The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1906-12-20

men, as skilled mechanics as police
men, are good men; and many or Tn,
ordinary day 'aborers' are also good
Work Of Construction.
But thousands of those who ar
brought over under contract lat on
expense) go off into the jungle to live
or loaf around Colon, or work so bad
Nv after the frst three mr. four dav!
as to cause a serious diminution o
the amount Of labor perfor med or, Fri
day and Saturday Of each week.
questioned many Of these Jamaicf
work and what, II any changes, the,
wished. I received many complaints
from them, but as rem rds most OF
these complaints they themselves con
tradicted one another In all cases
where the complaint was as to theil
treatment by any individual it proved
on examination that this individual
was himself West India man Of color
either policeman. .storekeeper, OIL
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.
The work is now going on with q
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 practical certain
ty, not merely as to what can be
| achieved, but as to the time Of achieve
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, 1t ne
cessitates great toll, energy, and in.
| telligence, and although equally, Of
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 will have what is practically a
low, broad, mountain ridge behind
which will rise the inland lake. This
artificial mountain will probably show
less seepage, that is, will have greater
restraining capacity than the average
natural mountain range. The exact To-
calty Of the locks at this dam-as at
the other dams-is now being de-
termlned. In April next Secretary
Taft, with three of the ablest engin-
Stearns and Ripley-will visit the
isthmus, and the three engineers will
make the final and conclusive exami-
nations as to the exact site for each
lock. Meanwhile the work Is going
ahead without a break.
The Culebra cut does not offer such
great risks; that Is, the damage liable to
occur from occasional land slips will not
represent what may be called major dis
asters. The work will merely call for in
tclliSence, perseverance, and executive
capacity. 1t is, however the work upon
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
away the rock and earth they dislodged.
The implements Of French eXcavating
machinery, which often stand 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 of huge cars
dumped by steam plows, which are now
in use. This represents the enormou.
advance that has been made in machn-
cry during the past quarter of a CEN
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 1t is certainly serving its
purpose well now. rhe old French cars
had to be entirely discarded We still
have in use a few of the more modern,
but not most modern, cars, which hold
but u yards of earth. They can be en-
ployed on certain lines with sharp
curves. But the recent cars hold from
% to 30 yards apiece, and instead of the
old clumsy methods of unloading them,
of the whole vestibuled 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 % at work during the time
was on the isthmus, 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, $4,000 cubic yards;
in September, 900 cubic yards and In
October $4,000 cubic yards. In October
new records were established for the
output of individual shovels as well as
for the tonnage haul of individual loco
motives. hope to see the growth of a
healthy spirit of emulation between the
different shovel and locomotive crews,
just such spirit as has grown on our
battle ships between the different gun
crews in matters OF craftsmanship
Ilan rl..Ew
new work cam 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 one
blast. At another place / was given a
presidential salute Of q charges of dyna-
mite. On the top notch of the Culebra
cut the prism is now as wide as it will
be; all told, the canal bed at this point
has now been sunk about 200 feet below
what 1t originally was. 1t will have to
be sunk about 1870 feet farther. Through
out the cut the drilling, blasting, shovel
ing and hauling are going on with con-
stantly increasing energy, the huge
shovels being pressed up, as If they were
mountain howitzers, into the most I'M
likely looking places, where they eat
their way into the hillsides.
Railway Improvements.
The most advanced methods, not only
in construction, but In railroad manage
nent, nave Deen applied in the zone,
with corresponding 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 General Manager
Berd, the saving in time and cost, has
been noteworthy. My examination tend
ed to show that some Of the departments
had doubtless necessarily become over
developed, and could now be reduced or
subordinated without impairment of eff
cheney and with saving of cost. The
chairman of the commission, Mr. Shonts
has all matters Of this kind constantly
in view, and Is now recognizing the gov
eminent of the zone, SO as to make the
form Of administration both more fexihle