Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-07-12

So s.. 81 s. ~ 81
-
| to see the canal opened to commerce
as soon rs possible, for it Is revenue
am AFTER"
Another day stood with Col D. D..
Gaillard, tho engineer Of the central
division, outside hts ofnce in Empire.
and watched his army laboring In the
cut, the completion of which has
been his biggest task and greatest
glory. Right at our feet big area
had sunk down 20 feet In q night. and
II there had not been warnings OF the
break q wing Of the coloners Office
building would have gone down with
it I'VE had just time to remove that
wing" said he, land my Office force Is
rather nervous now, for there are
three big cracks under the main build
ing. expect 1t, too. will have to be
torn down worry soon.
These slides used to make w rath-
or Respondent, for It seemed asif they
never would stop, but the progress
We are making this year has cheered
up tho operating forces again, and
we can see the end Of the task. The
slide and tho break are quite differ
ent. In the former the earth slides
at an angle down sloping face Of
rock, and in the latter the mass sinks
straight down and at the bottom
bulges out into the channel. Along
both sides Of the cut you can see nu-
,merous small slides and breaks. Those
are In pockets In the rock wall. and.
annoying as they are. they only need
cleaning out. The Cucaracha started
as q slide and now it IS both q slide
and q break.
Incidentally, that cut should be
great place for geologists. ! have
found In It every kind Of rock except
granite, and many interesting fossils
and petrihcation have been discover
ed there. In one stratum through
which we cut there were found great
number Of teeth of prehistoric varts-
ties Of sharks"
what is your opinion concerning
the date when the canal will be ready
for commercer I asked.
If 1 had my say" said the colonel
emphatically. mot commercial YES
sci would be allowed In the canal I'M
til 1t IL absolutely complete down to
the smallest detail. In some Of tho
many safety devices we're not In op-
Grafton and an accident should result,
the canal would get q black eye from
which it might not recover for long
time. Officially, the time for the com.
pleticn of the canal is still January
1, 1915 It may be done before that
date, but in March Of this year there
was still about $50, 100000 worth Of
work ahead Of US.
I'VE who have been digging the
canal and are still here In positions of
responsibility mean the members
OF the Isthmian canal commission
are rather fearful concerning that part
of the Adamson bill which permits
the president to dissolve the commits
sion whenever in his Judgment the
canal ia near enough to completion.
We feel that 1t would be extremely
unjust not to allow us to remain ON
the Job until after the grand formal
opening in January, 1915. It would be
much like permitting boy to COM
plete his university course, and then
taking him home before he receives
his diploma"
And then Colonel Gaillard said some
things about Mr.. Taft's efforts to put
into effect that clause last January.
which must have made the ex-presi-
dents ears tingle bit.
''The Culebra cut h hike three-ring
circus. I don't know which way to
look" said one visitor to the zone.
It ia indeed scene Of wonderful 90
tivity. Giant steam shoveis are scat
tered through 1t. scoopins up enor-
nous masses Of rock and earth; ON
half q dozen tracks on AZ many DIFF
ferent levels s1orting and putting loco
motives are swiftly drawing headed or
empty dirt trains; along the lodges
are batteries of steam and conn
pressed atr drills. making holes for
dynamite: suddenly there IL toot-
footing Of a steam whistle, hundred
men scurry to shelter. and dynamite
blast oils the cir with sound and dirt
and rocks.
Watching the steam shovels is IA
vorite occupation OF visitors who VEN
ture down into the Culeora cut. They
seem almost human, and do vast
amount OF work Their dippers hold
Ave cubic yards Of material, weigh
Ing on an average little more than
three tons. This spoil Is, emptied into
cars Of several kinds. Flat cars with
one high side are unloaded by p3ows
that are drawn the length OF the train
by cables upon q winding drum. The
others are dump cars, the largest Of
which are operated by compressed abr
from the locomotive. The trains haul
the spoil from the cut to dumping
grounds, which on an average are
about IL miles distant. Some 1900