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Supplement.
VOL. 5
Forest Grove Press
FOREST GROVE, WASHINGTON COUNTY, OREGON, THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 27, 1913
The
Am ericans
In
Panama
Story of the Panama Canal From Start to Finish
By W m . R. Scott
Chapter V I .
(Continued from last week)
The value o f the French engineering
records and surveys and especially of
the records kept o f the flow of the
Chagres river is incalculable because
they could not be duplicated. It was
on French records that the estimate
of the amount o f water to expect from
the'isthmian rivers for use tn the Ga-
tun lake was based.
• Congress on April 2, 1904, appropri­
ated the $10,000,000 which had been
promised In the treaty to the republic
of Panama for the canal zone. This,
with the consummation o f the sale by
the French company, cleared the title
to the canal zone, and at 7:30 o’clock
in the morning of May 4 Lieutenant
Mark Brooke of the United State»
army formally took over the property
and the territory in the name of his
government.
The day following President Roose­
velt announced the appointment of
John F. Wallace, general manager of
the Illinois Central railroad, as chief
engineer of the Panama canal, effec­
tive on June 1. He had acknowledged
the national disbelief in governmental
efficiency by going into private indus­
trial life for a canal builder. Mr. Wal­
lace’s salary was to be $25,000 an­
nually. and the country recognized the
selection as a good one.
Upon its return to the United States
the commission began organizing sur­
veying and engineering parties for
pioneer work in the canal zone. The
ttrst ship to arrive with such a party
was on May 17. the party having at Its
head Major General Davis o f the com­
mission and including Colonel W. C.
Gorgas. chief sanitary officer, and
George R. Shanton. who personally
was selected by President Roosevelt
to officiate as head of police o f the
canal zone.
C H A P T E R VII.
•-.a» -»art were at hand. These, fv ---
ever, nae everything else, were 2,000
M N X IK T Ï to dig dirt the usual miles away with a spider web of red
f J L
American desire to get things tape over them that paralyzed speedy
M
W done right off, was the doml movement. In his year of service Mr.
nating idea in 1904. So, while Wallace repaired 357 of these houses
Mr. Wallace kept up the surveying j and built forty-eight new ones, still
which would aid iu determining the , leaving the problem of bousing em­
center line of the canal as well as the ’ ployees unsolved. During that time
choice of a type, he also pushed exca­ more than 9,000 workers came to the
vation operations in the Culebra cut, canal zone, but the migration back to
rehabilitating old French excavators the United States or adjacent Islands
and countries was heavy.
and Increasing the working force.
He had found 740 men at work with
Colonel Gorgas had urged the prompt
haud tools In the Culebra cut. His sanitation of Colon and Panama, and
first Inspection convinced him that the early in the American occupation the
French machinery should be abandon­ constructiou of sewers, waterworks
ed as fast as modern American equip­ and paved streets was begun. The
ment could be secured, and he express­ Americans advanced the money for
ed the opinion that two years would these improvements on a plan of taxes
that at the end of fifty years from
be required for preparations.
.It required stout hearts not to quail their completion will repay the United
before the isthmus of 1904. Not only States and turn them over to the re­
the traditional unbealthfulness, but the spective cities.
wretched condition of the railroad aft­
One of the dredges left by the
er fifty years of noncompetition, the French was found to be. after twenty
long distance from the base of sup­ years, in excellent condition and was
plies. the miserable living accommoda - j put to work in Colon harbor. The
tlons in Colon and Panama, where j twenty miles of track in the Culebra
there were no sewers, no water and cut occasioned derailments and wrecks
unpaved streets, into which were j with exasperating frequency until re-
thrown all refuse and garbage, and the \ laid with heavier rails, and this mile­
vexatious red tape that surrounded all age was Increased by an addition of
government enterprises, made a situa- | fifteen miles during the first year. Ma­
tion that weaklings no sooner touched chine shops existed at Colon. Mata-
than they returned precipitately to the chiu and Gorgona, where, when the
United States.
juugle had been cut away, facilities
To take care of the increasing num­ were found for repairing machinery
ber of workers that every ship wns and rolling stock.
bringing to the canal zone wns the
Mr. Wallace made his headquarters
most pressing problem. The interest in Panama in a building that formerly
of the whole world had been stlmu- j had been occupied by the French di­
lated by the rejuvenation of the canal rector general. The disbursing officer,
project by the Americans, with the re- ] sanitary officer, engineering parties
suit that restless spirits everywhere j and clerical forces were centered iu
began bending tbeir steps toward Pan­ Panama, but a site for an American
ama. Men o f excellent character iu administrative town was selected at
the United States also came, attracted the foot o f Ancon hill. Just outside of
by the pay and the romantic nature of Panama.
the undertaking.
French towns at Cnlebra, Empire and
The bouses left by the French were Gorgona were rehabilitated and sys
inhabited by natives or buried in the terns of sbwers and waterworks begun.
jungle growth. They necessarily were There were settlements at Matachin.
run down, but could be made habitable ! Bas Obispo and Colon. Accommoda­
once the carpenters and lumber to do tions were of the crudest description
The
Canal U nde r Wallace.
