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ELECTRICAL DIVISION.

The operation of the various power plants was consolidate April 1 to comprise the electrical division, under Capt. W. H. 1 United States Army. It includes the operation and mainten of the steam-driven electric power plants at Gatun, Miraflores, pire, and Balboa, and all the substations, transmission, and disti tion lines connected with the power plants: the operation and m tenance of the air-compressor plants at Empire and Balboa; siimotion, operation, and maintenance of all building and street li ing systems in the Canal Zone: operation and maintenance of alooline onego handling cranes on the Panama Railroad pier at 1 bow, the installation of all electrical equipment of the new Ba shop of the mechanical division; and the construction of permai undogecound conduit systems for the permanent towns of the Ca

độc ở, the three 1 500 kilowatt vertical turbo generator sets and i #10 back passure water tube boilers were removed from the Ga sispół, fa, inofullahor at the Mirafiores power plant. The new u tom dang slator into place ot. June 1, 19:4. This gives the Miraflo a vipanci¦y o, whon; 6,90€ kilowatts, the same as the hyd The faka amount of power in kilowatt hours g

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completed, one at Miraflores and one at Balboa, each of 1,500 kilowatts capacity, for 11,000-volt transmission between these points. In May, 1914, another 11,000-volt transmission line was completed between Miraflores power plant and Cucaracha, supplying power to the relay pumps and the Gold Hill hydraulic plant. Additions and I alterations necessitated a change in the pole lines for construction, mounting to about 15 miles. About 25 miles of pole line to supply power to the range lights and beacons of the lighthouse subdivision vere constructed, the lighthouse subdivision erecting the poles and the electrical division installing the wires and transformers and making connections to the lights and beacons. Duplicate 2,200-volt armored cables, supplying power to Agua Clara pumping station, were installed between that station and the Gatun substation. In all about 12,900 feet of conduit, having 83,000 feet of duct incased in concrete, and 40 concrete manholes were completed during the year for connection between Pedro Miguel telephone exchange, Tivoli Hotel. the new administration building at Balboa, and the latter with the Balboa substation. A large amount of conduit work was jone in connection with the electrical work in the permanent buildngs and the Balboa shops. The eight 4-ton alternating current argo-handling cranes, five 4-ton direct current cranes, and one 20-ton firect current French crane, all on the Panama Railroad pier at Balbon, were operated and maintained. These cranes handled practically all commercial freight crossing the Isthmus in either direction. The total number of vessels loaded and unloaded during the year was 413.

For further details concerning the various matters referred to bove, attention is invited to Appendixes A and A-1.

MUNICIPAL ENGINEERING.

As already noted, the division of municipal engineering was formed by consolidating the division of public works and the municipal work the three construction divisions on July 16, 1913, and was placed charge of Mr. George M. Wells as resident engineer. The division s divided into five principal sections: The northern district embraces ail municipal construction, maintenance, and operation work, excluve of the operation of filtration plants, from and including Colon Darien, a distance of 25.27 miles; the southern district embraces imilar work from Darien to Balboa, including the city of Panama, a istance of 22.34 miles; the waterworks for the southern end of The Panama Canal embrace the construction of the purification works at Miraflores, pumping stations at Gamboa, Miraflores, and Ancon, resoirs, and the laying of new mains; the fourth subdivision embraces the operation and care of purification plants and the care and

analyses of all Canal Zone water supplies: and the fifth subdiv embraces all work of design for the divisi:

The improvements in the city of Cooon in progress at the clo the previous fiscal year and being paid for from an appropri made by Congress of $800.000 were completed in the early pai August, 1913, at a final cost of $ightR

The plant at Gatun for the manufacture of concrete pipe operated until May, when the plant was closed down there being ficient on hand for all purposes. The maintenance worl connection with the reservoirs of the northern district was formed, and the level of the water in the Brands Brk Reservoir kept at about the same elevation during the dry season by lett water from Gatun Lake through the tunnel mastracted during previous year. The new parifcation plant located at Mount H and furnishing water to the city of Colon. Cristobal, and adjacent trict was completed and placed in service in February, 1914, and been successfully operated since that date. The total division cost the plant was $292.198.10.

In addition to maintenance work in the southern district, a o siderable amount of construction work was undertaken, includi streets, water and sewer systems, and roads in the new silver town La Boca, storm sewers in the gold town site of Balboa, water a sewer systems and streets at Pedro Miguel, the installation of wat and sewer systems for the Darien radio station, and work in conne tion with an addition to the city of Panama, for which the Republ of Panama made a special appropriation of $76.000.

