EMPLOYEES. The number of men at work on April 12 was as follows: Chief Engineer Isthmian Canal Commission, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: I have just cabled to you as follows: 66 No further expansion of Culebra work possible without track foremen. None received since needs stated in December. Thirteen $100-foremen, no railroad experience, received last two steamers. No use to us. No track tools received." The 13 men referred to in this message are as follows : 1. James F. Cody, experience during the past few years has been on pack trains in the Philippines. 2. James Hayes; states he has had no experience as foreman at all. 3. Peter J. Quinn; claims several years' experience in the United States Signal Corps, as private, sergeant, and commissioned officer. 4. James J. Tubman; six years in the United States Battalion of Engineers; service in the Philippines as superintendent of road construction. 5. Charles M. Dodd; was in the stone business in New York; superintendent of the Cuba Stone Quarry Company for two years; later employed on excavation of foundations for Pabst Brewing Company, at Habana, Cuba. 6. Joseph B. Sampsell; eleven years' experience in grading; last four in employ of Philadelphia Gas Company. 7. John C. Stevens; employed for the past ten years as foreman for various telephone and electric companies in New York, setting poles. The above men were all received last week. Yesterday we received by steamer the following: 8. Thill; experienced in ship rigging. 9. Montelin; foreman in plumbing and dry-dock work. 10. Vance; experienced in army work, fortifications, magazines, and earth works. 11. Russell; colored; sewerage and water. 12. Derrig; had a chemical factory. 13. Logan; experienced at ship rigging. I am at a loss as to what to do with these men and will probably have to discharge them all within a week or two, as they are of no service whatever to us. The man who has had experience in plumbing work I am turning over to Johnson, and am trying to find places for the other men. I wish you would arrange to stop the sending of this kind of material to us. As I wrote you yesterday, we have got to the limit of any expansion at Culebra without track foremen. We have been getting along with makeshifts until the work has now got to that scale that it can not be handled that way any longer, and it is imperative that we have experienced men. We have no opportunity at Culebra for running a kindergarten in track work. Yours, very truly, W. E. DAUCHY, Acting Chief Engineer. PANAMA, April 25, 1905. Mr. JOHN F. WALLACE, Chief Engineer Isthmian Canal Commission, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: I submit herewith the following brief report of operations in the engineering and construction department for the week ending April 22, 1905 : [F. B. Maltby, division engineer, Cristobal.] The work has been continued of reconnoissance and building stations for triangulation; also for the relocation of the Panama Railroad between Gatuncillo bridge and Monkey Hill. A party has been engaged in making surveys of the yard in the vicinity of Cristobal, locating all tracks, buildings, etc. Borings are in progress around the dry dock at Cristobal to determine the character of the material, with a view to enlargement of the dock. Various track work has been in progress. A small force has been working on the light lumber wharf in the vicinity of magazine No. 4, 13 new bents having been completed. Gatun section.-A party under Mr. Nichols, assistant engineer, has completed drawings and tables to accompany his final report on special work assigned to him. Cross sections of the canal have been taken from the lower end of Gatun Island to K. 10.3. One small boring party is engaged in taking borings along the line of the canal. [H. F. Dose, resident engineer, Bohio.] The survey of the upper Chagres for the purpose of locating the 200-foot contour for the right fork of the Chagres River has been completed above the junction of the Pequeni, and is now in progress on the Pequeni branch. The Pequeni is a more important stream than the Chagres above their junction. The fall per mile is considerably less and the discharge probably somewhat greater. The party engaged in boring on the tunnel line has done nothing during the week, the laborers having all left on account of it being Holy Week. At Bas Obispo the topographical survey has been in progress, covering that portion between the canal and the Panama Railroad. The various boring parties have continued work intermittently during the week, but very little has been accomplished on account of the holidays. [Boyd Ehle, acting division engineer, Culebra.] The work at Culebra has been somewhat interfered with during the week on account of there having been two legal holidays according to the governor's proclamation and the disinclination of the laborers to work during the other days of the week. No work was done on Good Friday. The total number of cubic yards taken out during the week was 27,471, being an average of 5,494 yards per day during the five days that work was carried on. The change resulting from turning back to the Panama Railroad Company some 200 laborers whom we received from them also interfered somewhat with the work and has made a reduction in the force. I hope, however, that this will be equalized by men drifting back to us from the Panama Railroad. The beginning of the rains has also interfered with the work to some extent, on account of the bad effect they are having on the tracks and dumps. Surveys and technical work. Surveys have been made for new tracks and