The Washington herald., 1915-10-14
NEW: SLIDES At
PANAMA Feared
Mountains Will Continue to
Push Dirt in Channel, Of
6cers Believe.
ENGINEER EXPLAINS PLAN
James Craig Says Mountains Must Be
Cut Down to Keep Canal
Open.
ENGINEER EXPLAINS PLAN
Nv CYRIL II. BRETHERTON.

Some thirteen hundred feet of the Pan
anna Canal has been partially filled by
the last slide. according to cable re-
ceived in Washington yesterday from
Mai +. c. Boggs. Chief of Corps OF En-
gineering, L. s. A, and now in charge OF
the work Of clearing the waterway The
slide Is in the Culebra Cut, at Gold Hill
and Contractors Hill.
Some two hundred feet of the channels
are filled to such an extent that the width
of the channel is reduced to p feet and
the depth to from three to fifteen feet.
In the week over 200 900 cubic feet of
dirt have been dredged out. but the slide
movement has continued with the result
that the channel Is no nearer to being
cleared than it was week ago. The
cable appears to indicate that dirt is
sliding into the channel from both sides
At the point where the slide has oc-
CURED. the canal runs between banks or
paiisades-the result of excavation-from
$40 to 400 feet in height. 1t appears that
these banks cannot hold up under the
weight of the mountain masses behind
them with the result that they break
away and slide into the canal or force
the bed of the canal up between them.
Army engineers evidently expect addi-
tional slides to occur until the pressure Is
relieved by the excavation or dredging
away of a great part of the earth masses
that cause it.
Craig Tells of Plan.
At the War Department no one could
be found who was willing to make
statement on the subject-either as to the
length of time during which the canal
will be closed or as to the measures that
will finally have to be undertaken to keep
10 o1v ad
however. that from a military and naval
point OF view. the possible closing of the
canal for a space of many months was a
matter of grave concern.
According to James G. Craig, for
many years travelling engineer Of the
Panama Canal and Panama Railroad.
the freedom of the canal from slides
could only be secured by cutting down
the mountains on either side of the
Culebra Cut. the weight Of which
causes the slides to occur. This can
be done. it appears. either by cutting
down the mountain tops. the dirt be-
ing dug out by shovels and carried
away on cars; or by shooting" the
dirt into the channel and removing it
with dredges.
The latter method. it appears. is the
one that Maj. Gen. Goethals contem-
plates using. Mr.. Craig. however. be-
leNeS lHdl ullludtcly lHc ~ tdihS
will have to be put back in use. Ac-
cording to his belief the mountains are
cracked for half a mile back from the
canal and will continue to slide. un-
less the pressure is relieved, indeh-
nitely.
Mr. Craig estimates that the tops Of
the mountains can be cut down to q
point where the canal will be immune
from further slides in a period of from
nine months to a year. No official esti-
mate of the length of time during
which traffic is to be interrupted has
been given. Maj. Boggs declares 1t to
be impossible to predict this particu-
larly as the heavy rains will seriously
affect the situation. Sailings by tho
Panama route. however. have been Of
fcially advised against by Maj. Gen.
Goethals which indicates that the
canal will be blocked for a consider
able time.