The mirror., 1923-02-01
QUERIES
NOTICE TO INMATES

For the benefit of any inmates who appre.
cciate and see the opportunity that their spare
through correspondence school courses, study Of
good literature. acquiring an education in our
Night Schools, or, who need helpful informa-
tion in connection with their work in our var
ious departments, will herewith be privileged
to use the "Query" column. You are welcome
to send in , any queries Of serious interest to
Institutional Libraries, will gladly endeavor to
supply the requested information.
NOTICE-1n order to regulate the conduct
OF this column inmates must sign their name
register number and lock number to all queries
submitted for publication. Inmates names Of
course. will not be published only the initials
OF each qnerist being used.-Editor.
Q:-Io settle an argument, will you
kindly give information regarding the con-
structon of the Panama Canal, and the
comparative sea level of the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans? One inmate says he is
almost sure he read some years ago, when
it was being built, that they had to use
locks in the Panama Canal and therefore,
one ocean must be higher than another.
What is the width of the canal? Does it
allow ocean vessels to repass or meet one
another?-J. @.
A:-The Panama Canal begins on the
Atlantic side at Cristoba in Limon Bay
a dredgcd channel, seven miles long and
500 feet wide, leading to the Gatum locks
where lift of IS feet brings a ship into
the artificial Lake Gatum, with surface
area of nearly 14O square miles, erected
by dredging the Chagres and other rivers
The construction of the Gatum dam, the
greatest ever bult-one and half miles
long, 100 feet high, half mile wide at
hP tIo
ing feature of the Panama Canal. After
crossing the lake ia miles) the canal en-
ters the Culebra Cut, nine miles long and
800 feet bottom width, at Obispo, leaves it
by the Pedro Miguel Lock with drop of
80 feet, passes through the MiraAores lock
to the same sea-level again and then for
eight miles to Port Ancon, where the Paci-
fic is reached. 1t is about fifty miles from
deep water in the Atlantic to deep water
in the Pacific, but as the distance from
water to shore line on either side is about
four miles, the length of the canal proper
is approximately AZ miles. The canal
ranges in width from 800 to 1000 feet, the
average bottom width being $40 feet and
the minimum width 800 feet, quite
sufficient to allow steamships to pass each
other. Each of the locks is 10 feet wide
and 1000 feet long, and all three locks are
built in duplicate, SO that vessels going in
opposite directions may constantly pass.
From end to end the canal is lighted by
electricity and gas, floating buoys being
laid in Lake Gatum. The time of transit
averages from seven to eight hours, with
minimum of little over four. hours.
O:-Please give the area of the United
States.-B. d.
A:-The area of continental United
States is 3,026,789 square miles. The area
of U. S. dependencies is 716,S17.
NOTICF-All inmates using the Query Col
umn and desiring more detailed information to
their queries are invited to the splendid
reference books in our library to be had
request. The international Text Books
especially complete in their information on
technical subjects. Consult the Reference, USE
fnl Arts, Literature. Chemistry Biography and
Science divisions Of our library catalogue for
diversified subjects.