The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-05-07
Panama HOMES
Of UNCLE SAM || n !.
How the Government Will.
House Its Army Of Canal
Employees.
1000 FRENCH COTTAGES
These Being Fitted Up for Oc-
c,lpancy-Big Houses Of De
.>.a.. Co+t,,rc
1000 FRENCH COTTAGES IE
BY Frank G. Carpenter.

i n
Uncle Sam will soon have 1000 houses
ready for his canal employees Within the
past rev months millions OF feet OF lurn-
Der have arrived from the States, Ship
load after shipload hns come from the
Gulf OF Mexico and Puget sound, and It
Is now piled up IN the lumber yards at
Colon and La Boca and scattered at
different points over our tcn-mile strip
A big saw and planning mill has been
formed out OF the old French machinery
at Colon, and wel-cquipped Timing.
blacksmithing AMI plumbing shops are
in operation at Ancon. AT the several
stations along the canal route gangs OF
men are at work building new houses
and repairing the old ones left by t.lc
French Altogether there are more than
500 plumbers, painters. carpenters, TIM
smiths. masons and other mechanics and
laborcrs engaged In such construction.
Outside the cost OF the material, more
than 100000 has already been spent and
Il is estimated that more than $2,00G000
will be so expended during the coming
year. In the administration building a
Panama IL corps Of architects from the
Treasury Department at Washington. and
from New York, Boston and Chicago is
working away night and day making
plans and speciiica tons. the whole force
being under the direction OF the super
vIsing architect, Mr.. NJ. o. Johnson who
was formerly one OF the architects OF the
Illinois Central system. and was brought
here by Chief Engineer Wallace.
"A Part of Uncle Sans Bargain.
During my stay at Panama have spent
much time with tho supervising archi-s
tect. i have travelled with him over the
In i,iIilf
z came to us5 as a part Of Uncle Sans
bargain, and In looking over the plans
Z OF the new houses in course OF coilstruc.
ton. He tells me that we received as a
part OF our canal purchase more than
N 2, 400 different buildings in yarious stag es
OF dlapidation, We got 2.2VD houses. mosh
OF whlcn were cottages intended as the
homes OF tho workmcn. "A few had been
built In the United States and sent knock
ed down to Panama. and .Ae remainder
were made OF imported american lumber
rooted with fine quality OF galvanized
Iron, which has withatood this tropical.
climate for twenty-five years
~ These houses are to be seen at Ancon
and Colon. at the two ends Of the canal
and they are scattered in villages all along
the route from the Atlantic TO the IA
citic They are 4of different sizes
some OF one story. costing from several;
hundred TO thousand dollars or more
each and others the magnificent resi-;
dences built for De Lesseps and his son
at:g(,hristobal and the mansion 3ofs Non
sieur D.ngler on the slopes OF Ancon.. each
4 OF which cost from $4,000 TO 5000.
IN addition there arc score or inor"S
OF great warehouses and machine shops
scattered over the isthmus, railroad STA
lions. office buildings and Wflarves at
Panama and Colon.< hospital tDulidinBs
which have altogether cost millions, slt-
uated Mt the two ends OF the line, ana
two big three story structures III the
heart OF Panama. one OF which IS the
E Canal Onlce building, covering fusl
81 block and the other the fine residence O.
the chief engineer, which was tormeriy
the home OF the French canal director
Ravaged by Time and the White
Ants.
asked the supervising architect to
oiye me some idea OF the condition OF
1besc buildings at the time they were
handed over to us. Said he:
Nearly everything left by me i rrchch
Was In a state OF dilapidation. No re-
nairs had been done for years. The paint
mad been worn off by the weather ana
the buildings had also suffered greatly
frn,r the white ants. These Insects have
\ ca ten at the porches. and they nave In'i .
their way into some Of the larger Dull
dIngs and chewed off the ends OF inc
Joints so that one sluc u ~, .''S :.
almost entirely unsupported. This was
the case with the residence OF the cniei
engineer. The floors were uneven
throughout, and one Het very UNSAFE
while walking across them. The sup
ports OF the front stairway were almost
entirely eaten away and the ants !, had e
even fed on tho furniture. One chair,
for. instance, looked perfectly sound. put
when sat upon it went down WIN a
crash. carrying It's OCCUPANT 70 ,.ne ~, ~.
woodwork leaving only the shell OF the
varnish. These ants work in tho dark
and one cannot tell the amount Of their
destruction except by sounding the I'M
hers, They are especially fond Of white
nine. but less so Of yellow pine. oregon
FIR, redwood and cyprus, ana LOT me, nha
reason we are using those woods. me
french builders coated their girders with