The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-02-05
By FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

The isthmus are giving q wonderful ac-
count Of themselves. Although they re-
ceiTe mucn higher wages than the steam
shovel men in this country. and work
only eight hours. they manage to handle
so much material that they more than
overcome the difference these factors
would make. and ofreT the world the best
steam shovel records II has ever seen.
One shovel has gone above the 65Ooo
cubic yard mark, and there is no certain
" thai the limit has been reached. As
recently as December every former daily
steam shovel record was broken. when
Hfty steam shOvels took out 7aOS7 cubic
YARDS OF material IN eight hours
me cheapest excavation that is being
zone on the isthmus Is by the big sea-
gong credges Ancon ard CsIlebra. They
sFe sucking mud through their big 20
inch centrifugal pumps at a cost of less
tnaa cents q cubic yard And IN suck
lng up mud they bring up other things
as Wen Only recently Culebrs drew
Ten IaJhoms OF anchor chain from the
potion OF the sea and passed il into the
Dlhs. mat performance has been the
mystery OF the isthmus ever since. These
pumps reFoiFe with lighting rapidly.
ana how ten fathoms OF chain could mass
through them without becoming en-
tangled Or doing any damage is a puzzls
to the crew. Not long since the A6con
PICKED I'D cannon ball in the bottom,
OF Limon Bay and carried il safely
through the pumps The number Of fish.
eels, and other marine creatures that get
caught IN the tremendous suction OF the
oredge pumps is so great that seafood is
always plentiful
The cost-keeping tables are revealing
the fact that coal is a very expensive
fuei on the isthmus. and that petroleum
can outwork il dollar for dollar OF cost.
Nearly all OF the stationary engines on
The isthmus are already using oil. and
now they are getting IN shape TO pull
the trains OF the Panama Railroad across
the isthmus With oil-burning engines. A
5o.ooo-gallon steel OIL tank and a So-foot
tower have been ordered. for installation
at Cristobal- Twelve oiI-burning loco
motives have also been ordered for de-
livery this month. and henceforth the
Traveller across The isthmus VIII not
nave his eyes filed with cinders while
watching the work on the canal from the
car WINDOW. The OIL comes from the
mon OH Company, which has a pipe
me across the isthmus. Its oil Is loaded /
m tank steamers al California points.
transported 70 Panama, pumped across !
the isthmus. and then reloaded for |
American and European points. This il 1
the line OF traffic OF az reversed
One OF the most interesting showings
that viii be made during the present cal |
endar year IS how much Il viii cost 10 i
lay concrete az the locks and splilways /
on the canal The estimates have been on 4
the basis or - per yard OF concrete. Ar
engagements are being perfected for laying 4
Jnis concrete al Gatun. and il now seems
probable that the locks viii not cost
more than the $50 10000 estimated for
them. BY the end OF the present fiscal
year nearly every detail CT the work viii 4
then be possible for the commission 70
take the public into its confidence and
give il close idea OF what the ultimate
cost OF the canal is going 10 be. II has
developed that there is more work 10 be
done than was estimated when the sfsS.-
loag0 limit was fixed. and that the est
mates or unit Of cost for the various ma
terials encountered were wide OF the
marx IN many Instances the cost has
been less, IN others It has been more
Inc data gathered by the canal cost
keeping system during the building Of the
20 "e-ASA ~ dF - al NtIctillte one or the
most unique records OF the work. From
Z the government win be able 10 better
arrive at reasonable compensation for the
performance OF contract work in the ~
-uTe- L has generally been held BY
army engineers that they could do
given piece OF work cheaper than con-
rsetors, and many experiences are cited
n support OF that theory. /,
As the nation seems to be standing on
he threshold OF the greatest era OF .deep
waterway development the world has
yer known, II is not improbable that the
anal plant may be brought home after
hat job is done, 10 be used on deep
waterways at home. OF course this IS
merely speculation. but II the showing al ,
Panama continues as remarkable as it :
as been, such course is not improbable. :
tCoDyright- lse. b. Frederic = Haskint
FO-morrOw-PrOgress of Panama.
V.-ConEressiOnaI Visits to the 18TH :
nus.