The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-20
DIRT TO FLY FAST
ON PANAMA \ CANAL.
Preparation Complete, Says Com.
missions Report Contract
Soon to Be Let.
Special to The Journal.

Special to The Journal.
Washington, Dec. 2C.-The isthmian
canal commission, in it's annual report
issued today, saws that bids for the
completion Of the canal will be opened
Jan. ~, 1907. The report explains that
the plan upon which bids were in-s
4 vited contemplates competition for
the work between two or more groups
OF contractors, each group composed of
contractors who have achieved sig
nifcant success in Mt least one of the
departments of construction involved in
/ the present undertaking and whose
combined experience covers the whole
task. By the terms Of the invitation
| proposals by single individuals or firms
! whose experience and whose organize
tons must. be relatively limited are
1 therefore discouraged.
4 The contractor who receives the
| award will be paid an agreed percen-
tagee upon the estimated reasonable cost
OF the actual construction work as fixed
by an engineering committee, of whom
the contractor will name two members
and the commission three This COM
mittee will likewise, from all available
| data, estimate reasonable time for
| the completion Of the canal; and sys-
| tenn of premiums and penalties to be
paid to the contractor according as
the work is completed within or be-
! yOHu SucH eSCiIldLeu COSTA ana Time Is
provided for. The amount of percen-
tage to be paid the contractor fixes the
basis of competition.
Rapid Progress Expected.
The commission reports that the
work of preparation is now practically
complete, and that there is nothing to
hinder the rapid progress of the actual
preliminary work has been going for
ward, digging has been going on at
an accelerated pace. In the wear end
ing Dec. l, 1906 100000 cubic yards
:! of earth were moved from the canal
prism, against $4,000 cubic yards
for the year before. and. tho in the
removed in October was $4,000,
against 244,844 for August.
:. Facilities for work have also been
greatly improved, the Panama railroad
having, been better equipped and or
ganized and large quantities of needed
supplies having been placed on the
ground, the total expenditures for the
] to $751; 43, 482.05. The number of steam
shovels has been increased in the course
of the year from ten to forty-six.
Location of Locks and Dams. -
Since the decision by congress, in
June last, decreeing the construction Of
lock canal at an elevation of eighty
five feet, the commission has fixed de-
fnitely. the location, on the Atlantic
dam at Gatun, and, on the Pacific side,
of one set Of locks at Pedro Miguel and
! two sets at La Boca and two dams in
the vicinity of La Boca, large one
| between Sosa High and Corozal, and a
| smaller one between Sosa High and San
Juan hill. y. L.. s-l
The commission declares that negro
labor is not satisfactory in the canal
work. Very, satisfactory results, how
ever, have been obtained from laborers
from northern Spain, who stand the eli.
groes. The selection of bidders to pro-
vide Chinese labor, in answer to invi.
tations issued by the commission in
August, has not been made. The in.
yitation asked for proposals to furnish
| $500 Chinese for not less than two
years, with the privilege of increasing
the number to $4,000. Bids received
agree to furnish the men at from nine
to eleven cents an hour, according to
the number employed =
Ihe 1 s is reported to be com
+ ness among the people is not above the
normal. In the past year there has
not been single case Of yellow fever.
! Smallpox appeared twice, but, the re-
port says, the population had been 50
. thoroly vaccinated that it spread only
slightly. - ..s.'
Reorganization. c ".
In harmony with the plan Of procur-
ing more direct method of admins
tering the affairs Of the commission,
an executive order was signed by the
president on Nov.<17, 1906 Exhibit
~, during his visit to Panama, amend
ing the executive order Of April /,
1905, under which the commission had
been previously reorganized The work
is now divided among the following
departments: The department Of en-
cheering and construction, the depart
ment Of law and government, the de-
partment of sanitation, the auditing de-
Partment, the purchasing department,
the disbursing department, and the de-
partment Of labor, quarters, and sub
sistence. The head of each depart
ment is rendered directly responsible
for the work carried on under his di-
rection. They are all appointed by
and report directly to the chairman Of
| the commission, who, in turn. is re.