The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1906-12-21

| ter class. who are to be found as o iGce.
men, as skilled mechanics; as poiitthe nc
men, are good men; and many OF IA
J Work of Construction.
But thousands of those who. are arr
brought over under contract Va. I've
or loaf around Colon, or work SO pau
Nv after the first three ~ f"nr naNss
as to cause a serious diminutioh o.
the amount of labor performed on friI
day and Saturday of each week.
questioned many of these Jamalca
laborers as to the conditions or their
wished. I received many complaints
from them, but as RES rds most OF
these complaints they themselves con
tradicted one another. In an t theiT
treatment by any individual IT PROVED
on examination that this individual
was himself West India man OF color,
either a policeman, storekeeper, OF
an assistant storekeeper. Douptiesss
there must be many complaints against
Americans; but those to whom spoke
did not happen to make any such com
plaint to me. 80
The work is now going on with a
vigor and efficiency pleasant TO VII VII.
ness. The three big problems OF tne
dam, and the Culebra cut. The Cule..
bra cut must be made anyhow; but
of course changes as to the dams, or
J at least as to the locks adjacent to
the dams. may still occur. The La
Boca dams offer no particular prob
lem, the bottom material being SO
good that there is practical certain l.
| ty. 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
isthmus believe that this problem is
| certain of solution along the lines
| proposed; although, OF course II ne
area It'll saers .GuaS
course. there will be some little risk
| in connection with the work. The FISK
arises from the fact that some OF the
material near the bottom is not so
good as could be desired. II the huge
earth dam now contemplated Is thrown
across from one foothill to the other
low. broad, mountain ridge behind
which will rise the inland lake. This
artificial mountain will probably snow
less seepage, that is. will have greater
natural mountain range; The exact 10.
cality of the locks at this dam-as Mt
the other dams-is, now. being de-
termined; In April next Secretary
GERS of the country-Messrs Noble,
Stearns and Ripley-will visit the
isthmus. and the three engine 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 will not
represent what may be called major dls-
| asters. The wor will merely. call for in
teligence, perseverance, and executive
capacity. 1t is, however, the work upon
which most labor will have to be spent.
The dams will be composed or the earth
taken out of the cut and very possibly
tIn ht,i Of ha
take even longer than the cutting In
Culebra itself.
In cuIebra Cut.
The main work If now being done In
the Culebra cut 1T was 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
machinery, which often stand little
way from the line of work, though of ex-
cellent construction, look like the Veriest
| 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 a quarter OF a century
hence this new machinery, of which. we
are now so proud. will similarly seem out
of date, but it is certainly serving its
purpose well now. Fhe old French cars
had to be entirely discarded. We still
have in use few of the more modern,
but not most modern, cars, which hold
but IL yards of earth They can be en-
ployed certain lines with sharp
curves. But the recent cars hold from
% to 30 yards apiece, and instead OF the
old clumsy methods of unloading them,
a steam pillow is drawn from end to end
of the whole vestibuled train, thus i'm
reason the steam shovels can do but
little in dirt, but they work steadily in
rock and in the harder ground. There
were some % at work during the time l
was on the sthmus, and their tremendous
power and efficiency were most impress
sive.
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 over and
then there will be an immense increase in
the amount taken out; but even during
the last three months, in the rainy sea-
son, steady progress oi is oo shown OWN, by me
in September, $4,000 cubic yards, and. in
October, $4,000 cubic yards In october
new records We're established for the
output of individual shovels as well as
for tine tonnage haul OF individual loco
motives. | hope to- see the growth of a
healthy spirit of emulation between the
different shovel and locomotive crews,
Just such a spirit as has grown on our
battle ships between the different gun
crews in matters OF craftsmanship.
Passing through lI3 cut lllc VI
new work can be seen at glance. In
one place the entire side of hill had
been taken out recently by q tons of
dynamite which were exploded at one
blast At another place l was given
presidential salute of q charges of dyna-
mite On the top notch of the Culebra
cut the prism is now as wide as 1t Will
he: all told, the canal bed at this point
has now been sunk about 200 feet below
what 1t originally was. 1t will have to
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 huge
shovels being pressed up, as IL they were
mountain hOwitzers, into the most I'M
likely looking places, where they eat
their way into the hillsides.
Railway improvements.
The most advanced methods, not only
in construction, but in railroad manage
ment, have been applied in the zone,
with corresponding economies in time
and cost This has been shown in the
handling of the tonnage from ships into
cars, and from cars into ships on the
Panama railroad, where, thanks largely
to the efficiency of General Manager
Bierd, the saving in time and cost, has
been noteworthy. My examination tend
ed to show that some of the departments
had doubtless necessarily become over
developed, and could now be reduced or
subordinated without impairment of eff
cheney and with a saving OF cost. The
chairman of the commission, Mr.. Shonts,
has all matters of this kind constantly
\ in view and is now reOrganiZing the gov