The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-11-23
FEEDING CANAL NOOKNEN
J. E Markell Tells About His
Big Panama Contract
EGGS ARE iOc APIECE

at a Time--Board Will Cost from
IS Cents to 81 a Day-AIi sup.
plies to Be Shipped from New
York Direct
]. u. Markell, who obtained the con-
tract to feed the workmen on the PAN
ANA Canal, began the business of feed
ing people nearly fifty years ago,
when, as a boy, he took contract to
feed workmen on a big ilatboat be-
tween ST. Louis and New Orleans, on
the Mississippi river He was raised
ON a farm near Mark Twain's place, in
eastern Missouri, and after his expert
ence on the natbOat he settled down
in st. Louis to become a baker.
Next he drifted to the west, and in
1872 began operating eating houses
along the Union Pacific, with which
road he continued for thirty years.
His great experience in feeding
crowds placed him in position to bid
intelligently for the Panama contract.
Regarding the contract and his plans,
Mr. Markell says:
THE contract runs for five years.
vas first invited to go to the isthmus
by MIR. Wallace, and | was studying
the conditions when he left | kept
watch of things and continued my in
yestigations until | found out just
what was wanted. | spent whole
month down there. and when finished
I knew what was necessary and knew
lust what | was bidding on. The re-
suit was that | got the contract.
What the commission wanted and
what | am going to furnish is sys-
TEN of substantial meals at reasonable
prices, SO that the employees on the
canal can afford to buy them and will
be in condition to return the commits
sion in labor the worth of their wages.
For instance, the Jamaica negroes,
now about 1000, employed on the canal
are scattered along in camps from one
10 two miles apart, there being thirty
camps along the forty-seven miles OF
canal. These camps have from 200 to
800 negroes each
THE houses are built especially for
the purpose and are thoroughly sani-
tary. There are strict rules for keep
ing them clean. The negroes have to
have anything cleaned up by certain
hour each morning. The houses are
thoroughly scrubbed once a week and
fumgated every two weeks. They have
comfortable canvas beds.
But when il comes to eating, the
only things they can afford to buy with
their money, as things now are on the
and
such stuff, and a man can't stand up
and do a hard days work on such
diet and give back the value of his
wages. Aggs are 10 cents apiece, salt
FISH is 40 cents pound, fresh meat
from so cents to dollar pound, and
everything in proportion.
Now, we are going to offer them
three meals a day with such stuff as
eoffee. bread and meat for breakfast;
coffee, bread, fish, two kinds of vegeta-
bles and pie or pudding for dinner;
and much the same for supper, at As
cents a day, or Sl4 month,
For the white men. of whom there
are 1900 now, and there will be 5000 |
later, we will run hotels. Two are now
anshed, and the number will be In |
creased to ten. We furnish them first |
class board at 81 day, and rooms at
sc a month each, making the cost OF |
living $36 month each.
Before these prices were made we |
figured 1t out with the commission that |
iaborers generally in this country have |
TO pay from 40 to so per cent Of their |
wages for living purposes; and clerks |
And other salaried men in cities about |
the same proportion. SO we figured on
the canal to keep down the cost OF
living to between 40 and so per cent of
the wages.
THE Jamaica negroes get from S1,75 |
TO 1925 silver each day. This is from
80 cents to S1.10 in gold, so the COM
mission held the cost of living down
TO As cents a day. Most of the clerks |
get from $3.50 to S175 a month and no
one gets less than 500 a month, SO
Eheir living is also made comparative
ly cheap.
81 shall assemble all my supplies at
New York for shipment to the 18TH
mus; my buying will be done wher-
ever 1t can be done to the best advan-
iage. The commission ships my stuff
for me on refrigerator steamers at a
rate that just covers the actual cost II
gives me cold storage rooms at Colon
also at cost, or just little above cost
Practically everything will have to
he shipped. There is absolutely moth
ing that can be bought on the isthmus.
The natives are too worthless and lazy
10 raise anything. AS fine fish as I
ever saw can be caught on the 18TH
mus, but the natives never catch
enough to amount to anything.-New
York Sun.