The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1910-11-26
ARMY
DIGGING
DITCH

zone, is the glst OF tne amman oPoA
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 public 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
a Capitalization and consequent econ
omy in certain parts OF the work aud
with a maximum of laborers since the
United States began to dig the canal,
Col. 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
floods hindering the work to a certain
extent. He mentions four slides, COW
ering respectively AT, 7.3, 4.6 and IL
acres and requiring during the year
the removal of more than a million
cubic yards of material.
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 a remov-
al of more than a million and a half
cubic yards of dirt and stone. The
second largest break covered an area
of more than eleven acres and required
a removal of more than 100000 cubic
yards, while the third break aggregat-
ed about 10000 cubic yards.
Floods Interfere.
"The floods serious interfered with
the progress of the work. says Col.
Goethals, referring in particular to that
of the central division of the Culebra
cut, ssand the enc of Dec. 20 overflow
ed the dixie separating the cut from
the Chagres river cutting a channel
through it about 200 feet long and 81
feet Deep
The total amount of material re-
moved from slides and breaks in the
central division of the canal during the
year was more than two and a half mil
lion cnbic yards, or about 10 per cent
of the amount removed during the year
from the Culebra cut, the principal
part of the central division.
More than $500, 900 cubic yards OF
material were removed from all parts
of the canal during the year, of which
almost $4,000. 900 were from the Cute
bra cut and almost 100000 from the
Chagres section. About 35,000,0 goo
cubic yards remain to be removed
from the Culebra cut before this sec
ton of the canal is completed.
Cost of Excavating.
Reports from various points along
the line show that the cost of excavl-
ton varied from "a cents per cubic
yard at one place to as high as $2.5,
at another. There is no such diverg-
ence of price in the cost per cubic yard
of concrete work, the lowest average
being 5000 and the highest 1850.
More than 100000 cubic yards of con-
crete were laid during the year.
Economy has been sought by the
commission in various directions. "To
reduce to a minimum delays on ac-
count of breakdown of machinery,
plant and equipment, which reflect
largely to the cost of work." says Col.
Goethals, "and to provide proper fa-
~cilities for overhaullng plant and
equipment, large shops have been pro-
vided at certain points on the lsthmus
in which are employed a total of 1891
men.
Reducing Expenses.
"During the year special attention
was paid to reducing the cost of main
~tenance and operation of equipment IN
the shops, including the sta%ndardiza-
ton of salaries and wages paid and eff
material and supplies necessary in con-
struction repair work"
Number of Employees.
There was a steady increase from the
beginning of the past fiscal year in the
number of employees on the canal zone
until on March 80 last they reached