The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-02-21

aC (r0Ath4iS
said. The canal will be completed,
without a doubt, by January 1, 1915,
ana III bet that it will be completed
before that date %
| Colon now has a nomination of 10 ooo.
before the Americans took hold of the
canal it had about 1,20O. The town of
public 10000 heard Go 1 dne Goath afs
say the Panama Republic has a standing
up som oe Smsree men +b but book picked
Soidlers, who act policemen Uncle
Sam keeps only a small force on the 18th
mus; mainly marines Ga variety of SOL
diers connected with warships)
AS I have stated elsewhere the skilled
workers employed on the canal are main
~ Americans, with a scattering of Eng
nsnmen- A magazine article L read late
~ ~ says these workers receive from 40 to
81 per cent more than similar workers
receive in America. Common iaborers
receive from Is cents an hour up and as
the West Indies. the pay is much greater
than they have been accustomed to.
The commissary. which is operated by
the government, include wholesale dry
goods and grocery stores. twenty retail
severaf bakeries, many kitchens for work
ers, mail order department, a newspa-
per, printing plant. etc.
Work on the Panama canal began thir
y years ago, according to a special article
to me that it was longer ago than mai
but have no means at hand of verifying
or disproving the date.
Nor can I recall from memory xben
the first talk of canal across the 18TH
mus at Panama was heard but it was
map and hunt up the igeus ae9 Get
North and South America. This will give
you the best possible idea of why the
says that to connect the Atlantic and Pa
cific oceans by means Of a canal across
efficiency OF the American navy. There
has been a railroad across the isthmus
since sn 1853: and long before that time pas
rush in 1s4s,. several Atchison men now now
isthmus. going to Colon by ship, and
thence to Panama by stage, to a Cali
is possible to stand on a high place near
Cu1ebra Cut, and see both oceans Freight
days by bull teams. a good macadam road
having been constructed long before the
railroad. The Panama railroad made a
profit of a million and a half dollars last
year. which indicates that there is still a
great amount of business across the 18TH
there is every reason to believe that the
Panama canal will also pay, when it is
finally completed.
have no desire to be profane, but the
canal workers here say there are two
seasons in Panama; the wet season, and
the d wet season.
Colonel Goethals has a French servant,
who, he says, owns his house. This old
servant has worked in the official resi-
dence for six Frenchmen. and for three
Americans; land he hopes there will be
Others" Colonel Goethals says.
Colonel Gcethals thinks the Americans
are more cordially detested than any 9TH
er race. You are SO proud; you might
think this over awhile. He looks for
anese probably love us less than any 9TH
er race. So far as / am personally con-
cerned I hope we will never be compelled
to go to the trouble of whipping the
japanese. We can do it, but it would be
an awful lot of trouble. 1t has been said
that we are building the Panama canal in
order that we may get at the Japanese
quickly. If this is true, and the Japanese
regard fight with us as inevftabl they
Will certainly jump us before we complete
the canal E. w. H.