Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-08-05

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Colon, G. I'm writing or talking.
about the Panama Canal tho superla-
tive degree 10 very likely TO be over.
worked. Tho canal itself Is the big
gest thing Of the kind ever under
taken; the locks are u~neQualled In
size: the work Of the department Of
sanitation 10 the most remarkable
ever carried out. and 70 1t goes.
But there II one other feature OF
the building of the canal that calls
loudly for the supsrlative degree-the
commissary department and the way
In which It has fed the Zone. Not fed
It only, either. but largely clothed 1t,
and supplied It with household neces.
Stiles and ever Injuries.
The commissary department IL . de.
partment Of the Panama railroad,
which ID owned by the United States
and Of which Chairman Goethals is
president. Az ofacially stated:
The commissary department Of the
Panama railroad 10 operated By the
subsistence department Of the 18th.
milan Canal commission for the pur.
pose Of supplying employees Of the
Panama railroad and 1sthmian Canal
commission and their families with
foodstulfs, wearing apparel and house
hold necessities, and also supplying
food for the hotels. hospitals, messes,
and kitchens operated by the 1sthmian
Canal commission and for tho United
States soldiers and marines located on
the Isthmus Of Panama. and ships Of
the United States navy. It 10 eeti-
mated that the department supplies
about 10000 people daily. computing
one dependent for each employe.
Tho business Of the department for
: the fiscal years ending June 30. 1919
was 3s.7e2. s56. 90, to transact which It
II necessary to carry . stock waived
1t about 31.o0o.00o."
That sounds decidedly prosaic, but in
truth the operations Of this great bust
ROSS machine ~ almost romantic.
The vessels OF the Panama railroad In
amending procession bring to the
docks 1t Cristobal the vast bulk OF
supplies and a. continually these are
sent ont to the score Of stores main
tanned by the department along the
route Of the canal and at Porto Bello.
Every evening each s~torekeeper tele-
graphs to the headquarters in Cristo-
bal the list OF supplies OF which he fs
In need, and during the night the cars
are loaded. At 8:45 o'clock each morn
Ing the long supply train starts out
from Colon. It consists of 81 cars. IL
Of which are refrigerated, and the food
and ice are distributed along the route
% that they may be delivered to the
quarters Of families by s o'clock.
In Crstobal ID the biggest store Of
Ill, and It compares we'll with the
huge department stores of American
cities. There may be obtained all
kinds of food stuffs. American and
European; clothing for men and wo-
men, furniture, household wares. sup
plies for travellers, cigars and cigar
ettes-indeed almost anything one
might call for except intoxicating
drinks. Articles from foreign lands,
being imported by the government It,
self, Of course pay no duty, and con-
s~equently such things as fine English
chinaware can be bought there at
prices far below those charged in the
states. It Is said on the isth7nus. and
generally believed. that the members
of congressional junketing parties
which from time to time go down to
inspect the canal always carry home
with them q lot of this choice por-
celain.
At the head Of the commissary de-
partment Is the subsistence omcer.
kCol. Eugene Wilson, whose huge phys.
ical bulk is we'll matched by his great
executive ability. It would . that
no better man could possibly have
been found for the position, for he has
in hand every detail Of tho immense
business and It runs like clockwork.
Seldom ID q complaint heard from
even the most exacting of housewives.
and when one Is registered It 10 cour'
teously received and the fault, II one
exists, promptly rectified.
Cleanliness before godliness every
time" Is Colonel Wilson's motto and
though 1t Is not posted on any wall
every employee understands that his
Job depends primarily on his cleanli
ness. In Cristobal are the great cold
storage plant, bakery, coffee plant. ice
plant, ice cream plant, corned beea
plant, butter printing plant and laun
dry, and in every one Of them the Jun
written rule "be clean" IL adhered tt
with the utmost care. Nowhere, II !
can be avoided, is there personal con
tact with the food. and the numerou,
and ingenious automatic machines Ar
kept scrupulously clean.
Now let's get back to figures, II
order to obtain some idea OF the mag