Arizona republican., 1913-04-17
The Greatest Work Ever Undertaken by Man Is Nearing Completion by Genius of Col. Goethals Backed by Government
DESCRIPTION OF TT
 AT FIRST HANDS
The Keynote Is Co-opera- tion-The Personal h. terest and Pride of All Engaged in Any Capacity
 in the Great Enterprise

The latter part of March party consisting of MT. and Mrs. A. C. Bartlett, Miss Bartlett. MT. and Mrs. Dwight B. Heard and their son. Bartlett Heard, left for visit to the Panama canal. MT. and Mrs Heard and their son have just returned and Mr. Heard yesterday made the following state ment relative to the Big Ditch:"
 It is in way, a liberal education io visit the Panama canal It is hard for one to realize how enor- Glously big this job is until on the ground. but the efficient and econo- nIical way in which our government is accomplishing the task of break ing the backbone of the continent, makes one very proud to be an American. The spirit of real CO., opera tion shown in this work is in spring and it is significant that ev- eryone on the job, from the boy who carries the water bucket, to the en- Gneers who direct the work. say we and refer invariably to our canal
 The real corner stone of success seems to be the recognition that the men who do the work must live un- der conditions of health and content ment, and the changing by the sanitary division. Of what was really a pes tilential jungle into an exceedingly Es t,1- unit hn 1 n rate averages only about the same as in the city of New York, is cer- ia inly great achievement.
 Colonel Goethals. in charge of the work. is a truly great man. simple. direct. an engine of energy. and with a keen eye to low unit costs. d fine sense of justice and a keen interest in human problems. The men all swear by him. he seems to have succeeded in inspiring every man on the work with absolute confidence in the success of what he is doing While under the executive rulings made by president Roosevelt Goethals is an absolute autocrat in results and on every Sunday morn lnS any IldH OIl tlic JOb, Iloiil lllc humblest Jamaican laborer to the heads of divisions, may have per sonal hearing with the colonel.
 Someone has well described the administration of the canal zone as 6 benevolent despotism: others have claimed that it is training school for socialism. This may be true but what the American people are interested in is the fact that the canal is being well and economically built and that there is no question but what it will be ready for use be- fore the estimated date of the open Ing, January 1st. 1915, and that il will not exceed in cost the fina estimate of s375,000,000.
 At first the labor problem was 2 very difficult one but conditions ir the canal zone have been made SC satisfactory that this problem nc longer exists The men are wet paid, housed and fed Excellent meals. for the Americans, or gold men. are furnished at the well ar ranged and managed government mess houses for soc per meal tt canal employees. the same meal belnt furnished outsiders at soc. att at one of these commissary messe: and found the fare excellent. Spe ciaI inducements are offered tt Americans to enter the canal ser vice Married men from the state are encouraged to bring their ram lilies to the zone. and many or tn canal camps are more like attractlv suburban villages than constructor camps The children of canal em ployes are transported free to an' from most excellent schools. wher the standards are exceptionally higl and where. in addition to free tuit1ol free text books are also furnished
 Many means of healthful recrea tion and amusement are provided Il the zone by the government, in tn shape of ba seball and cricket fields tennis courts and an excellent an we'll equipped series of Y. M. C. buildings. with gymnasiums, bowl ing alleys, etc. The men seem | appreciate the excellent treatmen given them and give proportions return in the intense interest show in their work.
 During the heavy portions or Tn work about 10000 men were em pioyed. of whom nearly 5000 wer Americans. The common laborer are principally West India negroe: mostly from the islands of Jamaic and Barbs does-also groups of Spa niards Italians. Hindoos and Greek: although most of the last named lei the canal zone and returned to thei country to fight under the colors a the outbreak of the Bulgarian Turkish war.
 We reached Colon. the Atlanti terminus of the canal Monda, March 31st leaving the followin Saturday From Colon the canal eS tends southeast across the isthmt fifty miles to the Pacific entrant