a rearrangement of the yard at the foot of the hill leading up to level 90. Several surveys of lines to dumps have been made, cross sections continued, and markers have been set at various kilometers and points of curve and other governing points. Progress has been made in surveys for line and levels from K. 59 toward La Boca. Progress has been made in all the general work in the way of topographical, mapping, and other office work. The various holidays, however, have delayed the field work. [A. C. Harper, resident engineer, La Boca.] One thousand and sixty feet of line has been cleared for cross-section work and for topography. Clearing for triangulation station on Farfan Hill has been completed and the target erected. A reconnoisance and survey of Los Tres Hermanos has been made for the purpose of locating a suitable spot for the erection of a monument to mark the boundary line between the Canal Zone and the Republic of Panama. [C. E. Davis, engineer waterworks and sewers.] Rio Grande reservoir.-Reconnoisance surveys have been made for a possible reservoir above the present Rio Grande basin, to increase the storage capacity. Supply line, Rio Grande reservoir to Panama.—A small amount of concrete work has been done around the galvanized pipe. The first delivery of 16-inch galvanized cast-iron pipe from the final consignment for the Panama waterworks has been unloaded. Distribution pipe line in city of Panama.-Three hundred and four feet of 10inch pipe and 780 feet of 8-inch pipe has been laid. Panama sewers.-Five hundred and seventy-six feet of 8-inch pipe has been laid in connection with the waterworks pipe. Culebra.-Work has been continued on the concrete reservoir back of the police station. A small amount of 4-inch pipe has been laid along the west side of the canal as a distribution line for mechanical purposes. Empire dam.-Work has been continued of laying Decauville track to site of the dam. The pumping station at the marine camp has been taken charge of by Mr. Davis, by request of the officers in charge of the marines. Gorgona.-Work has been continued of laying the cast-iron pipe for fire protection of the Bas Matachin shops. Colon. The work of laying Decauville track from Mount Hope station to site of the dam has been carried on. Corozal. About 200 feet of 6-inch pipe has been laid, completing the fire protection supply around the hotel. Road construction.-Work has been continued upon the La Boca road. [M. O. Johnson, supervising architect.] The various carpenter forces at different points along the line have been to work as heretofore outlined. Fair progress has been made with the bachelor quarters at Corozal, and they will be completed in about two weeks. The work of Mr. Johnson's department is being very much delayed on account of lack of lumber. [C. A. Strom, mechanical engineer.] Bas Matachin shops.-The overhauling of 2 locomotives has been completed and the work continued upon 3 others. Work has also been commenced in overhauling 1 additional locomotive. Empire shops. The work of overhauling 8 locomotives has been continued. General repairs on 4 locomotives received from Culebra have been continued and work commenced on 2 others. Thirteen dump cars have been repaired ready for service. Cristobal shops.-Work has been continued of overhauling 2 Cooke locomotives and 1 Rogers switch engine. The work of installing the tie-boring machine and engine for same has been continued. EMPLOYEES. The total number of men at work on April 19 was as follows: Chief Engineer, Isthmian Canal Commission, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: Replying to your letter of April 15 (inclosure 37), asking how our force is balanced at the present time, will state that we have a surplus of conductors and trainmen in the transportation department; the number of enginemen is about equal to our demands at the present time. We have at present in this department the following: Thirteen yardmasters, 25 conductors, 30 trainmen, and 31 enginemen. In our mining department we have 16 steam-drill men, which is sufficient for our present needs. In the excavating department we have a surplus of 2 pit foremen, 2 cranesmen, and 1 engineer. In the track department we have about 8 foremen. Now, as to our needs for the next ninety days, we have a sufficient number of trainmen for that time, provided the men we now have remain with us and prove to be competent men. In our mining department the same thing is true. As to our needs in the excavating department, the whole thing hinges upon our being able to get track foremen in order to provide for additional shovels, which situation I have explained thoroughly to you in a former letter. If we receive steam shovels fast enough to erect two a month and get track foremen sufficient to lay track to prepare for them, we should have about eight additional steam-shovel crews in the next ninety days. As to track foremen, we should have 25 as soon as they can be sent to us. To summarize: There would be needed in the next ninety days, under the above conditions, 25 track foremen; 20 dump foremen, must be track foremen; 8 steam-shovel engineers; 8 steam-shovel crane men; 8 steam-shovel firemen; 8 steam-shovel pitmen; 10 steam-drill men. The surplus of men on hand at the present time is 20 men, divided between trainmen and conductors. We are very much in need of a man for the head of the transportation department, and also for the department of dumps. I think, also, that we will have to arrange for a man to take charge of the mining department, as Mr. Bennett is not handling that very successfully. Mr. Beecher has