Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1906-12-22

Il
| States has no concern whatever in the
| question as to whether the rough work
on the isthmus, which is. performed by
from one country with black skin
| or by aliens from another country
with yellow skin. our business is
| quickly as possible; provided always
| that nothing is done that is inhumane
| TO any laborers, and nothing that in
terferes with the wages of or lowers
| the standard of living OF our own
| workmen. Having in view this prin-
ciple, l have arranged TO try several
| thousand Chinese laborers. This is de-
sirable both because we must try to
find out what laborers are most efli-
cient; and, furthermore; because we
mercy of o an sVo one type of foregn
labor. At present the great bulk of
the unskilled labor on the isthmus is
done by West India negroes. chiefly
from Jamaica, Barbados. and the other
English possessions. One of the gov-
ernors of the lands in question has
shown an unfrfedly disposition TO orr
work and has thrown obstacles la the
way of our getting the labor needed;
and ~ To highly undesirable "a give
Ill founded. that they are indispensa
bic and can dictate terms to us.
The West India laborers are fairly.
but only fairly satisfactory Some of
the men do very we'll indeed; the bet
ter class, who are to be found as fore
men, as skilled mechanics. as police
men. are good men; and many of the
ordinary day laborers are also good.
But thousands of those who are
brought over under contract Cat our
expense) go off into the jungle to live,
or loaf around Colon, or work so bad
Nv after the first three or fonr days
as to cause q serious diminution of
the amount of labor performed on Fri
day and Saturday of each week. I
questioned many Of these Jamaica
laborers as to the conditions of their
work and what If any changes, they
Wi nraxr algfK 30
from them. but as regards most Of
these complaints they themselves con-
tradicted one another In all cases
where the complaint was as to their
treatment by any individual it proved
on examination that this individual
was himself a West India man of color,
an assistant storekeeper. Doubtless
there must be many complaints against
Americans; but those to whom | spoke
did not happen to make any such COM
plant to me.
Work of Construction.
The work Is now going on with a
vigor and efficiency pleasant to wit
ness. The three big problems of the
canal are the La Boca dams, the Gatun
dam, and the Culebra cut. The Guile
bra cut must be made anyhow; but
of course changes as to the dams, or
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 a practical certain
ty, not merely as to what can be
ment. The Gatun dam offers the most
serious problem which we have to
solve; and yet the ablest men on the
isthmus believe that this problem is
certain of solution along the lines
proposed; although. of course, it ne
cessitates great toll, energy, and in
course, there will be some little risk
in connection with the work. The risk
arises from the fact that some of the
material near the bottom is not so
good as could be desired. If the huge
earth dam now contemplated is thrown
across from one foothill to the other
we viii have what is practically
low, broad, mountain ridge behind
which will rise the inland lake. This
artificial mountain will probably show
less seepage, that is, will have greater
natural mountain range. The exact To-
cality Of the locks at this dam-as at
termined, In April next Secretary
Taft, with three of the ablest engn-
GERS of the country-Messrs. Noble,
Stearns and Ripley-will visit the
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
asters. The work will merely call for in
telligence, perseverance, and executive
capacity. II is, however, the work upon
which most labor will have to be spent
The dams will be composed 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
Culebra itself.
In CuIebra Cut.
The main work is 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
The implements of French excavating
machinery, which often stand a 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 or huge cars,
dumped by steam plows. which are now
in use. This represents the enormous
advance that has been made in machn-
cry during the past quarter. of a GEN.
fury. No doubt quarter of a century
hence this new machinery, of which we
are now so proud, will similarly seem out
of date, but ii is certainly serving it's
purpose well now. The old French cars
had to be entirely discarded. We still
have in use few of the more modern.
but ~ yards of earth. They can be EN-
ployed on certain lines with sharp
curves. But the. recent cars hold from
old clumsy methods of unloading them,
a steam plow is drawn from end to end
of the whole vestibued train, thus i'm
mensely economizing labor. In the rainy
reason the steam shovels can DO but
little in dirt, but they work steadily in
rock and in the harder ground. There
were some rs at work during the time |
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 is shown by the
figures: In August, 242, 900 cubic yards;
in September, 291, goo cubic yards, and in
October, $4,000 cubic yards. In October
new records were established for the
output of individual shovels as we'll as
for the tonnage haul of individual loco
motives. 1 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 1marksmanship.
Passing through the cut the amount of
new work can be seen at a 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 a
presidential salute of Fl charges of dyna-
fnita m notch NJ 10