The leader-enterprise. [volume] (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1912-1915, 1913-12-17

agination could not be termed railroad
tracks" Mr.. Wallace had found the
Panama railroad, after half century
without competition. far behind the
times in equipment. and practically no
discipline or efficiency existed among
the employees. When Mr.. Stevens
took charge there was an improved
situation. but the long absence in
Washington Of Chief Engineer Wallace
and bis sudden departure had caused
the railroad to begin a retrograde
movement t4.
For thirty-one miles the main line |
of the railroad had been retracked |
with American rails, and the work of |
double tracking it was just getting I'M
der way. The principal shops were at
Matachin with a capacity Of over
hauling FIVE locomotives and $50 dump
cars a mopttf.. The canal employees
soon saw the Galiber Of man at their
head by the way Mr.. Stevens straight
ened out the railroad tangle, for the
freight began to move. lax methods
were rooted out of the system, and the
semblance of an efficient organization.
operating along modern lines. appeared.
The commission visited the isthmus
In July and August and with Mr.. Ste
vens reached the conclusion that con-
struction work should be reduced to q
minimum, even to turning away en-
ployees and all energies bent to build
ing up system Of feeding and hous-
Ing the men and their families. Pre-
paratory work was given the right Of
way over construction, which accounts
for the comparatively little excavation
done under the Stevens regime The
general verdict was that the ground
work done by Mr.. Wallace was good
in spite Of disorganized conditions and
that no insuperable obstacles stood in
the way Of building the canal.
There were 1912 men In the depart
ment Of engineering and construction,
and other employees brought the total
to $500. not including the Panama rail-
road. Municipal improvements In Co.
| Ion and Panama and certain canal zone
towns were we'll under way. Effective
progress had been made in the work of
surveying the canal route. in making
borings for lock sites and in other
engineering preliminaries. AS noted,
| 741, ga yards had been excavated and
| nine steam shovels were at work. The
357 renovated French buildings and
forty-eight new structures housed the
employees, except those who provided
shelter for themselves in Colon and
Panama. There was no cOmmissary
and no hotels.
An executive order had made the
civil service cover the canal zone on
Nov. Is, 1904. but both Mr.. Wallace
and Mr. Stevens protested SO earnestly
against the restrictions Of this order
that on Jan. II, 1905, President Roose-
welt removed all employees except
clerks from the scope of the act, thus
allowing Mr.. Stevens to employ any
one he saw fit on any terms he chose.
The eight hour day restriction likewise
was lifted, but agitation in the Unit
ed. States caused the president later to
reimpose both limitations, with what
ever increase in time and cost Of con-
| 0Il w LAAiss JAG SdLidA LACy IlASAk AAfOlNC
The Americans had been in Panama
more than year, and still the type of
canal to be built was undecided. In
the meantime Mr.. Stevens rapidly was
rounding into shape an organization of
workers, getting suitable quarters
erected for the employees. who were
coming In large numbers, organizing
the commissary and hotel systems, Sc
curing mechanical equipment and
bringing the transportation facilities
to a satisfactory standard. Governor
Magoon simultaneously was organic
ing civil government along the lines
blazed by Governor Davis. Police,
courts. schools. fire departments, post
offices, recreation clubhouses, church
es-in short, duplicating on scale
suitable to the canal zone the civiliza-
ton of the United States.
By June, 1906, the end of his first
year as chief engineer, Mr.. Stevens
had made a remarkable showing in
every phase of the work. There were
thirty-nine steam shovels at work as
against nine in 1905. The working
force had increased to 23,901, of whom
1924 We're Americans. But as show
ing how closely his efforts were con
centrated on preparatory work the to-
tai excavation for the year was only
1,409,oG2 yards. the highest figures for
one month being in March, 1906 when
239,17S yards We're removed.
Colonel Gorgas and his sanitary de-
partment got on top Of the yellow
fever epidemic in September, 1905, and
in general so dominated the hitherto
unhealthful iSthmus that even the hos
tile press began to show a change in
heart on this score, with the result that
the immigration of workers largely in
creased. Recruiting agencies already
had been opened in the West Indies.
Europe and the principal American cit
les. More than 10000 men We're i'm
ported in 1906 on contract with the
commission. The common labor was
estimated by Mr.. Stevens to be about
80 per cent as efficient as similar Amer
lean labor. 1t was not until 1906 that