The mirror., 1913-06-26


drink while on duty, or find fault
with the commissary department" !"
and we noticed there was very
little drinking on the Canal.
From Gorgona, we went to Las
Cas- Cades. which is the home of the
u. S. troops, those who police the
Zone, for in our treaty we are to
police the Zone with American
soldiers, and there are several little
fracases that we don't read about be-
tween the U. S. A.. and the Colum-
bian and Panama city policemen.
1t was here that we met an old
school mate of ours who was the
only civilian sub-chief engineer of
construction on the Canal, as all the
other heads of the engineering staff
were government men, and an army
engineer to hold job there has to
show honors from his class and ten
years. practical service on govern
ment work before even being con-
sidered eligible.
From Las Cas- Cades we went to
Christobal, as this is the commissary
department for the Canal where all
the laundry is done; all breadstpffs,
pastries, ETC., are baked, and where
all meats, fruits, vegetables, etc.,
are sent up the line three times a
day to the smaller departments
along the way. Every egg, before,
leaving the commissary is candeled,
SO you get very few bad eggs on the
Zone. even if they are storage
eggs. They have their own coffee
roasting plant and tea seperators,
and we were informed that in the
ice-cream plant they handled
of gallons every day. A
civilian not employed on the Canal,
can not purchase thing from the
commissary, and an employee can
not pay cash. When you start to
work you are given silver or
gold" coupon book, and same is
good at any department. You can't
shop by phone; you send your mozo
or servant with a basket and she
stands in line to get waited on.
You can't see no meats or vegeta.
bles before purchase, as that comes
from the refrigerator rooms, and
they won't change cut of meat or
a vegetable order for even Col.
Goethels himself. One thing on
the Canal, is: Live up to this rule,
or take the first boat north"
After resting a few days and
taking in Panama City from one
end to the other, we started out to
see what we came for: the cutting
of the great Culebra. This is a
row or chain of small mountains,
ranging from $50 to 1900 feet in
height and extending for ten miles
in length, This was to be cut down
to sea level on the Pacific side,
for the difference in the levels of the
Atlantic and Pacific on the Zone
is about ten feet. We first took
the trip through in the motor-car,
from one end to the other, and to
see those five and seven ton shovels
all around us was a sight not to be
soon- forgotten by a mining man.
We were told that every time the
motor" went through the cut, it
cost the government little over
$112O gold, as all shovels have got
to stop working and the laborers
get under the cars, out of the sun
for the motors" to con-
tinue, and when you see the number
of men employed, and figure out
their wage schedule. you can easily
see why they don't send the mo-
tor-car through every day.
This was interesting work to us
and we spent several days on the
cut and thoroughly examined the
formations, for we were under the
impression that on the west side of
the cut low grade gold ore could be
found in paying quantities, and al
though their is some color" it
would not pay for working, even
with all our up-to-date concentrat-
ing and roasting devices. The dirt
is handeled very fast and they work
in sections, five shovels to sec
ton, and although it's easy. dirt to
handle, the success of their great
yardage is no waiting for cars, !"
as they have two tracks for emp
ties, in front and on the side Of the
shovel. This is something that few
of onr mines in Nevada. Utah and