562 The National Geographic Magazine 



500,000 square feet roofing tile. 

 36,000 barrels cement (approximate- 



ly). 



3 steel water tanks and towers. 



12 stand pipes. 



2 ocean steamships. 



The approximate total cost of our pur- 

 chases was about $9,000,000. It should 

 be borne in mind that at the time when or- 

 ders 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 man- 

 ufactured 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 yel- 

 low fever on the Isthmus, it was very dim- 

 cult at a critical time for concerns fur- 

 nishing 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 carry- 

 ing a considerable amount of the freight 

 going to the Isthmus, were put out of ser- 

 vice 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 pur- 

 chases 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 locomo- 

 tives 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 me- 

 chanical appliances already mentioned, 

 but also with an inadequate equipment 

 with which to distribute it to its destina- 

 tion or the force to handle it. These ob- 

 stacles 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 encoun ter and over- 

 come 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 con- 

 cerned, we have not endeavored to ac- 

 complish 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, 



