The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-12-27
Letters I'll tTIisC Children
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JOSEPH TOeKLiri pisaoR

work is being done with very high
degree both OF efficiency and hon
esty; and am immensaly struck hyj
the character Of American employees
who are engaged. not merely in SUI
perintending the work, but IN doing
all the Jobs that need sltill and in
telligence. The steam shovels. the
dirt trains, the machine shops, and
the Ike, are all filled with American
engineers, conductors. Machintsts,
boilermahers, carpenters. From tho
.op to the bottom these men are So
handy, so efficient, so energetic, that
1t is a real pleasure to look at them.
Stevens, the head engineer, is big
fellow, man of daring and god sense,
and burly power. All of these men
are quite as formidable, and would, IL
II were necessary, do quite as much
in battle as the crews Of Drake and
Morgan; but as 1t is, they are doing
a work Of infinitely more lasting con-
sequence. Nothing whatever remains
to show what Drake and Morgan did.
They produced no real effect down
here, but Stevens and his men are
changing the face Of the continent,
are doing the greatest engineering
feat Of the ages and the effect Of
their work will be felt while our civil
li2atton lasts. went over everything
that could possibly go over in the
time at my disposal examined the
quarters Of married and single men,
Write and negroes l went over the
grounds of the Gatun and La Boca
dams; went through Panama and
Colon, and spent a day in the culebFa
cut, where the great work is Nbemg
done. There the huge steam shoEels
one hard at It; scoopfng huge masses
OF rock and gravel and dirt pre-
viously loosened by the drillers and
dynamite blasters, loading it on trains
wldch take it away to some dump,
either in the jungle or where the
dams are to be built. They are eat
ing steadily into the mountain, cuts
ting it down and down. Little tracks
are laid on the ade-hills, ROCKS blast
ed out, and the great 95-tOn steam
shovel work up like mountain hoWttz-
eTS ulta they come to where they can
with advantage begin their work OF
eating into and destroying the noun
tainsde. With intense energy men
and machines do their task, the white
men supervising matters and handling
the machines, while the tens Of thou
sands OF black men do the rough
manual labor where it Is not worth
while to have machines do it 1t is
an epic feat, and one OF immense
significance.
The deluge OF rain meant that
many of the villages were knee-deep
in water, while the flooded rivers
tore through the tropic forests, 1t is
real tropic forest, palms and
bananas, breadfrlit trees, bamboos,
lofty celbas. and gorgeous butterflies
anu brilliant colored birds fluttering
among the orchids. There are beau
tiful flowers, too.
All my old enthusiasm for natural
history seemed to revive, and would
have given a good deal to have stayed
and tried to collect specimens. 1t
would be good hunting country, too;
deer, and now and then jaguars and
tapir, and great birds that they call
wild turkeys; there are alliSators IN
the rivers. One Of the trained nurses
from hospital went to battle in q
inol last August and an alligator
grabbed him, but was fortunately
scared away, leaving the man badly
injured,
tram2ed everywhere through the
mud, Mother did not do the toughest
york, and had time TO see more Of
the really picturesque and beautiful
see Of the life, and really enjoyed
herself.
P. S. The Gatun dam will make a
lake miles long, and the railroad now
goes on what will be the bottom of
j iris lake, and it was curious to think
that in few years great ships would
be floating in water 100 feet above
where we were.
| Ito Be Continued,)
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