Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-03-14
HOW BIG DAM WAS
BUILT IN JUNCLES

Odd Experiences Met In CONSTRUCTION
Work Through Wild country-cs.
iosnbians Ape Clothes and Aetiens q
Newcomers - Odd Labor Trevbles
Ariss-Many AlIisators Found.
Broadway, New York. looks good 10
four engineers who recently returned
from the Colombian jungle. where
they spent two years among . thou
sand laborerD Of all nations building
big concrete dam and power house in
connection with project 30 develop
the mining wealth OF the region. 8.
H. Clifford told the story Of their ex-
periences:
Labor troubles? You don't know
what they are until you tackle Job.
as we did. OF building dam across
San Juan creek, 3T5 miles from tho
Atlantic coast.
There were fifty Americans on tho
Job, and we put up = dam IS feet high.
200 feet across the crest and contain
ing $4,000 cubic feet Of concrete. A
similar job would have taken one year
in the States, but it took two down
there.
ITO begin with. we had about 800
natives, but it was impossible to do
anything with them. They never had
seen piece Of machinery before. and
every time we swung derrick around
they'd take fright and run hnlf a mile.
and It would take 'em half an hour to
recover sufficiently to return to work
1--WE finally educated them by bring
Ing down laborers from the canal zone.
who had been trained in American
methods. These men we put in re-
sponsible positions. and as the natives
we're good imitators they soon caught
on to the American way, and things
began 20 hum.
Natives Great lmitators.
1.-THE natives carried their passion
for imitation further, often with hu-
morous results. For example, Mt first
they wore very few clothes. After we
had imported the men from the canal.
all of them reasonably we'll clad and
wearing shoes. every native on the job
took to watching them closely. They
soon found out that the invaders were
getting more money, and they figured
out connection between wages and
clothes.
"At once 1t became the ambition Of
every native to own q pair of shoes.
and all Of them promptly bought. trad
ed for or stole a pair. SYSTEMATICALLY
they would wear the shoes out to work
So that their American bosses could
see them, but when they arrived on the
Job they would take them OF. They
couldn't stand the pinch OF civ1liza-
ton.
"Those natives were finished perform
ers In the drinking line. They would
drink anything they could get their
hands on and would spend almost ev'
cry cent of their pay envelope to get
the stun. Their favorite beverage waa
I 'aguadiente,' which is mostly alcohol
favored with anise.
"And this particular brand Of booze
had very interesting effect on them
though an inconvenient one for Ia
borers' camp. AS soon as they had
had three drinks they would start out
at once in search of those whom they
dislIked. They all carried macheees or
revolvers. and never knew pay day
to pass but what three or four of them
were killed.
Big Aliieators.
"One of the sights that tmpresses an
American in penetrating into tho In
terror of Colombia il the populous col
ony Of alligators on the banks OF the
Magdalena river. They literally cover
the sundbars. I counted 200 on one
bar alone. Here and there along the
river the natives have built little hall
moon shaped stockades into tho water
made by driving stakes into the sand
where their women can come down to
fetch water and battle safely.
"It's so commonplace for people TO DC
enten up by alligators that no one