Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 1913)
PAGE FOUR Mechanical Phase of Canal Fred A. Cnlvin Telia of Elements Tlmt Enter Into the Great Pnnnma Waterway The Fan.imn oanal hns succeeded. That in now to ho taken for granted. Ilcforo bo very long It will have brought together tho two groat nldcs of tho world, To tho connnerco of tho world tho canal opens new fields, van territory, closed before by tho tlnio and expense of tho long voyago around the shoulder of a continent. Tho waters of tbo Pacific ocean lavo the shores of tho lands wherein dwell one-half tho population of tho world. To theso peoplo tliero will como through tho canal tho civilization of tho modern times. Through tho canal will tail tho twin goddesses of health, Uyglcno and Sanitation. Upon tho dis-case-ridden cast tho prophylactic touch of Yankeo methods of right living will descend as a benediction. It Is our canal, too. It was mado powlblo by American knowlodgo and American pluck and American in gcnnlty. Whcro tho French and tho English and tho Spaniards, if wo go back far into tho history of tho Panama country, failed, thoro havo wo worked a mlraclo, a wonder of sclcnco and intelligence, a boon to tho wholo world. There is in tho Panama canal much ground for national pride. It is to bo hoped that tho administration of tbo canal shall find ltfl measuro in tho remarkablo standard of its building, Tho article that is to follow wan written by Fred A, Oolvin, as slsUnt editor of "Tho Amorican Machinist." It treats in a compro slvo way tho mechanical sldo of tho digging of tho world's greatest ditch, Ed. OKI than any other umlcrlnk hig In tho world's history, jierlmpK, tho I'nnnrnn cnnnl Is duo to tho combined dovolop mcnt of many clement of civilization "Whllo tho French cnlneerM fulled to rotnpleto tho cnnnl, wo must retnein her that no one could hnvo Miiccecdcd lit tlmt time, and wo must ulvo them credit for courage, rnfrlnvcrlng nblllty mid n ercdltabla nehlevcinotit. Vilthont n Colonel Gorans to first rlimlnato tho mosquito ntul mnko tho canal xono not only llvablo but com forinblo and oven nttnirtlvo tho cnnnl would novor havo been built. Without tho modern developments of oxenvnt ing machinery find of concreto tho great locks nt Uatun, Pedro Mlguol and Mlrnflore nnd tho nlno-tnllo cut nt Culobra would novcr hnvo been completed within n rensonnblo time. Without tho repnlr shops nt Cristobal, Oorgona, Kmplro nnd Jlnthon to keep tho locomotives, steam shovels nnd cither machinery In operation tho rapid progress would havo been impossible And without tho selection of proper inntorlal to stand tho cllmntc, not for getting tho too often overlooked Item of belting, tho cost In delays nnd In nctual money might bo difficult to compute. Tho shops nt Cristobal nnd llullion handle tho repairs for tho dredges nnd other excavating mnehlnery nt tho At lantic nnd I'aclfio ends of tho cnnnl respectively, TIiIn Includes tholinrgo which carry tho material nwny to bo dumped, snmo being self-propelled nnd culled by their French nniiiii "clnp pets," nil well ns tugs, launches nnd nny sort of son-going craft which may bo used. Tho largest simps nro nt (lorgomi, enlarged from the French shops nt this place, nnd hero nil tho locomotives mid ears for tho oxenvnt Inn work ns well ns for tho I'niinmn railroad nro reiHilrud, At times this shop has m ployed 1,800 ntmi. It Is difficult to co tho nociwslty for such n largo shop until wu slop to consider tlmt tho Isthmian Cnnnl Commission railroad, built solely In tho Culebrn cut nnd for hauling tho dirt (or "spoil," us It Is ended) nwny from It, In nbout tho also nf tho llimtmi & Allmny railroad. Tliero' nro over .100 losoinotlvi" nnd 1,000 onrs, nml most of tho loeoino tivos nro lilg oiitw, woliihlug over 100 tons one.li. 'I'lioy nro very unllko tho tisiml coutriictorM' loeomotlvos wo usually tliluk of In eoiinoetlou with ox envutlon work. At Hmplro tho stonm shovels nro repnlriM mid the shops employ nbout 7M) men nt time. It tokm n lot of hop work to keep tho dirt flying, but they nro kept ut work with us little delay ns powlblo by ft thoroughly or ganised plan of nation nnd n corps of inspector mid workmen, The Indicators visit onh shovol ns it works nwny, nml not only gets tho reportx of tho shovol engineer, but look It over for weak spots mid worn arts. Any iicimIimI ropnlrs nro re ported to Hmplro by telephone ho tlmt rqwilr parts nnd supplies win bo pro pared In mlviiiioo. After tho dirt trains hnvo stopped ruunlug at 5 p. in., tho rejxilr trnlu stnrts out from tho Kmplro shops nud makes Us rounds to the steam shovels which nro in need of its services. This rejiolr train eoimUU of