The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-07
KENTUCNAN WILL HOLD
 PLACE ON COMMISSION
Gigantic Task of Canal BuiIdinc VIII Be Nearly Completed In Three
 Years, According to Gov ernor Blackburn.
By WATTERsoN sTEALEY.

Hl.1- Former Senator Joseph c. S. Blackburn Of Kentucky, who, as one of the canal commissioners and the head of the civil department of the canal zone is holding the most lucrative government position possessed by a democrat will not embar- rass President-elect Taft over this partic- ular position. Before Governor Black burn returns to Panama he will probably talk over the matter with the President elect, and if Judge Taft indicates that he wants the scalp of the Kentuchan 1t will be at his disposal However. the friends of Governor Blackburn and they are ieg1on' unconfned to either party say the next President was Secretary of War and at the head of the canal when Governor Blackburn was chosen, and there is not the slightest chance of his being dis placed.
 In the meantime Governor Blackburn is going down in Woodford county to see that his farm Is In good order and ready for occupancy. You know" said he to- day q have reached that age when a. man begins to look around for some place to be buried. One who lives on the isth- mus ought to have his baggage packed up and ready for moving on 15 minutes no- tice. Sometimes I think I would rather die in Kentucky than live on the isthmus, but there are other things that have to be taken into consideration"
 Governor Blackburn paints a glowing 1 picture ot the progress of canal work.
 The enormous amount of excavation-it
 was over 3,ooc0oO cubic yards last month";
 insures the completion of steam shovel
 work within three years If the engineer
 officers care to push it. They may pre-
 fer to center their forces on the construc- 1 ton of tho locks and dams, the real work or the canal and time the excavation for completion simultaneously with the locks "Fhe task" added Governor Blackburn.
 lis a gigantic one, and the figures are staggering. We estimate that 5000,0O0 bar rels of cement will be required. A street from New York to Washington, with a row of comfortable houses on each side could be built with the same amount The weight of the gates of the locks will be over f5,G00 tons. The Gatun dam is one mile and half long and the lake it will create will cover I'll square miles with depth of Al feet. This makes sea level at Gatun. From there on there will be eight locks and dams and throughout the work is progressing sat sfactorily Culebra has been cut down 160 feet and only 90 feet remains to be cut.
 All the surprises we get on the isth- mus come from the states" concluded the governor. "The recent slide at the Gatun dam IS example. AS have stated, the cost of its repair is trivial, and we at tached no importance whatever to it. Our
 borings have proved that We have solid foundations. Here and there we have struck bad strata, but in every in stance we have found under 1t a bed of rock suitable for our purpose" There's an idol shattering story for the wild and woolly west brought over from the Virginia hills across the river. It is to the effect that the President will bava to improve his marksmanship if he brings Gown anything smaller than an ele- phant on the African trip. The rifle can not be blamed, for there were half a dozen Of them, and the President tried them all. There is a suggestion that the Presidents companion, Surgeon General Rixey. whether for fear of his personal sa fety or that of the President. slipped blanks Tn the magazines. The President will continue to practice several times a week