The citizen., 1913-08-15
2one Emer
eency o

Colon. c. What Of the men who
have done the actual digging OF the
Panama canal? Who are they,
whence have they come how do they
live7
We all have read a lot about Col
onel Goethals, Colonel Sibert, Colonel
Gaillard, Colonel Hodges. Colonel
Gorgas and few othersl of the men
who hold the big jobs we know
that their immediate subordiihates are
skilful. energetic young engineers
and doctors from the states. But
what do we know about the men who
handle the pick and shovel, who run
the steam drills. who load the borings
with dynamite who help to fill up
and empty the interminable dirt
trains?
With the very beginning of the
French attempt to dig the canal the
labor problem bobbed up as serious,
especially in view OF the horribly in
sanitary conditions on the isthmus.
White laborers succumbed rapidly TO
yellow fever and malaria and it was
found that only negroes could with
stand even fairly well the diseases
aud the climate.
When Uncle Sam took hold of the
big job he had the benefit of the eX-
perienCe of the French in this as in
other respects. and though he tried
Il few experiments in the labor field
on his own account. 1t was soon de
termined that the actual digging could
be done best by negroes Now there
are two islands in the West Indies
both British possessions, which are
overaowng with workmen jamaica
and Barbados To these islands agents
were sent and soon the colored men
began to arrive on the isthmus, ship
load after shipload. Many OF them
brought their wives and children and
have become a part of the permanent
population Of Panama.
One other source of labor was
drawn upon largely the north of
Spain There the agents of the com
mission found a race of men hardy
eager for work and more intelligent
than the negroes. A large number OF
them were brought over, and though
for a time they were troublesome by
reason Of their disposition to engage
in bloody quarrels among themselves,
after several had been locked up by
the Zone police they learned to be-
have more like civilized beings.
These Spaniards do not mix with the
negroes. either in work or socially.
They have their own camps and
messes The stewards and cooks at
these messes are Europeans and the
Spaniards get better meals than the
negroes The food Is adapted to
their national taste and they receive
wine several times a week For this
they pay 10 cents day-10 cents
more than the colored men pay. The
Spanards are considered the best
common workmen in the zone.
The day laborer on the canal. as
general thing, uses the pick andf
shovel and does work that calls fori
no especial skill But this IS not truel
Of all Of them. There is a higher
grade in which the men do such workt
as the riveting on the great ,ockh
gates and the operating of the busy
batteries Of steam and compressed
air drills that bore the holes for thet
who have been on the job for years,
have graduated up to these better
positions
Above them are the bosses of
gangs, the conductors Of dirt trains
the foremen of dynamite crews. meuI
who hold similar Jobs, and they are,
almost Invariably white men becausd
such positions require more independf
eDce. reliability and ntellgencep
Up another grade and YOU come tdp
the experimenting. drafting and del
signing engineers These are meII'
from the states with technical educa.A \
ton, initiative and often great invenr
tive genius To the latter are due { ,
number Of most ingenious machine
designed 10 cope with new condition. /,
and to expedite the work h
The negro laborer from Jamaica o
Barbados is a joy forever He Is II q
Ordnately proud of his British either Il
ship. and with some reason for tn q
British government looks CAREFUL
after his welfare in such a case a
this, the terms OF his contract bein
supervised his health guarded an n
his return, if he desires to returi Ii
provided for. The Jamaicans are I'll Ii
more intelligent of the two classe p
and often have considerable educ St
tion. The best of them have -four Z
positions as clerks, stewards and Il G
like The Barbadians are in the maj
densey ignorant. but they are O
happy lot and as they stream ava D
from the canal to their quarters
the evening they sing, frolic and pla v
practical jokes as though they ha u
not just completed day of bacg
breaking labor They receive an avet :,
age of $50 a month, their meals cos .
them 80 cents a day and their liyin r
quarters almost nothing unless thel tt
prefer to rent rooms from outsiders s,
Then they get the worst of 1t, fola