The Marshall republican., 1911-11-16
A Visit to the
Panama Canal
Prof. Ed Brandon Writes of
Interesting Sights.

BraDdoD'S mother and sister re-
side on Eastwood. It follows:
Dear Sir:-After two weeks in
the Canal Zone, I feel moved to
write you some impressions of the
place and the great work that is
going on here. I say "two weeks
in the Zone" although Ihave been
here at Panama only one but one
feels that he is here as soon as
the steamer leaves New York for
nearly all the passengers are canal
workers and their families return
ing from their annual vacation of
six weeks In "the States.n
All the conversation aboard Is
about the canal. One man runs a
big suction dredge in Colon harbor
and he tells how many cubic yards
IF mud his machine draws each
day from the bay OF Colon and
carries out to fill the great break
water that Is building TO protect
the harbor from the severe Fnorth-
ers" that often sweep II now, and
drive vessels twenty miles away to
find a safe anchorage. Another has
worked on the famous Gatun dam
or the locks In three tiers that will
raise and lower vessels 81 feet, and
he tires of telling the will
ing stranger how II was done. The
third Is a machine foreman and
his heart and tongue are full OF
the machine plant at Bias obispo.
Another runs n machine shovel In
the great cut at Culebra and for
him there Is nothing in all the
length OF the canal that can equal
the Job in the big ditch 600 feet
deep at that point. Still others
work In the three locks nc the Pa
cific end, and others In the adj
ministrative offices scattered all
along the line, and every one Is
enthusiastic about his particular
Job and sure that his location is
the most salubrious and agreeable
Of all. Even the little colony OF
two hundred located at Porto Bel
10 twenty miles east OF Colon where
stone Is quarried and crushed for
the concrete construction, revels in
the beauty OF the spot and seems
perfectly content in It's isolation.
They are a fine set OF men, these
Americans, who are doing n nations
work two thousand miles from the
home country, each feeling that the
success OF the great enterprise de-
Ponds on his particular effort.
Some have been on the Job from
the very first and II Is n proud dis
tinction here to be numbered
among the pioneers. No one who
has not been on the ground can
rightly appreciate the fine spirit
that animates the whole corps OF
employees, and 1t makes the heart
Of patriot swell with honest pride
when he ices this gigantic national
work carried on with spirit Of
cooperation and disunterested de-
termination. Every man knows
that he Is In on his merit. Politics
is completely eliminated and in
fluences that would be all-powerful
at home fall like aspent ball In
the office of Colonel Goethals. II IL
a fine lesson for Americans and one
cannot but hang his head in shame
when he thinks of the miserable
intrigues and graft scandals that
80 often blacken our public works
at home.
What Is being done on the Canal
Zone, can be done in every state
and city and village in the States.
Most, visitors, / suppose, admire
the stupendous works along the
canal, but TO me, men are more in
teresting than material and Ihave
sought every opportunity to study
the organization. Many rare occa-
sions have come to me by chance
and, from every source, ! get the
same type of information. The or
ganization is equally efficient in all
its many branches, excavating,
dredging, constructing, the commits
sary and sanitation department are
wonderful examples OF what Amer
lean brains and energy can do when
rightly directed. Each Of the
dozen or more villages scattered
along the line is a real center Of
American life and every district
quartermster seems determined
that his bailiwick shall be the pref
test, cleanest and wholesomest OF
them all. ! had the pleasure OF
riding about with one OF these men
in a town that for picturesqueness
and cleanliness could serve for a
model for more than one Butler |