Semi-weekly herald., 1913-02-03

mile cut at Culebra would never nave
been completed within reasonable
time. Without the repair shops at
Ciistobal, Gordona, Empire and Bal
boa to keep the locomoties, steam
shovels and other machinery in oper-
alton the rapid progress would have
been impossible. And without the
selection of proper material to stand
the climate, not forgetting 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 the repairs for the dredges and
other excavating machinery at the At
lantic and Pacific ends Of the canal,
respectively. This includes the barges
which carry the material away to
be dumped, some being self-propelled
and called by their French name
'clappets," as well as tugs, launches
and any sort of sea-going craft which
may be used
The largest shops are at Gorgona,
enlarged from the French shops at
this place, and here all the locomo-
tives and cars for the excavation work
as well as for the Panama railroad
are repaired. At times this shop mas
employed 1900 men. 1t is difficult
to see the necessity for such = large
shop until we stop to consider that
the isthmian canal commission rail
road, built solely in the Culebra cut
and for hauling the dirt Tor spoil"
as it is called) away from it, is about
the size of the Boston & Albany rail-
road. There are over 300 locomo-
tives and 1000 cars, and most of the
locomotives are big ones, weighing
over 100 tons each They are very
tives we usually think of in connec.,
ton with excavation work.
At Empire the steam shoveis arr
repaired and the shops employ about
700 men at times. 1t takes a lot Of
shop work to keep the dirt flying, but
they are kept at work with as little
delay as possible by a thoroughly or
ganized plan of action and corps Of
inspectors and workmen.
The inspectors visit each shovel as
it workA away, and not only get The
reports of the shovel engineers. but
look it over for weak spots and worn
parts. Any needed repairs are re-
ported to Empire by telephone so that
repair parts and supplies can be pre-
pared in advance.
After the dirt trains have stopped
running at p. m. the repair train
starts out from the Empire shops and
makes its rounds to the steam shovels
which are in need of its services. This
repair train consists of heavy To-
oomotive, large wrecking crane, 0
box car. which is fairly well equipped
machine shop. and another box car
filled with supplies and parts ordi-
narily used, such as bolts and nuts
packings and similar pieces.
| The train takes the small machine
shop directly Il the shovel to be re-
paired and in .nost cases does all that
is needed without leaving its position
or losing a minute from the work, ar
excellent example of real efficiency
Sometimes whole new arm or boom
is swung into place by the wreckine
crane and trip to Empire with its
attendant delay is avoided And these
arms or booms weigh several tons
and are not easy to handle But the
aim of everything is to keep things
moving and push the job through tc
completion.
At Empire, too, is the main air
COMPRISING plant of the largest air
compressing system in the world
Three stations-Las Cascadas, Empire
and Rio Grande-pump into about
fourteen miles of ten-inch pipe line
which carries compressed air to drive
the drills for preparing the rock fol
blasting.
Aside from the strictly repair worE
to the locomotives and cars the shop.
at Gorgona can be called the manu-
featuring shops of the zone. A gooc
sized foundry equipment is provided
for making iron, brass and stee
castings for all purposes needed il
the canal work. And while it is the
intention to buy as much material as
possible, it has been found necessary
to make many repair parts which
should have been made in the states
on account of the short-sighted policy
of some manufacturers in charging
exorbitant prices for repair parts. II
has repeatedly been found cheaper tC
make pattern and casting and ther
machine the casting than to pay the
price asked and wait for it to be made
Nearly all the machinery which
has gone to the isthmus has beer
found to require strengthening to
stand up under the severe work OF
the canal excavation. Crane arms have
| to be reinforced, car sides strength.
ened and other machinery parts in.
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