The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-01-11
MankatO People See the
Work Progress.
VIEWS WERE ON A SCREEN
Highly interesting Lecture and Pict.
ures on panama" at the Thea.
tire Last Evening.
From Tuesdays Daily.

| From Tuesdays Daily.
DIR. Edward Burton Mcdowell gave his
lecture on Panama" last evening, it be-
ing the second entertainment on this
winters Y. NJ. G. A. lecture course. 1t
was amply and beautifully illustrated
| with Photographic views and moving pic
lures, taken by Mr.. Mcdowell upon the
ground. The lecture was not only in
structive but rare treat. The pictures
alone were more than worth the price
easy, fluent speaker, who holds the clos
est attention of his hearers. His dis
course seemed to be fair and impartial
exposition of the exact conditions on
the isthmus, concealing nothing and Civ
ing credit where it was due.
Mr.. Mcdowell opened his lecture by
giving an account of the discovery of
the isthmus and the Pacific ocean four
hundred years ago by Balboa, and of the
efforts to dig canal there by the French
company during the last fifty years. He
told of the negotiations that led to the
acquisition by the United States govern
ment of the French rights and property
and of the canal strip. His pictorial
account began with his leaving New Or
leans on banana steamer, the voyage
to Colon being made in six days of
stormy weather.
Arriving on the isthmus, the audience
was escorted along the fortNfive miles
of canal route and over the railway and
through the Culebra cut, and through
Panama, and to the site of the original
city of Panama, which was destroyed
by the Pirate Morgan and his band in
1911. Morgan's treasure, supposed to
have been buried in islands in the vicin-
|ity, is still being sought AFTER One of
the pictures showed an island upon
which men have been at work for a
year digging for the treasure.
Mr.. Mcdowell said that Colon is a
miserable city of 10000 to 1900 popu-
lation, with miserable people inhabit-
ing it. From there across the isthmus
the work of the French engineers is Wis
ible Much of the machinery and some
of the ships are being rehabilitated for
use, for the United States government
acquired it all by the purchase. The or
iginal value of the machinery that was
thrown in was $3O,0OO,O00 Scores Of
abandoned hulls of large vessels strew
the harbor of Colon, while the dry docks
are filled with those that have been
raised and are being repaired. A point
that was built out into the bay of Colon,
covering six acres, was constructed at a
lcost of million dollars an acre, and a
$4,000 residence was constructed on the
end for Count DLesseps, but when he
arrived he remained there but three
hours. The remainder of the point was
lowered with houses for the canal Off.
cials.
Among the machinery that was aban-
Goned by the French were 5000 junk
cars and 200 Belgium engines. Many OF
the latter have been reequipped for SER
vice, as well as the cars. Some fully
equipped machine shops have been found
in the Jungle, where they were lost and
forgotten by the French The canal fol-
lows the valley of the Chagres river,
which must be controlled, and then the
valley of the Rio Grande. The Culebra
cut is at the backbone of the isthmus.
Inc French labored thirty years and
spent S2OO,0O0,vvv in gold in this cut.
Mr.. Mcdowell estimated that it will
take ten to twenty years for the United
States to complete the canal, and that
the cost will be $2OOOOO,O0 to $4O0, OOO,-
900. The French engineers made cut
$50 feet i'm the Culebra hill, and it will
take a further cut of 200 feet to reach
the sea level, but the lock canal will be
So feet above sea level. The cut will be
EIGHT miles long, quarter of mile
wide at the top, 200 feet wide at the
bottom, 275 feet deep and will hold Tor
Ity feet of water
| At present 5000 to 1000 Americans
and $4,000 to 10000 Jamaica negroes
and others are employed ON the work,
but later 10000 to $1,000 Americans and
so. 600 to $4,000 others will be employed.
Unskilled labor is cheap, the Jamaicans
receiving IS cents day and lodging, but
skilled labor receives S. to Sc day and
lodging. The brain is American and the
muscle is foreign. One-third of the black
force loafs every day.
One problem is what to do with the
dirt that has to be removed. 1t mas TO
he hauled on trains twelve or fifteen
miles: 2OO,OOO,O 900 cubic yards of earth is
to be moved, and placed in wagons 1t
would make procession million miles
long, reaching fifty-one times around
i the world. 1t is now being taken to a
] big valley, but when that has been filed