. ' V mmi 3 - . . .... ..... ' ..-.: I | . .'.'. | ..' ' : :;,:" i :*-"^ . ;'".-:,. /:.-':-, , it '...:'<-: .;-> ^ A ; ...... , p '" '' . i i . . .'.. ;.- v.;V, r v-,-,::,...r: 1 1 I " - m - i -- " - ',--.. 2 O Jv .' Of One Thousand Copies were printed. This copy is No. ?'irn/j'j hn Oi^I.zi 'r^u ?;; " A TRIP TO PANAMA The Narrative of a Tour of Observation through The Canal Zone, with some Account of Visits to Saint Thomas, Porto Rico, Jamaica and Cuba, by the Commercial Clubs of Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Loilis, February 18th March 14th, 1907 By WALTER B.' STEVENS St. Louis, 1907 Pr Representative COPYRIGHT, 1907, BY HARRY L. LAWS ROBERT BATCHELLER BENJAMIN CARPENTER HANFORD CRAWFORD Printed by LESAN-GOULD Co. St. Louis T0 h " I am informed that representatives of the Commercial Clubs of four cities Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis the membership of which includes many of the leading business men of those cities, expect to visit the Isthmus for the purpose of examining the work of construction of the canal. I am glad to hear it, and I shall direct that every facility be given them to see all that is to be seen in the work which the government is doing. Such interest as a visit like this would indicate will have a good effect upon the men who are doing the work, on one hand, while on the other hand, it will offer as witnesses of the exact conditions men whose experience as business men and whose impartiality will make the result of their observations of value to the country as a whole." From the Special Message of President Roosevelt to Congress, December ijth, 1906. "I recall that while at the meeting of the Commercial Club of Cincinnati last year, proposal was made that a steamer be chartered to visit Panama this winter, and I agreed to be one of the party, or at least to time my annual visit so that I should be on the Isthmus when you were. My impression is that it would be wiser to postpone your visit until about this time next year when I understand you have, perhaps, a twenty years' anniversary. I do this, because at that time there will be a hotel constructed at Ancon, on the Panama side, sufficiently large to take in all of the members of the Clubs likely to make a visit a hotel fresh, and new, and clean, free from any contagion, where you can be comfortable and feel safe at the same time. I sincerely hope that the proposition to visit Panama will not be given up. Those who go will feel richly rewarded for the definite information that the eye will give them of the task which this government has undertaken, and which under the inspiration of energy breathed into the enterprise by the words and action of President Roosevelt, it will certainly perform." From the address of Honorable William H. Taft, Secretary of War, before the Commercial Club of Saint Louis, November 18th, 1905. Committees in Charge of Arrangements Commercial Club of Boston Mr. Robert Batcheller, Chairman, Mr. R. Henry W. Dwight, Mr. William B. Lawrence, Mr. Frederick B. Carpenter. Commercial Club of Cincinnati Mr. Lucien Wulsin, Chairman, Mr. Harry L. Laws, Mr. E. C. Goshorn, Mr. W. W. Taylor, Mr. William Worthington. Commercial Club of Chicago Mr. Alfred L. Baker, Chairman, Mr. William J. Chalmers, Mr. S. M. Felton, Mr. Benjamin Carpenter. Commercial Club of St. Louis Mr. Hanford Crawford, Chairman, Mr. D. C. Nugent, Mr. Charles H. Huttig, Mr. George D. Markham, Mr. A L. Shapleigh. Joint Committee in Charge of Steamship Mr. Harry L. Laws, Chairman, Cincinnati, Mr. Robert Batcheller, Boston, Mr. Benjamin Carpenter, Chicago, Mr. Hanford Crawford, St. Louis. Staff for the Trip Mr. Walter B. Stevens, St. Louis, Press. Dr. Henry S. Warren, Boston, Surgeon. Mr. Collins Thompson, St. Louis, Stenographer. Mr. F. A. Saunderson, Botson, Photographer. Representing the Commercial Club of Boston Mr. Stephen L. Bartlett Mr. R. Henry W. Dwight Mr. Robert Batcheller Mr. William B. Lawrence Mr. Robert A. Boit Mr. William D. Mandell Mr. S. Parker Bremer Mr. Laurence Minot Mr. Robert M. Burnett Mr. Harry L. Rice Mr. Frederick B. Carpenter Mr. Joseph B. Russell Mr. James R. Carter Mr. Elihu Thomson Mr. Harry W. Cumner Mr. William Whitman Mr. Charles L. Cutler Mr. John G. Wright Mr. Charles S. Dennison Representing the