The question of providing a permanent. adequate, and suitab water supply for the towns of the Canal Zone from Pedro Migu south has been under consideration for some time. The demand were greater than could be supplied by the Rio Grande Reservoi and with the depopulation of the Canal Zone, which contemplate the elimination of all towns on the west side of the canal, a plan wa prepared for utilizing Camacho and Rio Grande Reservoirs, con necting them by a pipe line, and increasing the capacity of the Ri Grande Reservoir by raising the dam, diverting the railroad for the purpose. With the adoption of the policy of quartering the troops on the west side of the canal, utilizing the old canal buildings for the purpose. together with the fact that the rainfall had not been sufficient to raise the level of the water in the reservoir to its full height, the whole subject was taken up anew in March, 1913. Five projects were presented, the cheapest of which contemplated the use of water from Miradores Lake, and this was adopted. It contemplated the laying of the necessary mains, the construction of a purification plant of the rapid mechanical gravity type on Miradores Hill, and the con

ruction of a high-service reservoir on the side of Ancon Hill, all to be based on a nominal maximum capacity of 12,000,000 gallons of Stered water per day. At the time that the use of Miraflores Lake water was considered, the possible objection was advanced that the blorine content, by reason of the operation of Miraflores Locks, might increase beyond 75 to 100 parts per million, but at the time it did not seem possible that this would occur, at least for a period of years, on the assumption that intimate diffusion between the salt water admitted by the locks and the fresh water of the lake would not be apid, more especially in view of the fact that water could be pumped hum one of the fresh arms of the lake. At any rate, the enormous aving that would result seemed to warrant adopting the Miraflores Lake project.

In January, after the pumps from Cocoli had been transferred to Miraflores and increased in capacity to take care of the demand, lorine sampling stations were established in the lake, and it was fiscovered that with the continued operation of the locks the chlorine ontent steadily rose. By February it became apparent that constant fusion was taking place throughout all areas of the lake in general, as well as its arms, and went as high as 15 per cent salt water. In order to bring this down, a temporary pump station was installed it Pedro Miguel and approximately 4,000 gallons of water per minute vere pumped from Culebra Cut north of the locks and discharged to Miraflores Lake immediately in front of the temporary pumpstation. While this reduced the chlorine content of water going Panama, it increased the turbidity of the water due to the condian in the Cut. As the result of these observations, it became evident Miraflores Lake would be impracticable for use as a source of Tater supply for the southern end of the canal, and it was therefore ided to move the pumping station to the Chagres River at Gamboa, water to be taken from this point through 30-inch to 36-inch castmains laid along the line of the Panama Railroad to the purifiin plant in course of erection on Miraflores Hill. Before final tion was taken an effort was made to reduce the chlorine content drawing off the water from Miraflores Lake through the locks admitting fresh water through Pedro Miguel Locks, but the relts were not satisfactory. Work was commenced on the purificaplant located on Miraflores Hill on August 1 and steam-shovel dhand excavation was completed on January 28 by the removal 1233 cubic yards at a division cost of $0.4933 per cubic yard. the high-service reservoir at Ancon there were laid 1,477 cubic ris of reinforced concrete at a division cost of $30.1455 per cubic rd, and in the purification plant on Miraflores Hill there were laid cubic yards of reinforced concrete at a division cost of $24.6506 cubic yard. The total amount to be expended for the new water

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works in the southern district was estimated at $1,261,000, div cost; the total amount expended at the close of the fiscal year $703,585.05.

For further details attention is invited to Appendix A-2.

METEOROLOGY AND HYDROGRAPHY.

Until April 1, 1914, the meteorological and hydrographic sect continued under separate heads; on that date they were consolid into one division under a chief hydrographer reporting to the e neer of maintenance, and a reduction of three gold men was effe

But few changes were made during the year in the meteorolog ⚫ stations operated. Wind records were discontinued at Sosa Hil January 1, 1914; the wind station was moved from Guarapo Isl to the administration building at Gatun on December 14, 1913; a new wind station was established at Gamboa on November 1913. Evaporation records at Brazos Brook were discontinued April 1, 1914. A rainfall station was established on the Siri bra of the Trinidad River in January, 1914, and a similar station · established near the head of the Gatun River branch of Gatun L in May, 1914. Records from these stations were obtained for in estimating the monthly rainfall over the lake watershed. Seis disturbances during the year were more numerous and severe tl in any previous year since American occupation, 87 distincts sho being recorded at Ancon. Practically all of the shocks seemed originate in the vicinity of the lower coast of Los Santos Provin approximately 115 miles southwest of Ancon. The most viole shocks occurred on October 2, 1913, and May 28, 1914; in each i stance a maximum amplitude of 75+ was recorded, when t recording pens were thrown off. The shock of May 28 resulted slight damage to the new administration building then in course erection at Balboa Heights, but with this exception the canal wor suffered no damage from these shocks. For use of the Fortificati Board, maximum and minimum temperatures were recorded on t Miraflores dumps. Duplicate automatic tide registers were continue at Balboa and Colon.

The main hydrographic features of the year were the filling ( Gatun and Miraflores Lakes and the subsequent control of the water levels by means of spillway gates, auxiliary culvert valves, et The total yield of the Gatun Lake watershed for the calendar yea 1913 was 77 per cent of the yearly mean since May, 1908, and 70. per cent of the mean for the 24-year period 1890-1913. There wer no large freshets during the year.

The average temperature for the calendar year 1913 was slightly above normal. April was the warmest month at Ancon and Culebr and June was the warmest month at Colon. A temperature of 98° F

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