Talk:Panama Canal Locks
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WW2 era emergency gates?
The article mentions emergency dams that were installed in the late 1930s, which would have been before WW2 started (at least, before the US and Japan were involved).
A former friend of mine was in his late teens or early 20's at the beginning of WW2, and says he worked in the canal zone on emergency gates. There was concern that the Japanese might bomb the lock gates. If the gates failed, Lake Gatun would empty to the sea, and the canal would be unusable for years. Since much war traffic went through the canal, it was considered critical to the war effort.
I don't know if the gates he described were the late-30s ones, or something else that was done in the early 40's. I also have no independent confirmation for his stories, and haven't spoken to him in years, so I am hesitant to add anything to the article. Jmkasunich (talk) 23:13, 19 November 2007 (UTC)
