Omaha daily bee., 1906-12-18

WNIh anu WNdAH TT any thHuktet lNtN
wished. 1 received many complaints from
them. but as regards most Of these com
plants they themselves contradlcted one
another. In all cases where the complaint
was as 90 their treatment by any indi-
vidual It proved on examination that this
individual was himself a West India man
Of color. either a policeman, a storekeeper
or an assistant storekeeper. Doubtless
there must be many complaints against
Americans but those to whom I spoke
did not happen to make any such COM
plaint to me. There was no complaint OF
the housing, but 1 saw one set OF quar-
ters for colored laborers which I thought
poor, and this was in an old French house
The barracks for unmarried men are roomy
we'll ventilated and clean, with canvas
hunks for each man. and kind of false
attic at the top, where the trunks and
other belongings Of the different men are
kept. The clothes are hung on clotheslines,
nothing being allowed to be kept on the
floor. IN each of these big rooms there
were tables and lamps and usually few
books or papers, and in almost every
room there was a Bible, the books being
the property of the laborers themselves.
The cleanliness of the quarters Is secured
by daily inspection. The quarters for the
married negro laborers we're good. They
were neatly kept and in almost every case
the men living in them, whose wives or
daughters did the cooking for them, were
far better satisfied and OF a higher grade
than the ordinary bachelor negroes. Not
only were the quarters in which these negro
laborers were living much superior to those
In which I am informed they live at home,
but they were much superior to the huts
to be in fba fttpg ole Of pa ITSELF
beside the railroad tracks. in which the
lower class Of native Panamans live, as
well as the negro workmen when they leave
the employ of the canal and go into the
jungles single glance at the two sets
OF buildings is enough to show the great
superiority in point Of comfort cleanli-
ness and healthfulness of the government
houses as compared with the native
houses.
Recreation and Amusement.
One Of the greatest needs at present is
to provide amusements both for the white
| men and the black. The Young Mems
Christian association is trying to do good
work and should be in every way encou-
ragged. But the government should do the
main work. I have specifically called the
attention Of the commission to this matter,
and something has been accomplished al
| ready. Anything done for the welfare of
the men adds to their efficiency and money
| devoted to that purpose is therefore prop
| erly to be considered as spent in building
| the canal. It is imperatively necessary to
provide ample recreation and amusement
II the men are to be kept well and healthy.
I call the special attention Of congress to
this need.
I have now dealt with the hygienic condi-
! tions which make it possible to employ a
great force of laborers, and with the task
Of gathering. housing and feeding these
laborers. There remains to consider the
| actual work which has to be done, the
work because of which these laborers are
gathered together-the work OF constructing
the causl This is under the direct control
Of the chief engineer. Mr.. Stevens. who has
already shown admirable results. and whom
we can safely trust to achieve similar re-
suits in the future.
Our people found on the isthmus a GER
tain amount Of old French material and
equipment which could be used. Some of
it. in addition, could be sold as scrap iron.
Some could be used for furnishing the
foundation for filling in. For much no
possible use could be devised that would
not cost more than 1t would bring in.
OA
The work is now going on with a vigor
and efficiency pleasant to witness The
three big problems of the canal are the
La Boca dams, the Gatun dam and the
Culebra cut. The Culebra 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 problem
the bottom material being so good that
there is a practical certainty not merely
as to what can be achieved, but as to the
time of achievement, The Gatun dam
offers the most serious problem which we
have to solve, and yet the ablest men or
the isthmus believe that this problem Is
certain of solution along the lines proposed
although, OF course. 1t necessitates great
toll energy and intelligence, and although
equally, of course, there will be some little
risk in connection with the work II tn,
huge earth dam now contemplated /.
thrown across from one foothill to tn,
other we will have what is practically
low. broad mountain ridge behind which
will rise the inland lake. This artifcia
mountain will probably show less seepage
that is, will have greater restraining ca
pacity than the average natural mountain
range. The exact locality OF the locks a
AAAlS 90 NJ NiiS ONApI hdlllb-lb nov
being determined In April next secretar,
Taft. with three of the ablest engineer
OF the country-Messrs. Noble, stearns ant
Ripley-will visit the isthmus, and tn
three engineers viii make the final ant
conclusive examinations as to the exac
site for each lock. Meanwhile the worl
Is going ahead without a break
The Culebra cut does not offer such grea
risks; that Is the damage liable to occu
from occasional land slips will not represen
what may be called major disasters. Tn
work will merely call for intelligence, per
severance and executive capacity. It Is
however, the work upon which most Iabo
!, will have 10 be spent. The dams will b
. composed OF the earth taken out OF the Gu
: and very possibly the building Of the lock
and dams will take even longer than tn
cutting in Culebra itself.
. The main work is now being done In tn
: Culebra cut II was striking and impres
: sive to see the huge steam shovels in fu
play, the dumping trains carrying away tn
) rock and earth they dislodged. The imple
T. ments Of French excavating machinery
g which often stand a little way from III
. line Of work, though Of excellent constr1iC
], tion, look like the veriest toys when con
= pared with these new steam shovels. jus
= as the French dumping cars seem like TO
e cars when compared with the long train