Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1909-06-04
Five Years at Panama .
New York Tribune.]


1t is now possible to review with accu-
rate and complete statistics the achieve
ments of the first five years Of active
American occupation at Panama. 1t
was on May 4, 1904. that the United
States took formal possession of the I'M
finished canal, and all work done there
since then is therefore to be credited to
the account of this country. AS mat
ter of fact, real construction work was
not begun by the American engineers
until more than a year later. For when
we took possession nothing was being
done there except by few hundred la
borers in the Culebra cut, and for many
months thereafter our energies were de-
voted to sanitary work and exploration.
There have also been some delays caused
by changes of engineers and of plans.
In these five years the enterprise has
been under the control of three different
canal commissions and under the techni-
cal direction of three chief engineers
We might also say that there have been
three separate plans of construction. The
preliminary works comprised the rebuild
ing of the railroad across the isthmus.
the repaving of the streets of Panama
and largely of Colon, the construction of
sewer and water systems in those cities,
the building of roads and clearing of
swamps and Jungles all along the line of
the canal, and such an elimination of
yellow fever, malaria and other plaques
as has transformed one of the most
unhealthful into one of the most salu-
brious of tropical lands.
To the average reader, however, doubt
less the most distinct and impressive
idea of the progress which has been
made is conveyed in the figures which
indicate the amount of excavation ac-
complished. The two French companies
before us, from 1880 to 1904, excavated
all told 81 ,54S, coo cubic yards. In five
years we have excavated 70, "a $40 cubic
yards. This has been distributed among
the five years as follows:
Cubic yards
May 1904 to April 1905 GAS, 911
May 1905 to April 1906 -- 2,145, 1913
May 1906 to April 1907 .-- 6,715,5
May 1907 to April 1908 - %, 062, GIL
May 1908 to April 1909 $500 IS, 542 $50
1t is not to be expected that the ratio
of increase from year to year will be
continued. Indeed, there is little
reason for expecting any material
increase. In these last two years the
working force has been brought up to
what may be regarded as the fullest
equipped with tools and machinery upon
which no particular improvement is to
, be expected. The forecast is, therefore,
that of continued excavation at the rate
month, and there are supposed to be
10l ,591, FAC cubic yards yet to excavated
the outlook is for that part of the work
to be done in somewhat less than three
years from the present time. 1t may, OF
course, be found expedient to slacken OF
suspend the work of excavation in
favor of other departments of construc-
ton. The estimate affords no basis on
which to determine the time which will
be required for the completion of the
canal, for that depends upon the time
needed for building the dams and locks
and as those structures are without
precedent in the history of engineering
= there are. no data for determining theil
requirements.
Detailed statistics of expenditures are
q available down to February l last, OIL
S three months less than the five years
!. The total to that date was S93, 915, 657 &c
;. OF this sum only $50, 122, 44S.05 went fol-
g actual engineering and construction
e work. Buildings cost S,7S7 SOP, santa
l. ton IS, 054 ,962. municipal improvement
e in the Canal Zone 81 COZ, 497, civil admin
il istration S2,61s. 1882, and so on to an ag
IS gregate of more than one-third of thu
It whole. Many of these non-coDstructioI
q expenditures were made once for all ano
# will not recur, so that hereafter large
l. proportion OF the appropriation will &
> for actual construction. The plan of tn
y canal, as now adopted, provides for a SCI
% level channel 500 feet wide from Limol