South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-12-08
Writes Letter
From Panama
OnNeWCdnal

DR.. Perry c. Traver OF South
Bend who entered the medical re-
serve corps OF the United States
army as a first lieutenant last sum-
mer and who IS now stationed
abroad the L. s. A. r. Sumner in
the Panama canal zone, has written
an interesting letter TO The News
Times concerning his experiences.
Dr. Travers ship is 90 be laid up
for alterations 20 enter the nitrate
nJn 20 chile and he will be ordered
home upon his return 20 New York
The doctor expects 20 spend
Christmas at home In South Bend
The letter follows:
After another uneventful voyage
We are again ia the harbor AZ Girls
tobel. The passage was very smooth
and the only thing O. relieve the
monotony was 20 sight "a British
man-of-war cruising around the
West Indies that would not be even
sociable and flock OF Mother Car
eys chickens that passed the night
with Us.
THE canal is certainly one of the
greatest works OF human skill The
canal rs jO.3 miles i'm length from
deep water in the Caribbean to deep
water in the Pacific. AS the dis
lance from deta water LimOn bay
on the Caribbean side is AZ miles.
and from the Pacific shore line 10
deep water is about four miles. the
length OF the canal from shore TO
shore Is approximately ill2 miles.
The canal has "A normal summit elc-
ration s. feet above sea level reach
ed by a fight Of three locks at Ca
tum on the Atlantic side and by one
lock 40 Pedro Miguel. and a fight OF
two locks at Mirahores ON the Pa
Cific side. All these locks are in du-
plicate. that IL they have two cham
beers side 10y side. Each lock is 1000
feat i'm length and 10 feet I'm width.
Upon entering the canal from
the Atlantic side "a ship proceeds
from deep water in Limon bay 10
Gatum locks. 90 miles and upon
passing through the locks is carried
10 an elevation of So feet i'm three
lifts 20 the level of Gatum lake.
thence for a distance Of Is miles the
channel is 1000 feet or more i'm
width. narrowing tO 700 feet and
then To 500 feet wide
"Gatum lake is the largest arti-
covers III square miles and in the
next five years will be "a large winter
resort for there is an abundance of
fish in IL waiting for the tempting
bait. and i'm the bordering juncles
is abundance of game for the
hunter. one of the striking features
now are the large dead trees thick
~ dOtting the surface that were
drowned out by the backing up of
the water. I term them skeletons
of human progress. which VIII soon
fall leaving beautiful bayous fringed
with tropical jungle. Motor boating
will certainly be very delightful
Passing through the celebrated
Gaillard cut formerly known as the
Culebra cut). the channel is 800 feet
wide. since the last great slide and
the debris is removed there VIII be
no more slides OF consequence. Pass
ing through Pedro Miguel lock the
vessel is lowered 10 Mirahores lake,
s. feet above mean tide. through
which there is channel 500 feet
wide 20 Mirahores locks the two be
ing so OF "a mile long. Here the
ship is lowered 10 tide level and
proceeds through a channel 500 feet
wide TO deep water in the Pacifc
The time required for the passage
OF "a medium sized ship through the
entire canal is about 9ts to 10 hours
and for larger ones from 10 to II
hours
ships arc towed into and through
the locks by eIectrci locomotives or
electric mules as they are called.
The electricity used TO operate these
engines and 10 operate all the gates
and valves as well as TO light the
canal and works. is generated by
water from Gatum lake, which
drives three turbin generators of
about 1000 XIV. capacity. Electricity
is transmitted over the zone through
sub-stations and high voltage trans
mission lines At the Gatum spill
way Is a sheer drop Of go feet max
ing "a turbulent waterfall. one OF the
beautiful sights Of the zone"