Balboa shops.-The electrical construction work in connection with the installation of power and lighting systems in the new Balboa shops was 80 per cent completed at the beginning of the fiscal year. A list of the various items included in this work was given in the last annual report. The work was completed during the present fiscal year, together with such extensions and alterations as became necessary during the progress of the work. Electrification of Mount Hope dry-dock shops.-All electrical work in connection with the installation of a new 2,500-cubic-foot synchronous motor-driven air compressor and the complete conversion of the shops from steam to electric drive was done during the fiscal year. Installation of rotary converters.—A 300-kilowatt synchronous converter was installed at Gamboa for the operation of the sand and gravel handling plant at that place, replacing a steam-driven generating plant. Another 300-kilowatt converter was installed on the Balboa dock of the Panama Railroad Company for the operation of the direct-current cargo-handling cranes, enabling Balboa power plant to be shut down. New Panama waterworks system. The electrical work in connection with the installation of motor-driven pumps and auxiliary apparatus and lighting systems in the three pumping plants and the filtration plant of the new Panama waterworks system was turned over to the electrical division by the municipal division on July 15, 1914, and was completed during the fiscal year. Relay pumps and pumping barge.-Two 655-horsepower motor-driven pumps with necessary auxiliaries were installed on a floating barge as part of the permanent equipment for the locks. One 550-horsepower motor-driven relay pump was installed at Ancon for the dredging division and one at Coco Solo for the breakwater construction work of that division. This pumping station was destroyed in the storm of February 9-11, 1915, and a new installation had to be made. Five miles of 11,000-volt transmission line from Cristobal to Coco Solo Point were constructed and three 500-K.V.A. 2,200/11,000 volt transformers installed in Cristobal substation and three similar transformers in a box-car portable substation in connection with the Coco Solo relay pump work. Balboa Dock lighting.-An entirely new lighting system containing approximately 150 tungsten lamps of 250 watts capacity each was constructed on Balboa Dock. Radio station. The electrical work in connection with the construction of the Darien substation and the installation of switchboards, underground and overhead distribution systems, house-lighting systems, etc., for the radio stations at Colon, Darien, and Balboa was done for the Navy Department during the fiscal year. Berm cranes.-The electrical equipment of the four berm cranes formerly used in the construction of the Pacific locks which are to form part of the new Balboa coaling plant was removed from the cranes, completely disassembled, and thoroughly overhauled and repaired. Its reinstallation in the cranes has been begun and the first crane 80 per cent completed during the fiscal year. Street-lighting systems.--New series incandescent street-lighting systems are being installed in the permanent towns of Ancon-Balboa, Pedro Miguel, Gatun, and Cristobal, and at the Army posts at Forts Grant and Randolph. The work in the four Panama Canal towns has been carried to 90 per cent of completion during the fiscal year. Material is on order for the systems at the two Army posts, but no construction work has as yet been done. The lights are of the new gas-filled, tungsten-filament type, 6.6 amperes, 150-candlepower rating, and are inclosed in 14-inch polycased globes mounted on top of orna mental cast-iron posts. The spacing varies from 150 to 220 feet, depending on local conditions. The mounting height is 10 feet 3 inches to the center of the globe. The lights are supplied by 6.6 ampere constant-current transformers through No. 6 B. & S. gauge band steel armored, lead sheathed, varnished cambric insulated, singleconductor cables, laid directly in the ground. Where conduit lines are availiabe for return runs to the substations they are used and the steel armor is omitted. The construction of the new street-lighting systems for The Panama Canal, exclusive of the Army posts, has involved the installation of 520 posts, 33 of which are a combination type for holding a fire-alarm box in addition to the street light, 121,000 feet of armored cable, and 31,000 feet of unarmored cable. There will be 367 lights in the Ancon-Balboa district, 22 at Pedro Miguel, 57 at Gatun, and 74 at Critsobal. The total costs to date are as follows: Underground conduit and distribution systems.-A large amount of construction work has been done in connection with the installation of underground conduit and electrical distribution systems for light, power, telephone, telegraph, and fire-alarm service in the permanent towns and for the supply of coaling plants, dry docks, pumping stations, Army posts, etc. This work has involved the construction of 39,675 linear feet of conduit line containing from 2 to 16 ducts, 139 concrete manholes, 10 concrete transformer houses, 98 handholes, and the installation of 171,400 feet of primary and secondary light and power cable, and 30 transformers. The following tabulations show details of this work: Details of construction work on underground conduit and distribution systems. Total.. Lin. ft. Lin. ft. Lin. ft. Lin. ft. Lin. ft. Lin. ft. 1,288 5,785 2,268 5, 491 2,026 2,184 20 41 76 3,146 29182 Lin. ft. Lin. jt. 67,340 30.880 23 3,723 7,668 5 2 3,843 10 16 22 2 1,800 569 920 9 8,681 2,855 3 13,450 1 430 1 305 5,434 225 8 36,530 2 8,500 2 3,425 1,288 15,644 2,698 15,560 2,026 2,489 41 98 98 10 118,074 53,328 30 1 Work done by Panama Railroad for electrical division. Details of construction costs on underground conduit and distribution systems. $1,286.50 $11,452.35 $32,556.60 $8, 227.58 $48, 881.65 $2,446. 