htmvy loco motive, n largo wrooklug ernuo, n bos ear, which Is it fairly well equipped maobluo shop, mid another bos ear filled with supplies mid parts ordinar ily used, such ns bolts nnd nuts, pack ings, nnd similar pieces. Tho train takes the small mnchlno shop directly to tho shovel to bo ro paired nnd In most cases does nil tlmt is needed without its leaving its post tlou or losing n mlnuto from tho work nn excellent oxnmplo of real efficiency. Sometimes n wholo now nrm or boom is swung Into plaeo by tho wrecking emtio mid n trip to Kmplro with its nttondnut delay is nvolded, Andtheso arms or booms weigh sovcrnl tons nnd nro not easy to hnndlo. Hut tho nlm or ovcrythlng Is to keep things mov ing nnd push tho Job through to com plotlon. At Kmplro, too, Is tho matn nlr compressing plant of tho largest nlr compressing system In tho world. Three stations Lns Cascndas, Kmplro nnd itlo U rn ml o pump Into nbout 11 miles of JOInch pipe Una, which car ries compressed nlr to drive tho drills for preparing tho rock for blnstlng. Asldo from tho strictly repnlr work to tho locomotives mid cars tho shops nt Uorgonn enu ho called tho innnu- factoring shops of tho zone. A irood sired foundry equipment Is provided for mnklng Iron, brass nnd steel cast ings for nil purposes needed In tho canal work. And while it Is tho inten tion to buy ns much mnterlnl ns pus slide, It hns been found necessary to mnko ninny repnlr parts which should havo been mado In tho Stntes on nc count of tho short sighted policy of jomo liiiinufnotiirers In elinrglng oxer bltnnt prices for repnlr parts. It has repeatedly been found cheaper to mnko a pattern and n enstlug nnd then mnchlno tho cnstlng than to pay tho price nsked mid wnit for it to bo made, Nearly nil tho machinery which hns genu to tho Isthmus has been found to requlro strengthening to stand up tin dor tho sovero work of tho cnnnl ox- rnvntlon. Crime arms hnvo to bo rein forced, car sides strengthened nnd other mnehlnery wirt increased in proportion. The old French mils hnvo been largely used for such reinforcing mid there seems lo bo no end of them. They mnko excellent I-benms for tho sides of dump nnd other ears mid nro nlso used in reinforcing concrete structures in many places, oven Includ ing tho edgos of curbing for streot Hidewnlks. Bridges of short spans hnvo nlso beeu built of these mils, nud they Ijuvo been put to more lines tlmn can bo mentioned offhnnd. Whoever bought them bought them with great liberal ity, to put tho mntter mildly. Kverythlng nbout tho wholo cnnnl is on a big scale, oven though tho suc cess of the largest may depend on tho proper working out of tho smnller do tnlls. The locks nt Ontun will lift tho vessels 85 feet from the sea level to tlmt of tho hike, which is formed by tho huge (Intuit dam. Tho lnko will cover 101 squiire miles and flow tho water from tho locks nt (latun through tho great Culobra cut and to the looks on tho Pacific sldo ut Pedro Miguel. Tho locks will uceommodnto vessels 1,000 feet long by 110 feet wide and drawing -IS feet of water. Put ns tho ttvernge vessel in tho tropical trado Is under GOO feet long, auxiliary or in termediate gates nro provided so that 10 per cent of the witter for locking vessels can bo wived unless the vessel exceeds 000 feet. The On tun locks nro nbout 1 1-3 miles long, of solid concrete, nud form the largest concreto structure In tho world. They lire double, to allow tho passage of vessels iu both directions at the same time If Necessary. KloctrU lHMitlVes nhend, behind and on both Md trill tow the vewvU through th locks, both to save lime nnd to pro vent damage to the themselves, The overflow of the Oslun dnm will provide electric itower t"t tho locomo lives nnd prnkoMy for nil tho uses of power nlnng tho (,'ansl s.ono. The loek gates are Msl structures, each lesf weigh. ns; shout -'10 tons. They sre nbout 77 feet high. 0" feet wldo and 7 feet tblek. There nro OS lenves for there nro 4(1 pairs f gates. An Iden of their bulk may ik hnd by not Ing that if they were Inid flat, ono on top of tho other, the ptla would bo higher than the Hinder tower. Th riveting problem is mIm interesting, Counting 300 rivets ns a good dny'j wurk for n single gang of riveters, it would tnkc them a year to rivet up n sluglo lenf, or 02 years to complototho lot. Tho wholo ndinlnlslrnilon of the shop and storehouses Is tinder tho army in its various branches. The stores como tinder tho quiirtermnstor's depart mcnt, nnd tho storehouses nro splcn didly kepi in every wny. Kmploycs nil hnvo n brass check or tag slmiln to n baggage tag bearing their num Iter. This tag is tho open sesame to all commission stores. Hero tho