Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1909-07-16
PANAMA r.
LETTER
Former Watertown Citizen
Writes Interesting Letter
from the Canal Zone.

VINO conducted the Orpheum Inc
atre now the Idle Hour. He is now
located at Las Cascades, C. T..
Panama. We publish his letter in
part as there are a great many
things contained in it which will
be interesting reading to Mr..
brakes many friends in this city
and county:
Las Pascadas, C.. b.. Panama,
June Goth, 1902.
Friend john
Am still working in the shops
here, and like my work quite Wei,
Have been working nights for
some time, until last Friday,
when they put me in tho office as
clerk and time keeper while the
other man is sick at the hospital.
Expect | will be in the office for
about a week more. Would much
rather be in the shop, altho it is
lot harder work, because | am
learning something all the time.
Am getting up a muscle like a
blacksmith.
| expect my family here on the
Both. They will arrive in New
York tomorrow, sailing from there
on the Gath inst. 1t won't be quite
so bad down here then, but eight
months away from them has seemed
quite a while. There is not much
excitement in little town like
this, altho the monotony is broken
occasionally. Saw a niger wench
get her foot cut off by the train
about an hour ago. They kill a
niger every little while here
with the trains. There have been
four or five since | arrived. 1t
would tickle you to see some of
the natives here, especially the
little kids. 1t is common sight
to see children from two to five or
six years old running around with.
out stitch of clothing on, as
naked as the day they were born.
There is Spanish restaurant here,
where go for coffee mornings,
occasionally, and quite often their
children, little boy and little
girl, run around the room with
not a dud on. Back in the jungles
about ten or fifteen miles from
the canal children up to ten or
twelve years old rarely ever wear.
clothes, and even then mighty few
Work on the canal is progressing
nicely. Water was turned into
a small section of the completed
cut about a week ago. This was
at Matachin, about three miles
from here. This completed section
is only about quarter or half
mile, long. 1t is expected to have
the canal completed by 1915, and
/ rather believe, unless unexpected
difficulties arise, that it will be
accomplished by that time. Since
the Americans took hold of this
proposition in 1904 they have ex-
cavated as much dirt as the French
did in all the years they were
working here In the Central
division, which extends thru this
immediate vicinity for distance
for about ten or twelve miles, there
still remains to be excavated about
100 feet in depth. The cut thru
here averages about 900 to 800 feet
in width, gradually sloping toward
the bottom, which will be about
$50 feet wide. The cut will be
about 500 feet deep in the deepest
part, and ranging from that to
nothing. where the lakes will be
created. Back away from the
canal is project Of which little is
known in the states. called the dis
version. 1t is in reality another
canal on a smaller scale, which
Iextends a distance Of about ten
miles, and is used to divert the
waters Of the Chagres river. a very
ltreacherous stream, and also to
take care of all mountain streams
that would otherwise come into the
canal proper. This work took
| several years, and cost several
millions Of dollars, but it has
remedied what was the greatest
draw back to the French. The ca
nal now is practically dry altho
it is about $50 to 400 feet deen
lin one or two places. 10 give
You an idea of the enormous
Eamount Of dirt taken from the
canal which ranges from 8, 000, ZOO
! TO 900 900 cubic yards d month,
would state that III the Central
division alene there are 80 loco.
motives empl hauling dirt
trains, The Chagres river which /
mentioned above is, inthe dry sea-
SON, d small muddy stream 100
to 300 feet in width. hut when the