The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-18

4H 0H to WHHL CSu pC @SaAtSt WI. tun dam offers the most serious prob. lem which we have to solves ana yo. the ablegt men. on the lsthmus oelieve that this problem Is certain ot solution along the lines proposed; although. oi course, 1t necessitates great toiL, en- ergy, and intelligence. and although
 equally, of course: there sh whh De ,crE sons
 The risk arises from the fact that some of the material near the bottom is noI so good as could be desired. IT Che
 huge earth dam now contemplated is thrown across from one foothill to the other we will have what Is practt- cally low, broad, mountain ridge. pe-
 hind 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 locality of the locks at this dam --as at the other dams---is now being determined. In April next Secretary raft with three of the abiest engineers
 of the country--Messrs. Noble, stearns
 and Ripley--will visit the Isthmus, and
 the three engineers will make the final and conclusive examinations as to the exact site for each lock Meanwhile
 the work is going ahead without .
 The culebra cut does not offer such great risks; that Is, the danger, liable
 to occur from occasional land slips will
 iMor for disasters. The work win merely
 call for intelligence, perseverance and executive capacity. It is, however, the
 work upon which most labor will have to pc spent. The dams will be com
 posed 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 culsora Itself
 The main work Is now being done In CuIebra cut. It was striking and im-
 pressive to see the huge steam snovels
 in full play, the dumping S arains ms, car- Ssr-
 The implements of French excavating
 machinery, (which often stand little
 excellent construction, look like the veriest toys when compared with these
 new steam shovels, just as the Frencn dumping cars seem like toy cars Tnen ea cars, dumped by steam blows, which are now in use. This representa- the enormous advance that has been made fin machinery during the past quarter Of century hence this new machinery, Of
 which we are now so proud, will simi-
 larly seem out of date, but it is cer-
 The old French cars had to be entirely discarded. We stilf nave In use a few of the more modern, but not most mod ern cars, which hold but twelve yards
 of earth. They can be employed on
 certain lines with sharp curves. 5ut
 the recent cars hold from twenty-five
 to thirty yards apiece, and instead Of
 them, a steam blow is drawn from end to end of the whole vestibuled train, thus immensely economiizng labor. In
 the rainy season the steam shoveis can
 steadily in rock and in the harder ground. There were some twenty-nve at work during the time was on the
 Isthnus, and thelr tremendous power
 and efficiency were most impressive.
 New Records for Excavation.
 As soon as the type Of canal was de-
 cided this work began in good earnest.
 The rainy season will shortly be oyer
 and then there will be an immense in-
 CT ease in the amount taken out; but
 even during the last three ponthss Tn shown by the figures: In August, 242,- 900 cubic yards; in Septemper, Ssl,99e
 cubic yards, and in October s3b,oOO
 yards. In October new records were
 established for the output of individual
 shove1s as well as for the tonnage haul of individual locomotives. l hope to
 see the growth of a healthy spirit or emulation between the different shovel
 and locomotive crews, just such spirit as has grown on our battle ships
 between the different gun crews in
 matters of marksmanship. Passing
 through the cut the amount of new
 place the entire side of hill had been
 taken out recently by twenty-seven
 tons of dynamite, which were exploded
 at one blast. At another place l was
 given a Presidential salute of twentys one charges of dynamite. On the top
 notch of the Culebra cut the prism is now as wide as 1t will be; all told, the
 canal bed at this point has now been
 sunk 200 feet below what 1t originally
 was. It will have to be sunk about 13O
 feet farther. Throughout 'the cut the
 ing are going on with constantly in-
 creasing energy, the huge shoVels be- ing pressed up. as If they were noun
 tain howitzers. into the most unlikely
 looking places. where they cat their
 way into the hillsides. '''a
 Railway Improvements.
 The most advanced methods not cnly in construction. but in railroad man
 with corresponding economies in time and cost. This has been shown In the handling of the tonnage from ships in-
 to cars, and from cars into ships on the Panama Railroad. where, thanks largely to the efficiency of General Man ager Bierd, the saving in. time and cost. has been noteworthy. My examination | tended to show that some or the de- partments had (doubtless necessarily ! become overdeveloped. and could not be reduced or subordinated without im-
 pairment of efficiency and with a saw ing of cost. The Chairman of the Com-
 mission, MT. Shonts, has all matters l of this kind constantly in view, and | is now recognizing the government of l tuS zone, so LIS 10 make the form DI
 administration both more flexible and less expensive, subordinatlng every 1 thing to direct efficiency with a view | to the work of the Canal Commission . From time to time changes oi this kind will undoubtedly have to be made, for | 1t must be remembered that in this | giant work of construction. 1t Is con-
 tinually necessary to develop depart
 ments or bureaus. which are vital for | the time being, but which soon become
 useless; just as 1t will be continually necessary to put up buildings. and even | to erect towns, which in ten years will
 once more give place to jungle. or will
 then be at the bottom of great lakes at the ends of the canal.
 1 Critics and DOubting ThOmases,
 It is not only natural, but inevitable,
 that work as gigantic as this which ! has been undertaken on the Isthmus. I should arouse every species Of hosrii- l ity and criticism. The conditions are
 so new and so trying, and the work so vast, that 1t would be absolutely out
 Of the question that mistakes should
 not be, made. Checks will occur. tn. foreseen difficulties will arise Prem time to time seemingly wcIl-setrlecl | plans VIII nave to be changed Al | present 26.jOO men are engard on the
 task After a while the number will
 be dsubled In such multitude 1t
 De neTe and there a scoun- drel. Very many of the poorer class | of laborers lack the mental devepol- ment to protect themselves against | either the rascality of others or their l own folly. and it is not possible for | human wisdom to devise a plan by | which they can invariably be protected 1 In a place which has been for ages a 1 bv-word for unhealthfulness. and with | so large a ConRreEatio of sfranQara