to the canal are in course of
erection. several of which are at Bal
boa. Uug Of tr1e- monster p : s-tt-fs
cranes to be used In handling wrecks
mr. accidents In the canal or locks viii
he kept at that point. A fuel station,
TOO Will be located ar Balboa. a large
number Of transients may be counted
upon as many people Will leave the
SE3DS ~ ttiiS INAtN' -'"' - NN' 49,
meet vessels there.
ChristobaI, the Atlantic terminus, Is
already a thriving town. and the new
Washington Hotel Will draw hundreds
~ winter tourists from all parts of tho
warld to the Isthmus. This hotel, like
The Tivoli at Ancon, is run by the Gov
eminent and everything Is first class.
eo1nnaring favorably with the winter
al. ~.
OF the negro quarters has been going
on for some time This is carried our
rapidly. the shacks being burned as
soon as they are no longer needed.
AT IaBoea permanent quarters arc
being set up for such laborers as may
be needed in the working Of the locks.
They are being erected on land re-
claimed by the dumping Of the Spot!
from Culebra Cut. Most OF them are
family quarters, as nearly every negro
has some member of his family to
keep house and cook his meals.
Canal Fortiications Guarded.
The canal will be heavily fortified
at each end. and the army work there
is nearing completion. The mounting
of the powerful guns and mortars will
begin in the early fail Already these
for;ifications are being carefully
guarded and no photographirE is per
mitted anywhere near Them. On April
24th the Secretary of War issued in
structions asking that increased vigil
eucc be exercised at these points ana
at the locks. Governor Goethals at
once REQUESTED the commanding officer
of the 10th q. S. Infantry a regiment
which has been stationed on the Zone
for the past TWO years, 20 take over the
guarding of the canal property. This
officer sent two companies of the regi-
ment to Gatun, one company to Pedro
Miguel, and one TO Mirafiores. II Is
the duty of these men to protect the
locks and spillways Several times re-
ports have been circulated that an at
tempt would be made TO dynamite the
locks. and on one occasion several sus
picious characters We're arrested after
n large amount of dynamite had been
stolen.
Some difficulty has been experienced
with the Naos Island breakwater
which had a tendency to bulge after
the fashion OF tho Cucuracha slide. buf
happily this has been overcome, and
firm foundation for the breakwater
secured. These were constructed on
the same plan as the foundation FOR
the oversee railway of the FLORIDA
East Coast Railroad Company.
The lighting facilities of the canal
have been entirely completed except
for one or two lighthouses which are
still in course of construction. The
light effects on the canal achight are
beautiful and can be seen for many
miles
Radio Station.
Work on the three 600-foot steel
towers of the proposed Darien radio
station at Caimito has begun and will
be completed before opening day.
Each tower is built in the form Of an
equilateral triangle, $50 feet on the
side. At each corner of the triangle
will be footing Of concrete. The
depth of the excavation for the footing
has varied from twelve to twenty-eight
feet below the surface Of the ground,
the greater depth being necessitated
by the irregular surface elevations.
The concrete base will be rectangular