Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-08-06
By WILLIAM R. SCOTT

All through fhP day drills operated
by compressed mir bored into the rock
In the cnt for twenty four feet. A
small charge OF powder was set OF at
the b0tfmn OF these holes 10 enlarge
them for the real charge Of M much
az 100 rounds Then after the men
had quit for the noon hour or after s
O'Clock IN the afternoon the charges
were set OF by electric current Many
| persons have been killed by being
struck bf rocks hurled long distances
In these blasts The next morning the
!. steam shovels found plenty OF food for
their hungry jaws. which BIT OF four
or five cubic yards at n dir. swung
around and dropped the six or seven
tons upon the ears Frequently they
lifted rocks so heavy that the cars
were broken ..:s-..,.s...
From lM to LIS trains day loaded
with exeavutpd materials left the Guile,
bra cut for the dumps A great deal
went to build the mighty Gatun dam:
much has been used In retflaimlnG near
" 40 acres frnn the ocean at Balboa,
the Pacific .tefRlinnt; the new Pansma
railroad required millions OF yards In
making Ellis. and the breakwater ut
Balboa also took n considerable
amount. Whit could not be usefully
employed was wasted on dumps. The
average haul from the cut has been
twelve miles. but as much as thirty
miles was Travelled by some Of the dirt
trains. Twenty Hat cars constituted 4
train. and one car could be Ioaded By
with seven scoolfuIs Of earth and rock,
When the trains got to the dumps an
unloading pillow WIS drawn. by a steel
cable over the. tiiit cars. sweeping the
material OF the side which WAS open.
Then spreaders were pushed OYER the
track To shove the material to one side
and down the enA,anknentH Truck
shifters later caiDe along and moyed
the track over to the edge Of the. oil.
Between .l.uO0. 600 and l.5tO.OO0 yards
went out Of the Culebra cut every
month since December. 1907.
The, employees were CARRIED from
the various towns to their work In the
cut Or on the locks ,lnd dams 10y labor
trains. These trains took theni to their
homes or the hotels for THE noon meal,
consuming FROM ten minutes to half
an hour In tue Journey. But as the
rest period ut noon was for two hours
In the canal zone ample time for eat
ing was allowed.
In the uknth OF March. 1909. more
dirt was taken out than I'm the tirst
twenty-five months Of operations. The
excavation Ia one month usually ex-
ceeded AN amount equal to the pyra-.
mid Of Cheops. which Is $50 feet
square and .45l feet. high. The canal
force OF 1909. 1910 .and 1911 would
have dug and finished the Suez cahak
March. 1911, retains the record for the
greatest excavation In the cut. when
l.I2&74S yards were removed. and this
also Is the record month for exnya.
ton for the whole canal. with Il total
removal or 3.:3,:o.5.443 yards. The aver
age daily output OF steam shoyels rose
from 80 yards In le05 when only dirt
was handled. to LOO yards In 1911.
when rOck predominated The cost In
the. central division has ranged from
10 cents, d Gard to ~ CENTS a yard.
with, an average OF 81 cents. from 1904
to 1903 and fell to 81 cents In i91i.12.
Rains interferred with, the excayae
ton work III the cut. reducing the out
put In the rainy season several hundred
thousand yards mouth During the
downtioufS operations We're suspended.
but the cut was dug at Il slant on both
sides Of the mountain system. so that
water was drained out of 1t by gravity.
running out at both ends. Rivers
which crossed the line Of fhe canal
We're diverted by digging new chan
nels for them. T. 80 "
Almost at the wiBdup Of operations
the canal diggers nude the highest rec
ords for excavation. On April II. 1912.
forty -four steam shoyeE took out g.
sos yards In the cut. wlfirh Is -tife rec
ord for one day In that division.
Steam shovel No. 25T working sat Ca
tHn took out 5.5J4 yards In one day.
the highest record In the. canal zone
for one shovel. the date being May 2,
1912. and In August. 1912. the same
shovel made 4 record by removing &c.
s44 yards In twenty-lA working days.
That part Of the central division
which Is little mentioned extends from
the Gatun locks to the entrance OF the
Culebra cut. about twenty-three miles.
Only about 12.400O00 yards bad to be
excayated to complete this channel. as
It follows the Chagres river valley
from about sea level to BobIo; then
the level rises until 1t reaches forty
eight xec. :hnrc gen Ieyel nj the cut