Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-09-03
Misfellamepns &eadiua.
THE PANAMA CANAL.

WORKMEN ON THE GREAT DITCH-WAGES
HABITATION, FOOD, ETC.
There are many contractors working for
the Canal Company, says a writer in Hdr-
per's Weekly. The Canal Company furnish
es all the plant, charging six per cent. in
terest on its cost. The contractors, it is said,
deposited 100000 as security.
The machinery and labor are drawn from
many countries. The locomotives are Bel
gian and American, the steam shovels and
derricks American, the dumping cars al most
exclusively Belgian and French. The large
cars hold six cubic meters each; the small
ones, or spush cars" hold halfa meter each.
The contractors do the work for the COM
pany under the direct supervision of the
engineers of the company, who are distrib-
uted among the sections, and report daily to
it's head Office. Mr.. Dingler, the director
general, visits all sections.
Jamaica furnishes nearly three-fourths OF
the laborers, and nearly all the blacks: Inc
remainder are very much mixed com
pany. At one canal camp-the Emperador
section-no less than eight languages are
spoken-English, Spanish, French, Italian,
German, Portuguese, Chinese and Hindus-
tani.
The men are lodged in comfortable bar
racks furnished by the company. A COM
mon laborer gets from Sl.25 to $3.50 day
in Colombian currency, of which 81 IS worth
seventy-eight cents in gold. In his native
elsie of Streams for harder work the ia
maican laborer would receive all the way
from Cd. to Is. Cd. English money, or from
Is to 27I cents. Hence the popularity of the
work with the men. The Jamaicans are
excellent laborers if properly handled. The
fremen and engineers, also Jamaicans, earn
from 50 to S. day. These negroes are the
only laborers who can work in such pestl.
lential climates without imminent risk OF
being stricken down by malarial disease.
The fevers cut off other workmen in hun
dreds. White laborers disappear like snow
before July sun.
The Colon riots, and the feeling of which
those riots were symptom, have sent nome
nearly 1000 Jamaicans, men imported at a
cost varying from $40 to SIS each. The Car
thagenian, a native Indian, is the natural
foe of the peaceful Jamaican. Labor riots
have occurred and will occur. In one such
riot at Matuchin, in April, 1883, eighteen
Jamaicans were killed outright and many
were wounded. The Carthagenian is bold,
bad man, who does fearful cutting with
with his native machete, a sWord-like knife.
This race hatred will be source of great
trouble to the company.
The canal company have made faithful
attempt to house their men we'll, and try
and keep them in health. Good barracks
and houses are furnished them free of cost.
They feed themselves. To provide against
magnificent system of hospitals has been
erected on the Panama side. In the vast
hospital city there erected nearly seventy
buildings can be counted all of the highest
class, and we'll adapted to tropical condi-
tiOns. In short, it is q city in itself, with
gas, water, residences, and chapels. The
distance from the porters' ledge to the up
per wards is over half mile. Extensive
stables permit carriages for the staff surge
ons. Physicians and Sisters of Charity,
aided by a regiment of blacks, take the very
best care of the sick. In erecting this vast
system of hospitals M. De Lesseps has Civ
en- theworld proof of his knowledge of the
''deadly tropics" So far, it is said, over
So, ,OOO, 600 has been expended on this site
alone, and when the writer left Panama
new buildings were going up. For this
forethought and solicitude for the welfare
of his employees NJ. De Lesseps deserves the
warmest praise. He may build the canal,
with time and money he cannot alter the
deadly climate of a country justly called in
England the grave of the European.
The death rate on the Panama side of the
Isthmus before the arrival Of new fuel for
disease was sixty per l,O0O IN some years 10
eighty in others. The real death rate
among canal men is not generally known to
the world. Without giving the exact fig
ures-government and cOnsular-in my
possession, may say that it was 100 to ITO
per 1000 last year.
With time, with men, with money in
fabulous sums, NJ. De Lesseps can complete
the canal; and if it is done in 1898 he will
have executed wonders. After four years
work, and the expenditure of over 500, ,0oO,-
600 gold, but twentieth is done, admitting
the accuracy and fullness of the company's
figures. That such a waterway, if ever
completed, will be valuable possession
for mankind, all will admit. That it will
ever pay even one per cent. on outlay is
very doubtful in the minds of those who
have watched and studied the problem, and
who are as familiar with the satisfies of the
worlds tonnage as even the sanguine pro-
jector of the Panama canal himself
A PROFESSION OF HARD WORK.-The
successful journalist of to-day is the man