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

Il
All through the day drills operated
by compressed air bored into the rock
In the cut for twenty four feet A
small charge Of powder was set or nj
the bottom OF these holes to enlarge
them for the real charge Of AZ much
as 300 rounds Then after the men
had quilt for the noon hour or after 5
O'Clock In the afternoon the charges
were set of by electric current Many
struck by 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 i've rubk yards at dip. swung
around and dropped the six or seven
tons upon the cars. Frequently they
lifted rocks so heavy that the cars
were broken s.
From 80 to It's trains day loaded
with excayated materials left the Guile,
bra cnt for the dumps A great deal
went To build the mighty Gatnn dam:
much has been used in'reclaiIning near
~ 400 acres fran the ocean at Balboa.
the Pacific terminal: the new pausma
railrpad required millions Of yards In
making fills. aud the breakyater ut
Balboa also took a considerable
amount. What could not be us9fully
lemployed was wasted on dumps. The
average haul from the cut has been
Twelve miles. but as much as thirty
miles was Travelled By some " the dirt
trains. Twenty HAT cars constituted .
train. and one eur could rBe fohded by
a shotel In two and il half minutes, or
with seven scoopfuls of earth and rock.
When the trains got to the dumps an
unloading plow was drawn By Il steel
cable over the bat cars. sweeping the
material OF the side which WAS open.
Then spreaders were pushed over the
track to shove the material to one side
and down the embankment. Track
shutters later calne along aud moved
the track over to the edge of the I'LL
Between 100000 and I.500.OO0 yards
went out of the cuiebra cut every
month since December, 1907.
The employees were carried from
the varions towns to tlIefr work IN the
cut or on the locks .and dams by labor
trains. These trains took them TO their
homes or the hotels for the noon meal.
consuming from ten minutes to half
an hour In the journey. But as the
rest period at noon was for two hours
in the capal zone ample. time for eat
Ing was allowed.
In the NINTH Of March. 1909. more
dirt was taken out than In the tirst
twenty-five months Of operations The
excavation in one month usually ex-
ceeded an amount equal to the pyra-
mid of Cheops. which is 80 feet
square and 45I feet. high, The canal
force of 1909. 1910 and fO1i would
have dug aud finished the Suez canal
March. 1911. retains ths record for the
greatest excavation In the cut when
LI2&74S yards were removed. and this
also Ii the record month for excava-
ton for the whole canal. with u total
removal Of 3.32T.443 yards. The aver
age daily output Of steam shoyels rose
from 800 yards IN 1905. when only dirt
was handled. to 1900 yards III 1917.
when rock predominated The cost. In
the, central division has ranged from
10 cents a yard to 81 cents yard.
with an average of 81 cents. from 1904
to 1900 and fell to 81 cents inr19ll-12.
Rains interferred with the excava-
ton work IN the cut. reducing the out
put In the rainy season several hundred
thousand yards month. During the
downpours operations were suspended.
but the cut was dug at u slant on both
sides ~of the mountain system. 80 that
water was drained out Of It by. gravity.
running out at both ends. Rivers
which crossed the line Of the canal
were diverted by digging new. chan
nels FOR them.
Almost at the windup of operations
the canal diggers made the highest rec
ords for excavation. On April IL. 1912
forty-four steam shovels took out g.
sos yards In the cut. which Is the rec
ord for one day In that division
Steam shovel No. 25T working at Ga
tun took out 1854 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 record by removing &c.
S44 yards in twenty-six working days.
That part OF the central division
which Is little mentioned extends from
the Gatun locks TO the entrance OF the
Culehra cut. about twenty-three miles.
Only about 12.4O0.O00 yards had to be
exeavated to. complete this channel. as
it follows the Chagres river valley
from about sea level TO Bohio; then
the level rises until It reaches forty