Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1913-08-02

am after"
Another day stood with Col D. d.
Gaillard, the engineer Of the central
division, outside his office in Empire,
and watched his army Iaboring in the
cut, the completion of which has
been his biggest task and greatest
glory Right at our feet big area
had sunk down 20 feet in a night, and
if there had not been warnings of the
break a wing of the colonefs office
building would have gone down with
it. I'VE had just time to remove that
wing said he, "and my Office force is
rather nervous now, for there are
three big cracks under the main build
ing. 1 expect it, too, will have to be
torn down very soon.
These slides used to make us rath-
er respondent, for it seemed as if 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 a slide and now it is both a slide
and a break.
Incidentally, that cut should be a
great place for biologists. I have
found In it every kind of rock except
granite, and many interesting fossils
and petrification 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.
eff had my say said the colonel
emphatical1y, mot a commercial YES
til it is absolutely complete down to
the smallest detail. In some of the
many safety devices were not in OPP
Grafton and an accident should result,
the canal would get black eye from
which it might not recover for a long
time. Officially, the time for the COM
p1etion of the canal is still January
1, 1915. 1t may be done before that
date, but in March of this year there
was still about $50 100000 worth of
work ahead OF US.
I'VE who have been digging the
canal and are still here in positions of
responsibility 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 it 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 a boy to COM
plete his university course, and then
| taking him home before he receives
| his diploma
| And then Colonel Gaillard said some
| things about Mr.. Taft's efforts to put
into effect that clause last January,
which must have made the ex-presi-
| dents ears tingle a bit.
| THE Culebra cut is like a three-ring
| circus. 1 don't know which way to
| look" said one visitor to the zone.
| It is indeed scene of wonderful &C
| tivity. Giant steam shovels are scat
tered through it, scooping up enor-
half a dozen tracks on as many diff
ferent levels snorting and putting loco
| motives are swiftly drawing loaded or
| empty dirt trains; along the lodges
| are batteries of steam and COM
| pressed air drills, making holes for
dynamite; suddenly there is a toot-
| footing of steam whistle. a hundred
4 men scurry to shelter, and a dynamite
| blast fills the air with sound and dirt
and rocks.
Watching the steam shovels is a IA
| vorite occupation of visitors who ven
ture down into the Culebra cut. They
seem almost human, and do a vast
amount of work Their clippers hold
five cubic yards of material, weigh
| ing on an average a little more than
| three tons. This spoil is emptied into
cars of several kinds Flat cars with
| one high side are unloaded by plows
| that are drawn the length of the train
by cables upon winding drum. The
| others are dump cars, the largest of
which are operated by compressed air
from the locomotive. The trains haul
the spoil from the cut to dumping
grounds, which on an average are
about II miles distant Some 1S.0O0.-
900. cubic yards of this material was
used as filling for the long breakwa.
ter at the Pacific entrance.