Show GAMBOA T DIKE IS i BlOWN UP Permits Waters Waters' or ot Gaum atUn Gatun LaKe taRe to Flow Flow to Both Oceans S. S PRESIDENT WILSON PRESSES THE BUTTON BUTTO Four Seconds Later Dynamite Dynamite Dynamite Dyna Dyna- mite Charge v s Great Earth Wall W WASHINGTON Oct 10 Exactly at 2 o'clock eastern time this afternoon ri President Wilson Vilson pressing a button in inthe inthe the Wl White te House sent ent an electric curi cu curent ur rent flashing more than miles nines overland and under seas to bl blow w u up th the Gamboa dike In tho the Panama an canal n l. l and ant remove tho the last practical obstacle 18 in Inthe the reat int ro an waterway v S i f 0 PANAMA Oct 10 The The b bike ike dike was was' exploded at p. p m. m The Tho destruction of the dike i vas s in every way I WASHINGTON W Oct 10 A A little spark originating when whon Pres Pres- I lent Wilson pressed the tho button in in inthe the i White House sped more mole than four tour thousand miles mile over land and under unde underwater I water Tater Ignited the 1 immense harges charges f v dyn to aid and pra practically tic cleared cleard the e Panama canal Electrical experts cal cal- calculated t that 1 t within after after the initial initial impulse impulse- ibe current ri tl i a SD a small switch witt at c ij dik i 1 turn turn- Bet t us furnishing the cur current e t which liIchi exploded the ch charge rg Elaborate preparations had rhad b J en made malc l by hr th the Western Union Luion Telegraph c company and the C Central and South American Tele Telegraph rah company for fOT the tho practically practical instantaneous transmission ion of the presidents president's ent's sj signal nal Front From Washington Wash Wash- in ington ton to Galveston Tex 1 j mile miles a single BinnIe wire carried the spark There it it was tal taken n up int instantaneously b by sensitive repe repeating tin i instruments a and d sped spell over o the cable al along the tho bottom 1 Cont Continued on page 6 6 GAMBOA DIKE IS BLOWN UP Continued from page 1 1 of the Gulf of Mexico to Coatzacoalcos Coatzacoalcos Coatzacoalcos Mexico miles further From that hat point it sped overland the Isthmus of Tehuantepec miles to another cable station at Salina Cruz on the Pacific ocean where other ether sets of sens sensitive ti e telegraph instruments snatched it u up and hurried it miles through another cable on the bottom of the Pacific ocean to San Juan del delSur delSur delSur Sur Nicaragua a cable station There other delicate machines transferred it ito to to o still another cable and shot it miles more to Panama When the tho spark erner emerged cd from its long submarine journey jour ne Hey ney it took the tho overland telegraph wires of the tho Panama Railroad company and ancI completed its mission at the Gamboa Gamboa Gam- Gam boa dike Hours before the tho time set experts exports of the hc telegraph and cable companies were bus perfecting their arran arrangements so the he presidents president's flash mi night might ht have an unobstructed unobstructed un un- obstructed passa passage e. e This dike Uke is the last great physical obstruction obstruction obstruction ob ob- to the opening of oC water later communication communication between the two oceans although the ho wreckage of or the dike and t two o earth sides side one at Cucaracha and another at Gold hill bill must be he cut through before the canal actually can be op opened mCd A t fleet neet of or dredges will attack cl the slides as 3 soon as they have o cleared tho the wreck- wreck a sac ago e of or the dike ll e. e and although Colonel Goethal In his telegram to the tho canal commission makes no prediction it II Is believed be- be ed It will be bo J possible to have hav the lighter boats used by 11 the canal diggers er pass from ocean to ocean In a few weeks The Atlantic and Pacific oceans were ere I not actually united today when the Gamboa Gamboa Gamboa Gam- Gam boa dike was destroyed find and thin tho waters of or Gatun lake Jake were allowed to lo flow flo Into Culebra cut as lake lak and cut arc are at the normal surface of or the water 5 u i feet feel above the level of the sea lea Is Last Obstruction The destruction of tho Gamboa dike however removes the thc last obstruction to the tho navigation of oC the greater part parl of the canal by light draft vessels easels and opens un UTI direct lre t connection between the great G Gatun tun lake which already Is practically read teady to dl discharge e vessels Hels Into tho the Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic At At- At- At lantic through h tho the Gatun locks locke the tho Pacific division lI I The Tho waters vaters of or the lake rushing through the broken dike at Gambia Gambra Gam- Gam bra bia sweep through Culebra cut until thc they reach tho the great 10 locks 8 at Pedro ledro Miguel which mark maik thin tho beginning of the tho descent de der lI scent from the top lop level le of tho the canal to Pacific The first craft to enter will be the tune craft nt m fin dredges I whose work worl IK III tl to clear and deepen the channel The Tho pre prea- prea once of or small craft In portions of or the canal however howo does not nOl as yet ot het mean to ocean navigation This will be bp first po possible when ivhon each ach link In the tho canal anal hRS bait a sufficient c depth of water and nil tho thin locks am ato working Gamboa dike was waa built in 1008 to hold the Chagres ms river In check during Its turbulent periods anti and to 10 prevent Its waters from entering tho the nine mile section section sec tec tion of or Culebra cut CUl a and 1111 delaying the work worl of t the limo sh strain im rn shovels It W was important j solely from Its Us loca loca- tion llon Twenty four miles to tho limo north tho rho mighty Gatun dam which to the uninitiated un un- initiated appears to bo be nothing more mOrA than thana a 11 low low- mountain ran range c stretched UCIO across S a n valley wiley keeps the tho of Gatun Jake lake from Crom escaping to sea Those two barriers on one onn tho tiro greatest rel man made dam damIn damIn damin In history and the other a low ridge o of or earth and anel rock which would ordinarily pa pas pans unnoticed have havo I kept ept In chock check the rising waters of Gatun lake Today there thre Is only one and tho the waters of tho the lake now extend from Pedro Miguel lock on tho ho south to Gatun 10 looks locks ks on tho the north n a distance of or about three thirty miles ap tip- proximately two two thirds of tho the c canals canal's IlIs length I Drills were at work on the near nearly the tho whole month of September and It was mined with over 1200 holes charged with dynamite SAN FRANCISCO CELEBRATING SAN FRANCISCO l Oct Oct- 10 San San Francisco Fran Ian cisco was prepared to celebrate noisily I today the blowing up Ul of ot Gambot Gamboa dike 1110 Inthe in inthe i the Panama canal canal Bombs bells and anel whistles accompanied the tho cheering of or thousands of citizens assembled at Union square A set sot program Including the time singing of patriotic songs addresses and the raisins of or the tho American nag flag b by Miss Annette Annetto Rolph daughter of tho the mayor and by IW a parade parado was carried earned out As n a part of or the days das festivities the site for Panamas Panama's building on tho h exposItion exposi exposI- x i- i tion grounds was dedicated b by b Senor Senor Jose Jose JOO J J. J E n re Lefevre the tho Panama commissioner commissioner The celebration was a coast At wide affair It reached from San Diego first Pacific parlor port of call north of or ennui canal to Seattle and tho the other cities on sound Every cry coast town outdid Itself In appreciation of the event and Interior cities and villages Joined In tho the tumult when n President II son pressed the ke key that s set et oft orr tho the great t blast Alon Along the coast tho the heavy he guns of tho rho fortifications roar roared d in salute to bo be answered answered an nn- b by mn navy craft and tho the scream 0 of steamer whistles Schools School everywhere gave a ve up un the hour to na patriotic exercises |