The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1920-04-29

5
of the cutting ran into the hundreds of feet.
Ultimately it became evident to the engi-
neers that nature must be allowed to have
its way and to assume slope agreeable to
the nature of the material. Consequently, a
great force of dredges was set to work tax
ing out the material of the slides as it flowed
into the Canal. The work was carried on
steadily and on a great scale, until at last
the slides came to rest at an inclination of
one to seven.
It is gratifying to learn from the last
report of the Governor.of the Panama Canal
that from the standpoint of engineering and
maintenance, the Canal is functioning adj
mirably. OF the total rainfall of the Gatun
Lake watershed, II per cent was absorbed
by evaporation, 20 per cent by the hydraulic
electric plant at Gatun, 9 per cent by lock-
ages and miscellaneous uses, leaving mar
gin of 50 per cent which passed over the
necessary spillway discharge to maintain the
lake at the standard level during the wet sea-
son. On December IS, 1918, the elevation
of Gatun Lake was 86.98 feet above sea
level, and on April IL, 1919, it had been re-
duced to 1878 feet The maximum current
velocity, as recorded in the Gaillard Cut
section of the Canal was 094 knot per hour,
which occurred opposite Gold Hill, eight
minutes after both chambers of the Pedro
Miguel locks had beer filled simultaneously.
The number of ,lockages during the
year for all three series of locks was 6,938.
Two thousand and sixty-one commercial YES
sells passed through the Gatun locks, and 282
vessels of the United States Army and Navy
for which no tolls were paid. The average
time of transit through the Canal was about
ten hours.
A new generator unit No. 4 at the
Gatun hydraulic-electric section was placed
in operation last year bringing the capacity
up to $500 hlowatts. An additional unit
No. 5 has been ordered.
The great Cucara eaa slide, from which
total of 5,063,852 cubic yards has been
removed by dredges, has been quiescent
through the year, and the Culebra slides on
the northern side of the Divide have been
fairly quiescent. There has been removed
from the Culebra slides to date by dredges
the vast total of 25,000,000 cubic yards of
material. Hydraulic work is being done in
sluicing down and reducing the weight of
the banks where slides have occurred. On
June 30, 1919, 3,454,800 cubic yards re-
NAMED to be removed from the Canal prism,
practically all of it being chargeable to MAIN
tenance. At no time during the year was
there difficulty in maintaining the full width
and depth of the channel in the Culebra
slides REGION
On June 30, 1919, the total force en-
ployed by the Panama Canal and the Pana-
ma Railway Company on the Isthmus was
2O,361.
The total number of ships making the
transit Of the Canal during 1919 was 2,025,
of which $50 passed from the Atlantic to the
Pacific and 1,1165 in the contrary direction.
The aggregate net tonnage was 6,131, SIS
tons. The average net tonnage of CONNER
cial ships passing through the Canal was
1887 tons. The ships entering the Canal
were classified as follows: United States,
1856; British, 672; Norwegian, 1913; French,
1914; Chilean, 80; japanese, 81 Danish, 10;
and the ships of other nationalities in de-
creasing numbers. The time saved these
vessels ran in individual cases as high as IS
days. One vessel from Galveston for Yoko-
hama saved more than $4,000 on the out
ward voyage alone, as compared with the
cost via the Suez route. The tolls collected
from vessels using the canal during the year
amounted to Sc, 139,599.
The report of the Governor for 1919
tells us that the ordinary expenses for opera
ton and maintenance of the Canal, includ-
ing those Of civil government and sanitation,
amounted to'$6,112,1o5. Ofsetting the ex-
penses of operation and maintenance is the
amount earned as tolls for vessels passing
through the Canal as given above.
The total revenues derived from bust
ness operation carried on with Panama Canal
funds amounted to $13,684, 1881, an increase
of 32H per cent over 1918 and As per cent
over 1917. The cost of carrying on these
operations during the last fiscal year
amounted to $13,623,S54 leaving net pro-
A<1 n15