Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 263, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 November 1913 — EXPLOSION THAT DESTROYED GAMBOA DIKE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

EXPLOSION THAT DESTROYED GAMBOA DIKE

When President Wilson pressed a button in the White House 1,277 great charges of dynamite were exploded in the Panama Canal 55hne and the Gamboa Dike was blown to pieces. The muffled roar of the explosion was echoed by the cheers of thousands of spectators and instantly the cables flashed to all parts of the world the news that this climax in the building of the wonderful canal had been reached and passed. No ceremonies attended the event, but the / heart of every American beat high with pride in the achievement of his countrymen. The explosion was a “clean” one, lifting out of the dike a section sixty feet wide. Through this gap rushed the waters of Gatun lake, which at the time were six feet above the level of the water which had been let into the cut through pipes to act as a cushion for the explosion.