The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-07-29
COMPLETING THE PANAMA CANAL

carrying the material . L
racha slide and other material over
the sides of the cut into the Rio
Grande valley on the west. / nave also
installed a sluicing plapt which VIII
carry the top of the Cururacha siloe
back into the valley at the east.
THAT means that October ] you
will have three great streams or eartn
and rock flowing out OF Culeora cut
at different places said L.
Eyes. that's it, and those streams
will keep moving day and night. We
shall keep the machinery going Tor
twenty-four hours of the day and Tor
six days Of the week"
The stopping Of the dry excavation
will greatly reduce the number OF the
men employed, will it not?'
Eyes. We shall begin to make a
heavy reduction in the force by the
first Of October
How many men have you at york
now?"
About 40, 900, including those un-
der the contractors as well as our
own
What will become Of them?'
1.-The natives will go back home and
the AMERICANS will be scattered"
What will become of the skilled
force? l mean the thousands of en-
gineers and mechanics whom Uncle
Sam has trained?"
Most of them will have to find
jobs wherever they can said Col.
Goethals. ut would be almost impos-
sible to transfer the organization as
/! a whole. and there is no other piece
Of wor which the government has on
hand that would require such an or
ganization. Indeed, the talk of trans
ferring organization from Panama to
other places is more OF less hot air.
l -
What will becokhe OF Uncle Sans
machinery at h completion Of the
canal?" l asked.
There is some talk Of sending II
to Alaska TO- aid in the building o.
railroads, and also to the Mississippi
valley fox the Improvement of thai
great waterway" replied Col. Goe.
thals. Il know nothing about that
am only interested in hat we get a!
much as possible out Of it to cut dowr
the total cost Of the canal"
us there any possibility that W
will get very much"
Yes, the returns should be consid
cradle, and whatever we get will b
clear gain. o see the cost Of tn,
supplies, is figured up in the cost Q
the canal. IT forms a part of the cos
Of every cubic yard of concrete pu
into place and Of every cubic yard o
earth taken out. So when the cana
|, is done the machinery will all hav
, been paid for, and what we get for
will be velvet. 1t will decrease tn
total cost Of the ANAL"
Can you give me any idea as t
| it's possible value?"
mo, it is worth what Il Will brin
and that is all. This is always tn
:. scrap value, n if the governmeI
should take the plant and use it els,
where we shall get an appraisal valu
which will be far more than that {
e ordinary scrap. We should like to Sc
st go into government work, for tn;
o would add to our assets
IF solo to private parties it Wou1
bring comparatively little, ] suppose
It said L.
THAT depends replied Col Go
r thals. w are now selling it piec
IT meal at Colon for so per cent. of i
is actual cost to US. That is the pri'
ct delivered at the steamship locks"
le Can you tell just What the m
chinery has cost as a whole and
4, detail?" 1 asked.
ee Most certainly. We keep a clio
Id account of everything. Our books t
lie Just what becomes of the scrap, al
we have been selling everything fro
is the old wire netting torn from Z
~ houses to the steam shovels a
dredgeS and other machinery. '
ar have old everything possible as so
We as it had done it's work and we knt
FL. just we have gotten from
r The waste in such matters has be
by small, and hat especially on accou
lis Of our system Of cost keeping, viii
charges every branch of the force Wi
"a the tools and machinery and suppl
it it has to work with. There is a gre
ed rivalry between the men to keep I
ng cost down. and this has been
It throughout the building of the VIII,
canal
ut But will not a large part of
'el present equipment te retained at Pc
&C. anna? In one Of your reports you s
.es that the government hould use eve
ar s.inrt to make the c: nal pay"
Yes, / believe that" said Col. G,
thals. The government will have Qu
Ike a plant at anam outside of the
'ut nal property and some of the pres
rty equipment will be of value in II
plant. We shall need supply dep
of to furnish the steamers with fuel.
eff. are erecting coal depots now, and