El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-06-29

June 29.-This letter is about the
biggest army of workmen ever
gotten together. I refer to the men
who are now digging the canal down
here at Panama. They number about
$4,000. When old Cheops quilt the py-
ramids he had 10000 laborers, and when
the great church Of Santa Sophia was
erected at ConstantinopIe the workmen
were just half that number But In
both Of these cases the labor was more
or less forced, and the pyramid fellahin
worked like the Israelites under the
lash of the taslmaster. The laborers
here are free agents They can lay off
II they please, and they are only kept
on the job by getting the highest wages
and best Treatment OF any men of their
kind upon the earth.
The man in charge OF this army is the
chief QuartermaSter at Panama HIS
name is Col. G. a. DeTol. and he is an
officer Of the regular army. He has not
only recruited and hired the labor, but
he provides their houses and quarters
and gives them their wages. He Is also
in charge of all materials and supplies
on the isthmus, having IS warehouses
which if Joined together would cover an
acreage bigger than that of Il good
sized farm. He has char.-e of the draft
animals and he does the delivering and
toting about of almost everything and
everybody except that done by the cars
Uncic SANS Big Labor Force.
Col. Devcl tells me that the labor
problem has been one Of the most diff
cult of any connected with the canal,
and that it has worried every COM
pany which has done business down
here on the isthmus. When the Pana-
ma railroad was first built the con-
tractors sent TO China for laborers, and
they died like flies. Later on so many
other wOrkmen were buried that it is
said the road cost a man for every tie
laid in its tracks The first French
canal company scratched the world to
find digSers, and they buried large
part % those whom they found. The
men would not stay and they were al
ways recruiting Uncle sam has had
good labor ever since he began his con-
struction and the job has become so
popular, that he can now have all the
men he needs without advertising
During the past four years the average
number employed has been $4,000, al
though at times 1t has run as high as
IS, 600 and more. This is an enormous
force to be used in any undertaking
outside those connected with the army
and navy, but it is handled like one
vast machine.
silver and Gold Men.
You have all heard of the silver and
gold men of the ISthmus of Panama 1t
is under those two names that the men
are classified. The silver man is the
common everyday litter of earth. newer
of wood and drawer of water. He has q
mighty small brain and sells only his
muscle. He is usually a white Spaniard
or an Italian, or j black man from one
of the West Indian islands. He IS hired
by the authorities here on the isthmUs,
and has been recruited by agents sent
to different parts of the world During
the past four years we have had on
the average $4,000 of these in the
shape of West Indian negroes and
about 5000 more as labOrers from Eu-
rope
The gold men are the skilled en-
DlOyeS, those who act as Superlnten-
dents, foremen, civil engineers and me-
chanics. They manage the big ma
chinery, run the trains and DO all the
skilled work. They are hired through
the bureau At Washington and many OF
them are subject TO civil service exam
nations. The silver man gets from so
cents to $3.50 a day for his nine hours
work. The gold man receives on the
aTera &c at least $3.50 per month, and, IN
month of sick leave, which brings his
pay very much higher. He has also eX-
ira advantages in the way of quarters
and housing, and he is in short about
the best treated workman of all those
who sell their brains and muscle to the
industrial world
A Talk With Col. DevoI.
But It viii be more interesting to let
Col. Devol, the Quartermaster IN charge
of these forces, tell you about them 1
have spent an afternoon with him here
at Culebra and have asked him many
questions as to the men and their
work
.'One was as to the trouble of getting
the laborers together" said Col DeYol
The organization Of the canal force
was not an easy one. When we took
hold, Panama had a bad name and it
was difficult TO get men. November /,
1904 the total force was $500, of whom
only 500 were Americans. We had con-
siderab bic sickness and this force was
not permanent, although it steadily
grew in numbers It was made up
largely of men who would stay only =
few months and then go away. Never I
theIess, it steadily grew. We found a
large amount Of recruiting was neces-
sary, and within the next year or so
we brought in over $4,000 silver men.
Of these more than J., 900 came from
Europe about $4,000 from Barbbadoes
and the balance from the other islands
of the West Indies and Colombia.
I'VE had labor agents at Paris who
did the recruiting from Spain, getting
about 500 laborers at time and send