left us, and I have put Mr. Zook in charge of both transportation and track departments for the present. I think it is also important that a man be secured to have general charge of construction matters under the division engineer at Culebra, as outlined in our organization at Culebra before you went to the States. Mr. Boyd Ehle has had an offer to go back to the States, and I think he is intending to accept it. If so, this is going to leave us very short of executive men at Culebra. We are using the surplus trainmen as far as possible on the dumps. We have completed the erection of the eighth steam shovel, although it has not yet been started to work. The complete parts of two other shovels are here now upon the Isthmus and incomplete parts of two additional shovels. Yours, truly, W. E. DAUCHY, Acting Chief Engineer. PANAMA, April 26, 1905. Mr. JOHN F. WALLACE, Chief Engineer, Isthmian Canal Commission, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: The steamer that was to have sailed yesterday will not get away before to-morrow. I had thought that we had gotten over our holiday troubles of last wek, but Monday (which is termed "Easter Monday" in this country) was a big holiday for the Jamaican negroes and none of them would work. We only got out 1,300 yards that day. Conditions improved a little yesterday (Tuesday) and we got out 4,200 yards, but a large number of the negroes had not returned to work. This long list of holidays is going to greatly interfere with our output this month. We had heavy rains Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, which caused a good many derailments at Culebra, due to track conditions. I note from the list of men coming on the steamer that sailed on Monday that there is no track foreman among them. Please get some track foremen started this way or things will come to a standstill at Culebra. Yours, truly, W. E. DAUCHY, Acting Chief Engineer. PANAMA, May 2, 1905. Mr. JOHN F. WALLACE, Chief Engineer Isthmian Canal Commission, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: I submit herewith the following brief report of operations in the engineering and construction department for the week ending April 29, 1905: [F. B. Maltby, division engineer, Cristobal.] The work of relocation of the Panama Railroad between the Gatuncillo River and Monkey Hill has been completed. Maps and profiles have not yet been made. The work of reconnoissance and building stations for triangulation has been continued with a small force. The work of making surveys of the yards in the vicinity of Cristobal, with tracks, buildings, etc., and also locating the shore line and wharves around Colon, has been continued. Some additional borings have been made around the dry dock. These borings have developed the fact that the indurated clay in which the dock is excavated disappears very close to the north side of the dock; it will, therefore, be necessary to do all the widening on the south side, or on the side opposite from the one contemplated by Mr. List. A party has been placed in the field locating the center line of the canal south from K. 5. The track work that was in progress has been continued. The work of reconstructing the light lumber wharf in the vicinity of magazine No. 4 has been continued with a small force. Gatun section.-A small party under Mr. Nichols has continued work of surveying and cross sectioning the canal and making borings along the line of same. Difficulty has been experienced in obtaining labor for this party, and the progress has been slow. [H. F. Dose, resident engineer at Bohio.] Bohio. Three boring machines are now at work near Tabernilla. The surveying party at Bohio have been doing office work during the entire week. Bas Obispo.-The survey party on the upper Chagres has completed the basin survey to the 200-foot contour on the Chagres River, and on the Pequeni River and tributaries thereof surveys have been extended approximately 4 miles above the junction of the two streams. There remains now about 8 miles of river with the adjoining topography to be surveyed. It is expected that this will be completed about June 1. The boring party on the tunnel line has resumed operations. This party has been delayed on account of lack of men. Paraiso. Two boring machines at Paraiso have made five borings during the past week. [Boyd Ehle, acting division engineer, Culebra.] The work at Culebra has been very much delayed during the past week by lack of laborers on the dumps. As wet weather has come on there seems to be a disinclination on the part of the men to work on the dumps, and it has been very difficult, if not impossible, to keep them at it. This notwithstanding the fact that we have offered them the inducement of the 172 cents per hour rate. Monday was practically lost on account of being Easter Monday, and none of the Jamaicans would work. On this day the output was only 1,378 yards. The output for the week was 26,577 yards, being an average of 4,430 yards per day. Surveys and technical work. The survey of the center line from K. 59 toward La Boca has been carried nearly to the intersection with the long tangent to La Boca. The center line has now been cleared and measured to Gorgona, and levels taken over most of this section. The work of extending the culverts between Cucuracha and Pedro Miguel Junction has been in progress. The preliminary location survey for the Gamboa track to the dam site and to the bridge over the Chagres has been practically completed. Two small parties have been taking topography along the Panama Railroad. The rainfall for the week at Culebra was 1.78 inches. |