The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-12-17

I that there IS practical certainty Hot
/ merely as to what can be achieved. puL as
( TO the firnesof achievement. Inc fGacatns
dam offers the most serious problem Ntscn
4 we have to solve; and yet the aDlest men
4 or The Ts4hralss believe that this probi@fl
/ is certain of solution along the INES Pr I1
posed although, OF course 1t necessIt So ~ .'i
/ though equally, of course, there VITA -
some little risk in connection VIE IN
work If the huge earth dam now con-
! tauapIated is thrown across from one st0ol-
I hin to the other we viii have what y
practically a low. broad mountain railse
behind which will rise the lnlahu 49, ~,
This artificial mountain WlH propaoly
SHOW less seepage, that is VIII nave 1850 -
err restraining capacity than the aNSiASS
natural mountain. range The exact loCai-
/ ny of the locks at this datn -aS - ~ l7
/ other damS-iS now Delng deter No. ~
| AnrfI next Secretary Taft, with three q
the abiest engineers Of the country "a,
Messrs Noble Stearns. and Rlp-ey-uEll
/ visit the 7Isthraus and the three engineers
will make the final and conclusive 81 III
atoms 10 the exact SITE LoI 80, sS5i viii
4 Meanwhile the work is going aheao VIII
os rsh q y cniebra cut does not offer such
s.re ar risxs;sthat is. the damage liable TO
/ Occur from occasional land slips VIII not
represent what may be called maze vs. s-
\ asters. The work will. merely can lot
i1,fellirenCe perseverance, and eAecuuNe
caDacitv 1t is however. the work upon
TtasSi I. ms, viii he composed of the earth
taken out Of the cut and very 2ossloi ii1
the building, or the + loG5 The he cutting in
Culebra itself -. 7o,,a IN,
the -Culebra cut. It was striking aa 1,, III
pressfve to see the huge steam sshoNels
IN full play, the dumping trans caIlya1lS
away the rock and earth they dlslooS F's'l
The implements of French eXcaN 9sii
machinery. which often stand a iit Tue
way from the line Of work. though Of . eN-
1 celient construction look like the Verlest
toys when compared with these ne"
ing cars seem like toy cars when COM
pared with the long trains of huge cars,
dumped by steam plows- which are now
IN Use This represents the enormous adj
S1Irfne the past quarter of a century No
! doi,bf a quarter of century hence this
nro,,d viii similarly seem out of @date.s
bur it is certainly serving its purpose Wei
now The old French cars HAD to BE ere
tireiv discarded We still have in use
modern cars. which hold but II yards
Of earth. They can be employed on Ger
tain lines with sharp curves But the
recent cars hold from % to 80 yards
apiece, and instead of the old clumsy
is drawn from end to end Of the whole
vestibuled train. thus immensely econo-
steam shovels can do but little in dirt,
but they work steadily IN rock ana IN
at work during the time I was on the
efficiency were most impressive
New Records of 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 VIII De an immense increase III
the amount taken out; but even during the
last three months, in the rainy season,
steady progress is shown by the figures:
IN August. 242. 900 cubic yards; in Septem-
Der. 29l 600 cubic yards. and in DC 6lber,
325 600 cubic yards. In October new records
were established for the output of indt-
viduaI shOVels. as well as for the tonnage
haul of Individual locomotives. hope to
see the growth of healthy spirit OF emu
latfon between the different shovel and
locomotive crews. just such spirit as
has grown on our battleships between the
matters marks
manship. Passing through the cut the
amount of new work can be seen at
glance In one place the entire side of
hill had been taken out recently by q
tons of dynamite. which were exploded at
a presidential salute Of p charges OF dyna7
mite. On the top notch Of the Culebra cut
the prism is wide as it viii be;
an told the canal bed at this point has
now been sunk about 200 feet below STl1a t.
about 100 feet farther. Throughout the
cut the drilling. blasting, shoveling. and
hauling are going on with constantly in
pressed up as if they were mountain
howitzers. into the most unlikely looking
places. where they eat their way INTO the
hillsides
Railway improvements
The most advanced methods, not only in
construction, but in railroad management.
have been applied in the zone, with COR
responding economies in time and cost.
This has been shown in the handling OF
the tonnage from ships into cars. and from
cars into ships on the Panama railroad.
where. thanks largely to the efficiency OF
Ceneral Manager fSierd, the saving in time
and cost has been noteworthy. My exam
nation tended to show that some OF Ine
de1artments had doubtless uecessarily)
become overdeveloped. and could now be
reduced or subOrdinated without impair
ment of efficiency and with a SAVING q
Mr. Shonts has all matters of Shis kind
constantly in view, and is now reorBahlz-
make the form of administration both
more flexible and less expensive. subor-
dinating everything to direct eIIlGl e,lvI
with a view to the work OF the canal COM
mission. From time to time changes o.
this kind Will undoubtedly nave 70 pe
made for 1T must be remembered IhAt II
this giant work of construction, 1t IS con
tinually necessary to develop depaiL I'M t s1lte
or bureaus which are vital for the tIne
being but which soon become useless; just
as ii will be continually necessary 70 pue
IN buildings and even to erect towns.
Which in Ten years will once more give
place to jungle, OF will then De az tns y p ~
tom of the great lakes at the eIl1s y e4As ~
canal.
critics and Doubling 1aaoEaasea
If is not only natural. but 9neHl{a p1e,l
that a work as gigantic as. tniH =
been undertaken on ths crit
icism The conditions are so new anu ~
trying, and the work 50 vast tnat t,o -
that mistakes should not be made CheckS5
will occur. Unforeseen dliLle ! 'S Ill n.
arise From time to time seemingly Wen
settled plans will have to be changed A.
present 25.oC0 men are engage e. on 1ni11 he he
douhled In such a multitude II is IN
eS1itsbl that there should be here and
there a scoundrel Very many q the
poorer class of laborers lack the neHla ne.
des-a1opn1ent to protect themselves against
either fhe rascaiity Of others or their own
folly. and it is not possible for human
can invariably be protected In a place
which has been for ages a hywoFd Ior
lnheaIthfulness, and with so large cor
Eregaticn Of strangers suddenly put down
and set to hard work there VIII now ana
then be outbreaks of disease mere VIII
now and then be shortcomings in admin
istration; there will be unlooked-for acel-
dents To delay the excavation Of the cut
or the building of the dams and locks
T-s.b such Incident will be entirely nat