Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1913-08-06


torn down very soon.
These slides used to make us rath-
er Respondent, for II seemed as II 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 slipping 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 1t is both a slide
and a break
incidentally, that cut should be a
great place for geologists. have
found in 1t 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 we're 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." l asked.
IF had my say" said the colonel
emphatically, mot commercial yes.
sci would be allowed In the canal un.
I'll it is absolutely complete down to
the smallest detail. In some Of the
many safety devices we're not in op-
Grafton and an accident should result,
the canal would get a black eye from
which it might not recover for long
time. Officially, the time for the com.
pletion of the canal Is still January
/, 1915. 1t may be done before that
date, but in March of this year there
was still about $50,OO0,0OO 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 1t 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.. Tafts 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 three-ring
circus. don't know which way to
look" said one visitor to the zone.
1t is indeed scene of wonderful &C
tivity. Giant steam shovels are scat
tered through it, scooping up enor
nous masses of rock and earth; on
half a dozen tracks on as many diff
! ferent levels snorting and putting loco
motives are swiftly drawing loaded OF
empty dirt trains; along the lodges
are batteries of steam and com
pressed air drills, making holes for
dynamite; suddenly there is a toot
tootihgsof a steam whistle, hundred
men scurry to shelter, and a dynamite
blast fills the air with sound and dirt
and rocks. These blasts during work
hours are known as "dobie Shots" and
are fired for the purpose of breaking
up boulders too big for the shovels t.
handle, and to remove small masses
of earth Though small blasts, they
are decidedly noisy ones. The larger
ones, which loosen great areas Of ma
terial for the shovels, are fired only
when most of the workmen are Out
of the cut, between II and l O'Clock
and after 5.
The amount of dynamite used OF
the canal is extraordinary. For sew
eral years the annual average has
bcon about 100000 pounds. Put IL
another way one pound of dynamite
has been used to every IN cubic yards
of material blasted. When the drill
holes have been loaded, they are con
rected in parallel and fired by means
of a current from an electric plant
Colonel Gaillard when he took charg,
of the central division, found a differ
ent system Of firing in use in which
considerable proportion of thu
charges failed to explode. He changed
that, and at the same time instituted
other reforms in the manner Of han
ding dynamite. One result was
marked decrease in the number of &C
cidents from premature explosions.
Watching the steam shovels is a ia
vorite occupation of visitors who ven
ture down into the Culebra cut The,
seem almost human, and do a vas
amount of work Their dippers holt
five cubic yards Of material, weigh
ing on an average a little more thai
three tons. This spoil is emptied int
| cars of several kinds. Flat cars witt
one high side are unloaded by pillow
that are drawn the length of the trail
by cables upon a winding drum. TIL
others are dump cars, the largest o
which are operated by compressed al
from the locomotive. The trains hau
the spoil from the cut to DUMPING
grounds, which on an average ar
about ~ miles distant. Some $4,000
600 cubic yards of this material wa
used as filling for the long breakwa
ter at the Pacific entrance.