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January, 1912 TAE Marine REVIEW 11 TOWING VESSELS THROUGH PANAMA CCORDING Canal lished mian Canal Commis- sion, specifications y and plans for the } locomotives which will tow «ships through the locks have been sent to the Washington office, in order that bids may be asked for the 40 loco- motives that will be required for the locks at Gatun, Pedro Miguel and Miraflores. The system of towing outlined in the specifications is the invention of Edward Schildhauer, of the canal engineering staff, and patent has been applied for, the gov- ernment having the right to use the to the Record, pub- 4 , oi iy J 4 tng ky tee ae Hipty | Controllers Unwersal by: the. Isth- - in the shortest feasible distance. The: Connection > -~ \ a, / / CANAL LOCKS lock to another, where they will climb heavy grades... Between the lower and intérmediate locks at Gatun, for example, there' is a. difference in elevation of 29 ft. 7 in., and, in order to save concrete, this ascent is made horizontal distance from the point of tangency on the lower lock wall to: the point of contact on the wall of the intermediate lock is 106% ft. The vertical curve has a radius of 100 ft., and the maxinium grade is one on two. There willbe two systems of tracks, one for towing and the other for the return of the locomotives when not towing. The only. cross-overs be- tween the tracks will be at each end Iwez Winding Motor a* oe aa 32-8" latter precaution being taken against . the breeding of. mosquitoes. 'The dis- tance from 'cénter to center of ad-'; joining teeth 'is 3.13 in. After haul- - ing the ship through the last gates, and into the forebay, the locomotives will coil their cables and _ return -- to await another ship, or will take hold of a vessel going in the oppo- site direction and tow it through. Each locomotive will consist of three parts, as shown by the draw- ings reproduced on this page--two tractors, and between them, a wind- lass. The windlass will not be mount- ed:stponartruck; 'tbut:) will) be supe ported by two arms extending on each side from either end and resting on bearings immediately over the rear pdt Fuel Erectric Towinc MACHINE Side view. One tractor, showing housing, one tractor and the windlass unit without housing showing the machinery with certain parts © omitted to depict the more clearly the working features patent without remuneration. Two bids will be called for, one for one locomotive for test purposes, and the other for the remaining 39, in case the first is satisfactory. The system of towing provides for the passing through the locks of a ship at the rate of two miles an hour, the vessel. being held steady ~ between four lines-.of taut hawsers. ' A ship will come to a full stop in' the forebay of the locks, where four hawsers will be attached to it, two forward on either side and two aft. At their other ends, these hawsers will be attached to the windlasses of four towing locomotives operating on the lock walls, two forward tow- ing, and two aft being towed by their hawsers, thus holding the ship steady. The locomotives will run on a level, excepting where they pass from one of the locks, and there will be no switches in the rack road. The tracks will be of the 5-ft.,, Panama railroad gage, steel rails on Carnegie steel ties, each tie anchored into the concrete by a bolt, on the. side farthest from, the lock chamber. On the center wall there will be two towing tracks and one return track between them, and on each side wall a towing and re- turn track. The towing tracks will have a center rack throughout, and the. locomotive, while towing, will always operate on this rack.. On the return tracks, at the incline between locks, they will also operate on racks, but elsewhere they will run by fric- tion. The racks will be of cast steel, so formed that lubricant will not drop upon the concrete, and that water will not be held in the interstices, this laid with 90-pound Bessemer wheels of the tractors: .The ends of these arms will be equipped with rollers to permit free horizontal move- ment of the members when the loco- motive is rounding a horizontal curve. The windlass is joined to the trac- tors by a drawbar and trunnion which -have..the effect of a universal joint, and permit free movement of the parts when the locomotive is on a. vertical curve. " The tractors will be alike in every particular, each consisting of a four- wheel truck upon which are mounted a motor and a control apparatus. . They will run as rack or friction locomotives at the will of the oper- ator, and on the whole the locomo- tive can be controlled from either cab.. : While towing, and on the inclines between the locks, the tractor will