Page:The National Geographic Magazine Vol 16 1905.djvu/622

Rh 500,000 square feet roofing tile. 36,000 barrels cement (approximately). 3 steel water tanks and towers. 12 stand pipes. 2 ocean steamships.

The approximate total cost of our purchases was about $9,000,000. It should be borne in mind that at the time when orders for most of these items were placed the industries of the United States were crowded with domestic business and were unable, consequently, to make prompt deliveries. It should be borne in mind, also, that after machinery had been manufactured here and set up, it had to be taken apart, shipped two thousand miles over steamship lines already taxed to their full capacity, and on arrival on the Isthmus had to be again set up before ready for use. Then, too, on account of many reports as to the prevalence of yellow fever on the Isthmus, it was very difficult at a critical time for concerns furnishing material to get steamers to take it there, because of fear that their crews might become infected and their vessels might be quarantined when they wished to return to the United States. Finally, the steamers of the United Fruit Line from NewOrleans, which had been carrying a considerable amount of the freight going to the Isthmus, were put out of service on account of yellow fever in that city.

To the various causes of delay men- tioned is to be added the requirements of law, that all bids for materials used in government work shall be advertised for. This compels a delay in all cases of from ten to thirty days. Furthermore, in addition to the purchases for the canal, the following have been ordered for the Panama Railroad :

500 box cars — 40- ton. 12 caboose cars. 10 refrigerator cars. 6 passenger coaches. 24 locomotives. 2 wrecking cranes. 1 locomotive crane. 1 pile-driver. 3 track scales — 100- ton. 1 modern coal-hoisting plant. 1 cantilever crane for coal-hoisting plant.

In regard to all equipment purchases, both for the canal and the railroad, it should be stated that the gauge of the Panama Railroad, being wider than the standard gauge in the United States, made it impossible to use second-hand rolling stock of any kind; all locomotives and cars had, therefore, to be built to order. After the supplies reached the Isthmus we had to contend not only with the lack of terminal facilities and mechanical appliances already mentioned, but also with an inadequate equipment with which to distribute it to its destination or the force to handle it. These obstacles have been largely surmounted. The elimination of yellow fever and the establishment of better systems of hous- ing and feeding the employes have ena- bled us to recruit our working forces till those assigned to the material and sup- ply division now number over 2, 100 men.

I have so far, gentlemen, endeavored to give you an idea of the difficulties which we have had to encounter and overcome in order to make the Isthmus a place fit to work in and to collect the tools with which to work. So far as actual excavation and dredging are concerned, we have not endeavored to accomplish much. As a general principle, in which I think you will all concur, it is inadvisable to attempt to run a rail- road before the tracks are laid. We are now working, however, six steam shovels in Culebra Cut, which is the largest single factor in the construction of the canal, and have removed approximately 1,000,- 000 cubic yards of material. By this work we are accomplishing two things : First, we are putting the levels of the cut in proper condition for the installa- tion of the largest number of machines which can be effectively operated, and,