198 
REPORT ON THE PANAMA CANAL 
General Features of the Culebra District. — In order that the views of 
the Committee may be clearly conveyed, it is necessary briefly to mention 
and to illustrate by a map and photographs, the more important features 
of the Culebra District. 
The Canal here traverses the highest land in its course. On the east 
side, rising abruptly from the Canal, is Gold Hill. This is the highest 
hill near the Canal; it reaches a height of 660 feet above sea level, or 620 
feet above the bottom of the Canal. It is composed mainly of hard 
intrusive basalt and hard tuff nearly surrounded by basalt. It sepa- 
rates the Cucaracha sHde on the south from the East Culebra slide on 
the north. These sHdes have caused great breaks in the north and south 
flanks of Gold Hill, leaving nearly vertical cliffs, which are 275 feet high 
on the south flank. On the opposite western side of the Canal there 
are three prominent hills, Culebra, Zion, and Contractors Hills, in order 
from south to north. Their elevations are: 
Above Sea Above bottom 
Level of Canal 
Contractors Hill 415 375 
Zion Hill 570 530 
Culebra Hill 390 350 
Zion Hill is of intrusive basalt, the other two mainly of hard tufl 
with some basalt. Contractors Hill nearly touches the waters of the 
Canal opposite Cucaracha SHde. Zion and Culebra Hills stand about 
1500 and 1200 feet, respectively, from the Canal, and in front of them 
Hes the West Culebra Slide. The sHde has caused breaks in both of these 
hills. In the eastern front of Culebra Hill a road was carried down and a 
number of houses had to be removed; cracks roughly parallel to the 
Canal have formed for a distance of about 100 feet beyond the promi- 
nent break which seems to be the western Hmit of the slide at the pres- 
ent time, and extend to within 250 feet of the summit of the hill. Zion 
Hill also has suffered; a large mass has fallen from its eastern face leaving 
a vertical cHff, whose edge is only about 50 feet from the top of the hill. 
Contractors Hill has not been affected by the slides. 
The great slides occur in the low ground adjacent to these hills where a 
large amount of softer rocks had already been removed by natural 
erosion before the excavation of the Canal was begun. 
Relations of the Great Slides to the Hills. — The Cucaracha Slide is 
mainly confined to the area between Gold Hill and a subordinate basalt 
mass to the south. It extends from the Canal for a considerable dis- 
tance east of the crest of Gold Hill; and its head reaches the subordinate 