Commercial Club of Chicago Mr. Alfred L. Baker Mr. Charles L. Hutchinson Mr. Benjamin Carpenter Mr. Cyrus H. McCormick Mr. Clyde M. Carr _Mr. Henry J. MacFarland Mr. William J. Chalmers Mr. John R. Morron Mr. John M. Clark Mr. Joy Morton Mr. William E. Clow Mr. La Verne W. Noyes Mr. John W. G. Cofran Mr. Martin A. Ryerson Mr. Charles H. Conover Mr. Edward F. Swift Mr. John V. Farwell, Jr. Mr. Charles H. Thorne Mr. William A. Fuller Mr. Walter H. Wilson REPRESENTING THE COMMERCIAL CLUB OF BOSTON Reading from left to right: Top row Stephen L. Bartlett, R. H. W. Dwight, Fred B. Carpenter, Laurence Minot. Von Leitner (Captain), H. L. Rice, Jas. R. Carter, S. Parker Bremer, H. W. Cumner. Middle row Wm. B. Lawrence, Elihu Thomson, William Whitman, Robert M. Burnett ( Vice-President), John G. Wright, Robt. A. Boit, Jos. B. Russell. Lower row Charles F. Cutler, H. S. Warren (Surgeon), Charles S. Dennison, Robert Batcheller, W. D. Mandell. REPRESENTING THE COMMERCIAL CLUB OF CHICAGO Reading from left to right: Top row William E. Clow, Cyrus H. McCormick, Edward F. Swift, John R. Morron, Clyde M. Carr, Joy Morton, Chas. L. Hutchinson. Middle row John M. Clark, Alfred L. Baker, Chas. H. Thorne, La Verne W. Noyes, H. J. MacFarland, Martin A. Ryerson, Chas. H. Conover. Lower row Walter H. Wilson, Benjamin Carpenter, J. W. G. Cofran, John V. Farwell, Jr., (Vice-President) William A. Fuller. Representing the Commercial Club of Cincinnati Mr. L. A. Ault Mr. Harry L. Laws Mr. B. W. Campbell Mr. William Lodge Mr. J. T. Carew Mr. Lawrence Maxwell, Jr. Mr. A. H. Chatfield Mr. D. B. Meacham Mr. Nathaniel Henchman Davis Mr. James E. Mooney Mr. Charles W. Durrell Mr. John Omwake Mr. Thomas P. Egan Mr. W. S. Rowe Mr. David- B. Gamble Mr. J. G. Schmidlapp Mr. Frederick A. Geier Mr. W. W. Taylor Mr. Edward Goepper Mr. John W. Warrington Mr. Edwin C. Goshorn Mr. William Worthington Mr. James A. Green Mr. Lucien Wulsin Mr. Frank J. Jones Mr. H. C. Yeiser Mr. Perin Langdon Representing the' Commercial Club of St. Louis Mr. Joseph D. Bascom Mr. Robert McK. Jones Mr. W. K. Bixby Mr. Charles W. Knapp Mr. Murray Carleton Mr. Homer P. Knapp Mr. George O. Carpenter Mr. Charles Gordon Knox Mr. Daniel Catlin Mr. Robert Moore Mr. E. G. Cowdery Mr. D. C. Nugent Mr. Hanford Crawford Mr. Henry C. Scott Mr. L. D. Dozier Mr. Rolla Wells Mr. David R. Francis Mr. Oscar L. Whitelaw Mr. Walker Hill Mr. George M. Wright Itinerary Miles. Stay. Left New York 6:15 a. m. Feb. 18 _, Passed Scotland Light 8:00 a. m. 18 Arrived Charleston... 3:10 p.m. 20 626 5h. 5m. Left Charleston 8:15 p.m. " 20 Arrived St. Thomas.. 6:15 p.m. " 24 1186 5h. 25m. Left St. Thomas ] .1:40 p.m. 24 Arrived San Juan... .8:50 a.m. " 25 70 8h. 55m. Left San Juan 5:45 p.m. " 25 Arrived Ponce 6:40 a.m. 26 142 3h. 5m. Left Ponce 9:45 a.m. 26 Arrived Colon 7:20 a.m. March 1 934 38h. 35m. Left Colon 9:55 p. m. 2 Arrived Kingston . . . .8:55 p.m. " 4 550 21h. 5m. Left Kingston 6:00 5 Arrived Santiago ,7:00 a.m. 6 166 6h. Left Santiago 1:00 p.m. 6 I Arrived Havana 1:15 p.m. 8 641 42h. Left Havana .7:15 a. m. 10 Arrived Charleston . . .3:30 a.m. 12 636 lOh. 14m. Left Charleston 1:44 p.m. 12 Arrived New York . . , 3:00 p.m. 14 626 5577 140h. 24m. Time New York to N< :w York 24 days , 8 hours, 45 minutes. Route of the Commercial Clubs Trip to Panama. REPRESENTING THE COMMERCIAL CLUB OF CINCINNATI Reading from left to right: Top row Von Leitner (Captain), John Omwake, Lawrence Maxwell, Jr., Nathaniel H. Davis, Perin Langdon, L. A. Ault, J. T. Carew, John W. Warrington, David B. Gamble, Wm. S. Rowe, Chas. W. Durrell. Middle row H. C. Yeiser, A. H. Chatfield, Lucien Wulsin, J. G. Schmidlapp, Edward Goepper (President), Frank J. Jones, Thomas P. Egan, James E. Mooney, B. W. Campbell, Harry L. Laws. Lower row D. B. Meacham, William Worthington, W. W. Taylor, James A. Green, Fred A. Geier, Edward C. Goshorn, William Lodge. REPRESENTING THE COMMERCIAL CLUB OF ST. LOUIS Reading from left to right: Top row Von Leitner (Captain), E. G. Cowdery, David R. Francis, Hanford Crawford, Chas. Gordon Knox, George M. Wright, Henry C. Scott, Walker Hill, George O. Carpenter, Robert Moore, J. D. Bascom, Murray Carleton. Middle row W. K. Bixby, Daniel Catlin, Oscar L. Whitelaw (President), Robert McKittrick Jones, Dan C. Nugent. Lower