The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-02-21
ED HOWE'S NOTES.
Atchison Editors Visit to Pana-
ma Country.
Private Car Is Placed at His
Disposal.
MARVELS AT WORK.
Much Surprised at People Who
Are Employed.
Better Housed and Better Dress
ed Than Expected.
AT WORK.

| Tuesday, February 1.
| 1t is pleasant for a traveller from a
| country town to receive a telegram on
| a railroad train, from the hands of the
| conductor; it is also pleasant to have
| ones name called out in the lobby OF
the Waldorf hotel, in New York But
| it is most pleasant of all to a traveller
| from country town to be sought out
| by strange gentlemen on the deck of a
steamer in a foreign port.
I had this agreeable experience this
| morning, at Colon, in the Panama re-
public. Mattel and / were standing On
the deck O., the "Moltke," ready to go
ashore to accompany the railroad ex-
canal Two strange gentlemen appear
ed on deck, the ship having locked.
They met a steward, and inquired for
me. The steward pointed me out, and
one of the strange gentlemen intro
duced himself as the representative of
the Hamberg-American steamship line
in Colon. He then introduced the other
gentleman: J. A. Smith, superintend-
ent of the Panama railroad. Mr.. Smith
said his private car was attached to the
rear of the excursion train, and would
be at my disposal during the day. !
stammered my thanks, and began col
Letting my party, Mr.. Smith departing
after saying he could not accompany
US, but would send F. w. Fitch, the
trainmaster. The train was run across
L
eral points along the canal, including
the Gatun pronounced "Gotoon') the
ste of the big dam and locks, and at
Culebra, the site of the big cut.
At Gatun, Colonel Geo. w. Goethals,
chairman of the canal commission,
Joined us. At Panama, after luncheon,
we left on regular train for Cu1ebra,
where we were taken through the bot
tom of the cut, a distance of nine miles,
on Colonel GoethaPs motor car. Then
-rl,4 Il - (Nr,1@ e-fsa
ton, where the excursion train stopped
for us, at $40 in the afternoon. I think
we were thus specially honored because
we were accompanied by Miss Eleanor
Ravens, Of Leavenworth, sister-in-law
of Congressman Dan Anthony, mem
Der Of the military committee of con-
gress. And the Panama canal is being
built by army engineers. But however
it happened, we saw all it was possible
to see Of the canal in II hours.
Colonel GoethaIs has been prominent
among army engineers for so years, and
looks to be between so and go years old.
His hair is perfectly white, as is his
moustache. He is the most perfectly
tanned man / have ever seen, from ex-
posture to the tropical sun, as he walks
over the work great deal, in addition
to riding from place to place on the
Panama railroad in an open motor car.
You probably know that Colonel
Goethals is car of the isthmus: he is
not only at the head of the canal work,
but president of the Panama Railroad
and Steamship company, and it is said
of him that he has more power in the
republic of Panama than the PRESIDENT
of the republic Colonel Goethals i'm
pressed me not only as very polite
and intelligent man. but as very tired
one. 1 remember his saying, as we sat
in the observation end of Superintendent
Smiths private car, that he had the
most disagreeable job in the world. L
have always thought I had that job; |
probably you think you have it. But
after looking over the Panama canal
for IL hours, / waive my claims in honor
of Colonel Goethals.
regret to say that Colonel Goethals |
does not seem to like newspapers. He
says he never reads them, and init |
mated several times during the day |
that they are unfriendly and unfair to
the canal enterprise.
$50 you are to spend twelve hours |
here,' he said to me several times, |
land then write about ii?
eyes" I replied on one occasion. |
'sbut isn't it possible to tell in a news |
paper of what may be seen of the
canal in twelve hours?"
So let it be understood that I was at |
Panama only from a. m. to 7 p. M, |
and that I an. only attempting to give
an idea of how the canal looks to a !
hurried traveller.
No writer has ever made me see
Panama with my minds eye as I act |
ually saw it with my two physical eyes.
Somehow 1 imagined that the Panama |
railroad ran through great deal of |
tropical swamp. On the contrary, 1t |
winds around through mountain val |
levs. and a railroad ride across the |
isthmus would be worth while for the |
scenery, even if the trip did not afford |
avieW of the great canal at two or |
three points.
Here is another thing I did not I'M |
derstand: the railroad completed in |
1855. follows the route which was after |
wards adopted for the canal, and it |
will be necessary to rebuild thirty-five |
miles of the forty-eight miles of rail- |
road across the isthmus. This work is |
being carried forward, in connection |
with the canal work, and the new
roadbed is being used at several points |
The Panama canal is the biggest I'M |
dertaking in the history of man. Thir- |
tv-nine thousand men are employed; |
If 7 understood Colonel Goethals cor
rectlv. thirty thousand of these are |
negroes. four thousand Spaniards, and |
five thousand Americans. To properly |
feed and house this army of men is |
another great problem, and along the |
forty-eight miles of the canal may be /
seen many DopulouS towns, mostly |
making the railroad trip across the |
isthmus, you are almost never out of |
sight of towns or villages. most of the |
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