The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1906-12-27

ter c,ass who are TO be found as fore
men as skilled mechanics az p3h..te
men. are good men; and many os ,o s,
Work Of Construction.
But thousands OF those who are
brought over under contract tat our
erpense) go on into the jungle 10 ia
or loaf around Colon. or WORK 50 80
" aft.s- the Hrst three or f"hr hass
AZ to cause a serious .diminutloh 81
the amount Of labor performed on
day and Saturday of each "ttn. To-
questioned many OF these JainalIa
laborers as to the conditions OF their
work and what. IL any changes thes
wished. / received many coHpialh's
these complaints they themselves con
tradtctcd one another, In an casIs
where the complaint was as 10 th.i.
treatment by any individual II pIoveu
was himself West India man OF color
either a policeman. a storekeeper or
an assistant storckecper. Douptitsss
there must be many complaints against
Americans. but those to whom spohe
did not happen 10 make any such com
plant to me.
The work is now going on win
Vigor and efficiency pleasant TO VIII
ness The three big problems OF 'ht
canal are the La BOca dams, the Gatuh
dam. and the Culebra cut The CUE.
bra cut must b" made. anyhow Dut
OF course changes as TO the dams, or
at least as 10 the locks adjacent 70
III" dams. may still occur. ihc la
Eoci dams offer no particular PROB
lem. the bottom material being 80
good that there liz IA practical certain
". not merely as To what can ne
achieved. but as to the time of achieve.
mcnt. The Gatun dam offers the most
serious problem which we have TO
solve; aud yet the ablcst men on the
isthmus believe that rhIs problem is
proposed; although, of course it ne
cessitates great toll. energy. ana IN
telligencc, and although equally. OF
course, there will be some little FISK
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 he desired II the huge
earth dam now contemplated is thrown
across from one foothill to the other
we VIII have what is practically a
low, broad, mountain ridge behind
which Will rise the inland lake. This
artiiicial mountain viii probably show
less seepage, that Is. viii have greater
restraining capacity than the average
natural mountain range. The exact To-
cality of the locks at this dam-as at
the other dams-is now being de
ternined. in April next Secretary
'eers OF the country essrs. Noble,
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 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
telligence. perseverance, and executive
capacity 1t 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 fun play, the dumping trains carrying |
away the rock and earth they dislodeed.. |
The implements of French eXcaVating |
machinery. which often stand little |
way from the line of work though of ex-
celieht construction, look like the veriest |
toys when compared with these new
steam shovels, just as the French dump |
ing ears 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 |
advance that has been made in machin- |
cry during the past quarter of cen |
tury 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 its
purpose well now. rhe old French cars
have In use 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 ears hold from
% to 80 yards apiece, and instead of the
old clumsy methods of unloading them
IF the whole Vestibuled train, thus i'm
nensely economzng 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 Is at work during the time /
was on the lsthmus, and their tremendous
siVe.
New Records for Excavation
As soon as the type of canal was de-
'ided this work began in good earnest /
The rainy season Will shortly be over and
hen there will be an immense increase i'm
he amount taken out. but even during
he last three months in the rainy sea
son, steady progress Is shown by the
lgures: In August, $4,000 cubic Yards.
n September, $4,000 cubic yards. and in
october. $4,000 cubic yards In October
lew records were established for the
output of Individual shoVels as well as
or the tonnage haul of individual loco
motives. ! hope to see the growth of n
iealthy spirit of emulation between the
Inherent shovel and locomotive crews,
ust such a spirit as has grown on our
'attle ships between the different gun
'rews IN matters of craftsmanship
Passing through the cut the amount Of
lew work can be seen at a glance In .,
me place the entire side of a hill had
been taken out recently by q tons Of
y haiiite, Whlch We're exploded at one
'last At another place / was given n
salute of q charges OF dyna-
mite. On the top notch OF the Culehro
ut tne prism is now wide as if will
'e; all told. the canal bed at this point
las now been sunk about 200 feet below
what II originally was. Ii will have To- |
'e sunk about 1870 feet farther. Through.
tut the cut the drilling. blasting. shovel
ns ana hauling are going on with CON
tahtly increasing energy, the hitE.
novels being pressed up, as IL they were
mountain howitzers, into the most nm
likely looking places, where they ear
helr way into the hillsides.
Railway improvements.
The most advanced methods nor orI.
II construction. but in railroad nanave
nent' have been applied in the zone
Win corresponding economies i'm tins
Ina cost This has been shown in tho
'andling OF the tonnage from ships into
ars, and from cars Into ships nn ' ~
'ahsma railroad. where, thanks largely
o the ehciency of General Nance /
iierd, the saving in time and cost has
'een noteworthy. My examination toni
lad doubtless necessarily becnnn, .>,,t
developed, and could now be reduced -,
uporulnated without impairment of an ]
lencS ana with saving of cost Tn |
hartman OF the commission. Mr. ShontS |
.as an matters OF this kind constantly
rnment of the zone. SO as 10 inaE,eth !
ortn OF administration both more nsxth5 !
ma less expensive, suhordinating sv.r, {
hlhs 10 dlrect efficiency with a Wow 10 |
ne Work OF the canal commission -, /
ime to time changes of this kind n.,ii ,"Ii
have to be made for /, 49,, |
~ remembered that in this giant n,nrt !
u construction. II is continually necas@ Z
AIRY 70 develop departments or bureans |
which are vital foe the time hain, 80. |
hsteAfra