The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-10-21
BIG DREDGES AND
| SHOVELS STARTED
Ref Opening Ditch May Be Delayed;
Immense Task to Remove
Earth Left by Recent
Slides
lBy .. ?. staff corregpondent.l }

PANAMA, Oct. zl.--IneSe nils and
valleys and various other pieces of
Panama geography that have been
numbering around and falling into the
canal 50 carelessly and getting it all
stuffed up, have peeved Governor
Goethals. So today he pointed out
couple of mountains that he said
we're causing all the trouble and in
structed his men to take 'em away"
what, the mountains?'
"Yes, the mountains"
You mean you would like these
mountains removed"
Precisely. Move 'em-at once"
The mountains, be it added, began
moving today
It's really small matter Moving
q few mountains more or less is Of
slight concern to Goethals Chopping
hole in the face of the earth and
building a. young sea to connect a
couple of others--that didn't dismay
him. Why stop at shuntng mountains
around?
Construction days" are being re-
peated in GailIard cut, formerly known
as Culebra cut. A score of big dredges
and steam shovels and an army Of
workmen are removing thousands of
cubic yards of earth from the recent
slides from Gold and Contractors
hills.
Governor Goethals few days ago
expressed hope Of reopening the canal
November ], but the date may be ex-
tended Nearly two hundred, held up
by the slides since the latter part of
September, wait at the docks at
Balboa. the Pacific terminal, and
Colon on the Atlantic.
When viii the slides permanently
stop?"
That's as easy to predict as the
end of the European war is the an
swer.
The removal. bodily, of the two
mountains, Gold and Contractors, be-
ing blasted away and the earth sluiced
down to fill hills and valleys a mile
distant. is expected to stop the slides
That the slides win some time stop
forever some days certain. This
is confidently stated by Governor
Goethals. The worst slides, it is be-
lieved, are now over. The last was
the worst since the big ditch was
opened.
Snoring off of the precipitous
mountains which form the giant boun-
daries Of Gaillard cut is the gradual,
slow process which will prevent future
slides.
The peculiar geological formation
of the Panamanian mountains makes
this feat difficult Instead of firm
rocks or sandy subsoil, interlaced by
heavy forests, like the Rocky noun
tains. those of Panama are shelving
hills of red and yellow clay, covered
with tropical trees of small stature
and underground which does not
knit the loose soil.
The slides" are not an avalanche
Of rock and earth from the top of the
| mountain peaks, but a movement from
| below. As the base of the slanting
cuts weaken through seepage Of rains
and water in the canal. the earth
softens and is pressed downward and
! outward. into the canal channel. by
the heavier and more composite
masses above.
The slide movement occurs com
paratively slowly. 1t is detected by
encroachments from the base Of the
cliffs. Sometimes the movement is so
speedy that dredges and tracks are
covered. Generally the earth at the
base slowly mounts and is pushed un-
til it encroaches into the channel.
When the upper part of the hills
are cut away to such an angle that the
pressure upon the earth beneath Is re-
moved. the slides will stop The re-