Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-17
PROGRESS OF THE EXCAVATION
An Immense Increase Expected as Soon as
the Rainy Season is OVer-Ultl-
mate Success Assured.

event. We watched the different steam
shovels working; we saw the drilling and
blasting; we saw many of the dirt trains
(of the two different types used. both car
rying the earth away from the steam SHOW
els and depositing it on the dumpS-SOme
of the dumps being run out in the jungle
merely to get rid of the earth, while in
other cases they are being used for double
tracking the railway, and in preparing to
build the great dams. l visited many of
the different villages. inspecting thoroughly
many different buildings-the local receiv-
ing hospitals. the houses in which the I'M
married white workmen live; those in which
the unmarried colored workmen live: also
the quarters of the white married employees
and of the married colored employees; as
well as the commissary stores, the bath
houses the water closets the cook sheds
for the coiored laborers. and the govern
ment canteens, or hotels. at which most of
the white employees. take their meals.
went through the machine shops. During
the day l talked with scores of different
Observation-Disclosures and heads of DEPART
ments. divisions, and bureaus steam-shovel
men, machinsts, conductors, engineers,
clerks wives of the American employees
health officers, colored laborers, colored at
tendants and managers of the commissary
stores where food is sold to the colored
laborers; wives of the colored employees
who are married. In the evening ! had an
interview with the British consul, Mr.. NAL
let, a gentleman who for many years has
well and honOrably represented the British
government on the Isthmus of Panama and
who has a peculiar relation to our work
because the bulk of the colored laborers
come from the British West Indies. l also
saw the French consul. Mr. Gey, a gentle
man of equally long service and honorable
record. l saw the lieutenants, the chief
executive and administrative officers, under
the engineering and sanitary departments.
| also saw and had long talks with two
deputations-one of machinists and one rep
resentng the railway men of the dirt
misunderstanding to what they had to say
+la to of and ri nj ms f.
tiers and going over, as much in detail as
possible. all the different questions they
brought up. AS to some matters l was
able to meet their wishes; as to others,
felt that what they requested could not
be done consistently with my duty to the
United States Government a whole; as
to yet others l reserved judgment.
Third Day.
On Saturday morning we started at
o'clock from the hotel. We went through
the Culebra cut, stopping off to see the
marines and also to investigate certain
towns; one. of white employees, as to which
in certain respects complaint had been made
to me- and another town where / wanted
to see certain houses of the colored en-
ployes We went over the site of the pro-
posed Gatun dam, having on the first day
inspected the sites of the proposed La
Boca and Sosa dams. We went out on a
little tOy railway 10 the TeSeINOlT, WHICH
had been built to supply the people of
Colon with water for their houses. There
we took lunch at the engineers mess We
then went through the stores and shops Of
Cristobal inspecting carefully the houses
of both the white and coored en-
ployes. married and unmarried, together
with the other buildings. We then went
to Colon and saw the fire department at
work; in four minutes from the signal the
engines had come to Front street, and
| bale s,1,t hoo
pipes were raising streams of water about
seventy-five feet high. We rode about
Colon through the various streets, paved.
unpaved. and in process of paving, look
ing at the bitches, sewers, curbing, and
the lights. i then went over the Colon
hospital in order to compare it with the
,, temporary town or field receiving hospitals
which | had already seen and inspected.
/ also inspected some of the dwellings of
the employees. In the evening l attended
a reception given by the American EN-
ployes the isthmus. which took place on
one of the docks in Colon, and from there
went aboard the Louisiana.
Each day from twelve to eighteen hours
were spent in going over and inspecting all
i there was to be seen, and in examining
various employees. Throughout my trip
| was accompanied by the surgeon general
| of the navy, DR.. Rixey; by the chairman
| of the Isthmian canal commission. Mr..
! Shonts; by Chief Engineer Stevens, by DR..
Gorgas the chief sanitary officer of the
| commission by Mr.. Bishop, the secretary
| of the commission; by Mr.. Ripley, the
| principal assistant engineer; by Mr. jack
son Smith. who has had practical charge
| of collecting and handling the laboring
! force; by Mr.. Bierd general manager of
! the railway. and by Mr.. Rogers, the gen.
! eral counsel of the commission, and many
| other officials Joined US from time to time.
| At the outset / wish TO pay a tribute to
| the amount of work done by the French
| Canal Company under very difficult cir
! cumstances Many of the buildings they
put up were exec lent and still in use,
| though. naturally the houses are now get
| ting out of repair and being used as
| dwellings only until other hovses can be
| built, and much of the work they did in
| the Culebra cut, and some of the work
| they did in digging has been of direct and
| real benefit This country has never made
better investment than the $4O,00O,OOO
which ii paia to the French company for
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