The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-05-28
UNCLESAMSFIGHTW ITHTHEDEVL
All About the Government and Y. NJ. c. A. Uphft Work at
nam -.
By FRANK G. CARPENTER
By FRANK G.. CARPENTER

so feet wide. We go in through the
wide front door, which leads TO the
lobby or office, which is also the Ii
brary. The library contains about
1000 books, consisting largely Of
biography and fiction, and is we'll
p~atrOnized.
The books drawn out at Culebra
this month numbered 100, and those
distributed throughout the whole zone
were more than 5000.
But listen to the music, It comes
from that photograph there at the
right. on the opposite side Of the
hall is an upright piano, which we
may near later on.
Passing through the lobby we turn
to the right, and go into the reading
room. This is filled with men in easy
chairs reading and chatting. They
are in their shirt sleeves, and look
very comfortable. At one end of this
at the opposite side several are writ
ing.
The scenes are for all the world
like those of a big city club in the
United States. The tables are covered
with magazines. Seventy-fve of the
best periodicals and journals are
taken. and one can find everything
here from science to fiction. AS to
the writing tables, 1000 letters are
sent out from this room every month
and from the seven clubhouses 5000
or 10000 are mailed home in that
time.
In the Billiard Room.
But let us go to the other side Of
the hall and enter the billiard room.
Every one Of these Glubhouses has
billiard table and cues. The game
keeps the men out Of the pool ON
of the saloon, which were nightly fill
ed with employees before the club
houses were started.
The members pay so cents an hour
for the use Of the club tables. They
are good players, too, and they have
billiard tournaments Saturday nights.
when the men come in crowds to look
IN. If you would know just how pop
ular this form Of amusement is I
would say that 1000 pool games were
played here at Culebra last month,
and that a similar proportion was
played at the other clubhouses. Tn
canal commission and the 7. NJ. c.. A.
believe hat pool and billiards are
good exercise, and they encourage
them. In the meantime the patron
a. Of the pool rooms Of h saloons
has fallen to nothing. There are
about a dozen such in CulebTa, and
| could not find more than a couple
Of employees in any Of them.
Baseball and Bowling.
Among other popular amusements
here are baseball and bowling. Every
clubhouse has its bowling room, and
there are bowling clubs, which con
test with one another. There are
bowling tournaments, in which the
most expert tenpin men Of the differ
ent n settlements or together
and compete, and there are duckpiY
tournaments is well. There are also
weekly meetings at the various towns
yyh nrn kho ho- nyD 49, ~
best tenpin men compete, and 1t il
impossible to appreciate the rivalr,
as to such matters.
Every settlement has it's baseball
! clubs and there is also an isthmial
basket ball league. The baseball
clubs Of Culebra and Empire pla,
: each other several times every season
,, and it Is the same with the othe
towns along the line. Every plac'
. has It's own team Int it's regula
!, days Of practice, and there are athleti
, meets. which are attended by the ex
pert gymnasts from all parts of tn,
> isthmus. At these meets the program
, includes the hundred-yard dash, tn
mile run, the relay races, the shot
- put and the pole vault. The prize
are medals Of gold, silver and bronze
and the competitors are not onl
!, from the employees on the canal. bu
- from the infantry and Marine Corp
! stationed here on the zone.
Concerts and Minstrels.
n But there is a show going on no,
e in the hall overhead. Let us go uI
e We find the room filled, and on tn
f stage at the back a troupe Of anna
e teur Ministries Is holding a perform
| ance. h men are canal employe
with BACKED faces They look lik
the old-time Ministries Of the Unite
e States, and do not wear satin suit
as in the new-fangied shows Of tc
9 day. The jokes contain many hits o
local matters, and bring down tn
o house
d These minstrel shows are gotten u
n by the secretaries Of the clubhouse
5 who hunt out the best actors an
re bring them together. A popula
d troupe will go from town to town, VI
l. til it visits all the zone settlements.
ve h band, which is playing tonigh
~ belongs to the 10th Infantry. Ne
S, week the music may be furnished /
So the marines, or BY the hand of IL