cm ployes enn buy nnythlng nt cost, turn ally much chenper than tho tamo thing can bo secured in Now York or nny northern city. At Cristobal nro tho main store houses, tho government Ico factory, Ico crenm factory, bakery and' lnundry, early every morning tho supply train usually of 21 cars, stnrts out to supply tho smaller storehouses and distrlbut Ing points along tho Isthmus. And tbero nro very fow of tho necessities nnd oven luxuries which cannot bo ro cured from tho main stores and sent to you nt short notlco. Thcso seem strange when wo think of canal digging, but show conclusively that It is tho attention to details tlmt brings success no matter how largo tin enterprise. Men would not stay until tho surroundings wero healthy and con genial. This meant comfortablo quar ters for their wives and children. This In turn necessitated tho adoption of a complcto school system, including n high school which ranks second to nono ns a preparatory school for col lego. It also meant recrcntton center nnd Y. M. O. A. buildings for tho men nnd women's clubs for tho women. All strangely out of plnco nnd n seeming extrnvngnnco in n tropical cllmnto nnd for n temporary Job, but nil nbsolutely nocessnry to tho successful building of tho cnnnl In record tlmo ns hns boon ilono. This snmo thing has been carried out In tho detail of shop mnnngemcnt and tho buying of proper materials to work with. Wo go into lnrgo or small ma chlno shops nml pny nil our nttention to the machines nnd never sen tho bolts that drive them nnd without which they would be of nlmost no use. And tho belt problem is ono of tho worst that comes up, especially in shops in tropical countries. Tho Idcns of heat in tho Canal xono are apt to bo exaggerated, ns tho torn pernturo rarely goes over 03 degrees ml sunstrokes nro unknown. Hut heat 1 not tho only fnetnr In these climate. Imagine sitting down nt the tnbto on n dninp, rainy day nnd pressing with our knife nn tho snlt in tho salt cel lar and see molsturo stand In drop ou the knife. Snlt shaker nro out of tho question, nud envelopes nro mndo without gum to prevent their being accidentally sealed when not wnutod. Ms gives you some iden of tho damp ness in the ntmnsphere. It is not so hot ns you expect, but you perspiro nt tho slightest provoca tion and sometimes without any provo cation at nil. Your clothes may be damp lit tho morning, nlmost wet, in fact, unless you put them iu tho tight wordrobe usually provided. And your boot ttiwst on getting mouldy' unless they nro wiped dry when put nwny, mid oven this 1 not a sure preventive. And then imagine what a belt is up against. It must bo dependable day nftor day. Tho senson may be dry or wet, tho ntmoiphero saturated or dried out by tho close proximity to a boiler or other hentiug apparatus, but tho bolt must go on doing its duty or the ma chines cannot run nud tbo shovels and locomotive enunot bo repaired. Tbon, too, there is oil around tho machinery to contend with, all of which makes tho conditions especially trying. Ordinary belting stretches with tho moisture contract when it dries out n bit, open at tho lap and has to bo cut constantly to keep the length so it will pull tho machine. Two or three ply belting is very apt to part com pany nnd bo of little value ns a driver of machinery of nny kind. Hero again careful attention to dc tall saved tho day and mado steady and continuous work possible In tho shops. What is known as tho Duxbnk belting solved tho problem nnd wlpod out all tho delays due to poor belts which had previously been oxpcrlcnecd. Over 18,000 feet of this belting, soma of it under tho most trying conditions, has given tho best results in every case. None of tho ndverse conditions af fected tho belting iu nny way and loss of time from this enuse wns eliminated inn nil tho shos. And while belting may seem like a small item In the building of the great cnnnl, It is not difficult to Imagine the long delny mid the increased expenso If tho shovels nnd locomotives hnd been compelled to llo idlo day nftor day while ordinary belting wns giving out, mnklng it Impossible to run the inn-chines. Domestic Economy Cabbages should bo placod iu bar rels, tho roots uppermost. A soft rag moistened with' lemon Juice nnd then dipped In silver whit ing will bo found excellent for denn ing plnuo keys, Lnmps will not smoko If with a sharp pair of scissors tho wick is trimmed tho shnpo of tho burner nnd n small V is cut from tho center. Palms nnd other foil ago plants can be kept clean of scale and other in sects by washing tho lenves with reapy water nnd rinsing Immediately thereafter. Jsovcr envy too people seeing a show from n box. They get a