The Red Cloud chief., 1913-07-17

to see the canal opened to commerce
as soon as possible. for It is revenue
l am after"
Another day I stood with Col. d. d.
Gaillard. the engineer of the central
division, outside his office In Empire,
and watched his army labofing In the
cut, the completion Of which has
been his biggest task and greatest
glory. Right at our feet a big area
had sunk down 10 feet in a night. and
IL there had not been warnings Of the
break q wing of the colonel's ONCE
building would have gone down with
1t. I'VE had Just time to remove that
wing" said he. and my Office force 10
rather nervous now. for there are
three big cracks under the main build
ing. expect 1t. too. will have to be
torn down very soon.
| these slides used to make US rath-
er Respondent, for 1t seemed as II they
never would stop, but the progress
we are making this year has cheered
up the operating forces again, and
we can see the end Of the task. The
slide and the break are quite differ.
ent. In the former the earth slides
at an angle down a 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 slide
and break.
incidentally. that cut should be o
great place for geologists. have
found in 1t every kind Of rock except
| granite, and many interesting fossils
and petrifcation have been discover
ed there. In one stratum through
which we cut there were found a great
number Of teeth Of prehistoric varie-
ties Of sharks"
What is your opinion concerning
the date when the canal will be ready
for commerce?" I asked.
III had my say" said the colonel
emphatically. mot a commercial YES
sci would be allowed in the canal un'
til 1t is absolutely complete down to
the smallest detail. In some Of the
many safety devices were not in op.
Grafton and an accident should result,
the canal would get black eye from
which 1t might not recover for long
time. Officially, the time for the com
pletion of the canal Is still January
l, 1915. It may be done before that
date. but in March Of this year there
was still about $50.000.000 worth Of
work ahead Of us.
I'VE who have been digging the
canal and are still here In positions ol
responsibility-I 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 is 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. 1t would be
, much like permitting q boy to com
!, plete his university course, and ther
: taking him home before he receiver
, his diploma"
a And then Colonel Gaillard said some
q things about Mr.. Taft's efforts to pu
4 into effect that clause last January
I which must have made the ex-presi
4 dents ears tingle a bit.
!" "The Culebra cut Is like three-rinl
q circus. l don't know which way Il
? look" said one visitor to the zone.
It is indeed scene of wonderful &C
/. tivity. Giant steam shovels are scat
d tered through 1t, scooping up enor
|, nous masses Of rock and earth; OF
@ half q dozen tracks on as many dif
d ferent levels snorting and putting loco
/. motives are swiftly drawing loaded o.
q empty dirt trains; along the ledger
q are batteries of steam and com
|, pressed air drills. making holes To-
dynamite; suddenly there is toot
q footing Of q steam whistle. hundred
men scurry to shelter, and q dynamit,
= blast fills the air with sound and dir
|. and rocks.
J. Watching the steam shovels is a IA
:, vorite occupation OF visitors who ven
d ture down into the Culebra cut. The!
9 seem almost human. and do q vas
It amount Of work. Their dippers hol'
o five cubic yards OF material. weigh
Q ing on an average a little more thai
o three tons. This spoil Is emptied int
cars of several kinds. Flat cars will
4 one high side are unloaded by plow
that are drawn the length OF the trail
n by cables upon winding drum. Tn
9 others are dump cars. the largest o
It which are operated by compressed al
o from the locomotive. The trains hau
@ the spoil from the cut to dumping
& grounds. which ON an average ar
% about ~ miles distant. Some $4,000
10 900 cubic yards Of this material wa
n used as filling for the long breakws
It ter at the Pacific entrance.