The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1907-03-30
CANAL ZONE CONDITIONS
Continued from First Page.

GOupI1blmSubS anu SApSEt A4OWACukO
of this kind of work.
The dredging and designing and Sc
lection of new dredges and machinery
for this class of work is under the care
of MIR. F. B. Maltby as principal as
sistant engineer and Messrs. VIM. Ga
rig and W. G. Comber as division en-
gineers. These men were formerly with
the Mississippi River Commission, and
re-designed and practically rebuilt
the first dredge constructed by Lindon
W. Bates, 1.-THE self-styled authority
on dredges and dam building), oper-
ating it successfully and designing,
building and oper ating the remainder
of the vast feet of hydraulic dredges
which have been used for number of
years between ST. Louis and Memphis
on the Mississippi river.
The Culebra cut work and track ex-
cavation and dumps are under the
charge of Mr.. D. W. Bolich, who came
here in a subordinate position, but who
had many years. previous experience
in railroad work both in the United
States and in South America. Mr..
Bolich has been judged by his work
and promoted in accordance with his
merit and push to the SUPPLEMENTARY
of what is probably the largest trans
portation and excavation undertaking
in the worlds
While the sanitary and executive de-
partments have not until recently been
a part of the charge of Mr.. Stevens,
many changes have been made by the
latters and he has effectively cooper
ated with and assisted Col. Gorgas In
his work, giving that officer full credit
for what he has done and not hamper
ing him in the effort he has success
fully made to transform this into a
hsbitable country for North Americans.
Incidentally it may be mentioned
that Col. Gorgas has earned the affec-
ton and respect of the rank and file
of the employees. The majority of
them feel that to him and his staff are
they indebted not only for kindly treat
ment in the hospitals, but for the fact
that it is possible to build the canal at
all.
The auditing and discussing depart
ments are we'll regulated, hard working
institutions, which are filing their
places as we'll as or better than any
average railway departments of like
kind in the United States, having en-
tirely discarded the frenzied system
of government red tape and railway
accounting which obtained in the latter
part of 1905.
In spite of the fact that the branch
Of labor and quarters has been ran on
rather Napoleonic principles, and that
the head of it, Mr.. ] ackson Smith, has
seemed Indifferent to criticism. there
can be no doubt that he has obtained
results, which give as whole better
service to the employees than obtains
on any other construction work in the
world. The influx of employees caused
by improved health conditions and
the desire of those here to have their
families join them, has caused call
for quarters faster than they could be
supplied, leading to instances of hard
ship and possibly minor Injustice,
but taken as q whole the work is good
and is being improved constantly.
The building and municipal engi-
neering departments are energetically
pushing ahead, and are providing as
fast as possible clean, cool and COM
Portable quarters, with running water
and modern sanitary plumbing, located
in villages or towns which have gray
eled or plank sidewalks, postofices
and schools.
On the actual work of construction
there has been a constant increase in
the yarda age removed from Culebra
cut. The quantity removed during the
month of February, which consisted of
only twenty-three working days, was
CSC, 900 cubic yards of earth, hard pan
and rock. The dredging operations
at either end of the canal bring this,
together with excavation for the lock
site at Gatun, we'll on toward the mark
of a million cubic yards. The in
creased number of cars now being
erected and the new dredges which win
shortly be completed and put in COM
mission will much more than double this
output within the next six months.
From what has been written above,
which is only q brief outline of what
could be said; as have touched in no
wise upon shops, track work, dumps
or the Pansma Railroad, you can
readily see that there is we'll eonsti-
tuted and working organization on
occasional loss of one or more MEM
bers, the work can and will go on to
successful completion.
Having inaugurated this condition
OF affairs, and seeing tit for personal
or other reasons to resign after giving
due notice and agreeing to Install his
successor before leaving, Mr.. Stevens
would, it seems to me, be clearly
within his rights both as q man and
as an American. He is to the mind of
the average canal employee first
class type of both.
That he has any trace of sectionalism
about him is denied by the fact that he
has promoted his men here strictly
on merit, and of these promotions
such number of them have been west
ern and southern men as to cause the
men from both sections to feel proud
of his recognition OF their work.
That he would or has intentions ally
Disseminated against New Orleans in
anything seems rather improbable.
n + y
am canal employee in subordi-
nate position. I am giving you what