71 $6,956.71 $111,808. 10 'Covers cost of work done for electrical division by Panama Railroad. Charges were not classified. Electrical installation work in buildings.-Designs and specifications were prepared and material purchased and installed for the following concrete buildings of The Panama Canal, United States Army, and the Navy Department: Panama Canal: Panama Railroad passenger station at Balboa; Panama Railroad passenger_station at Corozal; Panama Railroad freight house at Panama; oil storehouse at Balboa; commissary supplies storehouse at Cristobal; commissary supplies storehouse at Balboa; dispensary at Balboa; medical storehouse at Ancon; cow barn, Corozal; dairy house, Corozal; shop and office buildings, Gatun, Pedro Miguel, and Miraflores Locks; fire station, Balboa; substation, Gamboa; pumping stations and filtration plants, Gamboa, Miraflores, and Ancon (five buildings); administration building, Balboa Heights; office building, Balboa shops; 1 39 four-family quarters, Balboa; 11 two-family quarters, Balboa. 1 1 United States Army: Headquarters building, Fort Grant; commanding officer's quarters, Fort Grant; 2 major's quarters, Fort Grant; 1 6 two-family captain's quarters, Fort Grant; 3 4 four-family lieutenants' quarters, Fort Grant; 5 four-family noncommissioned officers' quarters, Fort Grant; 8 one-company barracks buildings, Fort Grant; storehouse, Naos Island. 4 United States Navy: Substation, Darien; radio stations, Darien, Balboa, Colon (7 buildings). In addition to the work listed above in concrete buildings, similar work was performed in 134 frame buildings that have been constructed, remodeled, or taken down and reerected in the last fiscal year. MUNICIPAL DIVISION. The municipal division continued the design, maintenance, and operation of all roads, water pumping and purification plants, pipe lines, and such building construction work as directly concerned this division. It is of especial interest to note the successful completion of the Miraflores purification and filtration plant with its necessary adjuncts, the pumping stations at Gamboa and Ancon, together with the 60,000 feet of 24 to 30 inch pipe line. This is the last of the permanent purification plants to be built for the permanent townsites, as this single plant will furnish water for the towns of Paraiso, Pedro Miguel, Corozal, Balboa, Balboa Heights, Ancon, and the city of Panama. During the year the average amount of water handled by the municipal division plants was 606,690,968 gallons per month. Your attention is also invited to the large amount of permanent road building, grading, and sodding handled by this division, the greater portion of the permanent landscape work being accomplished during the year. The annual report of the municipal engineer follows: MUNICIPAL DIVISION. D. E. Wright, Municipal Engineer. The organization of the division remained practically the same as described in the report for 1914, except as certain changes were brought about by the completion of construction work on the new Panama waterworks during the latter part of the fiscal year. In September, the headquarters of the division were moved to the new administration building in Balboa Heights, and the clerical force and the drafting force of the division office were consolidated with the forces in that building. The work of the division was divided into four sections and the report for the year will be given under the following headings, giving an outline of the work accomplished in each of the four sections. Partly completed last fiscal year. 220 partly completed last fiscal year; 10 under construction. 42 under construction. 5 4 under construction. NORTHERN DISTRICT. The northern district covers that part of the Canal Zone lying north of Darien and includes the city of Colon, and all the municipal work in this district with the exception of the operation of the water purification plants is in charge of Superintendent E. H. Chandler, reporting direct to the municipal engineer. During the year the usual maintenance and repair work was performed on the water and sewer systems and on the roads and streets in this district. In connection with the maintenance work on the water and sewer systems, a monthly inspection and test of all fire hydrants and valves was made and the sewer systems were flushed at frequent intervals. No extensive repairs were made to the roads during the year, but the roads and streets were maintained and kept in good condition and were resurfaced as this became necessary in certain sections. The two reservoirs in this district were maintained, each being in charge of a custodian who has authority of a police officer for the purpose of preventing trespassing on the water shed of the reservoirs. In addition to the usual duties of the position, the custodians kept daily record of the rainfall at their respective stations and reported same to the Meteorological section. There were four pumping stations operated by the division in this district in connection with the water supply, and the results of the operations for the year are as given in the following statement: The maintenance work in the city of Colon was performed as usual by the municipal division and the cost of same paid for from water rentals. This work included the usual maintenance and repair work on the streets and on the water and sewer systems, including the operation of the sewage pumping station. All private water connections in the city of Colon are metered and the municipal division had charge of the