The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-03-27
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could not offer the same strategic ad-
vantages. and that in the event of a war
one man with a stick of dynamite would
be able to destroy the locks and prevent
! joint operations of the American fleets in
the Atlantic and Pacific.
y little further along on the hillside is
a dainty cottage, half hidden in typi-
cally tropical garden-the residence Of the
chief of section of the French company.
! In the distance appear a group Of canal
buildings. with corrugated iron roofs and
white walls. seemingly in good repair.
| Here live the men actually on the work of
dividing Culebra A road fairly good for
the isthmus though rocky and partly
! covered with underbrush leads up to
| the summit of a hill that forms the west
! ern wall of the cut
| From the bottom can be seen the steel
| framework of what was once consider
! able buildinG-the Office Of NJ. Bunau-
Varilla when he was contractor. The
iron walls and roof have bean removed,
but the frame remains perfect, and it
may again be utilized when the United
States assumes charge. as the location is
excellent. commanding the view Of both
oceans on a clear day. and always hav-
ing a pleasant breeze. no matter how
such heat the sun may pour into the
deep cut below.
few hundred feet to the south are
the remains Of a former residence Of NJ.
Bunau-Varilla. The frame structure is
falling into ruins and all that is worth
saving is the brick pillars under it. This
house was used for sometime by soldiers
during the long revolution in Colombia,
and several deaths from smallpox are
said TO have occurred there.
From this site a perfect view may be
had OF the famous Culebra cut. Looking
! down one sees walls Of hard clay and rock
with occasional terraces. along which
tracks are laid for the dirt trains. Di-
rectly opposite men are at work remov-
ing part of a great landslide that oc-
Cured few months ago. as the wall did
not have sufficient slope. To prevent
such accidents in-the future the American
engineers will have 10 adopt q thorough
drainage, system.
t- TO AVOID CAVE-INS.
While the name Culebra IS applied es-
peciany TO the mile Of heaviest work on
the canal. it is used as a general a9pella-
ton for the eight mile section that viii
separate the proposed lake from the
Pedro Miguel locks on the Pacific side
There is some very hard rock It the W
ner end Of the work. but the greatest
rortfcD consists Of hard indurated clay.
with softer material at the top and some
strata and djkes Of rocks. This cut has
been estimated on the basis Of bottom
width o. 100 feet with SIDE slopes Of one
70 one With the provision Cor broad
beaches on the side and drainage of all
the land above the masonry wall Of the
canal il is believed that cave-ins viii be
avoided
The view from the hilltop suggests the
appearance Of Broadway subway trench
from the root. Of a skyscraper. Far down
in the depths antlike men are working
with picks and sledge hammers; on one
side steam dredge-is hauling ~ its
everlasting line Of iron buckets from the
bottom and emptying the earth into wait
ing cars on the lodges by the side OF the
hole.
All seems leisureiy and comfortable. md
IL Is only a closer examination th5t re-
veals the a7auous labor thai Is being &C
oo-,rri<hed The cost Of removing each
cubic, ward from the cut has been ests-
mated at eighty ceatss loose manage
ment II is said. might easily increase this
- a dollar. il is hoDed that with mod
ern equipment the priee 81 the work may
be brought down 10 sixty cents-
The big cut will end in locks At Pedro
Miguel where there IS an excellent rock
foundation. The aggregate hft OF these
rocks VIII DC from hfty-four 20 sixty-tSO