The Panama Canal

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume IV, Issue 1058, 4 August 1904, Page 2

The Panama Canal

—»— ~~ In tho important olemont of natural harbours the Panama route has met all the requirements of commorco during the four oonturioß sinco its disoovory. On tho Pacific, when tbo Canal reaches deep water no works of harbour improvements will ever bo required, On the Atlantic the natural depth now meots the nbods of ordi. nary comiuoroial steamers, and whon moro is required it may bo secured by dredging, without fear of deterioration, sinco there aro no moving Bands to bo combat* tod, Tho merits of tho inland route ore equally conspicuous, Tho distance is only about 45 miles from ocean to ocean, or only ono quertor as lung as that by Nicaragua, and the summit lovol may bo fixed at about 60 feet, or a little more than half that of Nicaragua. Tho route is awor-t by no strong winds; the ourvaturo is exceptionally favourable as compared with oxisting ship canals; tho annual rainfall ranges from about 140 inches on tho Atlantic coast to about 93 iuohos in tho intorior and 60 no.tr tho shores of tbo Pacific, with a well delined dry soason of three months; and with judicious regular lion of harbour improvements there will bo no objectionable currents in any part of tho route. Ths transit irom ocean to ocon may bo made in a single day without onoroach* ing upon tho night, but night passagos can bo mado easy and aafo by a Bystem of electric lighting supplied by water power at the two dams on tho Chagros, The floods of the rivor may be readily controlled, and ample provision to meet the low water requirements of tho canal may easily bo made, In a word, an exoollent canal woll suitod to the noods of navigation may bo constructed; there nro no tochnioal difficulties that will not yiold to tbo ordinary resources of modorn engineering. If judicious measures aro adopted in p eparing tbo final plans. It is true that - five locks will bo required, two to reach thu summit level, two lo descend, and one to overcome tho large tidal oscillation nn the t'acitio coast, but experience on the Manchester Ship Canal has demonstrated that thev will Miitail no serious difficulties in mivigatiuu.-Tho Engineering Maga- 1 zinc.