PANAMA CANAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 402, 11 January 1909, Page 9

PANAMA CANAL.

TkuGESLIDES CAUSE ..MUCH^f ROUBLE. ;ii;- : :TJie'Vanijiai- v r report.',of: the .Panama Canal Commission , ,-/recently •m.ade/ , . jjublio; : '--; snows ,'.' that serious and unexpected;, difficulties havo ■encountered/in the construction■Oγ.the great waterway;. - _ whidli . have/.necessitated ; some change-"in , ■•plan aiid caused considerable delay. -The proljloms faced -by the French ;, '"engineer's" twentv-f our:years .ago.arc still a, ) source of trouble for;' the engineers,, After ■ telling of -the/reorganisation or the ; ago,;;tho. :/- ■■■: , \'Tb'v-accomplish■ tho objects sought, /■ tlie - , '''»>ne , .was / diyid?d : iinto'f-three"'.parts J -.'eaoli : :-6f' -whioh js-to , constitute a ■division under. ; 'Jie. ■io department of construction and engineering, M.tKe.division'engineers.reportmg.direct to the I-chief ; engineer. The first -is :to include al 1" territory -north of Tabornilla, tebe-designatcd Zitii i Atlantio division;itha second--is,-to ex- : tend front Tabemilla to ?cdro Miguel, to; be .'named •■thoi central -/division'; '■and: the. third,: i extending from Pedro '.Miguel to deep water, .'■■ini the Pacifio,. will constitute . the.,. Pacific ■ division.- : :As tho'reorganisation is not com- ■. pUto ; atHhis. : tiniei' its. details 'must bo left ■ for the -next annualVropbrt. .■:;:,.•..■'. ; ■- .::'.'This:department embraced tho.-..Culebra ■'■'- diyisionr the -.Ghagres division, , .the Colon; '!■"' dredging divis-io.n,-:and :the La Boca 'dredging : .division. To" the equipment for "excavation ; in,the dry," Reported ..on:hand: at close , : ofhhe last ifiscal' year,-- fourteen seventy-ton ; ,'steam-shovell/'sixteen niiiety-five-ton _steam -■ -shovels,- ■',292irLidgerwobd-i ■ carsf r and .668: : : i twelve-yard '.dump , ' cars,, were^added , .to re- '■ ceipt-i or purchase. during tho -year. ;,,\vitn ! ■ the addition-bf 200 dump cars, it: is Mtim-. i pated that *the'•locomotives,;:steam slwve^, ■ and cars" Ottrhand.or- under . order'will, be ' : eufficieiit: ; toi complete the work . to. be /done ; -■ ■ by^this'class- of equipment;>, .-.-._■■. 1 y :^:' v , ,"Cu!ebra ,; division.—This division .extended. ". / from ;the" ChagresVEiver. i^ .the jwffc °} ■Gamboa to ~nclude>the/Pedro Miguel lock, ■ of 9.2 tho tbal/amount.of / F ; m at e ; : ;during,tho year;was. f l2^6s,]|S ( MbiC ; pr^ ■ place measurement, of which 11,650,Z0d cuoio ' ■■ yards /were. from", the .canal/prism/ and, the; balance Jorl : accessory :worbsi, : ;.: ; . ..'■; ~,•

fcsixi Hundred Thousand Yards In Motion- :. P- ■-■ -SomV.-of the troubles on this seotion of the canal are told:as;fo!low^On' »-€ucaracha-. slide, wbioh. had caused i i-le'stf inconvenience" since:the Work .was begiin 'started ;to; move to-, hwftl-:tte -east .edge of ;.the canal, «lj*' P^t:nrst,.-of fourteenv/feet^-in, twenty-row, '" hours, dccrcasing:;toward : of :the i: about four: feet.in.tho; sameIjenqd, <of ! :time:- ; About 113,000 cubic'yards, or,;nm-r-?kL:moved:so. as the. 1 transportation.;.of . :; through,, the. '■"■■ 'cut' to';the ; south,■'■and .necessitated,, tno '■;• of: all: material :S of Ithe; Panama.Railroad.via. y thesoutti.;^..Workwas prosecuted '- '.without;'interruption day and .night, , ~by, ■• : steam -'shovels. and- improvised Tiydrauhc i : meansi^and 'by;.the:.end .of^ho;: month ; «ifb-, cient:space:was gained .on-tho/movmg, mass i? "to permit the- passage of dirt ;trains tpr.the, -;s6uL'ovbr:the l old>outoA;The,total.area !i Of :. the/ slide .was iapprosimately square : ■yardsi-anil : it' was- : :;estimated r . .that about. : : 600,000 : cubic -yards were; ih, /motion^. ine..."removal of this slide is not a source of diffiseason;:; r : Uft with the ■'hope -that/should-rapid move--1-: irient again take: place, •steam.!shovels could: :. prevent-thel interruption of .tiaffic.V:; Utner. -Elides have also.given trouble. ;..-.^- ■ : : ■■;■- "Ohagrfis' division covered a. "distance ■•pf.--'"tweiqty. : tnr'e6 , ; : bii!ie'B, : •,' tended ifrbin Gatun; to .anoint,/where, ihe i : 'cahal crosses the .Chagres.'Biver at ;Gamboa.. ■Theriver crosses tho canal line twenty-three times"within tho limits pf; thjs; division, so i that during construction a considerable por''.tion of the prism js subject; to; overflow by •- floods, 'and to such aniextent'that progress •■ of work ! is..liable to' be slow .during the rainy •■ :.Beasons.; : K\.-' : : ; > ; ; V-i> ■... ■■\.''' "/■'

