The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-03-10
SYNOPSIS.

SYNOPSIS.
Kirk Anthony, son Of a rich man. with
college friends. gets into fracas In a
New York resort A detective Is hurt.
Jefferson Locke insinuates himself into
the college mems party.
Locke, aided by Kinks friend Higgins.
who thinks It a Joke, drugs Kirk and puts
him aboard ship bound for Colon. Kirk
ID on the passenger list as Locke,
Broke and without baggage, aboard
the ship Kirk makes the acquaintance OF
Mr.. and Mrs. Stephen Cortlandt
Cortlandt is In the American diplomatic
service and is going to Panama on a mis-
sion. In Colon Kirk, as the son OF big
railroad man. is taken up by Weeks.
American consul.
Kinks father regulates him. and Weeks
casts him out as an mpostor Kirk meets
Allan, Jamaican negro canal worker out
Of a Job The two are arrested by Colon
police for helping to put out fire
Kirk and Allan are treated brutaly in
a Colon Jail by young Afarez, command
ant Of police Allan's release is obtained
by the British consul. but Weeks refuses
TO aid Kirk. Mrs Cortlandt gets phone
call
Mrs. Cortlandt obtains kirk's release by
using influence with Colonel Jolson, head
of the canal The Cortlandts are in
trguing to make Alfarez's father pres
dent Of Panama
"Sure 1t sounds easy
You will start in with the p. r. r.,
Mr. anthony, under my doSpotic sway
81 know a little about rairoading."
$50 much the better There's a biz
railroad man by your name in the
states Are you related"
81 believe So" Kirk answered. quiet
~ go ahead with til" lesson"
THE canal zone is strip of land
ten miles wide running across the
Enthusiastically an American colony
you know. for we govern it. police il
and all that As for the work itself,
well. the fellows at the two ends of
the canal are dredging night and day
to complete their part. the lock build
get their share done first. the chaps in
the big cut are boring through the hills
like moles and breaking steam shovel
records every week, while we railroad
men take care Of the whole shooting
match. or course. there are other de
partments-sanitary engineering. com
missary. and so forth--all doing their
share, but that is the general scheme.
Everybody is trying to break records
Lord It's fierce"
"Why didn't you quit?" suggested An
thony.
Quit! What for? Good Lord. We
like 1t. Here we are at Pedro Miguel,
BY the way. Wen be into the cut
shortly"
To his left Anthony beheld another
scene somewhat similar to the one at
Gatun. Other movable steel cranes
with huge wide flung arms. rose out of
another chasm in which were extensive
concrete workings. From distance
the towers resembled parts of half
constructed cantiever bridge of ire
mendous height. Another army was
toiling at the bottom Of the pit, more
cars shunted back and forth. more
rock crushers rumbled; but, before
Kinks eye had photographed more
than a small part, the motor car had
n,,t N
bridge spanning the canal itself. To
the northward appeared an opening
cut through the hills and Runnels said
simply:
"Culebra,"
A moment later he announced: I'VE
leave the p. r. II. tracks here and
switch in on the l. c. c. Now you'll
begin to see something"
Down into the cut the little car went
and at last Anthony saw the active
pulsating heart of this stupendous I'M
dertaking. The low range was severed
by gorge blasted out by human hands
1t was mountain valley in the max
ing. High up on its sides were dirt
and rock trains. dozens Of compressed
air drills, their spars resembling tht
masts Of feet of catboats ut anchor
behind these grimy, powerful steam
shovcls which rooted and grunted quit,
like iron hogs Along the tracks at va
rious levels flowed a constant currcn
of traffic; long lines of empty car:
crept past the shovcS. then, filled t
OVERLOOKING sped away northward NJ
the valley, to return again and again
Nowhere was there any idlcncSs. no
where cold machine or man at rest
On every hand was smoke and steam
and sweat The drills chuggcd stead
lily, the hungry iron hogs gouged on
the trails the drills had looSened. tn
trains rolled past Mt intervals OF a mo
ment or so. Lines Of electric wire. cal
ried upon low wooden shears" para
leled the tracks, bearing the white no
sparks that rent the mountain. At ey
ery switch a negro fireman, crouche
beneath slanting sheet of corrugate