The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-12-29

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The isthmian canal commission has
begun the Job Of transporting about
100000 tons OF old French junk from
the isthmus to this city. The junk
includes old locomotives. dump carts.
tanka barges. boilers, girders,
drsdgss. sheet iron. parts Of old ma
chinsry and other things for which
the French Canal Company paid mil
Hons Of dollars and which ID left to
10 to ruin on the isthmua
The commission II selling on coma
petitivs biddfng all the old iron and
steel alops the canal route except
such pArts Al may be reserved for
canal work.
About 700 tons will be moved to
the states every two weeks by the
sttamships Ancon and Cristobal. II
vim take three years 70 transport all
of the junk. Most OF It will be scrap
ped where Il lies on the isthmus. The
commision will ship no pieces of
more than 20 tones In weight. This
will permit the shipping of locomo-
tive boilers with fire boxes and fiues.
Most Of this old material II Of for
eign manufacture. ano an II is landed
In New York Uncle Sam is confronted
with the proposition of being obliged
TO pay himself 81 a short ton on the
entry. Under provision in the sundry
civil act Of May. 1908. this duty will
BE- returned by Uncle Sam to the ca
nal fund. but to accomplish this with
out . special appropriation each year
u will be necessary to have the sale
consummated only after the junk
he's passed through the New York
custom house. Each contractor will
b under bond of $4,000. and pay
mentr are to be made to the canal
commission after each delivery.
The sale II being made at this time
chiefly for the purpose Of getting out
the old material that lies in the great
basin OF oatun lake before the basin
y nllsd with water. There are large
quantities Of the Junk in the lake
basin.
Each OF the locomotives left by the
yssnch yields between Sloo and $500
worth Of copper alone. The commis-
sion viii save the cid steel rails on
the isthmus to be used as re-enforce-
msnt In the concrete. work and as
telephone and telegraph poles.
some of this old French junk has
been found In extraordinary places.
Dredges have been discovered almost
eomplstsly buried in sand. hundreds
- feet away from any body OF wa
ter. and overgrown with aense tropi-
esl vesetation. AppsFsntE they have
p2e2 ee<risd away from he riverbed
~ h1gh w2rer -,< the river Itself has
shifted IL coarse. Several of these
buried dred-es were In a fairly good
state df preservation and are now do
Ing work on the isthmus.
Some Of the junk has been lifted
non the bottom Of the Chagres river
and from the bottom Of the old
French canal prism. where hundred DIS
OF thousands OF dollars worth OF
equipment sank after the French
abandoned the work. Some of thu
relies In the canal prism near tine
crossing Of the Rio Grande river wer,
disiodsed only after heavy charges oi
dynamite had been exploded undo,
them. Others have been raised from
wstery graves and are now heipins
g. link the Atlantic with the Pacific.
Tho profit from the sale of tn,
French junk will be small compared
with the value OF the service that the
commission already has derived from
the cast-off equipment. For the first
Two years OF their work the commits.
sion relied absolutely upon the ole
locomotives used by the French. Ir
1906 there were log OF these wealth.
erbeaten locomotives In service, com
pared with only Is American-mad,
engines Since that time the per.
centase OF the French locomotive.
has steadily decreased.
French dump carts also were uset
almost exclusively by the commission
In the first two years. At one time
Snore 4 IAN 1000 of them were haul.
Ing ~ dirt from Uncle Sans shov.
da The French relics furnished also
nany shop tools. stationary engine,
and much repair materials In the
early days of the construction work.
In fact. Americans may thank tn,
ola French equipment for the fac
tnas the canal is today Just half com.
pietod. without the Aid Of this ru st -