The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-03-28
CANAL 70 Be A SUCCESS
Congressional Party Went
to Panama Doubling
Return Optimistic.
RIGHT MEN AT HEAD
Remarkable Progress Already Made
Is an Earnest Completion of the
Gigantic Task-Nisitors Praise the
Organization of Every Department
of Work on the Jsthmus.

of Work on the Jsthmus.
washington, ID. c., March 26.-
The atmosphere in Washington dur
!ag the last few days of the late
session of Congress touching the
Panama Canal was decidedly pessi-
mistic, Attention had been called
to the fact that about s130,OOO,OOO
had already been expended or au-
thorized on the project, and 1t was
admitted that nothing more could be
asserted than a fair beginning had
been made. This was not a very
encouraging situation when it was
recalled that the original estimate of
the total cost of the canal was S145.-
100000.
Surprise Awaiting Them.
Leaving such an atmosphere on
March 8, forty-fve members of Con-
gress, representing twenty-seven
States, stepped from the steamship
Panama six days later onto the great
new dock at Colon, and found them
selves at once in totally different
atmosphere. They had more than
half feared they would be met by
haggard. disappointed, discouraged
men, working despondently under
killing conditions upon a project
which they felt was foredoomed to
fail.
Agrecably Disappointed.
rNo one will pretend that we
'1earned 1t ALL" that there may not
have been faults of administration,
defects in plans, errors and injustices
which wholly escaped our notice.
But there were some things We
could not help seeing, and that we
could not possibly be mistaken about.
We could not help seeing that the
quarters provided for the working
force were ample In size and ideal in
construction. We could not help
noting the absence of foul smells, the
presence of clean water, the unmis-
taxable evidence on every hand of
frreproachable sanitary conditions.
We could not help believing men
hen they told US that in six months,
- vear, two years on the Isthmus,
.hoy had not been Ill a day. We
lid not help seeing steadily
cams of dirt trains coming up out
the cuts, and it could hardly have
zen by a conspiracy to deceive that
the locomotive engine drivers who
handle those trains came to us to
complain about being overworkcd.
We could not help hearing the rat
tat-tat of compressed air drills and
the frequent boom Of dynamite
blasts. We could not help seeing
the scores OF steam shovels that are
at work, fifty-three in Culebra alone.
"And from all the things that we
saw and heard and could not be mis-
taken about, we were driven to the
conclusion that the situation was
very much better than one had ex-
pected to find 1t. The Canal Zone
is a much pleasanter place to live,
climatically, than we had anticipated
There was a cool breeze blowing all
the time we were there, night and
day, and covers were necessary every
night even in rooms not directly
exposed to a draught. The work.
ingmen's quarters were prettier and
more comfortable looking than we
had expected to find them. The
various camps were cleaner than we
had believed could be possible.
Greater headway has been made In
the real work of excavation, and
more work Is being done day by day
than we had realized. And, most
significant perhaps of all. there was
q feeling Of contentment on the part
of the men who are doing the work.
q sentiment of confidence in the out
come of the gigantic enterprise and
pride in being connected with II
that we we're totally unprepared to
find. To be agreeably disappointed
In so many important particulars, is
= reasonable degree of optimism!
Canal VIII BE Built.
"The Panama Canal will be built
Not that anybody ever really believed
1t would not be built. That the
United States of America. havins
once set its hand to an impossible
task. should turn back, leaving 1t uE
completed Is uncomfortable. Blu
they probably are those who have
honestly doubted whether the cana
could be built within any reasonable
limit of time and cost. / believe
am warranted in saying there ar,
At least forty-five members of Con
gress who will not be of that numbe
henceforth. h."-Representative Chas
r. Scott, of Kansas. In the New
York Herald.