Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-11-20
1.-THE PANAMA CANAL"
Large Audience Enjoys Chester's Lee
ture at the City Hall.

"Thc Panama Canal was the sub
Jet of very interesting lecture de-
livered by c. l.. Chester of New YORK
in the City han Tuesday night before
Il large audience of citizens, and par
ticuldrly school children. The pupils
Of the schools were given free tickets
and they responded in way that LETT
no roorh for doubt regarding their in
terest in the great ditch that the gov
eminent has in process of construction
across the isthmuS of Panama.
The speaker Of the evening was in
,roduced by Albert w. Brooks, chair
man Of the school board. in n very
neat speech in which Mr.. Brooks gave
rcasoas why Mr.. Chester was qualified
to talk on the matter in hand.
III beginning. the lecturer, who was
helped by Il stereopticon showing dis
solving views. stated that from very
early times it had been the constant
dream of the explorer to find a water
passage across the American CONT
nent In the attempt to cut canal
through the isthmus DeLesseps and
others had spent fortunes but had
been unsuccessful in their attempts to
we'd the Atlantic and the Pacific. But
from now on, said the speaker, it will
be American from start to finish.
The lecturer then took the audience
OH a voyage from New York to the
island of Jamaica, describing the beau
ties of the ocean voyage. Five days
after leaving the port of New York the
voyage was ended and the green hills
of jamaica were sighted. The life of
tile negro inhabitant is wildly describ-
ell and the tropical beauties of the is
land are shown by pictures and the
use Of suitable words.
From this point the lecturer had his
audience deeply Interested in looking
about the towns of Colon and Cristobal.
the quaint buildings and brilliant col
ors of the tropics showing to good adj
vantage on the screen. After the town
had been examined and Kingston had
been explored. a trip was taken over
the line of the Panama railroad, now
in much better shape than when ii was
under control OF the French. An in
Specvion of portions of the canal show
ed the good work that is being done by
our engineers. aided by the ever pres
ent steam shovel The quarters of the
men in charge of the work We're also
described, as well as the quarters used
by tnc common laborers. All are kept
in q sanitary condition. as are the
trains that are used by the carpenters
Us living quarters.
Relieving the description of the coast
life the lecturer took his audience in
land ana together all took a trip up
one OF the principal rivers of the
istl!mus, into the land OF the wild but
harmless negro.
Further towards the Pacific coast il
WAS the pleasure of the audience to be-
hold the wonders that have been per-
formed on some Of the larger cuts in
the way of excavation and pictures
We're also shown of the crews ut work
on these jobs, where muscle and brains
are mixed, producing excellent results.
one sad feature of the canal is the
cemetery. known as mi. Hope" In il
are buried, probably more foreigners
than in any other cemetery in the
world. 1t is the last resting place of
men who have come to the iSthmuS to
help dig the ditch ana who succumbed
to fever or some other disease, caused
in large majority of instances by I'M
sanitary conditions, that have been
largely obviated by present modern
methods. IN Mt. Hope cemetery are
the graves of many whose names will
never be known, for their resting
places are unmarked.
For living space in the houses pro-
vided by the canal commission each
bachelor is allowed one square foot of
space for every dollar monthly salary
thai he draws. Thus a man with Il
space 10 by Is feet A married man
gets exactly double the space that
n single man is allowed, on the same
plan.
The lecturer stated that the men at
work on the canal We're not the kick
er3 They were too busy with their
work to kick, and he further stated
that in all parts of the great work that
everything was going forward with
snap and ginger.
Laundry work is very expensive on
tie isthlnus. the rative women charg-
irg as much for washing pair of
stockings as they would for washing
white duck suit. They seem to have
no idea of values in laundry work, ex-
cept to charge an outrageous price for
everything that they do in this line.
The difference in the cost of sea
| level canal and one with locks was
shown. The present canal will have
several locks, as it is much cheaper to
construct canal of this kind than to
dig one down to the sea level.