row Chas. W. Knapp, Lewis D. Dozier, Homer P. Knapp, Rolla Wells, Walter B. Stevens (Press Representative), Collins Thompson (Official Stenographer). Preparatory THE Commercial Clubs of Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis decided upon the trip to Panama after deliberation. Members of the Clubs who visited Cuba as guests of the Chicago Club, (February, 1905,) came back impressed with what the companionship would mean on a much more extended journey. During this Cuban trip, Mr. Samuel M. Felton, of Chicago, proposed and advocated the visit to Panama to see the Canal route. To Mr. Felton the members gave the credit for the impetus which the suggestion then received. At the twenty-fifth anniversary meeting of the Commercial Club of Cincinnati, the proposed expedition to the Isthmus was one of the topics discussed. When Secretary Taft, in November, 1905, delivered his address on the Canal before the Commercial Club of St. Louis, he strongly commended the suggestion that the Clubs visit the Canal Zone. In November, 1906, representatives of the Clubs by appointment met Secretary Taft in Chicago. Following a luncheon given by Mr. Samuel M. Felton, a conference was held. In behalf of the Clubs, Mr. Lucien Wulsin of Cincinnati stated that among the questions which had arisen the most important was: Will the proposed trip by the Clubs be regarded favorably by the President and the Secretary of War, and will it be helpful to the important work which they and the Panama Commission have in hand ? Secretary Taft's reply was an unqualified affirmative. He said the Government would be much pleased to to have such a visit as that proposed made by men of experience in business and manufacturing, and that such a visit would be of great value and assistance to those in charge of the work, giving them assurance of the interest taken in their work by the people of the country. One of the conclusions of this conference was that the members of the Clubs be polled to determine the probable number who would go. Upon his return to Washington Secretary Taft wrote to Mr. Wulsin repeating and emphasizing the Government's encouragement in the following words : "I merely repeat now what I said to your joint committee in Chicago that nothing would give the President and the gentlemen charged with the responsibility for the construction of the canal greater pleasure than a visit by such representative mm as the members of the Commercial Clubs of Cincinnati, Chicago, Boston and St. Louis, to the Isthmus, for the purpose of observing the work which is going on there. I have a strong conviction that it will help the work if disinterested witnesses like your members men of business experience and judgment can see just how the work is being done, and can, by three or four days' observation, learn the surroundings and circumstances under which the great enterprise is being pushed. 19 "I shall take great pleasure in directing Mr. Shonts, the Chairman of the Commission, and Mr. Stevens, the Chief Engineer, to give your party every facility for seeing and understanding everything that is done on the Isthmus under the auspices of the Government. I understand fully that your purpose is to pay all your expenses, and that this is not a junket, but an expedition undertaken for the public weal, and I am glad on behalf of the Government, to express its pleasure in the proposed visit." The Clubs appointed representatives to take charge of the arrangements. A Joint Committee consisting of Robert Batcheller, of Boston, Benjamin Carpenter, of Chicago, Harry L. Laws, of Cincinnati, and Hanford Crawford, of Saint Louis, met in New York and undertook the task of chartering a steamer, as well as of arranging an itinerary. The "PRINZ JOACHIM," a fine 6000-ton steamer of the Hamburg-American Line, was selected. The "PRINZ JOACHIM" was built for travel in the tropics, having large state-rooms and electric fans, and being otherwise equipped for voyages in the vicinity of the equator. The Commercial Clubs looked forward to the trip to Panama as meaning much more than the interest in a three weeks' voyage with congenial companionship. In no sense did these gentlemen, who were going to the Isthmus at their own expense to observe conditions and the progress of