Mower County transcript., 1908-05-13
s55.$s&. .-.1E-.ss 81 ss4 :. L
TRIP TO PANAMA.
AND CANAL BELT

Chas. F. Greening of Grand Mea.
dow Writes Of Some of the
Things He Saw and Heard Go.
ing to the Canal Zore and Re-
turning.
I was here down in the ditch
among the workmen for information.
l wanted it from first hands and
found no difficulty in getting it as
soon as they found I was not a spot
ter or disguised detective, of which
there are good number on the zone,
looking for crookedness in every way
and at every point. Their eyes are
sharp, and many man is nipped
when he has little idea of his short
comings being found out There are
plenty of men now ready to step in
to mans empty shoes. The health
is good, pay good and sure, and a
good man can save money, as many
are doing and sending their savings
back to the states until they can
come back and invest it or start
business for themselves Had even
denied themselves their thirty days
of vacation, stuck to their job, find
ing no fault, but thought they were
overlooked.
Conductors, trainmen. engineers,
cranemen and overseers had no fault
to find, were we'll treated and we'll
fed, good honest, hard working
men. To these men in the ditch does
the credit belong, they are the men
who will accomplish the work, and
l hope will live to see the end, as a
matter of pride and satisfaction. In
after years it will be with pride that
they can say, I helped to dig the
canal, / stayed until it was finished.
[ myself am proud to have been
there, and helped to dig the ditch,
by throwing with all my might sew
eral stones as big as l could lift onto
car. Nearly all the men show the
effects of the climate. They are thin,
spare, raw boned, tanned men, and
l scarcely saw a stout man on the
zone.
Since the government has adopted
the plan of feeding the men, that is
the common laborers, cOlOred men,
the hospital record has been reduced
among them IS per cent. The COL
ored man is charged 80 cents day
for his board, and as long as col
ored man has to pay for his grub he
rs going to fill up, clear to the skin.
That is what Uncle Sam wants, for
then the man can work, and he is
furnished good wholesome food and
plenty of it.
Thirty cents will not pay for the
board, but it is more than made up
by saving in hospital expense, and
the extra amount of work done.
The schools are good and we'll at
tended, and the Yankee school ma 'rm
is as much at home on the zone as
in one of our home schools. She fits
about any place she is located in.
The mixed all colored children looked
we'll and neat, clean and generally
we'll dressed in very light material.
We saw many handsomely dressed
ladies walking, driving and som>
even in autos, and seemingly as
much at home as in the States. They
have their sOciables, church gather
ings, societies and clubs the same as
at home, and general feeling of
satisfaction prevails apparently. I
think the secret of it is, they went
their husbands, and with a pride in;
the great work like all Americans
feel, and besides they are we'll used,
and respected, and the government
deals with them justly, and defrauds
no one knowingly. Goods of all kinds
for the canal employees can be bought.
cheaper here than in the States. The
great commissary stores have every
thing from a pin to a set of COM
plete house furniture. Everything
that family can use here is as
cheap or cheaper than in Austin
even to flour. This is for the benefit
of the canal employees only, and woe.
be to the one who purchases for an
outsider. That government spotter
may be just waiting for you. The
same goods at an outside store will
cost double.
A colored gentleman stepped into
a store kept by Fernchman and
wanted an up to date felt hat like
the zone police wear, and, after a
deal of bantering, got it for $12 sill
yer, or Sc gold. 1t would be worth
$3.50 or SO at the outside at home
purchased six sheets of foolscap
paper to write my notes on, and paid
20 cents in silver for it. I roared,
but it was no go, the shopkeeper
said the tariff was no high that was
cheap for that size of paper. The
French and Spaniards are going for
your pile, I/don't care how big it is,
and they will get it if you stay there
long. The common laborers have
big brass check like a baggage check
with their number on 1t, as an iden-
tification mark, SO they can be
checked up on pay rolls, or identified
at the commissary stores. Some carry
them as a watch fob, others wore
them hanging around their necks
with a leather thong.
1t being pay day at Empire, we
saw the heavily guarded train come
in, and soon there was a jabbering
crowd of all nationalities around,
but at respectful distance from the
car. They seem to have a wholesome
respect for the heavily armed zone
police who are around every part Of
the car
It was amusing to see some of the
men get their nav and thon 8 not