The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-12-31
MITCHELL WAS HAR /! \ |. a 2 e
Reason For His Resignation At
Last Has Been Made
Public.
Correspondence OF The Tines
Dispatch.)

8g .,,a r,,ysS Nv the Frenchrhen 10 appreciate
the enormous Interest the work VIII nave
+ from an engineering standpoint. view
records will DO established; new methods
s,ntroduced: new inventions and machines
tested and new theories prover--a'll OF
which Will be of greater Importance 70
tl,e engineering lore of the world than
any enterprise ever yet undertaken AXE s y
sSB mar.
s New machines, costing thousands Sand
q thousands of dollars, have commenceu 5taTr.
i irving att Colon already, and II seYeral
were unloading at the wharHes curing Az
58S nv visit Although disastrous from al
"a most every 5point of view, the DE sLesseps
@senterprise taught engineers n$ great deal
s Sc the use Of machinery, and the best
$2Is5 types to DO employed under such condl
% tons as those existing here. nnd the
@ writer notes with satisfa ction Inc WI
tngness Of the American engineers 70
s avail themselves OF the knowledge thus sj
S gained Much OF the machinery abandon
Ss Cd by the French company IL being re-
ss paired, and WI be B brought into use
AS throughout the construction Of the great
as$ ditch. sss IA Fss
" Heavy American Cars. M
&$ The hundreds OF small French locon1o-E
sg lives are TO be utilized md, inde ed, these
HS3 IRE the subject Of much a pproving COM
SS8 ,nent L by our 1nachinists,S tho detail Of.
aSt the NV orkmanship on them being esalr1de g.
sS as better than that equired by Anier'-
can practce The steel cars usea py yhea
French Tor handling d. 1T prove too light.
SD however, Cor use with Anne r!can steams
gl shovels. They Will Y not stand the re-
s peated 4 dropping OF several tons Of rock
s5 At q 4 time and Will be replaced with.
Ss heavier American cars !S n
SasSAa Many Of the French dredging machines
Will be used til ugh Of a type un familiar lie
on this scontinent An An endless esq U.s. chain
~ carrying a row OF Fl buckets. that scoop
NJ up tho 81 loose cart as they are 5dra gged
sup n 4: ts.nk, Is the kprin ciple upon which
Hi most v al these foreign machines work
YlsS Som $ Of them are SO en- 0rmous In size
THAT they cost d half G to- three-quarters
y 81 st nil, lion dollars hey will do IL great
ri deal OF work, \ but are not reg cd with
much a i avorg by AInertc cans, VINO prefer
A; sinai ler machines, that can be handled
sEinorss quickly The suez type OF dreedges
8S@1 a;se5 swinging II bo omss and dippers mounted
Son as barge or float. One Of these (shown
IN illustration) is known as 10 q ouble cen-
gStrifugal machine and cost $500, 900 francs,
a Such of the foreign dred ges{n are In fair
s order are being repaired and will be,
I'll, used for dredging the hhrbors, the ap..
S proaches. and the swamp regions, being
S supplemented with Ameri can machines,
Sc Up to- June 18th of the present year,
.wenty-ntneS steam sl1oyels all the The
4 Bucyrus type, had been ordered, 3 also
three large wrecking cranes, al Of
United States man ufactr re. r. ss8l Mt
I3 Proves G God La Dor.
8 The commission will provide and own
h most OF the machinery RED uired for the
canal work, partly because sBit was ne- -t
cessary 10 buy the French machines on
IS the spot. and par " cause A rnerlcan3
@5 eontrAct tors would be 8loaths to make heavy.
machinery investments for such distant
# employment. Nearly all the actual work
s OF digging and dredging will be done
by contract 6 after the commission's ems
g6inecrs have laid out the various Sec
efti0ns and ID tarmined the nature Of the
n soil as to relatlYe proportion OF earth.
rock, etc. For the deep heavy work.
such a s in & the Culebra cut, seyenty-ton
55 steam shoYels. similar to those used In
n Lake 8 uperior open-cut iron mines, vii
be the snlain dependence. Several OF these
Il machines now at work average over i 900
CUBIC yards Of broken rock daily,
There have also been ord cred two OF the
largest size steam shovels ever made,
@ ninety five tons weight, and one OF these
II has q record OF oyer 500 cubic yards. re-
moved in one hour, the enormous clipper
plCElIlk up uVe syuTuS III lettCgl Or
Ss der to form a better idea OF what rapid
work. this Is. let us compare II with man
uni labor. One good man. with Il good
IS shovel. cnn dig about a yard Of rock out
II Ola bank and throw 1t In a car In ono
hour; ths.cfore. this great shovel, with
crew OF only three mem did the work OF
d 300 men. and 1t will average to do the
work of 800 laborers the year around.
Where tho digging is shallow tho old
ii system OF % Sle-ways, as used on the
81 Chicago drainage canal, will be employed
70 some extent.
Typical American Machine.
&S The earth-spreader Ii another typical
American machine. OF which a number
Z arc being ordered for the Isthmus, Tho
largest size, Weighing 100000 pounds will
do the work OF 1000 men and consists Of
n g heavy fat car, bearing a powerful en-
5s CINE and operative mechanism, and car
WI rying great wing Oh spreader on each
side, II runs along track, and the
E spreader levels the piles Of earth that
haze been dumped on the sides.
IL Ii not The Intention or the writer to
r. enter into q discussion OF the merits OF
M any con troyersy which fias arisen out OF
# the Gamma Canal operations, but right
here Ilight be = good place TO call atten-s
8tlon 10 The manner In which more recent
G Developments have indicated the action
~ Chief Engineer John +. Wallace. crtl-
cised though IL was.
rho practical adoption OF HIS scheme
8 Of building the canal by private con-
tractors ly the Washington officials is
3 i,mpia testimony to Its excellence, ana
she conditions at the Isthmus as they
appear to me, coupled with personal
knowledge Of the opposition, aud tansla
II at The capital, Justify his action in tho
in!nd OF the. writer. and II Is APPARENT
e one who has visited the lsthmus and
" listepcd to the sentiment Of the men who
VIII worked there under HIS regime, that
# had he mot been interfered with by po-
litlcal And selfish interests. he would
&$ stii BIO in charge Of the work.
sl Why He Resigned.
sS The absolute iitlpossibility u building
@ the canal ~ q manner to conform the
verdant ideas OF the American public.