The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-05-30
Comedy Marked Early
Days in Canal Zone
How Deaf Boiler Makers Delayed Work and How Leroy
Park Kidnapped Spanish Laborers from Cuba Re-
counted in W. Leon PEPPERMINT Book.

In the early days of the regime of the
railroad men in the Canal Zone there was
a great demand for boilermakers. The
engineers in the zone requested that the
Civil Service Commission send twenty
without delay.
Some time elapsed. but the boiler
makers failed to put in an appearance
in Panama. One of the engineers ca
bled:
Why have You not sent boilermakers
as per my cable?'
From the Civil Service Commission
came the reply:
Forty applicants examined. All failed
account OF defective hearing"
The enra ged engineer sent the following
hot ca BILE in response:
Never knew of good boilermakers that
could hear. Send twenty of the deaf ap-
picants as soon as possible
This was one of the many instances OF
the ridiculous annoyances with which the
officials of the regime of the railroad
men at first had to contend when at
tempting to solve the gigantic labor
problem in the Canal Zone. 1t is related
nv w Leon Pepperman, chief OF the
office of administration of the Second
Isthmian Canal Commission. in his book,
Just from the press of =. p. Dutton & Co.
New York. entitled Who Built the Pan
anna Canal?'
PeriIs of Isthmus Exaggerated.
1T was not an easy matter to get good
men to go to Panama. even with the
advantage of a big wage and month
vacation with pay each year. says the
author. Ambitious young mechanics.
who look ahead. realized that the canal
job could only last a few years at most.
and that the great ma jority Of the work.
TO
United states to seek employment when
the ditch was completed. Naturally the
stories Of death by fever and pesulence
on the isthmus that reached this country.
exaggerated beyond the actual horrors
of the situation. proved an effective de-
terrent."
Theodore P Shonts, head of the rail-
road mems regime and now president
of the Interhorough Metropolitan Com
pany. of New York. was aware Of the
success met in the use of Spanish labor
in railroad building in Cuba. and he
sent LEROY Park. one of the most active
agents of the department of labor and
quarters. to reconnoiter on that island.
The President Of Cuba opposed the re-
moval of Spanish laborers to Panama.
But Mr.. Park realized that they We're
just the men to break the labor monop-
oily on the canal, SO he decided to hire
80 of them without the Presidential con-
sent. He chartered an English ship that
lay in the harhor and put 800 of the
Spaniards aboard when local labor agi-
tators managed to disaffect them with
the Panama enterprise.
Mr.. Park. who believed that it was
sometimes worth while in an emergency
to subordinate means to an end. sent
the vessel out from shore, with his men
still aboard: and to prevent their be-
ing taken off by harbor craft hoisted
the yellow flag, SAYS the author. The
United States official in charge of the
harbor was inclined to order the flag
down. hut a cable sent by Mr.. Park
to Washington brought him immediate
orders not to interfere. and the 800
Spanish laborers duly were landed on
the lSthmus.
The Spanish workmen proved so sat
isfactory TO the canal organizat ton that
Mr.. Park was dispatched TO Europe TO
procure more Of them on their own
soil. He became impressed with the fact
that although the Saniards did not OBJ
jeCt So much t" the emigration of Ia
horers, they disiked the existence of an
American labor agency in Spain, and
ne, therefore. established headquarters
in Paris, using the Spanish agents of
the French steamship lines to recruit
workers for Panama. whittier they sail
ed from French portA
Food Problem Was Serious.
The food supply proved a serious
corollary nj the labor problem at Pam
ANA, according to the author. 1t was
learned from experience that no price
for food was sufficiently small to in
duce inc west lndlah Iaoorers TO eat
ehouSn I" Keep Ihem IN sood physlcal
I ''o". i"eN were oHeted cooked
lou a. w GEMS meal ana the I'M
YUM" "''t'e 'dt al price reduced by
INC '"S' VI SooNlHI anu service. both
Pid NJ result" uhSa ''SIdct"rlIy- Inc ex-
Per iihtht Vas u IL" even OF giving them
L h'""Neu Io"u iite' nut theY oecnnen
l" :" l" me 'ioH"Ie Oh 'oohlhS IL. men
II was C"oheu an" onerea 10 mem tree'
" men lot ti'e mrs Time 'heN ate heart-
lay. ne Ptdn '"tm was adopted "hich
- I"!l"We" Ih '"Ii"aS ana otheF cor,
; u "Cli"'' M"ih III ''iS country anu
Inc west lh"lahS were pAln nAed
"aet Per o"!' "hich lhcluned thelr
ne importance q! tne aIana ran.
I'd" HS factor IN the cohst ruction OIL
ne Cahal Is emphasized by the autnor
IN deN",ihe an "h'ire cnd pier TO II. he
states 'nat IL was called INTO existence
largely ny the california gold craze OF
l"4'' neihE 'ne HtS' COAST -to-codst rail-
I"au !" the h'St"fS OF Anne ica.
Nheh the regime oil the fallroao men
,onlm need' they louhd the ROAD In
lePIoraoie c"hoition. 'ahai ana COM
'C'dl' i"C"l Hi'u 'ousn' were
~ standsuiI' 'housahus Oh IONS VI
hroueh ireiSht was pIieo In cars ana
"arehoHSes OF on tne aoehs. ana some
u 'hesf shipments haa lain unuis-
urnto from 'nree TO elShteeh months
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