the canal work, pose as experts. They did not expect to pronounce conclusions on the Gatun Dam or the Culebra Cut, but as organizations they had stood in close relation to the selection of the Panama route, and from the beginning they had been the mediums for the dissemination of much important information about the canal project. When Bunau-Varilla came to the United States to interest this government in the building of the canal, it was as the sequence to an invitation cabled by the Commercial Club of Cincinnati. And that invitation came about through one of those comparatively trifling incidents which some times lead to momentous results. During the Paris Exposition of 1900 several members of the Commercial Club of Cincinnati were there as exhibitors or visitors. One evening Mr. Taylor and Mr. Procter, two of these members, set out with Commander Asher C. Baker, of the United States Navy, to dinner. Commander Baker suggested a typical restaurant in the Latin Quarter, and thither the three Americans went. Looking around the room the naval officer recognized Bunau-Varilla, whom he knew for his relationship with Le Matin, and for his interest in the Panama Canal and other public affairs. Introductions followed. Bunau-Varilla was at the cafe to get dinner, his family being out of the city. The four gentlemen dined together. The next day Mr. Taylor gave a luncheon at which Mr. Wulsin, of the Commercial Club of Cincinnati, and other gentlemen were present to meet Bunau-Varilla. Mr. Wulsin had seen and had given some study to the model of the proposed canal exhibited at the Exposition. A few questions started a most entertaining conversation by Bunau-Varilla. A very agreeable two hours passed and apparently that was the end, except that Bunau-Varilla promised, if asked, to come to the United States and present his views. The Cincinnati gentlemen came home to find Congress seemingly about to commit the country to the building of an Isthmian canal. The Canal Commission had reported to the President. The House of Representatives soon after the opening of the session in December passed a bill authorizing the President to take the preliminary steps looking to the location of the canal on the 20 THE JOINT COMMITTEE IN SESSION Reading from left to right: Robert Batcheller, Benj. Carpenter, Harry L. Laws, Hanford Crawford. Nicaragua route. The Cincinnati gentlemen recalled the conversation with Bunau-Varilla. They spoke to Mr. Laws, the President of the Commercial Club of Cincinnati that year, suggesting that an invitation be sent to Bunau-Varilla to come over and to deliver an address upon the subject of an Isthmian canal with special reference to his knowledge as an engineer of the Panama project. Mr. Laws at once authorized the sending of the invitation. It brought prompt acceptance. In January, 1901, the distinguished Frenchman appeared before the members of the Commercial Club of Cincinnati and their guests. He told why the Panama route, in his opinion, was the most feasible. He outlined a plan through which the canal concession might be taken off the hands of the French Canal company and under which the canal might be constructed by the United States. The next day the Frenchman met at luncheon several members of the Commercial Club, including Mr. Schmidlapp and Mr. Wulsin. Before the party separated Mr. Schmidlapp had talked by long distance phone with Myron T. Herrick at Cleveland, and it had been arranged that Bunau-Varilla should stop a few hours at Cleveland on his way East and should meet Mr. Herrick. and some friends. Mr. Schmidlapp, a friend of Mr. Herrick, vouched for the exceedingly interesting and important character of the views expressed by Bunau-Varilla. At Cleveland the visitor made the same strong impression upon his hearers that he had made at Cincinnati. He was lunched and dined. When he departed it was with the request of Mr. Herrick that he go to Washington before leaving the country and talk with Senator Hanna. Bunau-Varilla went to Washington, but failed to meet Mr. Hanna. He was in New York and getting ready to return to France when Mr. Herrick and Senator Hanna met him one day in the office of the Waldorf. It was entirely a chance meeting. "Why," said Mr. Herrick, "here is a man you ought to