130 THOMSON— PROGRESS OF THE ISTHMIAN CANAL. [April 19, 



On the way from Bas Obispo to Culebra the evidences of great 

 activity were numerous. Stone cruchers, roundhouses, coal chutes, 

 air compressing plants for drills and the present dumping grounds 

 were seen in succession. Camp Elliott, with a body of U. S. marines, 

 the auditing and disbursing officers of the Isthmian Canal Com- 

 mission, the Circuit Court District No. 2, the officers of the engineer 

 of the Culebra Division, etc., were passed. 



Near the great Culebra cut was found the apparently flourish- 

 ing town of Culebra. Here are situated the administration offices 

 and the headquarters of the chief engineer, Mr. John F. Stevens, 

 who here joined the visiting party. The great Culebra cut was 

 seen ; not very different in aspect from the time when the task was 

 given up by the French company. Here as at Bas Obispo, work 

 was in active progress, huge steam shovels being used, some of 

 which were capable of lifting at one time as much as five cubic 

 yards of broken rock or earth, after it had been loosened by ex- 

 plosives, and depositing it upon the construction cars in long trains, 

 in which it was hauled away and dumped. The tracks on the dump- 

 ing grounds, as well as in the area of excavation, are required to 

 be quickly moved or relocated ; a necessity which has led to the 

 devising, by one of the engineers, of a plan for quickly shifting 

 portions of the line sideways to a distance of nine feet without dis- 

 jointing it or loosening it from the ties. The town of Culebra, 

 like the other settlements in the zone, is remarkably clean. Much 

 care has been given to the proper placing and construction of the 

 buildings. Here in a large hotel restaurant the visiting party par- 

 took of a midday meal which was well prepared and served. There 

 was no annoyance from flies, mosquitoes, or other insect pests. In 

 fact, the writer believes it to have been the general experience that 

 no mosquitoes were encountered anywhere in the Canal Zone. It 

 may possibly have been the season when they are naturally scarce 

 or absent, or the absence may have been due to preventive measures. 

 While traversing the Culebra cut in flat cars provided with impro- 

 vised seats or benches, men belonging to the mosquito brigade were 

 noticed sprinkling oil on small pools or sluggish streams within the 

 cut. The sanitation of the zone will, however, be alluded to further 

 on. 