flno view of tho actors' mnkoup nml enn sea what's going on in tho wings. That's nbout nil, too. When silk Is spotted with grease rub It with French ehnlk or magnesia, then hold tho spotted portion near the firo. Tho ehnlk will absorb tho grcaso and enn bo brushed off, tnklng tho grcaso with it. To get a good light from nn oil lamp the wicks must bo changed when thoy becomo clogged. Soaking wicks In vinegar 24 hours before putting them in tho lamps aids in getting it clear flame. When baking cookies uso n lnrgo dripping pan. Turn It bottom sldo up nnd plnco tho cookies on tho bot tom of tho pan. Thoy bnko quicker and do not burn ns onslly ns when put into tho pan. Paint splashes on a door may bo fomoved by soaking them for a short timo in benzino or turpentine, then rubbing them with emery paper or a Uttlo pulverized pumlco stone, nppllcd with A dnmji cloth, Tho old-fnahloncd emery cushion Is a most useful possession to tho ncodla womnn, cspcelslly when working In hot weather. Pasting n ncedlo through u emery cushion two or three times pol ishes it, nnd makes It pass through tcrials smoothly. Aluminum thread Is tho noweH thing for chochuting handbags, nnd it has the ndvnntngo of not tarnishing. Tho effect is soft nnd lustrous and it Is Just tho thing to go with tho gnvys that havo so lmportnnt n plnco in this season's costumes. A small squnro cushion which would bo especially nice for n guestroom is covered with liluo silk, nnd over this n filet lneo cover of white Is drawn. This dnlnty bit of blue nud whlto in then supplied with blue and whlto bonded pins, neatly nrranged, all ready for tho guests' tiso. Tho chenlllo embroideries nro as- other novelty of tho season. Dull col ors nro used for tho portion of tho de sign carried out in tho chenlllo, while petals nro frequently composed of pieces of satin nppliqued on, and out lined with n dull gold cord tacked on. Velvet is used ns n foundation. Whlto frocks nnd blouses or under clothing that havo a bad color should bo first soaked in cold wntor to which a Httlo ammonia has been ndded and then given a lemon bleach j that Is, a largo lemon should bo cut into slices, rind mid nil boiled up in tho boiling pan or small copper. When nt full boiling point put In tho linens and muslins nnd boll for 20 mlnutos. f Used Cars at A WRITTEN GUARANTEE backed by the responsibility of Tho Winton Motor Cur Co. goes with every car A GOOD REBUILT CAR I worth twice as much and costs much less than a cheap Sacrifice Prices Various Makes prMo Various Styles OVJ V2XS These enra must all be sold in 30 DAYS HIGH-GRADE QUALITY LOW-GRADE PRICES YOU need not put up with a chenp, underpowered, errtmped little cnr. Right now you enn get for yourself a high-powered, high-grade cnr at a price regardless of cost Wo guarantee all these cars. That's your protection. A Written Guarantee, backed by integrity and re sponsibility of this company, goes with each car. We must sell every used car we hnvc, and we're not going to quibble about price. Wo have something to satisfy every taste and every pocket book. When you own one of these high-grade automobiles, when you enjoy tho distinction of driving a cnr of class, when you realize that this sale makes it possible for you to enjoy the top limit of satisfac tion in motoring, then you'll be glad you grasped this opportunity. WRITE US TOD A Y: See what we have. Glad to tell you all about our used cars. Demonstrations cheerfully given, We shall not urge you to buy. If you buy you get a Written Guarantee. These hlgh-grado rebuilt cars are for sale on easy terms, at prices from one-quarter to one-half of their original cost. You are invited to visit our sales floor make personal inspection and take a demonstration. 7b out-of'town buyers u)e will refund railroad fare to and from their homes THE MOTOR INTON CAR BRANCH OFFICES. lOOO PIKE STREET, SEATTLE 1240 GRANVILLE ST., VANCOUVER, B. C 1214 SOt TACOMA AVE TACOMA, WASH. 23rd & WASHINGTON, PORTLAND, ORE. 1421 SECOND AVE., SPOKANE, WASH. 330 SO. SECOND AVE, WALLA WALLA, WASH. iV CO. AV Ay A f A Name f Address Centlemeni Please send me full details of your Rebuilt Car offer (IM wkitino to ADVRRT1SBRM rLStis UBNTlON "Currant Fmatuf") The Bread and Butter Question: Thick Doesn't Want a Single Bite By EVANSON IThick.old pal, N WE LL FOLLOW THE GOV WITH THE I LUNCH BASKET AND iuET something- To GAT J 1 iHlllllllH I HES WHAT I CALL A NICE LITTLE PELLOIV, HERES WHERE 'WE DIVE JNTO THepesseivr! s ' "Y7.Tr THINK THIN., THERE IS MANV rooR. noKiAL whom TOPAV HAS NOT A MORSrju .OF fooP &STTHE TABLE FORTWO .THIN- AND PASS THE POTATOES II poNT CAR.E For, . " V 1 til J" . UlNCuJI 1 A yi"wuc PI I Xz ; ) r I si