The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1915-02-18
COL. GOETHALS
CANAL CLEARED
Declares That He'll Attack
Slides In CuIebra Cut With
New Methods.
GEORGE W. aoE-

ed 10 have the Panama canal
cleaned up by June. In an exclusive
interview obtained for the New York
Sun he made light OF the slides along
the nine mile Culebra cut and said that
there II little cause for apprehension
respecting future mishaps.
While In Washington he made ar
Engagements with the standard commits
sion for tests OF a solidifying fluid.
newly discovered. which Is designed to
turn soft earth into rock. IL Is plan
ned. n the tests prove favorable. TO
inject this fluid into the threatening
banks along the Culebra cut and thus
to turn them from 50 much soft earth
into solid walls.
The slides. n they continue. Colonel
Goethals says, must be dealt with as
they occur. New and more powerful
dredges than have heretofore been
used have been ordered and will soon
be digging UP the sides OF Gold hill
which slipped into the Culebra cut and
reduced Its depth from forty to thirty
feet.
Colonel Cocktails, sitting In an once
looking out on the snowclad Battery
park. looked maybe a triie older than
In the heyday OF his fine supremacy in
the making Of the canal
At his courteous invitation I had
called to talk TO him or. rather. to hear
him talk about the bothersome slides"
says the writer. Since my visit 20 the
canal two years ago the matter OF the
slides" had been In my mind as an
ever threatening danger 90 its naviga-
tion when the waters should be let In
and the canal open TO traffic. At that
time the great Cucuracha slide near
the Pacific side OF the nine mile Guile
bra cut was filling the whole canal ex.
cavation for half a mile with coarse
red earth intermingled with rocks and
trees that had come down from the
hill above.
Gold hill IL n mountain on the other
side nearly opposite. IL had been ac-
counted safe by the geologist IL had
been drille'l for faults" and none
were found. yet II was there that the
latest and very big slide developed last
fall. The cause would seem TO have
lain IN the action OF the water on the
soil
II was n question before the water
was let In what its effect would be on
the sides Of the excavation. The bal
ance OF engineering opinion was that II
would have n sustaining effect-that Il
would have the effect Of push against
the walls. While not knowing enough
to galnsay that. considered that the
dissolving effect Of the water on the
walls and the bottom was the factor
most TO be reckoned with.
Colonel Cocktails did not deny that
possibility, but looked on II only as a
remote possibility. He Il no nlarmist.
but he can see where complete safety
Is attainable. My proposition that
along the whole Culebra the cutting
down OF the banks. giving them n much
wider dare than they have now. was
and ultimately should be done.
even mt a cost Of some millions OF dol
lars. elected the response:
"Yes, but the practical difficulty ut
present would be where TO begin"
Colonel Goethals' Task
II was admitted that along the line
Of the Panama railroad there were cuts
whose walls were Amos, perpendicu-
lar and which had not crumbled appre-
ciably In the ffty years since its con-
struction. In the same way II was rea-
sonable to conclude that the banks OF
the canal would stand unless an earth
quake or other violence disturbed their
equilibrium or where they proved per-
yious to water. as Mt Gold hill. There's
the rub"
Colonel Cocktails talked freely and
easily, rarely needing the urge Of a
question. and said in effect;
The old Cucuracha slide. enormous
as Il was. has been taken care OF by re-
moving earth and pressure from the
hill above and dredging the channel
there 100 feet wider. forming sort
OF bay which will take up any fur
Their glissade. should 1t occur, without
endangering the canal prism itself.
ION the opposite side stands Gold
hill. and II was there that discover
ed the fault or crack I'm the earth last
October-a longitudinal crack I'm the
side OF the hill about 1000 feet long.
Il was not slow In developing. The
crack widened. and the earth on the
canal side OF II began sliding into the
cut. The whole surface OF the sliding
earth began sinking and the canal
prism filed up rapidly. On account OF
the softness of the surface of this NOV
ing, sinking mass II was impracticable
to establish a steam shovel on II or
lay a track that would sustain loco
motive and a train OF ears. There was
nothing 10 do but dredge II as II came
down.
No Sign Of Movement.
''The mass OF Gold hill back Of the
fault showed. and has since shown, no
movement or tendency 20 move. so
that as things look now II would be
impolltic TO attempt any treatment OF
that part OF the hill.
AT the point OF fracture OF the mass
II stood 25O feet above the water, and
the character OF the earth movement
may best be understood by saying that