Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1906-12-21

uOne Dy w vest lnula negroes, cnleHy
from Jamaica. Barbados. and the other
English possessions. One of the gov
ernors OF the lands in question has
shown an unfriedly disposition to our
work and has thrown obstacles in the
way of our getting the labor needed;
and ~ IL highly undesira HE 10 give
any. outsiders the impression. however
i'll founded. that they are indispensa-
BILE and can dictate terms to MS.
The West India laborers are fairly.
but only fairly. satisfactory. Some of
ter class, who are to be found as fore
men, as skilled mechanics. as police
men, are good men; aud many of the
Work of Construction.
The work is now going on with a
ness. The three big problems of the
canal are the La Bocs dams. the Gatun
dam, and the Culebra cut. The Guile
bra cut must be made. anyhow; but
of course changes as to the dams or
at least as to the locks adjacent to
the dams. may still occur. The La
lem. the bottom material being so
good that there is a practical certain
~. not merely as to what can be
achieved but as TO the time of achieve
ment. The Gatun dam offers the most
serious problem which we. have TO
solve; and yet the ablest men on the
certain of solution along the lines
proposed; although OF course. il ne
eessitates great toll. energy. and in
tellgence. and although equally. OF
course, there will be some little risk
in connection with the work. The risk
arises from the fact that some of the
material near the bottom is not so
good as could be desired. If the huge
earth dam now contemplated is thrown
across from one foothill to the other
We will have what is practically a
which will rise the inland lake. This
artificial mountain will probably show
less seepage that is. will have greater
restraining capacity than the average
natural mountain range. The exact To-
cslity OF the locks at tins dam-as at
the other dams-is now being de-
Taft. with three OF the ablest engin-
GERS OF the country-Messrs. Noble.
Stearns and Ripley-will visit the
isthmus, and the three engineers will
make the final and conclusive erami
nations to the exact site for each
lock. Meanwhile the work is going
ahead without break.
The Culebra cut does not offer such
great risks; that is. the damage liable TO
occur from coca sional land slips will not
represent what may be called major dis
asters. The work will merely call for in
teiigence. perseverance. and executive
capacity. II is. however. the work upon
The dams will be composed OF the earth
taken out OF the cut and very possibly
the building OF the locks and dams will
take even longer than the cutting in
Culebra itself.
In Culebra Cut.
The main work is now being done in
the Culebra cut. 1t striking and
impressive TO see the huge steam shovels
in full play. the dumping trains carrying
away the rock and earth they dislodged
The implements OF French excavating
which often stand a little
way from the line OF work. though of eI-
cellent construction. look like the veriest
toys when compared with these new
steam shovels. lust as the French dump
ing cars seem like toy cars when com
pared with the long trains OF huge cars,
dumped by steam plows. which are now
In use. This represents the enormous
advance that has been made in machin-
t~y. No doubt a quarter of a century
hence this new machinery, OF which we
are now so proud. Will similarly seem out
or date. but II Is certainly serving its
purpose well now The old French cars
had to be entirely discarded. We still
have in use few or the more modern,
but IL yards OF earth. They can be EN-
ployed on certain lines with sharp
curves. But the recent cars hold from
. TO 80 yards apiece. and instead OF the
old clumsy methods of unloading them,
a steam plow is drawn from end to end
Or the whole vestibuled train, thus i'm
reason the steam shovels can do but 1
little in dirt. but they work steadily in |
rock and In the harder ground. There |
we're some % at work during the time | 1
was on the isthmus, and their tremendous 4
power and efficiency were most impress
5ive.
New Records for Excavation.
AS soon as the type of canal was de- /
,ided this work began in good earnest /
The rainy season will shortly be over and 4
then there will be an immense increase in 4
the amount taken out; but even during /
The last three months in the rainy sea- I
son. steady progress is shown by the
igures: In August. $4,000 cubic yards;
N September. $4,000 cubic, yards, and in
October ssse0o cubic ys ,Sli.hs = October
output of Individual shovels as well as
Tor the tonnage haul OF individual loco
motives. [ hope to see the growth of a
healthy spirit of emulation between the
iiferent shovel and locomotive crews.
Just such spirit as has grown on our
,attle ships between the different gun
,rews in matters of craftsmanship.
Passing through the cut the amount of
lew work can be seen at a glance. In
me place the entire side of a hill had
dynamite, which were exploded at one
,last At another place | was given a
residential salute of q charges OF dyna-
mite On the top notch of the Culebra
ut the prism is wide as il will
'e; all told. the canal bed at this point
las now been sunk about 200 feet below
e sunk about 1870 feet farther. Through
ut the cut the drilling. blasting, shovel
ng and hauling are going on with con-
family increasing energy, the huge
novels being pressed up. If they were
howitzers. into the most un-
kelly looking places where they eat
heir way into the hillsides.
Critics and Doubling Thomascs.
1t is not only natural. but inevitable,
hat a work gigantic as this which
as been undertaken on the isthmus
hould arouse every species Of hostility
nd criticism. The conditions are so new
nd so trying, and the work SO vast. that
would be absolutely out Of the uues-
on that mistakes should not be made.
I-nfn
i'll arise. From time to time seemingly
ell-settled plans will have TO be
hanged. At present % 900 men are en-
aged on the task. After awhile the
lumber will be doubled. In such a null
tude it is inevitable that there should
: here and there a Scoundrel Very
any of the poorer class of laborers lack
lie mental development to protect them
lives against either the rascality of
hers or their own folly, and il is not !
)ssible for human wisdom to devise a
~ w which they inyariah lt. he. s