The Muskogee cimeter. [volume] (Muskogee, Indian Territory, Okla.) 1901-19??, 1906-12-21

them In anything like the numbers
appearances we shall in the main have
to rely. for the ordinary unskilied
fyo TorR upon ndss eoored ISb0rers
Chinese labor. II certainly. ought to
be unnecessary to point out that the
American workingman in the United
states has no concern whatever In the
question as to whether the rough work
on the isthmus. which is performed by
aliens In any event, Is done by, aliens
or by aliens from another country
with yellow skin. Our business is
',,oni to dig the canal cs as etiiciently ana as
that nothing is done that is irhumane
to any laborers and nothing that in
se on vns OF OF or our o%n
workmen. Having in view this prin-
ciple. / have arranged to try several
sirable both because we must try to
find out what 1aborers are most eff
cient; and. furthermore; because we
msres Of ans one ype Of a. oss ss
labor At present the great bulk OF
the unskilled labor on the isthmus is
done by West India negroes, chiefly
from Jamaica, Barbados. and the other
English possessions. One of the gov
ernors OF the lands in question has
work and has thrown obstacles in the
and = 80 h,shiv Sndas,raSie :" give
dHy OutSlueTS tne InpTeSSlOn, however
BILE and can dictate terms to us.
The West India laborers are fairly.
the men do very We'll indeed; the bet
ter class, who are to be found as fore
men, as skilled mechanics. as police
men, are good men; and many OF the
ordinary dav 'aborers are also good.
Work OF Construction.
The work is now going on with a
vlgor and efficiency pleasant to wit
ness. The three big problems of the
dam. and the Culebra cut. The Guile
bra cut must be made. anyhow; but
OF course changes as to the dams, or
the dams. may still occur. The La
Boca dams offer no particular prob
lem, the bottom material being so
ty. not merely as to what can be
achieved. but as to the time Of achieve
ment The Gatun dam offers the most
solve; and yet the ablest men on the
isthmus believe that this problem is
certain Of solution along the lines
cessitates great toll. energy. and in
telligence. and although equally, OF
course. there will be some little risk
arises from the fact that some of the
material near the bottom Is not so
good as could be desired. II the huge
across from one foothill to the other
we will have what is practically
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
cality Of the locks at this dam--as at
the other dams-is now being de-
tsrImined In April next Secretary
eers Of the country-Messrs. 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.
taken out Of the cut and very possibly
the building of the locks and dams will
take G,iie, even & longer than the cutting in
In cuIebra Cut.
The main work is now being done in
the Culebra cut. II was striking and
impressive to see the huge steam shovels
rock and esrt they
The implements of French excavating
machinery, which often stand little
way from the line OF Work, tnOugn or ex-
cellent construction, look like the veriest
toys when compared with these new
steam shovels. just as the French dump
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 a 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 1t is certainly serving it's
purpose well now. rhe old French cars
had to be entirely discarded. We still
have In use few of the more modern,
but not most modern, cars, which hold
but ~ yards Of earth. They can be en-