PANAMA CANAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLL, Issue 13305, 14 February 1914, Page 10

PANAMA CANAL.

CAN EARTHQUAKE * -DESTROY IT?

r ••-■'•■: :SONDSN, Jan. '8. The possibility of the, f destruction of the Panama Canal byVa .vplcaaiic agency, it diicilssed 'by* Charles DSfrsori ■ m tlie Geographical' : Journal. v< His conclusions are .very '■ guarded.' 'He 4 thinks 'af ' pro* bable, taough by- no" maan& certaitf. that n o violent earthquake- will 'occur* 'sof near the canal as to injure the works, but says that? if A strdn'g «arthqu'ake ! does'! so 6ccur,r the maximum injfiirjr Of the works yfrbuld be ' wrought • near 'the* sufj' face, in/'siich. case it is probable that thero' might be 'e^Whsive" land" slides from the sides of the cuttings, especially if the shock occurred after a long period of heavy rains.' "•' '■■'■_' •■: i - -yi The completion of the Panama (Janal and thd deepening of the Suez ; Caiial are likety; ih the ; opiniofi "of Lorei;Pirrie, head oi'the.. famous concern of Harland and Wolff, to lead to- the building of larger' ships'.- '■'■ - v ■'•"■' "'■ Lord Pirrie expresses the vfow that shipowners will be ericofii'aj;ed : ''td' build vessels' up to tho ; maMm^rn dimensions and that thus the demand *bif the-fpaft of shipping' for increased depfch m r the principal* ha*bors' ! of the -World ' will He increased, ' , t He said no doubt the minimum working depth now'-'de^irable for a first-class harbor is at least $0 feet.