meet, Senator." Senator Hanna was predisposed in favor of another route for the canal, but, upon Mr. Herrick's request, he listened good humoredly to the Frenchman. The result of this series of accidental meetings was that Senior Hanna became deeply interested in the question of route. He went exhaustively into the subject. He took the information he obtained from Bunau- Varilla to President McKinley, at the White House. He discussed the proposition of the French engineer with fellow Senators. Bunau-Varilla was encouraged to attempt the education of his own people and government to the proposition that the canal project be turned over to the United States to carry out. Since that time the Commercial Clubs of the four cities have taken very active interest in the canal. Bunau-Varilla made one of his earliest talks in this country under the auspices of the Commercial Club of Boston. When Secretary Taft came back from a tour of investigation on the Isthmus, he chose the invitation of the Commercial Club of St. Louis as the medium through which to make a very notable address which attracted the attention of the whole country. The trip of the Clubs to Panama was a matter of deliberation ; it was the occasion of much preparation. 23 Not only were the details carefully arranged, but the members collected and carried with them maps and literature, including the latest government reports upon the canal. The thoroughness of the preparations was proven in many ways. In detail, the itinerary, as framed by the Joint Committee, was carried out. At the stopping places the members of the party scattered widely in the exercise of individual curiosity and interest, and yet there was no waiting when the schedule called for departure and no one was left behind. So effective were the provisions made that the plans for travel and sightseeing ashore were carried out in every instance almost to the letter. Not a piece of baggage went astray. These results were not accomplished without continuous vigilance, of which numberless instances will be easily recalled. Starting almost simultaneously from the four cities, the members of the party came together at Charleston on the 20th of February. Those from the western cities were first to arrive. In the waiting for the steamer at the dock there was the scene of Mr. Nugent, of St. Louis, and Mr. Langdon, of Cincinnati, on patient guard over a mountain of trunks and hand baggage, with list in hand, unrelaxing the supervision until the last piece had been claimed. No personally conducted company of tourists ever had a more attentive official in charge than was Samuel M. Felton, of the Commercial Club of Chicago, until important business called him back, compelling him to leave the train at Chattanooga. Strung out in automobiles and carriages, in a go-as-you-please fashion, on the old Spanish Military Road between San Juan and Ponce, with drivers who spoke no English, were the members whom Mr. Laws, of Cincinnati, had undertaken to see through to the southern terminus of the eighty-one miles' journey in time to catch the " PRINZ JOACHIM," which had steamed around the Island. High up in the Porto Rican mountains, at Cayey, with dusk coming on, Mr. Laws sat behind a team of stallion ponies, which refused to go a step further, and Ponce was thirty miles away. Other teams of ponies galloped by. Encouraging remarks floated back. That was one of the memorable scenes to which neither camera nor phonograph could do justice. And yet Mr. Laws' good-natured face appeared on the balcony of the Ponce Hotel the next morning, two hours before the " PRINZ JOACHIM" was due to sail. In the two days' trip across Cuba the member of the Joint Committee chosen to conduct was Hanford Crawford, of St. Louis. No one in that detachment can forget Mr. Crawford calling the roll at Santiago, assigning the berths at Camaguey, proposing the toasts at Guantanamo and returning thanks at Matanzas. Nine hours in Jamaica with Robert Batcheller, of Boston, was better than a week without this charming conductor to Bog Walk. On the llth of March, as the " PRINZ JOACHIM " was nearing Charleston, the sense of obligation to the four members of the Joint Committee found expression in the following tribute, which was adopted unanimously, and which was signed