The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-05-12

chine shops. and at Empire tho buildings
FpsnrS .S aoout nt.esn acres SONS OF the
| the brush and trees were cleared away and
tho old machinery used. This was go ut
! Bias Matachin. where was uaearthed a
machine shop which had entirely di.ap-
/ pcared II was found to cover about a
dossn acres and to contain complete
three weeks Tor gangs of mon to cut
down the jungle. and within week or so
ing general repairs OF all Kinds on tho es-
| oavators and drills. and on tho rolling
| stock OF the trains.
French Extrls,nxance and Graft
Seyer,heiess. with all their as to
accounts and tho sprinkng of the machiu-
cry with oil. the graft OF the French can
be everywhere seem Everything was done
| by contract, and the srnfters sent their
stun in by the ton. In many cases the
supplies We're furnished al so much per
piece. the officials getting n rako-or. In
the basement OF the administration build
ing az Panama found two carloads OF
the finest drawing paper In sheets each
| the size of i bedspreod. There was moro
OF that paper than could possibly be used
Tor dozen canals. but our craftsmen con-
sumed what they needed. In the same
warehouse there were six tons of stee,
| pens. 70 rusty that they had to be shoyeIed
out into the ocean There were also bolts
made OF wood and painted black to give
/ lhH Impression that they were Iron or .tecI
| These were made according TO sample but
the model sent was Of wood, and the bolts
.'nd SNlcWs came III mat form
oiack' Needless TO say, they were useless.
All along tho line OF the canal are NOM
inen's to the fortunes made by the building
! contr0stoTs. Take the concrete work. it
was paid FOR By the cubic yard; and IittIo
! Two and four-room cottages were cr.c,n,I
on costly cement foundations. while ware
! houses had great concrete walls under
,hen The monuments of These buildings
the wood having rotten away, are stIu ro
eeun afsn s 81, along the line of the canal 1
Nou"'ed -V' cement posts in place
| Cement Tyaths for norz.x
! Among the other costly concrete rom
.,rnSton was that connected with the
, ,,a'. OF the officials. Here at Ancon
horses, 1t was nftcen feet wide. revsn,x e
nv 'a feet long and four feet In depth. and
Trene sonnsStsa with the water supply. Tho
washed OF instead of curryinr them.
looked rs,"s ~ en-, pigpen TIM, saw when
peared now. but wa. told that II n,nst
nave cost at least $4,000 to make. II COW
with a Soivsn nsS an ina acre and was rooted
ouiidin! was OF concrete divided into nsns me
eheh OF which had It's cement trough onG
sto was supposed to accommodate about
! How lie Made 100000.
! I hear many stories from the old stagers
Mt Panama Of how money flowed In the
| first days OF the French canal. The isthmus
| took contracts and got rich, and every one
! who sold OF bought creased his palm.
was told last night OF worthless beach
! co'nber who had hccn discharged by his
/ employer. n New York contractor, just
tho eve OF the departure of the latter for
nome. a few months later the New York
/ man returned and his old employe
| dressed In snow white, wearing a $50 Pana-
| ma hat and having a black valet to hold
/ up his umbrella. The New Yorker said.
/ WHY. man. your circumstances eeem to
| have changed?'
They have" was the reply. ct am rich
now and have made fortune on con-
| tracts"
How did you do thut," was the next
| question.
1T was easy enough. You remember
| that hill with tho big hole at one side of
1t along the line ot the canal about eight
miles from Colon"
Well took contract to nn that hole
Tor $4,000. man named Jones had Just
| for si;o.ocO, and SO charged him $4,000 to
put his hin in my hole This gave me a
clean 100000 without spending cent"
IL is said that another man measured up
part OF the chasrcs River MS a section
| for It.
| / do not know a. to the trush OF these
| stories. l only know that It Is pretty well
| established that the first French COMPANY
| spent something like soe. coO. 900 within a
! space OF ten year., and that the second
company spent five or ten millions more
COO t COG n vs the French spent within slo
our canal is completed
The total amount spent by Uncle sam
VIII be under s575,O00.coo and In thI. Is
inquired the sio0o0eco paid to the French
Eor mat We got in round numbers about
100000 worth OF disable excavation over
S'vooeeo worth OF Panama Railway stock.
nnd G,u'o'Gco worth OF maps drawings ana
seToros! We got s2eo0.ooo worth of good
buildings. Sl,ooo.oo worth OF lands 50 ooo Ooo
worth oil material and equipment and other
Items, .,, rs, mailing up In the neighborhood OF
st ~, IL was square deal. and. all
told, was one of the best of tho NAV
made by our great Uncle sam
! copyright. 1872 by Frank G. Carpenter,