Surveys-Cave Lab'ouj. 'iv;; : :■•-.;; ;;;r cv : J -. wv ;,'-.: ;.' ; : 7,"Tho f -'surveys.'reported .as'jn progress in : : the tlast annual. report were cpmpleted,;;.arid; ;. . .the centro/line'df" the, canal permanently.': marked. Slight changes .in the alignment .'. were made in -the final location,' whereby -a ■;; saving 0r"T,264,700 'cubic ya'rds ; was'effected.; - ' of this, 264,300 cubic yards'were rock..:Th.ose. ; surveys-show that the total. amount, .to be : .removed from this' part of the'canal-prism' is ' 12,256,300 cubic yards,- of which 8,313 j6OO • • 'cubic yards are earth arid the balance rock." .During, the; fiscal ; year. excayation/was.Aef' i' : . .■: gun on four' different: sections..;At; SariPabio V work was oommenced; in August,'arid 634,832'cubic yards were '.removed during the .balance- -. of'the year ;.• there remain to.- complete •' this ... ■';.section^^.744,B,b7;Vcubic ; yards/ivWorfi>was,be- ;. ': .gun at Oaimitp: on' October 1 ;.. the', estimated amount of material to be from this ..seotion' is cubic - yards,;: of .whioh' ; '■'~ 555,346.cubic5 yards; were;;excavatc'd ; during .'; the ; year.' -In-the vicinity ,; of -Matacbin. ■ 1,552,000 cubic yards are to be rempyed;';and I ■ 434J51 cubic \ yards.-were:-taken..out" isirice. ; December 30,' when .work -.was. corahienced;. AtV Santa Cruz,.: between, Matachin;, and' the. ( Chagres' River, the -removal ..of 1,277 ( 500 . ' cubic yards is'Tiecessary"t'o;seeure;'tlie':prtsinVvand of this amount .138,806 cubic. yards; were I ' excavated since -:24; :; - The- total amount-of material excavated-was 1,774,124 cubic yards, place measurement,'all;fromthe ; canalprism, V;'-. -'..■*/.. •';'-'~v;.'.' ■;-,>.- -:;-..'. .' 'On'the'Colon Division excavation by steam shovels.' was. begun .in -July, -and two. of '. { : them, removed'a total of 536,959 cubic yards, ." including both.swamp.-and rock. '.-,-.: .'■^Dredging'during, the year-was. done by two ■■.' French;ladder 1 dredges', two dipper.dredges, , ■ .the] • sixteen-inch' suction - dredge,; and; by . the "seagoing- suction dredge Annon.. A total of 5,087,623 cubic yards of • ■ .material; was re- - ;: moved, of .which 4,947.,330 cubio yards were ; from the canal prism; and the remainder from V. accessory'works, U'/ ;;,,;- : V':.:-..'.;/. '- : - : .'. .'... ■. ."; La Boca divisionj'during the fiscal year,- ' a.total of; 5,273,369 cubicyards was removed,. ..-H- pi,'which ■ 5,264,019 cubic yards .were from ■_ ■ the'> canal/prism and 9350 cubio yards from ; ;, 'accessory works. ;::.^. / '.: i - ; v I ;,':'. ':■: 1 . and Dams, V..-;>.?. Dealing;.with- locks., and dams,-the-, report Bays. of .the work ; at La-. Boca lock?:!■;,' 'Steps- : V. were taken to. construct, the former of these ' ; ;,!dams'-'in.accordance with the-proposed; planj ; andi trestles were built along;the toes from : ' ■ which to dump;material, from:: cut. . The. trestles' failed after .the : dumping from them ..began; and -the material overlying-the . rock moved 'laterally, carrying ; tbe superiihposed. mass with it. ;In: : places] this lateral "motion continued for two, weeks after dump- .'. .irig..had ; stopped..'.The ground:ori; eitheriSido ' ofj and for some distance from; the dump was, forced up, forriiing mounds -of mud, the crests of which gradually approached the , level of„the dump proper.. After an. equilibrium . ■ : - was,, established between the dump, and: the adjacent".mounds; the hump.ior wavo would ; again.- mpvo .put. when -the track ..was; shifted "'•'towards it, accompanied by, a sudden vertical ; Settling of/the track of 6 to 10. feet whon loaded trains "were applied. Dumping from ; trestles of ;less" height secured..ho-, better re-' : - suits.": ' ■':■ ';;-";-:-;;;' ;. /..,'•- '.-;■:' viDuring the year disbursements on' the pay ' rolls of the commission.amounted.to 18,062,- , : 000 dollars, ■ the average payment per month ". ■'. to, employees, on -the gold roll.: boirig 125£0 .'■;'• dollars, and on the silver roll about; 40 dol-; •;;lars gold per month. -;,'. ■■'.-.- j '",■ '-The total appropriations for the canal to - : date have been 120,964,000 dollars'..- On the : canal 57,357,000 dollars hare .been '; spent,,,while buildings, sanitation, etc., raise the., total expenditures to 84,572,000 dollars. \ : .The balance/on hand at the end of the year ~;. was 36,391,000'd011ar5: v/