THE PANAMA CANAL.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12499, 27 March 1909, Page 4

THE PANAMA CANAL.

As now being constructed, the Panama Canal, says the New York Herald* will bo a lock canal about 50 miles long , from the Atlantic terminus in Panama Bay. Begining on the Atlantic shore line, the canal has a width of 500 feet for three miles to Gatun. At the latter poin.t a duplicate flight of three locks, each leaving a lift of. twentyeight and one-third feet, will lift vessels up to a lake to be formed by a dam which is to be built at that point. The lake thus .formed. will contain 118 square miles, is 30 miles long, and at various places nearly eight miles wide. From the Gatun locks the. steamer j channel will be through this lake for about 23 miles, and for 16 -miles it will have a minimum width of 1000 ft. From San Pablo jto Juan Grande it will be narrowed~"to 800 feet, then to 500 feet to Bas Obispo, then to 300 feet to Las Cascades, andjthen to 200 feot to Paraiso. This carries it through the Culebra cut. From Pari aiso to San Miguel it has a width of 300 feet. Here' a lock with a lift and descent of 30 feet forms the connection with Sosa Lake, 55 feet above the sea level. Here again vessels are to have lake navigation for five miles to Sosa Hill, -in which are contemplated two locks, each of a lift or descent of 27J feet, which are. to carry vessels down to the sea level of the Panama Bay section of the canal. Sosa Lake is to be formed -by a system of dams across the Rip Grande near La Boca. One of the chief difficulties to be dealtwith is in relation to the projected dams at Gatun. If 'the reader .will imagine/ the' right arm of a gigantic Vas representing the canal, extending from Colon to its point of intersection with the Chagres River at Gatun, . the left arm will represent the latter river in its flow" from Gatrun to . its mouth of the Caribbean Sea. At Gatun this river makes its way through adeep depression" in a high range 'of hills ; and the question arises .whether the dam will be able to withstand the river when it is swollen to a raging flood. The plan that- has teen so vigorously criticised contemplates the building up of a' monster earthen dam at the point where the river winds through the depression. Sheet piling is being driven to the core of the dam to help it in averting the effects of the violent action of river. The opponents of this scheme favour a sea-lovel canal. But the lock canal plan has been finally approved of. — The canal, it is stated, will be completed "in 1915. . ;