The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1906-04-20
A LETTER FROM D O'CONNOR
INTERESTING DESCRIPTION OF
PANAMA CANAL ZONE.
GET READY FOR FLYING DIRT
Superinte ndent Of Education in the
Panama Country, Formerly superin.
tendent Of Public Schools In Nor
folk, Tells Of Situation.

tendent Of Public Schools In Nor.
folk, Tells Of Situation.
The following most interesting let.
ter has been received by Rev. w. j.
Turner OF this city from d. C. O'Con-
nor. formerly superintendent of schools
here but now superintendent of educa-
tion in Panama In the letter, Mr..
O'Connor sums up the situation in the
Canal Zone pretty completely
Gorgona, Canal Zone, March 27.-
Rev. w. ]. Turner, Norfolk, Nebraska:
Dear Mr.. Turner: Just a few lines
from the bulls eye" of the two Amer
icas. The Canal Zone can be com
pare donly to great workshop. In
this strip of land forty-seven miles
long by ten miles wide, are assembled
nearly $4,000 men, and many more
coming on every bat that enters the
harbor of either Colon or Panama.
A large number of these people are
still engaged in the preliminary stages
of preparation for canal construction.
We find over three thousand men en-
SdStu Ill llG SANITARY utDdl
alone But these are people that make
for health; without their efforts in
freeing the Zone of bogs and brush,
garbage, pest-breeding pools, and noX-
ious insects, the Zone" would scarce
ly be a fit place for a white man to
make his home. In the construction
department" probably twice three
TN.N
fails the task of building houses, bridg-
es, wharves and shops of various sorts.
The result of their work is to make
this government strip" look like
series of suburban villages, connect.
ing Colon on the north side of the
isthmus, with Panama, on the south
side. Then there are hundreds Of
men in the engineering department.
To them is assigned the duty of find
ing the high places and the low places,
not only on the Zone proper, but far
in among the hills and valleys on
either side. They are to determine
the fittest places for the location of
great reservoirs to supply the people
and the factories with water; to deter
ulHt lllt lDtdIloll anu Nlldl ClINNl VI IllN
tremendous dams necessary to hold
back the mighty volumes of water that
will be needed to supply the canal,
if it's to be the "lock level" type; to
make borings for the purpose of learn
ing the nature of earth and rock
through which excavation and blast
ing must be carried on; to point out
ilynu,icn available
depressions and dumping grounds for
the spoil that is to be removed from
the great cuts; and to determine the
location, the resisting power of the
locks that are to be constructed.
Then there are some thousand or
two of men in the machine shops, the
repair shops. and the offices. None of
these are actually making the dirt
fly" but without their aid there would
be few men willing to try to make it
fly, nor would it be known where to
drop it. With the rest of the thou
sands there is being done daily, on
the canal, a vast amount of actual
digging. The great cuts are being
eaten into, and in many places it is
assuming the distinct appearance of
a great ship highway. The canal is,
indeed, beginning to look like real
ity, and will be all of that in few
years, if the ideas of the men so far
responsible for the work are carried
out.
There are several departments here
contributory to the execution of the
project. These are the executive, the
sanitary and engineering departments.
Governor Charles E. Magoon is re-
sponsible for the operations Of the
first, Col Gorgas, the second, and John
F. Stephens the third The president,
without doubt, made most judicious
choices when he selected these men.
Each possesses the implicit confidence
of the workers on the Zone, and of
the government Of the Republic of
Panama. This last, that is, the re-
spect and confidence Of the Panama
nian government, is regarded lightly
by many unthinking people, but the
seriousness with which the govern
ment at Washington considers the
matter, is but another testimony Of
our governments high sense of JUS
tice towards the weak as well as the
strong among nations To Governor
Magoon must be ascribed the credit
for very large share of this amicable
feeling. His is truly a reconciling
spirit No one meeting him can re-
frain from being drawn to him. He
is such a person as one would seek
as a counsellor and trust as a friend,
The chief engineer is likewise a
strong man in his profession, silent,
unassuming and masterful ! have had
the pleasure of meeting Mr. Stephens
only in the most casual manner, on