J
Powder boxes served for morris chairs, | brought to the Isthmus “ knocked
furniture was scanty and of ancient ! down." This work, with the repair
design, tropical insects made life a mis­ work and original steel and iron con­
ery. servants were worse than indif­ struction work, required boilermakers,
ferent, there were no baths, no running mechanics, blacksmiths and machine
water In the houses, and that which shop workers of all kinds. Reorultlng
was used sometimes was caught from offices were opened In the principal
roofs on which the buzzards roosted, American cities to engage them, and
the native foods had to be eaten, and j
lee was a luxury that only occasional- j
ly could be obtained from the railroad
ice factory at Colon.
Each ship that brought workers to
the canal zone invariably carried the !
same or others back. Yet a percentage
stuck and accepted the undesirable
conditions gracefully. A few had vi­
sion enough to see that our great gov- ;
ernment would rectify everything if >
only given time. Others realized that j
the cunal never would be built if the
workers expected soft conditions right
at the start, and they accepted their j
sacrifices of comfort as a national ne- |
cessity.
Mr. Wallace came from a highly or- j
ganlzed railroad system to an abso- j
lutely unorganized enterprise 2.000 j
miles from the base of supplies. Gov- (
ernment red tape to such a man was A Dy nam ita Explosion In Culebra Cut.
exasperating to the last degree. It was
necessary for the government to ad- j sometimes conditions in the canal zone
vertlse for bids, and this constituted were pictured a little rosier than the
the principal delay In securing orders: facts warranted.
As secretary o f war William Howard
but. barring that procedure. It bas not
been shown that a private contractor Taft had the immediate direction of
could have placed machinery and sup­ Panama canal affairs. Every time he
plies on the ground with much greater touched the project he manifested the
high order of ability that made him so
celerity than the government.
The overriding idea was to make a admirably equipped for the presidency
showing. President Roosevelt himself later on.
had set the pace for quick results, j Almost coincidental with the begin­
Congressmen who were expected to ning of American operations Panama
vote for canal appropriations frequent­ began to feel how absolutely sovereign
ly could not be impressed that the It had made the Americans right in the
heart o f the republic. The canal zone
project was worth while if the dirt was being managed with complete in­
was not flying. Mr. Wallace therefore
dependence from the republic, as much
concentrated energies on excavation
so as the republic o f Costa Rica to the
work that more profitably could have north.
been spent on preparations. He got
Governor Davis had corresponded at
out 741,644 yards in his year, a credit­
length with the officials of Panama
able showing with the equipment at
over the question of sovereignty, the
hand. The first steam shovel was in­
Jurisdiction of the courts, the issues
stalled on Nov. 11, 1904, and was No. of the tariff, postage, customs and cur­
101, o f the seventy ton class. It is rency. until It was deemed advisable
s till In use In the canal. On Dec. 2, for Secretary Toft In person to visit
1904, the second steam shovel was the Isthmus to arrange a working
erected. No. 201, of the ninety-five ton 1 agreement on these differences.
class. By June. 1905, there were nine
Secretary Taft arrived od Nov. 27.
steam shovels at w’ork. and the last 1904. and remained until Dee. 7. On
French excavator was abandoned on j the question of sovereignty, which
June 16, 1905. the day Mr. Wallace left j seemed to be especially delicate to the
the canal zone as chief engineer.
republic, the treaty was peculiar In
All engines, cars, steam shovels and that it did not cede the canal zone final-
other large equipment had to be *■.
United States, hm cave rho
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NUMBER 19
Americans all the powers they would
exercise “ if they were sovereign.”
Panama contended that final sov­
ereignty was vested in It. and Secre­
tary T aft being after the substance
rather than the form, did not quibble
over this distinction without a differ­
ence. but later expressed the opinion
that Panama sovereignty over the ca­
nal zone was a "barren ideality.” Cer­
tainly It has proved so to be. The Is­
sue passed off tn talk.
An agreement was reached on the
currency question whereby the United
States would accept the money of Pan­
ama at one-half the value of American
currency—that Is, the peso, worth in­
trinsically only 40 cents, would be ex­
changed with United States money at
50 cents, although it was in size and
face value the same as our dollar. The
same system was tn vogue in the Phil­
ippines. To meet the needs of the ca­
nal paymaster the circulation of p^sos
was Increased from 3,000,000 to 4,000,-
000. Out of this grew the custom In
the canal zone of referring to United
States currency as “ gold” and to Pan­
ama currency as “ silver,” and In the
stores articles are priced in both cur­
rencies.
Stumps were selling in the canal zone
for slightly less than in the postofflees
of the republic, with the result that
the republic was losing revenue. Sec­
retary Taft settled this Just complaint
by arranging for the canal zone to buy
Its stamps from the republic for 60 per
Centura of their value, the 40 per cent­
um remaining to the profit of the cunal
zone offices.
On June 24. 1904. President Roose­
velt had made the Dlngley tariff ap­
plicable to the canal zone. This work­
ed badly, and Secretary Taft agreed to
have the order revoked, so that the ca­
nal zone ever since has enjoyed the
freest of free trade. All other issues
were Cleared up without the United
States yielding any freedom of action
as to importing materials, executing
Justice, operating ship terminals and
supplying canal employees with the
necessuries of life through commis­
saries and hotels.
While Secretary Taft and Chief En­
gineer Wallace were working in tbeir
spheres. Governor Davis wa*- institut­
ing the various departments of civil
government which today are noted
with admiration by the tourist. Chief
of Police Shanton was engaged In rid­
ding the canal zone of Its bad men
and bringing a ponulation long without
(Continued next week)