Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-01-31
srUNTz TELLS OF CANAL.
Former Auditor q Panama Railroad
Addresses Audience - Old Frionds.

Former Auditor ot Panama railroad
Addresses Audience - Old Friends.
Harley L. Stunts. auditor Of dis
bursements for the Illinois Central
railroad, and for six years q resident
Of the canal zone, where he was audi
tor OF the Panama railway. spoke to
an exceptional gathering of the
Saarchlight Club Tuesday evening on
the .Why. the Where and the How Of
the Canal"
II was rather . gathering OF old
friends and neighbours to greet and
listen to one OF their number who came
back from far country with the story
of what he had seen, than an audience
met for lecture by q lecturer, but MIR.
Stuntz held his auditors thoroughly In
terested In his subject to the close and
answered many questions put by In
tensely interested members Of the club.
His talk" was illustrated by stereop-
ticon views of the canal and various
objects Of interest on the isthmus.
Mr. Stuntz began by assuring the
club that he had intended to greet
"old friends but that he perceived few
evidences of age among them. He re-
called that Marshalltown is saloon-
less city, and jokingly told the club
that he could see 1t in their faces.
Mr.. Stuntz outlined the shape. Of the
continents and drew attention to the
backbone Of each, which comprises the
Rockies in North America and the
Andes mountains in the southern con-
tinent, showed how the waters very
nearly covered this spine at the narrow
division of the isthmus, the twenty
eight miles OF this backbone constitut-
ing the barrier which drives commerce
around the horn or forces ships to
break cargo on the one side, ship
across the isthmus by rail, and reload
on the other side at great expense Of
time. money and breakage. With the
canal cut and in operation he said that
the water route would very closely ap-
proximate the time Of freight transpor-
tation between New York and San
Francisco and make the carrying rate
by water IS a ton as against $40 ton
by freight. That was the why Of the
canal.
He briefly sketched the different
routes, and explained why the present
route and the lock system We're Sc
lected over the Nicaragua route and
the sea level system. and explained the
working OF the locks and the sources
of water supply to operate. them.
The how of the canal was explained
by the methods of doing the actual
work Of cutting the ditch. He gave
Stevens great praise for his thoughtful
beginning. and Goethafs full COM
mendation for the manner In which he
has conducted the work. both as to the
canal and sanitation since he took it
up.
When asked by one in his audience
as to whether or not the canal would
affect the tonnage of transcontinental
lines. Mr.. Stuntz replied that he did not
think the railroads would be affected.
for the country was developing at a
very rapid rate-so rapidly, in fact.
that the railroads would have all they
could do, even tho the canal were IN
use
Altogether Mr.. Stuntz offered q very
complete resume Of affairs on the 18TH
mus, of the progress of the canal. and
impressed his hearers with the great
ness of it's purposes and the certainty
Of its usefulness and permanence. y,