The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 1914. PANAMA CANAL COAL SUPPLIES

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 2, 2 January 1914, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 1914. PANAMA CANAL COAL SUPPLIES

The United States Government is taking due precautions in connection with the future coal supplies to be made available for vessels in transit through the Panama Canal. Two large depots are being fitted with coal-loading and unloading appliances at Cristobel and Bilboa. Each plant will be so arranged as to receive, store, and deliver separately coal belonging to individuals, and companies, as well as the Government. At Cristobal there will be wet storage (for naval use), for 100,000 tons, dry storage (for canal use) for 100,000 tons, and emergency storage for another 100,000 tons. The Bilboa plant will altogether supply storage for 210,000 tons. With the exception of the unloading towers, all parts of both plants will bo worked by electricity. The unloading towers will be of steel, steam-driven, selfcontained, and self-propelling. Their normal capacity will be 250 tons of coal per hour, with a maximum capacity of 300 tons. The stocking and reclaiming bridges at Cristobal will bo electrically-driven, and will be able to stock coal into any part of the storage pile, and also able to reclaim it from any part of the pile, and deliver it to the conveyor. The bridges will be able to stock and reclaim coal simultaneously at the rate of 1000 tons per hour. The re-load-ers will be nearly identical at both plants, and will be of steel construction, electrically-driven and self--propelling. Their function is to receive coal from the conveying system and deliver it to colliers, barges, and other vessels. The normal capacity of each re-loader will ho 500 (tons per .hour. The conveying system will consist of a double-track teuton automatic electric car system for transporting coal within the plant. Each plant will be provided with a < wharf bunker divided into three bins of 500 tons capacity, each with two i halves for supplying coal to tugs, : barges, and other small craft. The 1 floor of the bins will be set* at a 1 slope of 4odeg., so as to facilitate ; 'ihe discharge of cOal.