Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-01-12
MistelAarous 8eaaing.
CANAL TWo.FIFTHs DUG.
Eight Years of Work Yet For $4,000
Man.

Eight Years OF Work Yet For 6O,OOO
Men.
Since the United States decided to
buy the Panama canal from the Paris
company, Major Black and Lieut..
Brooks, Of the engineer corps, U. s. A.,
have been living at the point where
digging Is going on. Their duty is
to observe how much Is being done,
so that the purchasers may determine
what fairly should be added to the
purchase price for work accomplished
between the time Of the bargain and
the actual transfer Of the property.
They report that from 5000 to 1000
cubic metres e month are being re-
moved from the Culebra hill; that the
hill was ninety metres above the level
desired, and that 1t Is now only forty,
and that this fifty-metre canon has an
average bottom width of one hundred
metres.
Thus, the bugbear Of the earlier
company no longer scares anybody. 1t
has been subjugated and laid low. AL
together, according to the American
engineers, the canal across the Isthmus
is at this time two-fifths completed.
Something has been done the entire
length, S4.0OO,OO0 cubic metres Of earth
having been excavated, and for four
teen miles from the Atlantic and four
miles from the Pacific side the canal is
full of water and needs only to be
dredged deeper. Thirty-six miles re-
main dry cuttings, most Of them now
overgrown with low jungle-at least
eight years labor by some $4,000 per-
sons lying between this day and the
opening Of the waterway to ships.
To get these $4,000 laborers will in
volve difficulties. West Indian negroes
have been found valuable, for they are
not generally subject to the fevers.
But only $4,000 at the most, can be
drawn from the islands Of the Carib-
bean. Where will the other $4,000 be
had? There arrived labor contractor
the other day, who offered to bring the
whole from China and Japan. What he
Is trying to get around is that Amerf-
can laws are to govern on the canal
strip, and they prohibit the importation
Of Chinese labor into American terri
tory. Another impediment Is the de-
sire of the men who nominated the men
TO be chosen to the constitutional con-
vention that there shall be clause In
Panama's constitution excluding Chi
nese forever from the isthmus.
DIR. Amador is actively interesting
himself In this question. The leading
newspaper characterizes the Chinese
as vampires, who increasingly absorb
blood from all veins; Unsuitable pam
theirs who never relax their persecution
OF victims; a devouring plague which
is always prevailing" and demands
that the Chinese be shut out, and that
those who do not own real property
be expelled.
Expansion.
What Is to be done in the circum-
stances Is primarily "up to" the United
States. BY the treaty Panama cedes
to this country the control Of the canal
zone in perpetuity. ito the entire ex-
elusive of the exercise by the Republic
of Panama Of any sovereign rights,
power or authority" A special act OF
congress will be required no doubt to
permit the entrance Of laborers neces-
sary for the tremendous task still
ahead in the isthmus. Very many Will
die. Many will soon desert, owing to
the hard conditions Of digging. They
will save a little money and settle on
farms, near or far, probably both near
and far; a proceeding which will dis
turb the Republic Of Panama and the
United States together. After the canal
is built the perplexity will be how G to
get them out Of the territory or eacn.
This is the worry Of expansion tor
at the isthmus, among naval officers,
our part in the Panama "transforma-
ton" Is looked upon as nothing else IN
effect)-settled policies are strained
and broken and cast away.
Now we don't care how much ter
ritory the United States acquires or
engages to protect" Is the way they
put it. But look at our forces: Ev-
cry ship here is undermanned; the DIXIE
Is forty men short; on many ships the
duties are doubled; the Maine had
broken enginebar, and had to be re-
lieyed: the Nashville came down with
out ammunition for her most effective
guns-she was practically useless. we
had not vessels enough to protect our
present coast line; the Philippines are
open to any sea rover; yet there are
two more coast lines which our SER
vice must guard. I'm not an anti-ex-
pansionist, but I hope I know that
yard Of tape won't go round three
yard circle"
One is almost prepared to say that In
these words may be found the prevail
ing attitude Of the United States navy;
IL anybody cares to know what that is'
At the Pacific end.
Three excursions supply compre-
hensive impression Of the canal and It's
condition. Four or five miles from
Panama Is the Pacific mouth; and
there one day we drove to connect with
a six Dared boat. There was an Amer
lean girl in the company-the kind you
would see at Sherry's in horse snow
week, when nobody dimes at home. Her
passage across the isthmus was the
flash of comet to naval officers long
deprived of the sight of face which
could call up home memories. She was
23rd street of a fair midweek after:
noon, transferred suddenly to the Will
derness, red waist, chatelaine, mill
tary-heeled shoes-the whole engag-
ing mode. Well, we went up the aban-
doned canal on the Pacific side In the
six-oared boat. 1t had become snail
lowed with silt and the wash OF tides,
and there were places where the boat
would touch bottom. The canal has
been dug-but not to proper dimen-
sions-for between three and four
miles, and it Is lined with dredgers
and steam shovels in disuse. perhaps
thirty of them. Alligators show their
noses and burning eyes above the wa