St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1913-02-28

N TORE than any other undertak
NU ing In the world y history
4 VI perhaps, the Panama canal 4
due 60 the combined develop
ment OF many elements Of civilization
while the French engineers failed q
complete the canal, we must remem
ber that no one could have succeeded
at that time, and we must give them
credit for courage, engineering ability
and a crcditablc achievement.
without n Colonel Gorgas 90 first
eliminate the mosquito and make the
canal zone not only livable but com.
Portable and even attractive tho canal
would never have been built. without
the modern developments Of cxcavat'
ing machinery and Of concrete the
great locks at Gatun, Pedro Miguel
and Miranorcs and the nno.milc cut
at Culobra would never have been
completed within reasonable time
without the repair shops at Cristobal,
Gorgona, Empire and Balboa TO keep
the locomotives, steam shovcls and
other machinery In operation the rapid
progress would have been impossible.
Aud without the selection Of proper
material TO stand the climate, not for.
getting the too often overlooked item
Of betting, the cost In delays and In
actual money might be difficult TO
compute.
The shops at Cristobal and Balboa
handle tho repairs for the drcdgcs and
other excayating machinery at the At
lantic aud Pacific ends Of the canal
respectively. This includes the barges
which carry the material away 20 bo
dumped, some being solfpropelled aud
called by their French namo "clap'
pets" as well as tugs, launches aud
any sort Of aeagoing craft which may
be used.
Tho largest shops nrc at Gorgonn,
enlarged from the French shops at
this place, and here all the locomotives
aud ears for the excavation work as
well as for the Panama railroad are
repaired. AZ times this shop has en-.
poycd 1900 mon. II h difficult 10
see the necessity for such large shop
until we stop 10 consider that tho
lsthmian Canal Commission railroad,
built solely In the Culebra cut and for
hauling the dirt (or "spoil," ms IL IL
called) away from il, is about the size
Of tho Boston 4 Albany railroad.
There are over 500 locomotives aud
1000 ears, aud most of the locomo.
tiyes are big ones, weighing over 100
tons each. They are very unlike the
usual contractors locomotives we
usually think of in connection with ex,
cayation work.
Al Empire the steam shoyels arc
repaired aud the shops employ about
700 mon Rt times IL takes a lot Of
shop work 20 keep the dirt flying, but
they are kept at work with as little
delay as possible by a thoroughly or
ganiged plan of action and a corps Of
inspectors and workmen.
The inspectors visit each shovel as
IL works away, and not only gets tho
reports of the shovel engineers, but
look il over for weak spots aud worn
parts. Any needed repairs are re,
ported 10 Empire by telephone so that
repair parts aud supplies can be pre-.
pared in advance.
After the dirt trains have stopped
running at 8 p. M, tho repair train
starts out from the Empire shops and
makes its rounds 10 the steam shovels
which are In need Of its services. This
repair train consists Of a heavy loco
motive, a large wrecking crane, box
ear, which is fairly well equipped
machine shop, and another box ear
filled with supplies and parts ordinar,