The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-07-16

Forty electric locomotives OF UNIQUE
design are used to tow shipping
through the huge locks of the Panama
canal When the canal was pelns
planned it was apparent that the var
lious winch and capstan systems IN
vogue for towing ships through exist
ing canals and locks would not do al
lall for Panama. After a thorough
study of the entire problem OF man
Towering ships through the locks at
Panama, it was evident that they
could not safely proceed through the
locks under their own power, ana
that substitute for the ships power
lshould embrace the following re-
lquirements:
Ability to place the ship in proper
relation to the lock.
/ Capability for keeping the ship in Its
course.
Accelerating and retarding the ship
without rupturing the lines.
The lines when once attached should
be used without change for lockage
in fight.
Taking Ship Through the Canal.
In passing through the canal from
the Atlantic to tho Pacific, a vessel
enters the approach channel in Limon
Bay, which extends to Gatnn, a dis
lance of about seven miles. At Gatun
it enters series of three locks III
fight and is raised SIS feet to the
level of Gatun Lake. 1t then steams
at full speed through the greater part
of the channel in this lake, for dis
lance of twenty-four miles, to Bas
Obispo, where it enters the Culebra
Cut. 1t passes through this cut, which
has a length of nine miles, and reaches
Pedro Miguel. where it enters a lock
and is lowered thirty feet. Then 1T
passes through Miraflores Lake for
distance of one and one-half miles I'M
til it reaches Mirafiores, where 1t is
lowered fifty-five feet through two
locks, to the sea level, after which 1t
passes out into the Pacific through
an eight and one-half mile channel.
The main features of all the lock
sites are identical: and the following
brief description OF the Gatun locks,
with special reference to the arrange
ment of the towing tracks, ship, chan-
nels, inclines and approaches. gives a
clearer conception of the towing
scheme in general.
There are two channels at Gatun.
one for traffic IN each direction. The
channels are separated by center
wall, the total length of which is
$3.50 feet There are two systems of
tracks. one for towing and the other
for the return of the electric locn-
motives when returning idle. This,
however, refers only to the outer walls
For the center wall, there is only one
return track in common for both the
towing tracks The towing tracks
are naturally placed next to the chan
mel side and the system of towing
utilities normally not less than four
locomotives running along the JOCK
walls. Two OF them are opposite each
other in advance of the vessel, and two
run opposite each other following the
vessel. The number of locomotives,
is, however, increased when the tom
mage of the ship demands it.
Cables extend from the forward
locomotives and connect with the port
and starboard sides respectively OF
the vessel near the bow and other
cables connect the rear locomotives
witt, the port and starboard quarters
of the vessel The lengths of the
various cables are adjusted by a
special winding drum on the locomo-
tive to place the vessel substantially
in mid-channel When the leading 10.
comotives are started, they tow the
vessel while the trailing locomotives
follow and keep all the cables taut.
by changing the lengths of the rear
cables the vessel can be guided; AMI
to stop the vessel all the locomotives
are slowed down and stopped, thus
bringing the rear locomotives in action
to retard the ship. Therefore, the
vessel is always under complete COT
troll quite independent OF It's own pow
er. which is not used, and the danger
of injury to the lock walls and gates
is consequently very greatly lessened.
The towing tracks have specially
designed rack rail extending the en-
tire length Of the track between the
rails. It is through this rack that
the locomotive exerts the traction nee
essary for prorelling large ships and
climbing the steep inclines. When
the locomotive reaches one of the il.
cIines between the locks, the grade OF
which may be as much as A per cent,
or when it is towing ship, the cog
rail system is utilized to enable the
locomotive to climb the grade and IN
the other case TO exert traction nee
essary for pulling the ships. The cog
or rack rail is laid between the track