Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1905-08-11

ties, drills and every imaginable klno
of Junk littering the bottom of the
cut, and falling over the edge, anC
sides even covered with iron and rails
nothing but the actual sight of q
photo would convey to you the amount
of iron in this section of the cut
| Drills still in the drill holes where
work was left off by the French not
| one or two but scores so many that it
would be difficult to count them.
Now we come to another blacksmith
| shop where old drills are piled up in
hundreds and three forgeS are going.
sharpening drills, for the men are at
work here. Blasting is going on and
| a big red steam shovel is ScOOping up
the debris with ease. On the west
side high up are three more doing the
same thing to rock on that side, ali of
them from Milwaukee. | have not
seen any other make of shovels at
work at any point on the ditch.
crossed small running stream or
ditch and saw many minnowS about
the proper size for fish bait. Here l
climb up the sides and am at Culebra
RAILROAD machine shop where thirty
or more locomotives hang around
nights and straight across is Gold
hill engine shed where thirty or more
are located. Some are American
make and by far the Lest ones BALD
win's.) The engineer who gets one of
these is envied. Some of the Baldwins
can not be used as they have no
brakes, and none of the cars have
any. and all the hauling is up hill or
down, some places very steep. 1t is
decided that all work on the canal
will be stopped.
l enclose clipping from Panama
Journal which tells the story:
"The lSthmian canal commission is
understood to have decided to stop
the actual digging of the great water
way proper until they are better pre-
pared to properly push the work of
construction. This is reported to
have been the decision reached Satur-
day night at Ancon at the close of an
important conference between Chair
man ShOntS and other members of the
commission here, the consulting en-
gineerS on the iSthmuS with Chief
Engineer Stevens, Governor MagOon
and Col. GOrgaS. In the meantime
the Panama railroad will be double
tracked and it's rOlling-Stock largely
increased; it's dock and warehouse
facilities will be eXtended-both at
LA BOca and Colon. in Panama and at
the mouth of Fox river-and every
effort Will be made to enable the road
to meet the great tax expected upon
its traffic capacity. American en-
ployes unable To use iack-piahe and
saw. or unwilling to take pick and
shovel in hand, may be sent back to
the states if dissatisfied, as work from
now until the first of December will
be confined to railway construction
and the building of several Thousand
houses along different points of the
line-to be occupied when the digging
OF the big ditch is to be resumed, and
he sanitation of this city and Colon
are done. The head of the health
department-COl GOrgaS-will prob.
ably have most of the work to do fol
the next few months, as even the
engineers will virtually have to work
under his orders, or in close touch
with his energetic staff of trained men
and cooperate with them IN cleaning
up the city. The Panama acqueduct
completed and the work of providing
water connections finished up-ther
the work of paving the streets ol
Panama will begin. But-frst the
city must be cleaned up and prepared
for the many thousands of people that
will be cOngeSted on the iSthmus ere
another year. Aud the towns along
the railway and the camps along the
canal line between AncOn and Cristo
bal Colon are likewise to be placed in
a healthful condition. When this is
done-well, then the digging on the
great interoceanic enterprise will be-
gin in earnest and pushed forward tC
completion with all the strength anl
energy that American treasure ane
brain, machinery and manual labor
can ASSURE
| / expect good many men viii
return to the states. Through thi:
change my work will go on just th'
same only faster and l will be bette
off for there will be some electri,
lighting plants started.
Yours truly,
GEO. n. HUNTINGTON,
Care of Bureau of Communication,