The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-07-21

possible to tear up ono machine maj
make a lot of new ones N this way.
but one has the right to build upl
old machines provided he uses some
Of the original parts and does nosi
create a greater number of completed
machines than his purchases show.
Uncle Sam hnds 1t cheaper to mako
these new parts and repair the oldi
machines rather than buy new ones or
new parts. Moreover, IL takes long,
tune To get material from the States,
and he can manufacture his supply
parts more quickly than no could get
them from home The ordinary time
for tho fnlnllment Of an order is nine
IS ays, while the same machinery can
usuauy Oe manufactured here in less
than hale that time
Ia The Warehouses Mt Empire.
But let us take the train and ride
down 20 Empire we can get there
( In twenty minutes. ana see the shop
| where the steam shovels and their
/ parts are made now. We shall first
enter the quartermaster's WAREHOUSE.
There are eighteen Of these on the
Istnmus and each covers acres. The
one here "A Empire is right near tho
shops and is we'll worth visit. 1T
/ rs divided up Ike department store.
! being walled with shalves and cutt
/ np hy aisles. II has hundreds ofl
! thousands of dollars worth of ma
| terials. embracing twenty thousand
different Items ranging all tho way
+ from nut the size OF your little
ginger to completed 05-ton stearni
shovel as tall as hay stack.
The Yards outside OF It are fun OF
car wheels and OF steam shovels BED
us repaired. stand beside one OF tina
/ sieat shovel buckets to show you ita
/ noisht II Will hold five tons OF rockj
1 Nearby arc rolls of wire cable and
/ heavy machinery. barrels OF Ursula tors.l
Tor electrical use. and great piles OIL
roles. used for tamping the dynamite.
ho steam shovels now on hand arel
" orfa something like 100000 and
their repair parts are as delicatelV
made a S the plvots and wheels of AZ
" ntch. They must be exact to pre-l
vent the great machines from deatroyl
Mcndins Steam shovcls. !
We have now on the Isthmus more4
than 100 shovels and from ten to
twelve are sent in for repairs everT
month. They are mighty machines,
which Will take up from five to tent
tons OF earth and rock at bite and
each represent the work OF 500 men,
The steam shovels are equal to 5000f
men. and YOU can therefore see howl
necessary 1t Is that the repairs bet
rade upon time. Each shovel cos u
many thousands OF dollars. and the
destruction OF one means a great lossj
Some have been ruined ~ being caugh1
IN the slides, but nevertheless have
been taken out and repaired. This wasl
80 with shovel No 223. which weighed
ninety-hve tons 1t was a compietd
wreck when II pulled out OF thel
slide at Cucuracha. and the trucks
were not recovered until weeks after
tho main part OF the machine had
been brought to the shops Neverthe- 4
less all the parts were brought finallN
together and the whole was overhaul i.
ed and rebuilt and again put to work.
The Grent Air Conpressors.
Among the interestirg features on
Empire are the air compressors which,
arc supplying about 100000 900 cubic
feet of pure air every month. Theirs
ere three OF these plants. one at Las
Cascades one at Rio Grande and an
other at Empire They feed huge Pipe
which runs from one end OF the Cule-
bra cut to the other. and through other
PORES supplies the air fDr the drill and
other pneumatic tools hoists and also
the shops. They are now working lS@
drills.
This compressed air is taken through
complicated system OF pipes. much
OF which has to be taken up and re-
laid every month. The main pipes or
both air and water run along eachi
side OF the cut. and they are car
ried across the cut from one bank TOT
the other on a bridge not far FROM
Empire. It takes about 200 men tot
keen the piping and water servicel
in order. and the pipes have to bol
watched night and day for leaks and
breaks.
White Ants and the Canal Bridge
And just here must tell you howl
near a very small thing came to del
LAYING the canal construction, andt
thereby costing Uncle Sanl many thou-i
sands OF dollars. You may have heardt
of the white ant. 1t IS not as long
, as your finger nail. but It came with
in an ace OF holding back this work.
and laying on for time thousandsi
Of men. 1t did this in connection
with the suspension bridge which,
. crosses the gorge from one side to-
the other The air and water mains
are carried across on this bridge. andf
, had ct fallen they would have broken,
and IT would have taken weeks tol
have repaired the damage.
Now this bridge was thought to be;
strong The piers ut its sides were
made OF a combination or steel andi
, wood and tho parts which upheld tho
cables were of oak. In order that they,
might he the stronger The oak TIM
5 hers formed. in fact. tho key to the
work Not long ago it was thought
they had best be examined. and a.
man climbed to the top. He found
that the white ants had been eating
the oak. q wood OF which they are
especially fond and that they had
gotten so far that within few weeks
longer the timhers would have,
I crumhed to dust. allowing the bridge,
= and ppes to fall into the cut. II
g is needless to say that repairs were
immediately made and that IN such
a way rs to prevent any danger from
these insects in the future
I.ronvrfvht foIo h.. u-,rt q ca.