East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1906-10-20
FRANK c. CARPENTER ON PANAMA CANAL

Frank q. Carpenter, the famous
traveller and correspondent. writes of
the Panama canal work for the Sun
day Record d-fIerald as follows:
"The people would like n know Just
what Uncle sam is doing in Panama"
saws Mr.. Carpenter.
| made this remark to Theodore p.
Shonts, the chairman of the isthmian
canal commission as we chatted to-
sether in his office near the war de-
partmont not long ago. In reply Mr..
Shonts brought out a lot Of maps and
we Travelled together across the canal
zone inspecting the work. The war
department receives weekly reports
es to Just what is going on, and any
changes of note are recorded by cable.
My first question was as to whether
the dirt had really begun to fly.
I'm one sense 1t has" replied Mr..
Shonts, and In another sense 1t has
not. The work of the canal construc-
tion is properly divided into two parts.
one Is the getting ready to build and
the other is actually doing the work.
The getting ready Is what we are do
Ing now, and we are rapidly advancing
in tfai respect. We are making the
isthmus healthy. housing our men,
bItluirg terminals. railway tracks and
wards, and working out a large num-
Der of engineering problems. In this
sense the dirt has begun to fly, as far
as possible in connection with that
preparation. II will fly faster and
faster as time goes on, and within a
few weeks from now we shall be maxi
ing a percGptible impression on parts
of the excavation.
"The month befor my last visit we
had moved 100000 cubic yards from
the Culebra cut, and we had then at
work an average of less than IL steam
shoveis. Within a short time Engl-
necr Stevens expects to have 40 steam
shovela in operation and he will then
he h1ndllng 100000 cubic yards per
month"
"Tcll me in simple language what
1000, 1000 cubic yards means"
I'VE generally estimate a cubic yard
OF earth or rock as n ton. II IL load
for a two-horse team over common
country road. The product of one
month will be enough to load wagon
train of 100000 teams. and, suppos-
ing shat each team took 80 feet on a
roadway, the train would be 10000
900 feet In length. Dividing by 5000
feet to the mile for easy figuring, the
train would be 5000 miles long. or just
about long enough to reach from New
Yory to San Francisco and back
again"
Uncle sam at Work
"Where will this excavation first be
dcne?"
'The most of the work now is in
the Culebra cut, and great deal Of 1t
will be right there. This cut has In
the past been considered the key to
the time required for doing the work.
1t is not so. The work upon the locks
II lock canal Is built, will require
more time than that in the cut. The
locks viii be about 1900 feet long and
several hundred feet wide. They will
be so small that 1t will be impossible
to work large number of men in
them at one time. and this will limit
our possibilities"
Are 10 steam shovels the maximum
capacity of operation?"
"No, we shall install more and more
as rapidly as we can. We have now
81 steam shovels on the isthmus, and
We shall eventually be working 100
or more. think the time will come
wnen we shall work by night as well
ar by day, using electricity to give us
the light
what are you doing with the old
French machinery?"
1--WE are still using some of 1t, but
are introducing modern appliances
just rs rapidly as they come. There
is no economy in working over the