Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1906-12-27

ordinary day loboror8 are also good.
Work o. CONSTRUCTION.
But thousands OF those who are
brought over under contract (at orr
expenge) 80 on into the Jungle to live,
or loaf around Colon, or work 80 bad
as TO cause a serious diminution OF
the amount OF labor performed on Eri-
day, and Saturday Of each week. I
laborers a. 20 the conditions OF their
wished. ! received many complaints
these eomPiats they rs t6emseVe 9sS con-
tradicted one another In all cases
where the complaint was as to their
on examination that this individual
was himself a West India man of color.
either r policeman etorekeeper, or
there must be many complaints against
Americans; but those to whom spoke
did not happen to make any such COM
The work Is now going on with a
vigor and efficiency pleasant to Wit
ness, The three big problems Of the
canal are the Ia Boca dams, the Catun
dam, and the Culebra cut The Cule-
bra cut must be made, anyhow; but
Of course changes aa to the. dams. or
at least as to the locks adjacent to
the dams. may still occur. The La
Boca dams oner no particular prob
lem. the bottom material being so
~ IT, not t merely as to o what what can be
achieved. but as 70 the time OF achieve
ment. The Gatun dam offers the most
solve; and yet the abiest men on the
isthmus believe that this problem is
certain Of solution along the lines
cessitates great toll. energy. and i'm
telligence, and although equally, OF
course, there win be some little risk
arises from the fact that some of the
material near the bottom Is not so
good as could be desired. II thei huge
Across from one foothiii to the other
we win have what is practically
low, broad, mountain ridge behind
which will rise the inland lake. This
artificial mountain will probably show
restraining capacity Nhan the average
caiity of the locks at at this dam@as at
termined. In April next Secretary
ee a Of gym the r co1ntryMMes SsT Noble
Stearns and Rtpley-will visit the
isthmus. and the three engineers will
make the final and conclusive exami-
nations as 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 occasional land slips win not
represent what may be called major dis
asters. The work will merely call for in
telligence, perseverance,, and executive
capacity It is, however, the work upon
which most labor will have to be spent.
a e dams d WI tb pc cf snS 81 the noss3
the building of the locks and dams will
take even longer than the cutting in
In culebra Cut.
The main work is now being done in
| the Culebra cut. 1t was striking and
impressive to see the huge steam shoyels
in full play. the dumping trains carrying
The implements of French excavating
machinery, which often stand little
way from the line of work, though Of ex-
cellent construction, look like the verlest
/ toys when compared with these new
| steam shovels, just 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-
cry during the past quarter Of CEN
| fury. No doubt quarter of century
hence this new machinery, Of which we
are now SO proud, will slmilarly seem out
of date, but it Is certainly serving Its
purpose well now. The old French cars
had to be entirely discarded. We still
| bave in use few Of the more modern,
/ But not most modern, cars, which hold
but y yards Of earth. They can be en-
ployed on certain lines with sharp
| curves But the recent cars hold from
old clumsy methods of unloading them,
steam plow is drawn from end to end
L OF the whole tWeSuDNlGu- tram, LnUS lfil-
mensely economizing labor. IN the rainy
i reason the steam Bhovels can do but
little in dirt, but they work steadily in
were some rs at work during the time ]
was on the isthrnus, and their tremendous
power and efficiency were most impress
/ siYe.
New Records for Excavation.
AS soon as the type Of canal was de-
cided this work began in good earnest.
The rainy season win shortly be over and
then there win be an immense increase in
the amount taken out; but even during
the last three months, In the rainy sea
son, steady progress is shown by ths
figures; In August SaS dst, M2,OOO cubic yards
| October, $4,000 cubic yards. In October
| new records were established for the
output Of individual, shoyels as well AZ
healthy spirit Of emulation between this
different shovel and locomotive crews
/ battle ships between the different CUR
crews in matters of craftsmanship
one place the entire side Of a hill hat
| been taken out recently by n tons o.
1 dynamite, which were exploded at one
| blast. At another place I was given
| presidential salute Of "a charges OF dyna
mite, On the top notch Of the Culebrs
4 be; all told, the canal bed at this poln
has now been sunk about 200 feet below
what It originally was. II will have Z
be sunk about 1870 feet farther. Through
out The cut the drilling, blasting. shovel
/ ing and hauling are going on with con
stantly Increasing energy, the hug
! shoyels being pressed UP. as IL they wer
mountain hOuitzers, into the most un
likely looking places, where they ga
their way into the hillsides
Railway improvements.
The most advanced methods, not onl,
IN construction, but In railroad manage
ment. have been applied In the zone
with corresponding economies In tim
ana cost. This has been shown In III
handling OF tho tonnage from ships int
cars. and from cars into ships on tn
Panama railroad, where thanks largel
to the efficiency of General Manage
Bierd, the saving in time and cost, Ia
been noteworthy My examination tend
ed TO show that some of the department
had doubtless necessarily become Over
developed. and could now be reduced 9
i subordlnated without impairment Of EN-
cheney and with saving OF cost. Th
chairman OF the commission, Mr.. Shonu
has all matters OF this kind CONSTANT
IN view, and Is now re0r8anizing the GOV
eminent Of the zone, 80 as to make "a
form OF administration both more feXlbl
and less expensive, subOrdinating every