The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-03-21
GOVERNMENT READY
To BEGIN ON CANA!
Commencement of Work Only
Aaits Passing of Panama
Title Deed.
MACHINERY is INSTALLED.
Towns Will Be Cleaned. Sewers
Put IL and Yankees Fut
i'll Charge of Con
StructlOn.
Ths Republic Bureau.
18th 81. and Pennsylvania Ave


Washington. March 2o.-Ai eyes will soon
be turned toward Colombia, watching GO
velopments in that country in connection
with the ratification of the Panama Canal
treaty.
The United States Government is ready
with the cash. the men. the plans, and all
that Is needful to commence work on this
canal when tie diplomatic negotiations are
concluded and the title deeds passed.
Al the work will be done under the d.
Iection of the Canal Commission an dths
President OF the United States. The COM
mission Undoubtedly viii be permanent and
will continue as long as the canal continues
to administer it. Appointments on the corr
mission. therefore. will be eagerly sought.
There will be no delay in commencing
actual work. The canal has been COM
menced. and portion Of the work mate
rally progressed. Machinery to the value
of several million dollars already Is In
stalled. and It will simply be a question Of
putting new men In control.
FIRST NEED is SANITATION.
But the very first thing that Uncle sam
to clean up TIE isrhnus.' as one official
expressed it to-day. That viii be an impor-
tant task-to improve. the sanitary condi-
tons and make the place fit for Northern
men to live in and work in.
The towns at either end Of the route wiz
be thoroughly cleaned. severed and proyid-
ed with water works. Everything inhabited
by human beings will be cisinfected and
whitewashed. The hospitals will be re-
stocked and renovated.
Yankee doctors and Yankee methods will
be installed and the deadly climatic ell,
fects reduced to minimum. There Will
be ''scrubbing day such as that region
On the IsthmuS of Panama. after Uncle
Sam takes hold. there will be two cardinal
Il little while the first mentioned will prob
ably take precedence. for upon IL will hang
all the law and the prophets
Government ownership OF railroads Will ps
called on the isthmus. The United states
will operate and own the Panama Rail-
rod. as well as some steamsnlps connect.
appropriate intervals along the railway
warming the Central American revolution
lists to look out for the cars me habit OF
the Colombian dicta:ors. of holding up
trai,s will be promptly discontinued. There
will be no dallying with the switch In mo
future.
GREAT ENGINEERING FEATS.
Yankee ingenuity and determination VIII
be brought into full play in the construc-
ton of the great work: Two immense en-
cheering feats are to be performed ..,, Inc
ing will be made on the isthmus when the
canal will be dug through hill 80 feet
high and half a mile long -. oons,r,c-
ton Of the Bahio dam. They viii nave 70
go down 100 feet for foundation, and the
dam will re 90 feet from top to bottom and
half a mile long. All of these immense
projects will require men and machinery
and MATERIAL world without end The men
will have to be fed and clothed and doc
tored. and all of that will make business
good fer somebody.
The money for the project has been pro:
vided. The Government of Colombia WIZ
get HO.0o9,000; the French Canal Company
completion will be sl35, 900, 600 and that sum
will be provided by the issuance of bonds
of the United States as the money Is
needed
The Canal Commission will have 10000. 900
in cash at hand after Colombia and the
canal company have been paid, with which
to make q start. AS rapidly as other sums
are needed the bonds will be sold and the
coin supplied.
a great deal of foreign labor will be used
in this work. There Is no prohibition
against engaging contract labor from Eu-
rope and the greater part Of the heavy
work will be done by labor OF that class.
but all under the supervision OF Yankee
engineers and officials.