Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1909-12-03
FRENCH JUNK TO Be SOLD
MANY TONS OF MATERIAL ALONG
PANAMA CANAL.
Locomotives, Cars, Rails and Machinery
to Be Offered to the Highest
Bidder.

Thousands of tons of old French junk
along the line of the Panama canal have
been offered for sale to the highest bid
der, says the Washington Star The ma
terial includes old locomotives, dump
ears, tanks, barges, boilers, Orders,
dredges, sheet iron, parts of old machin-
cry and other miscellaneous junk left on
the isthmuS by the French, or accumu-
lated there since the beginning of opera
lions by the Americans. A part of the
copper, brass, white metal, rails and cast
iron viii be reserved, as many uses are
found for the rails, and the metals speci-
he'd can be utilized to advantage at Cor
coma foundry. The bids We're opened
September 10, and as soon as a satisfac-
tory contract can be entered into the
Shipment of the junk will be begun.
The great amount of machinery and
equipment that was left on the isthmus
by the French has been so thoroughly
utilized that, after the reservations indi-
Gated are made, what is left will be valu-
able chiefly as scrap. At Gorgona foun-
dry a large quantity of brass, copper,
white metal and tons of cast iron have
been made over into articles useful in the
canal work. Several hundred pounds of
copper and brass have been sent to the
Philadelphia mint to be made into canal
IllCIttiSa LII INT IOCOufUIlNGS IelI Ug the
French the fire boxes, hues and stay
bolts are usually of copper, and it is esti-
mated that there is from $500 to 5000
worth of the metal in each locomotive.
Old pail will be saved, because it has
proved OF value as reinforcement for con
crete, in repairing dump cars, as tele-
phone and telegraph poles and in various
other ways. Some of the siXty-pound
French rail is being used in anchoring
hn Of he Nn&,, Nol-- - 81 H., 18Th
and 1000 tons have been collected Mt
Empire to be Strengthened or bent. as the
engineers require, for use in the locks.
All structural | beams. channels. angles
and parts that can be used in repairing
the French equipment now in service will
also be reserved. Decauville cars, track
and locomotives will also be retained be-
cause they are used in all the construc-
ton divisions on hand excavation and
municipal work.
Whatever profit there may be in the
sale of the old material will be small
compared with the value the French
equipment has already been in the canal
work. For two years the locomotives left
by the French were the only ones owned
by the lsthmian canal commission, and
June 80 1906, there were 106 of them
in service and only Is American locomo-
tives. A year ago 1874 were in service.
creased. French dump and work cars
were the only ones used on the canal
work in 1904. when 30S of them We're
in service. June 80, 1905, over 1000 of
them were in service. as compared with
about 800 American built cars. Shop tools
stationary engines repair parts and ma
terials and supplies of all kinds were
found on the isthmus by the Americans.
Seven ladder dredges have been rebuilt
and are now engaged in canal excavation,
and the parts Of many others have been
utilized.
Much of the work done in the two years
of preparation. 1904 and 1905. would
have been impossible without the French
supplies and equipment, as waiting for
supplies from the states would have
involved long delays. The money value
that has been assigned to the French
equipment and supplies so far utilized is
over $1.O0O,000. but this estimate is in
adequate because much material was
used before the system of crediting the
old French account was begun.