by every other member of the party : "The members of the four Commercial Clubs of Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis, who are now coming to the end of 24 FROM NEW YORK TO CHARLESTON The Boston Club members who braved Cape Hatteras the first time. Reading from left to right: Front row Von Leitner (Captain), F. B. Carpenter, Elihu Thomson, William Whitman, Robert M. Burnett, William B. Lawrence. Middle row Robert Batcheller, Henry S. Warren (Surgeon), W. D. Mandell, Harry L. Rice, S. Parker Bremer, J. R. Carter, Stephen L. Bartlett, Robert A. Boit, H. W. Cumner, Joseph G. Wright, J. B. Russell. Third row Laurence Minot, R. H. W. Dwight, Charles F. Cutler, Charles S. Dennison. this most successful trip to Panama and the West Indies, desiring to express to the Joint Committee, Messrs. Harry L. Laws, Robert Batcheller, Benjamin Carpenter and Hanford Crawford, their hearty appreciation of the thought, time and labor given so unselfishly by them to the making of the preparations for this excursion, and of the uniform courtesy and efficiency with which they have carried out all those arrangements and provided for the wants and comforts of all the party; "HEREBY RESOLVE, that there be given them, not only a unanimous vote of thanks, but also the assurance that the memories of these oleasant experiences will always call to mind the thoughtful and untiring work of the Joint Committee." From i iketch t>r Mi. R. A. Boil, ol the Comracicill Club of Boston, nude w the "Hai.Ni JOACHIM" wu leitun ihe harbor ol Ponce. En Route MEMBERS of the Commercial Club of Boston took the " PRINZ JOACHIM" at New York on the evening of February 17th. They sailed at six o'clock in the morning of the next day. The steamer arrived at Charleston about five o'clock Wednesday evening, February 20th. Perhaps the less said about the voyage in the vicinity of Hatteras the better. There were men, ordinarily stout-hearted, on land, who had little to tell about the latter part of the run when the steamer drew into the dock. However, they mustered valiantly on the main deck and shouted a welcome to the members of the Clubs from the West. This greeting was rather at variance with a wireless message which had come from the " PRINZ JOACHIM," not yet sighted, while the men from the West were killing time on the dock. The sender was Benjamin Carpenter, Secretary of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a member of the Joint Committee. Mr. Carpenter had gone to New York and had taken the boat there with the Bostonians. This was his message : "Boston pirates have seized the ship and say they will not stop at Charleston. Wire Secretary Taft. Tell him to send a warship." Members of the Commercial Clubs of Chicago and St. Louis left their cities Monday evening, February 18th, the Chicago party by the Big Four, the St. Louisans by the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern. Hurried greetings were exchanged with the members of the Commercial Club of Cincinnati in the station of that city Tuesday morning. Sleeping cars were switched. By special train on the Southern system the members of the Commercial Clubs of the three cities started from Cincinnati for Charleston. They filled five sleeping cars and kept a diner busy at meal times. The party was carried on one of the most novel tickets in American railroad transportation. The slip was a yard in length, showing on successive coupons the divisions traveled, and having the usual auditor's checks upon paid transportation. This slip cost $1,512.00 (fifteen hundred and twelve dollars). It paid the fare at regular schedule rates for every member of the party from Cincinnati to Charleston and return. From St. Louis to Cincinnati members paid their regular fares. The Chicago members did likewise between Chicago and Cincinnati. The regular sleeping car charges were paid, and whenever a member patronized the diner he gave up his dollar for a meal, and paid for his mineral water and other extras by the card. In the party were railroad presidents and managers, bank presidents, heads of many of the largest mercantile and manufacturing establishments in the country. The professions were well represented. There If THE CHOIR Lawrence Maxwell, Jr., Leader. Reading from left to right: Standing