El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-04-09
Big Canal May Be Completed By 1914
T. S. Andrews Tells Of the Work; Some Statistics

witness the immense BucyruS steam
shovels from South Milwaukee digging
down into the earth and taking out
tons at a time. The writer had the
pleasure of visiting the canal just six
years ago and can more readily appre-
ciate the progress the Americans have
made since the United States govern
ment purchased the rights from the
French company.
The wonderful strides made by the
Americans on the canal were made pos
Sible through the more wonderful SAM
tary improvements brought about by DR..
W. c. Gorgas- 1t may sound funny to
the average American citizen to be told
that there are no mosquitoes in Colon
or Panama; in fact along the canal zone,
but nevertheless it is a fact There are
few flies, 100, and only in some of the
outlying swamp districts will you find
any mospitoes at all. From a former
pesthole the canal zone has peen trans
formed into a very healthy resort as
healthy as can be found IN the tropical
climes. Yellow fever is almost unknown
there now and malariai fever is under
such control that the doctors do not
fear it any more. The death rate on the
zone is very small compared to what it
used to be. When the French were
working the canal the death rate was
Is in every 100, and later 17S in 100. In
the year 1909 the death rate among the
white laborers was IL in 1000. The ex-
eelent sanitary conditions have made it
possible for white men to work on the
canal and that is why Col. GoethaIs is
so confident that his work will be ended
before 1915.
Americans Visit Canal
Five or six-years ago there were few
Americans visiting Panama and the ca
nal, but now, owing to the excellent serv
ice established by the United Fruit
company, with its fleet of fine big
steamships, the Americans are fast find
ing their way to the canal and adjoin-
ing countries The trip is well worth
taking.
AT the present time there are 43 900
people employed on the canal proper.
that is including office help, etc, but
Of this number there are about 1000 in
the hospitals most Of the time, due to
accidents, Illness, etc. The work is be-
ing concentrated Just now at Gaaun,
where the immense dam and locks are
being built, at Culebra. where the blast
ing and digging is going on. and at
Pedro Miguel, where locks are also be-
ing erected. An idea of what is going
on may be gained when 1t is known that
there are 1S6 engines at work; loo
steam ShovelS mostly of the BucyruS
type and 44S1 cars in service hauling
away the debris, and all within a radius
Of about % miles. OF course the haul
ing is mostly done from Culebra cut
thousands upon thousands of carloads
being dumped at Balboa. for the break
water, and at Miraflores.
AT Culebra they have IS feet to go
down yet before reaching the low level
of the canal and at the rate they are
going down now it will not be two
years before they are near their goal
Most of the canal is at its proper level
now, Culebra being the one point where
the digging most continues. At Gatun
dam concrete work is being rushed TO
completion by Col. W. F. Siebert, while
the steel work is being pushed by J.
r. Goodwin, representative of the
United States Steampship company The
strength of the dam and steel struc-
lures at this point may be realized when
it is considered that there are 1000 900
rivets in just one OF the big gates here
1t is expected to have the Catun dam
so far advanced by this summer to per-
NIT the filling of the big lake at this
point that is the starting of it. for the
engineers estimate that it will take
three years TO bring the lake up to the
scheduled level for the canal -They
are putting in 1000 to 5000 yards of
concrete day at Catun.
The Hospitals.
The hospitals at Ancon. on the Pa