Smyrna times., 1922-12-13
c. Z D. WATERWAY BECOMES
A MINIATURE CANAL Zone
DREDGES AT WORK ON DEEPEN
ING AND WIDENING CANAL
$4,000 Cubic Yards of Earth Having
Been Removed From "Deep Cut"
By United States Government

by united states OONeTHuteltt
Work on the new Delaware and
Chesapeake Canal is going forward in
rapid strides. In some places the
operations are a miniature reproduc-
ton of the Panama Canal. What is
known as the "Deep Gut" just above
Summit Bridge is the largest engine
ering feat that has been attempted in
this state for a long time. The huge
steam shovel, scooping out two cubic
yards of earth at each movement; the
energetic, putting little narrow guage
locomotives, pulling their loads of dirt,
and men hurrying to and fro, presents
picture not unlike the famous Guile
bra Cut at Panama. The latter is
famous for its "slides," but up to the
present time there has been only one
small slide in the C. and D. Canal,
which occurred Wednesday following
the rain of last Tuesday. The small
slide did no more damage than wash
ing away perhaps Is feet of narrow
guage track which was not in use.
The canal at the present time is 68
feet wide at the surface of the water
and sc feet at the bottom. When the
new work on the canal is completed,
which will be in the latter part of
1925, or 100 years from the time that
the old Delaware and Chesapeake Can
al was formally opened, it will be 14O
feet on the surface and 80 feet on the
bottom.
When the job is completed boat
may go the entire length of 1874 miles
from the Delaware river to Chesa-
peake Bay without once having to be
locked. The abolishing of the locks
and widening of the canal are the two
principal features of the new water
way.
The most difficult task that so far
has confronted the contractors, The
w. H. Gahagan Company, Inc, of
Brooklyn, N. Y, is the problem of
getting the two huge dredges into the
canal the locks proved to be too small
to admit the dredges, and to overcome
this obstacle, the engineers cut chan
|
City, for half the distance, closed the
opening up and filled it with water
thus causing a basin to be created.
The first attempt, some months ago
was unsuccessful, the water breaking
through the improvised dam ant
causing the work to be delayed o.
Wednesday the basin was filled again
and the two dredges inside rose to tn,
surface of the canal. The work O
opening the inlet to allow the dredge
to continue into the canal was begul
Thursday.
Greatest Activity at Summit
, The "Deep Gut" above Summit
Bridge, is the scene of the creates
activity in the new work. 1t is esti
I mated that 14,0O0,00O cubic yards 0
earth must be excavated before thi
work is completed. Up to the preaen
time $4,000 cubic yards have been re
moved.
This earth is loaded from the stear
shovel to the waiting cars and the
e carried to what is known as the dunn
t which was formerly the reservoir Q
S the old Chesapeake and Delaware Car
t al Company. The capacity of thi
e area is 100000 yards. When it
d filled the surplus will be used to Fl
/ in low marsh lands along and at bot
r ends of the canal.
il The "Deep Cut" is two and one-ha
II miles in length and occurs at a ben
Il in the canal, where the canal is e.
pecially narrow.
At the disposal area just above IL
cut, the cars run along the top ar
dump the earth, which is then spres
Ir by hydraulic pressure from four-inc
,e hoses.
the whole cost of the canal is e
timated at about $5,0O0,OO0. tt
government has already appropriate
a sum of $5,500,000, OF which $1,000
900 was used to purchase the can
property, and the remainder for t
first Gahagan contract. The seco
appropriation of $2,500,000 will
used for the second Gahagan contra
and the remainder reserved for t
NC construction of six bridges. I
third appropriation, which will pre-
ably be made available by next Mar
will be used for the cost of dredgi
50 and the construction of two jetties
to the Delaware River at Delaw;