F. A. Geier, S. Parker Bremer, H. S. Warren (Surgeon), W. B. Lawrence, A. H. Chatfield, Benj. Carpenter, C. H. McCormick, H. C. Yeiser. Sitting N. H. Davis, Robt. A. Boit, Henry C. Scott, Lawrence Maxwell, Jr., Edward Goepper, Geo. M. Wight, Hanford Crawford. were no favors in the way of transportation, beyond that superintendents of the divisions traversed accompanied the train to give their personal attention to the maintenance of the time schedule. The journey from Cincinnati was over the old Cincinnati Southern, which the city of Cincinnati built years ago, at an expenditure of some $20,000,000, to preserve and to promote that city's commercial interests in the South. Members of the Commercial Club of Cincinnati took no little satisfaction in pointing out that by the terms of the operation of the road under lease, the interest on the bonds is met, the payment of the bonds is insured, and at the end of a period of sixty years the city will receive back the road in greatly improved condition with the cost of its construction paid out of the operation. In brief, the Cincinnati members pointed with pride to their Cincinnati Southern Railroad experience as one of the most satisfactory enterprises the city had ever engaged in. One of the first notable incidents of the journey of the Commercial Clubs to Panama, was an illustration of the most recent development of telegraphic communication. The Clubs of Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis, traveling by rail to Charleston, were placed in direct communication with the Commercial Club of Boston on board the " PRINZ JOACHIM" en route from New York to Charleston. The following wireless telegram was passed around among the members of the Clubs on the train: " PRINZ JOACHIM " at sea. via De Forest Wireless. Chicago Commercial Club, On Board Train: Greetings from "PRINZ JOACHIM." Fine weather. Band playing. Everything fine and dandy. Carpenter. Passing through East Tennessee, the members of the party took no ordinary interest in the evidences of industrial development and activity. Each iron and steel making center was scrutinized by men familiar with investments in that section. Everywhere the bla'st furnaces were in operation, a fact which was commented upon with much satisfaction. Some of the members of the party had considerable financial interests in that section. At Chattanooga a stop of half an hour was made. The travelers got out for a breath of Lookout Mountain air, and noted the growth and prosperity of the city. Atlanta was passed about midnight. Augusta was reached early in the morning, but several of the members of the Clubs were out to take constitutionals under the big train shed, while engines were being changed. The cotton mills on both sides of the river were in operation with the day shifts. Their magnitude, the water power, the neat homes of the operatives, the well kept appearance of the grounds about the great mill buildings, came in for notice and favorable comment by the visitors from the North. From Augusta to Charleston the run was made quickly across South Carolina, through the pines of the Aiken region and over the plantation country nearer the coast. 31 The Clubs reached Charleston about noon without a single old Charleston - The Fringe House, King street, unpleasant incident, and with the members all well and in high, good spirits. While awaiting the arrival of the steamer, the members from the West took carriages and rode about the city. They were the recipients of courtesies from citv officials and members of business organizations of Charleston. The " PRINZ JOACHIM" sailed from Charleston at 8 o'clock. So gently did the ship leave the dock that the movement was not noticed for some time by many who were at the tables in the dining saloon. It was only when someone, glancing through the portholes, saw the lights of the city seeming to move away that the word went 'round "We're off." Through the interchange of greetings, the story-telling, the hilarity, even in the very beginning of the voyage, ran the thread of serious purpose. The " PRINZ JOACHIM" was not an hour away from the wharf at Charleston when the earnest motive showed itself. At the close of the first meal on board, R. Henry W. Dwight, Treasurer of the Commercial Club