The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1914-06-06

process. Get the 1dea?'
Sure. 1t sounds easy
"You will start in with the P. r. R.,
Mr.. Anthony. under my despotic sway"
II know a little about railroad1ng."
$50 much the better. There's a big
railroad man by your name in the
states. Are you related?"
IL believe So" Kirk answered. quiet
". go ahead with the lesson" ::
1.-THE canal zone is a strip of land
ten miles wide running across the
Enthusiastically an American colony.
you know. for we govern it. police it
and all that. AS for the work itself,
WE'LL. the fellows at the two ends Of
the canal are dredging night and day
TO- complete. their part. the lock build
ers are laying concrete like mad. to
get their share done first. the chaps in
the big cut are boring through the hills
Ike moles and breaking steam shovel
records every week, while we railroad
men take care Of the whole shooting
match. OF course. there are other de-
MISUNDERSTANDING 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
Vke it. Here we are at Pedro Miguel,
BY the way. Well 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
mother chasm in which were extensive
concrete workings. From a distance
the towers resembled parts of a half
constructed cantilever 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 small part, the motor car had
sped past and was rolling out upon a
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: 1--WE
leave the P. r. r. tracks here and
switch in on the I. 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 un-
dertaking. The low range was severed
by gorge blasted out by human hands.
It was a mountain valley in the max
Ing High up on it's sides were dirt
and rock trains, dozens Of compressed
air drills, their spars resembling the
lnasts Of feet Of oatboats at anchor
behind these grimy, powerful steam
shovels which rooted and grunted quite
like iron hogs. Along the tracks at va
rious levels; flowed a constant, current
Of traffic; long fines Of empty cars
crept past the shovels. then, filled to
oyerdowing, sped away northward up
the valley, to return again and again.
Nowhere was there any idleness, no
svhere cold machine or a man at rest.
On every hand was smoke and steam
and sweat. The drills chugged stead
lly, the hungry iron hogs gouged out
the trails the drills had loosened, the
trains rolled tpast at intervals of a mo-
ment or So. Lines of electric wire, car
ried upon low wooden Shears" paral-
fleled the tracks, bearing the white hot
sparks that rent the mountain. At ev-
eH switch a negro fireman, crouched
beneath slanting sheet Of corrugated
Iron. seeking shelter alike from flying
fragments and the blazing sun. From
- the drill1 came occasional sub