The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-11-25
Such Is Report of Panama Canal
Constructor GOethaIs
Epitomized.
LARGEST FORCE AT WORK
interesting Figures Prepared for
Secretary of War About the
Great Ditch.
ASSOCIATED Press.)

associated Press.)
WASHINGTON, November 20.-Sum.
married. in phrase, Satisfactory
progress all along the Panama Canal
zone,' is the gist of the annual report
of the Isthmian canal commission, made |
to Secretary of War Dickinson by Col. |
George W. Goethals chairman of the
commission and chief engineer in charge |
of the work on the canal and made pub |
lie today by the former
With the work of excavation and of
construction progressing favorably at
all points along the line. with health
conditions better than ever before, with
Capitalization and consequent econ.
omy in certain parts of the work, and
with maximum of laborers since the
United States began to dig the canal,
Colonel Cocktails report was decidedly
pleasing to Secretary Dickinson.
The chief engineer reports, however,
that it was not all smooth sailing dur
ing the past year, slides, breaks and
foods hindering the work to a certain |
extent He mentions four slides, cover.
ing respectively ~, 73, 4,G and IL
acres, and requiring during the year
the removal of more than million
cubic yards of material. cit was ex.
pected" he says, ''that slides would
occur, and in the estimates provision
was made for them, but it now appears,
from cracks that show in the upper sur.
face adjacent to the faces of the cut,
that sufficient allowance had not been
made, and the estimates were corrected
to meet the new conditions"
Three Bad Breaks.
Three bad breaks, he reports, oc
Cured during the year. one at the town
of Culebra covering an area of more
than ten acres and requiring removal
of more than a million and half cubic
yards of dirt and stone. The second
largest break covered an area of moro
than eleven acres and required re-
moval of NOR than three hundred thou
sand cubic yards, while the third break
aggregated about forty thousand cubic
yards
"The floods seriously interfered with
the progress of'the work, ," says Colonel
Goethais, referring in particular to that
of the central division and the Culebra
cut, "and the one of December 30 over
flowed the dixie separating the cut from
the Chagres River, cutting n channel
through it about two hundred feet long
and twenty!one feet deep"
The total amount of material removed
from slides and breaks in the central
division of the canal during the year
was more than two and a half million
cubic yards, or about fifteen per cent of
the amount removed during the year
from the Culebra cut, the principal part
of the central division.
Making Dirt Fly.
More than 365OOOOO cubic yards of
material we're removed from all parts
of the canal during the year, of which
almost 15,000,000 were from the Culebra
cut and almost 100000 from the
Chagres section. About 3j,000,O00
cubic yards remain. to be removed from
the Culebra cut before this section of
the canal is completed
Figures of Cost.
Reports from various points along the
line show that the cost of excavation
Faried from "a cents per cubic yard at
one place to as high as $2.51 at another.
There is no such divergence of price in
the cost per cubic ward of concrete
work, the lowest average being 5000
and the highest $500 More than
100000 cubic yards of concrete. were
laid during the year,
Economy has been sought by the com
mission in varols directions. "To re-
duce to a minimum delays on account
of breakdown of machinery, plant and
equipment, which reflect largely in the
unit cost of work says Colonel
Goethals, "and TO provide proper facili-
ties for overhauling plant and equip
mcnt, as well as manufacturing noces-
sary repair parts large shops have
been provided at certain points on the
Isthmus in which are employed "A total
of 1891 men.
In general, - he adds, "the repair
shops and equipment on the Isthmus
are adequate 20 meet all requirements
during the construction period Moth.
ing as yet has been done toward per.
manent shop facilities which win be
needed after completion of the canal.
Reducing Expenses,
"During the year special attention
was paid Go reducing the cost of main
tonnnce and operation of equipment in
the shops, including the Standardization
Of salaries aud wages aud of material
aud slpplies necessary iu construction
repair work. lu tb.s same connection
he reports % Capitalization OF repair
work 20 rolling equipment other thai
steam shuFeia at tAr OurgHua shops.
'ln the division 0f boobkrcpiug,7
tlr report suys, Improvements huy,
been madr ln lhe cIa,tIhenti0u OF "a
pendiiufps 400 ihs comp latIon M sta
i0srer A al.iuhHfiou nf the afrumu
lated plant charges iouupny fuule.
nt ono liem. NHh mHdr u thHf tLr
plant b uow shown Iu ihr rspudfuu
nfeauuis bY dkltuns ani hY ul.ff ri
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hiH Wolking Pores
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