Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-05

Anotner way or arriving at just ap- |
probation of the achievements of the |
canal army is
Achievements Shown to take the es-
by Comparison. could be done,
made In. 1905. after much had been DONE
and comparing them with the record OF
what is being done. 1t was then estimated
that the amount of dirt which would have
to be removed for the completed waterway
would approximate 135.CGO.G00 cubic
yards. 1t was calculated that the task
could be completed by the LIST of Janu-
airy, 1915. at a cost of 375.O00coo. includ-
ing the purchase price paid to the French
company. Since then the LAT acres OF
soil which have been slipping into the
canal and other adverse conditions have
raised the estimates of the total excava-
tons required by the Americans UP to
1875. 100000 yards, an increase of Al per
cent: Under the. figures then made II
would have required ten years to COM
plete the project. Yet increased efficiency
is enabling the canal army to look for
ward to its completion in almost nan
the time. From this it will be seen that
they are working nearly twice as fast as
it was thought they could. even after
they had tried themselves out for more
than year.
Still another way to appreciate what
the fact that it already has excavated a
canal larger by nearly one-half than the
one originally planned, II It had been re-
quired to remove only 1e3.OOO.W0 cubic
yards, as was then planned. it would
have completed the work Of excavation by
the first of May. 1910. Furthermore. If the
amount of work to be done had remained
at what it was figured 1908. 1t would
have finished the work of excavation eight
months ago. q
In spite of tire tremendous increase in
the amount of material to be removed.
the canal asIthCri-
Will Keep Within ties expect to be
r4eo4 able to keep Well
AlMIts VI OOSt within tn limits of
cost set by Congress When the unit
costs were fixed in 1908, after more than
a year of aggressive work. it was esti-
mated that it would cost 9S cents Fer
yard to remove the material In Culebra
cut The per yard cost his from that
time been driven steadily downward. un-
til today It ranges around % cents per
yard. In other words, every dollar that
is expended in Culebra cut removes near
ly 20 per cent more material than it was
expected 10 do three years ago.
Such a record never before has been
even Appropriated in the engineering
world. Every other great project of his
tory has cost more than was anticipated,
even though the amount of work to be
done remained the same. OF course, a
permanent operating force for the canal
made up of the best of this wonder-work-
ng construction force, which is itself a
picked body of men that has undergone
long process of elimination. would be one
of the finest that could possibly be Of
1 SUCCESSFUL
operation of the canal. With the selec-
tions made by Chief Engineer GOethals,
whose leadership has made the canal
army what 1t is, the Tn ted States would
have an ironclad guarantee that the best
possible set Of men had been enlisted.
1t is inevitable that the best men on
the canal should be in great dem and in
the states. 1t is likewise inevitable that
men possess ng the qualities they possess
should be far-sighted enough to look sew
eral years ahead for the right sort of po-
sition. One by one these proved men are
being offered positions in the Uni ed
States. They go to the chief engineer and
ask him whether they shall accept them.
Without definite lesislat on for the crea-
ton of permanent force, he is unable to
advise them to
Desire Legislation continue on the
for Permanent Force. now so,,s m h. ans Is
earnestly desired is that. the necessary
legislation for the permanent operating
force shall be passed at the earliest pos
sible moment, and then the process of
choos ng that force out Of the construc
ton force can be started.
The anxiety Of the chief engineer to
provide for economy of operation is DIS
closed by the fact that he recommends
to be applied to the permanent force. He
says that the existing salary and wag>
scale on the Canal Zone was made at q
tine when 1t " as absolutely necessary to
pay salaries and wages relatively much
n CHER than those n the United States in
oider 20 secure the necessary force. In
those days insanitaly conditions on the
isthmus were such that heavy induce
ments had to be held out. Today those
conditions are past. and while 1t has not
been thought wise to make reduction In
the salaries and wages Of the construc-
ton force, 1t is felt that there no rea-
son why the ex sting scale should be ap
piled to the permanent operating force.
The canal authorit es seek to reduce the
expense of operation as low as possible,
consistent with efficiency.
1t is the plan of the chief engineer to
begin a concentrat on of his force as the
work goes forward until, when 1t nears
completion, there VII be practically a
complete abolition of all unnecessary po-
sitions and the who'e work . will be
brought together under the directing Of
flee Of the chief engineer. The molding
process out Of which is to come the per-
manent canal force IS to be begun by the
first of next July. One by one workmen
and supervising officials will be laid off,
X
When it Is remembered that by the first
Of May the entire work on the canal will
be concentrat-
Entnre Canal Work ed upon about
to Be Concentrated. out , Of the total
| of fifty. and that this mileage will grow
less with each passing month. 1t will be
seen that the re Of the force VIII have
to be cut down continually. BY the first
Of May the last shovelful Of material In
| thirty-seven niles of the canal will have
been removed.
Col Goethals. the chief engineer. does
not expect to stay on the isthmus any
| longer than is necessary to give thor
ough training to the permanent operating
| force. He will III Congress authorizes
L hin, n n ffl neraona1ly select each man