installation and care of these meters as well as the work of reading the meters and preparing the quarterly water rent bills and the collection of the water rentals. The following tables give information regarding the water consumption and the water rental collections in the city of Colon. Two hundred and fifty-nine buildings in the city of Colon were destroyed by fire on April 30, 1915, among them being those used by the municipal division for an office and shop and for the sewage pumping station. These latter buildings were replaced by new ones and same were occupied within about six weeks from the date of the fire. The cost of these new buildings was charged to the balance remaining from the $800,000 appropriation for sanitation in Panama and Colon. The burning of such a large number of buildings caused a considerable reduction in the amount of the water rent bills for the quarter in which the fire occurred, as indicated by the above tables. There was no great reduction, however, in the total consumption of water, as the inhabitants of that part of the city that was burned were quartered at various points in tents and arrangements were made for furnishing them with necessary water during the last two months of the fiscal year without charge. The extra cost of all additional maintenance work due to the fire was charged to the regular maintenance account paid from water rentals. The clearing of the D Street storm sewer was commenced June, 1915, and was 40 per cent completed at the close of the year. A summary of the more important items of construction work performed by the municipal division in the northern district during the year follows: CANAL WORK. Concrete reservoir at Gatun.-Under special authority a 300,000-gallon concrete reservoir was constructed at Gatun to take the place of the 430,000-gallon steel tank which was considered unsafe for further use. After the completion of the reservoir the steel tank at Gatun was dismantled and the tank and tower turned into stock at Mount Hope, the cost to the municipal division of dismantling the tank and tower being approximately $1,400. The cost of construction of the concrete reservoir and the installation of the pipe line to Gatun, a distance of about 2,100 feet, was approximately $14,487.34. Work at oil-handling plant and oil-tank farm, Mount Hope.-Under authority of work request from the division of terminal construction the site for the oil-handling plant at Mount Hope was graded, concrete floors were installed, and the manifold with the necessary drainage system was constructed. The pipe line installed from the pumping station to the docks consisted of 5,700 feet of 10-inch pipe and 5,700 feet of 12-inch pipe. The total cost of the installation and the other work done by the municipal division at the oil-handling plant was approximately $40,327.95. Under authority from the division of terminal construction a water distribution system was installed for the oil-tank farm at Mount Hope, consisting of 2,800 feet of 4-inch second-hand pipe and 3,000 feet of 6-inch second-hand pipe, with the necessary valves and other fittings. The total cost of this water distribution system was $2,650. CITY OF COLON. No new construction work was performed in the city of Colon during the year with the exception of the construction of a temporary wooden building for the sump pumping station and for the office of the cashier of the water service in Colon, this being to replace the building destroyed by the fire of April 30. The cost of this building was charged to the remaining balance of the $800,000 appropriation for sanitation in the cities of Panama and Colon. Additional installation which was necessary in Colon on account of the fire of April 30, and the cost of which was charged to the maintenance account, consisted of 4,000 feet of 4-inch galvanized-iron pipe, 11 range closets, and 33 shower baths. ARMY WORK. Toro Point water supply.-A water-supply system for the military was installed at Toro Point, the work consisting of the construction of the pump station and the installation of equipment, and the installation of a distribution system and the construction of a small 60-cubic yard concrete dam across the Arenal River. The pump which was installed was a direct connected motor-driven centrifugal pump with a capacity of 500 gallons per minute. This pump is to be used for fire protection, the regular water supply being obtained by gravity. The water distribution system consisted of 4,000 feet of 8-inch and 5,900 feet of 6-inch pipe. The total cost of the work at Toro Point was $11,429.48. Margarita Island.-Preliminary municipal work was performed at Margarita to the extent of preparing plans and making up estimates for roads and walks, water and sewer lines, and the pump station and storage tanks, but no construction work was done prior to June 30 by this division. The total estimated cost for projects approved to date for municipal work at Margarita is $60,000. SOUTHERN DISTRICT. The southern district covers that part of the Canal Zone including Darien and points south of there, including the city of Panama. All municipal work in this district is in charge of Superintendent W. J. Spalding, reporting direct to the municipal engineer. The maintenance work carried on in this district was similar to that referred to in connection with the report of the northern district. Early in the fiscal year the towns on the west side of the canal were depopulated and abandoned by the canal and turned over to the Army, and military camps were established at Empire and at Culebra in addition to the camp at Las Cascadas previously established. The municipal division, however, continued to have charge of all municipal work in this part of |