742 THE PRESENT ASPECTS OF THE PANAMA CANAL. 



at the summit of the Cordillera, the southerly limit of the Chagres 

 watershed, and the divide constituting the northerly limit of the 

 same shed ; it will include also the numerous borings to bed rock at 

 the Gamboa dam site and at other points. It will disclose the infor- 

 mation requisite for the determination of plans for effectively con- 

 trolling the flood flow of the Chagres River. The data already 

 obtained show that it is entirely feasible to build a dam at Gamboa 

 and to divert a portion or all of the waters of the Chagres to the 

 Pacific through a tunnel not more than 7 miles long, or toward the 

 Carribbean Sea through a tunnel piercing the other divide and about 

 1 miles long, the former probably being preferable. The surveys of 

 the French companies failed to disclose any location for a tunnel less 

 than 10 miles long through the Cordillera toward the Pacific. 



The New Panama Canal Company had a labor force of about 700 

 men engaged in excavation at the great Culebra Cut when the canal 

 property was turned over to the present Commission in May last. 

 The organization of this force and plant has been maintained and 

 greatly increased in efficiency. The fifth field party was assigned to 

 such engineering work in connection with this great excavation as 

 will be required for its ultimate execution and in making the final 

 location in the vicinity of Culebra. This force has also been instru- 

 mental in installing a system of field accounts, so that a complete 

 daily record may be kept of progress and cost of all classes of work. 



All of these parties have conducted the operations assigned to them 

 continuously and energetically. They have secured data of great 

 value in the ultimate solution of the main problems of the project. 

 They are still at work in their several fields, but these preliminary 

 operations are drawing to a close, thus enabling the Commission 

 promptly to study and fornndate the final plans on which the work 

 of construction on a large scale depends. 



The United States Government is required under the treaty made 

 with the Republic of Panama not only to construct complete water 

 works and sewer systems for the cities of Panama and Colon, but 

 also to formulate and execute certain sanitary measures for those 

 cities. In accordance with the terms of the agreement recently 

 reached ])y Sc^cretary Taft with the Panama Government at the city 

 of Panama, complete control of this sanitary work has been vested in 

 the United States Government represented by the Isthmian Canal 

 Commission. 



The source of public water supply selected for the city of Panama 

 is a reservoir in the upper Rio Grande Valley close to the great Cule- 

 bra C^iit and about 10 miles from the city. The dam for this reservoir 

 was constructed in the days of the old Panama Company by M. 

 Pliilij)p(> Puneau-Varilla, chief engineer, and subse(piently the first 

 minister plenipotentiary from the Republic of Panama to the United 



