The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-06-02
Culebra. Canal zone pa,,r,

~ OuleDrA Canal zone, Panama,
WANT to tsll you something about
j tho dry glaciers OF the Culebra cut.
the mighty masses OF earth and
rock which are sliding down into tho
big ditch that Uncle som is gouz1nr
iout OF the Andes. 1t is hard to under
stnnd than without being on tho
ground But IL YOU will take vou.
foot IN your hand and come with Col
David d. Gaillard. the famous enet
neer who has charge OF the Culehra
division we shall go through tho cut
md look at them with our own eyes
There are plenty IN sight even as /
write these Hires. There are Two
places neaHoy whers more than 1.o1o.-
ol0 cubic yards of earth and rock are
now moving. The material in action
is equal 10 a solid block 500 feet square
and 500 feet high. Bald It up as a
cube and It's base would he morn than
two acres and Il would r!s. to the
heiSh; Of thirtY-story nat. That
enormous quantity of rock is advance
'ng a. the rate OF. almost two feet per
day and since the beginning OF our
digging We havc had thirteen or four
teen times as much as that mass to
talks care Of The total has been over
$4,000, 600 cubic yards. or enough mater
.al to make wall three feet thick
and as high Two tory house |
reaching all the way from New York !
to Chicago. 1t would make four
mighty pyramids rs big as Gizeh. and |
all told. considerably more than the
ivxcavation we have yet TO make. In |
lother fords had there been no slides |
ithc excavation for 'he canal would |
lhave besr done long ago. AS il is =.
;rwc have 100000 cubic yards yet to |
Etig and of this omethn;s like i.ooo,-
1000 are the direct result OF the slides.
In the Cuiehra Cut.
! Rut let us climb down into the Guile
~, AS We a
heights we can see ii stretching to
she right and the left until the wing
IuGs OF the mountains hide st from
view. II IS altaEethor nino miles in
acnEth. and about 500 fest deep. In
rome places the cuttfni, back that has
.heen made on account OF the slides
l:s almost 1000 Feet wids. at the top
and the slopinr goes down in lodges
TO the bottom Of the canal. where the |
width Is 500 feet Looking nj the coun-
larry the odres OF the ditch are ragged
land hiliy. In some PLACES the noun
Rains rise high over it. and in others
fhey slope down and then rise again.
II is t1npossihle 80 corrective the vast
Rmoun; OF sarth that has been taken
'out The figures convey no idea OF
tha coIrcrete dimensions I will only
ssv that UP 20 year ago. we had
taken oUJ enough earth and rock TO
eeNe built q wall 500 feet high. twelvr
from the Capitol - the Wh'ta House
IN Washington. or enough to have made
six pyramids the size OF Cheops and ;
1ett something TO spare In one month ,
We have taken out enough stun TO fill !
a ditch three feet wide and three
feet deep from Boston to Chirago. and ,
most o. that was of such q nature
chat 1t had TO he blasted. II you {
should blast out tunnel over 4
miles long and so big that
q hog could crawl through It YOU ,
might have some iden of the work ,
Uncle Sam did in that month
DynamitinE the Andes. .
As we pick our way down into the cut I
ve can see the mighty work every =
where going on. Flying trains of !
earth are moving this r~uy and that ,
Scores AZ steam shoveis are putting I
and grooming they drop the earth
KIND rock on tho cars. and everywhere
are gangs OF negroes who are drilling
the lodges and putting in dynamite
10 break up the Earth for the shovels.
As we start We pass the pipe line
(which carries the air for tho drills
u1is is ten inches in diameter, and 1t
runs from one and Of the cut 10 the
other, 1t Is fed by three air com
rrssso-s. each OF which has dozen