The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-02-05

concrete gutters are being butlt and the town has an active look.
 "The work at Colon has not progressed as far The main street has been im- proved sewers partly completed and the water from the 6O0,OOo00O- gallon dam at Monkey Hill is flowing through the pipes of the old French company but the new pipe line Is st1i four miles from the city Gangs are now at work and the necessary pipe to finish the water system is at Co., lon
 ''Chrlstobal Colon, the Atlantic town of the Canal zone where the quarters Tor the American officers and employees are located. is a paved lighted, well cleaned delightful place on the bay side, but Colon proper needs vigorous handling before July or August. Colonel Gorgas Is con structing large addition to the Colon hospital, which is built on piles directly over the sea, most restful place, in charge of American doctors and American women nurses All canal work in the canal zone must of necessity give way to the sanitary department so that the dirt is not actually flying as yet.
 Most interesting Polnt'
 At the most interesting point, Calu- bracut, we found eight Bucyrus shovels under steam, all 70 to 90-ton machines with dippers having a capacity from three to five yards The work is not fast, as they loaded Into the old French five-yard capacity four wheel car without brakes making it necessary to provide an en-
 ,alf. loo 1ff,cr tracks Chief Engineer Doncey told me that they moved 7OOOO yards from the Calubra cut in December, which cost 93 cents, although during January by talk ing out 100000 yards, they hope to reduce this price.
 With the modern steel dumps such as are now arriving and better locomo- tives to handle the cars with well ar ranged tracks for loads and empties. the price will be materially reduced Forty two cents per yard is the lowest price to date.
 "On the north hill of the Calubra cut, the commission is building quite a great number of modern houses, well screened and drained so that the C@lubra employees will live on the mountain top. In fact all the improved dwellings are being erected on the high lands where cool breezes blow after sunset.
 "One is impressed with the amount of substantial work done by the French company. Many of the present quarters of the officers and the general hospital plans are of French construction. Much work on the canal proper on both the
 Atlantic and Pacific side needs dredge work only. It is claimed that the French spent s30000,00O on machinery and from the amount of material seen on the entire route the figures do not seem wrong. The sight is one that few American railroad officials educated on economy can view without a feeling of alarm. The Ameri- can engineers in charge are using much of the old material, but when modern ap plianees will expedite the work and re- duce the cost, sentiment has little show, although the material going to waste and the metal used for filling or to protect banks from washing, would alarm fur mace man buying high priced scrap in the states
 Many prominent people who are thor 'oughly familiar with the Central Ameri- can conditions and possibilities still feel that Nicaragua and not Panama should have had the canal all for good and sufficient reasons l do not expect to live to see the Panama canal completed either as lock or a sea level canal until steam shovel and dredge work is let by contract with the distinct understanding however, that the United States government will provide all living quarters aed look after the sanitary conditions and have charge of the hosnitaIs"