of Boston, brought David R. Francis, of St. Louis, to his feet, after a humorous reference to the world-wide distribution of the World's Fair medals and the claim of the Bostonians to be "medaled" for braving the trip from New York by sea. Mr. Francis came back with the assertion that the gentlemen who conceived and carried into execution this expedition of the four Commercial Clubs to Panama certainly deserved nothing less than grand prizes. Then Mr. Francis sounded the key-note in a few words, which were enthusiastically applauded. He said : " I do not know of any better time to express what I feel about this excursion, upon which we are entering, than now at its inception. Four great cities of this country, represented on this occasion by organizations composed of the representative men of their respective cities, have concluded, of their own volition, and at their own expense, to make an excursion of three or four weeks' duration in order to inspect the progress of the greatest work ever undertaken by the Government of the United States. It is very unusual that such men should enter upon such a mission. Divesting ourselves of partisanship, we have decided to go thousands of miles to inspect a work which was once undertaken and afterwards abandoned by one of the greatest nations on the globe, and which has now been undertaken by our own Government. We approach this duty, or this excursion, or whatever you may term it, with unprejudiced minds. We feel, however, that sense of proprietary responsibility which is inspired by our pride of American citizenship and our consequent desire to see our Government succeed in all of its undertakings. We may combine pleasure and recreation with our serious purpose on this excursion, but I am sure that every member of each of the four Commercial Clubs is imbued with a determination to see and judge for himself. We all cherish a patriotic interest in this union of the two oceans, and however stupendous the undertaking, we would never have consented for another country to perform or attempt it again. 32 "And o. at the inception of this voyage, having talked about the serious An Aficr Bre.kim Croup on Deck- R<-.dinr (ton, W. .<> rl,W: . _ t. C- . Ooshorn, Alfred L. Bakr r , John V . rirwell. Jr. phases of this excursion, I now wish to again felicitate the members of our respective organizations who planned this excursion, and who have launched it so successfully." From stem to stern of the 373 feet, the " PRINZ JOACHIM" was an Eveless Eden. Not a pound of femininity was represented in the 4789 tons of displacement. That is why the door-plate " Fur Damen " did not count on this trip. The members of the Clubs had unrestricted use of the ladies' saloon with piano, library and all. The only soprano sound heard on the " PRINZ JOACHIM" was when the graphophone ground out some prima donna's selection. The conditions imposed by the Joint Committee went so far as to stipulate that the doctor must take along a male nurse. All of this may appear to be ideal from the masculine point of view. In practice, however, it meant business for the wireless telegraph man, who worked his buzzing machine overtime sending "a few words to my wife, you know, just to let her understand I am all right." It meant also letter writing at all hours of the day and the mailing of hundreds of postcards at every stopping place. The day after the " PRINZ JOACHIM" left Charleston one of the happiest men in the party was President Whitelaw of the Commercial Club of St. Louis, when he found upon his breakfast table a bunch of roses with a card showing that Mrs. Whitelaw had done some telegraphing to a Charleston florist after President Whitelaw's departure from St. Louis. A member of the Boston Club exhibited with much pride a letter from his wife, who is in Europe, the letter having followed him down the Atlantic seaboard and overtaken him in the West Indies. In the evenings when the travelers gathered in the smoking room and the ladies' saloon, the graphophones were turned loose. The favorite records were those in treble, as to tone, and sentimental as to character. " Canned music," Mr. Wright, of St. Louis, called it, but everybody listened, after dinner. The life of the members of the Commercial Clubs on board the "PRINZ JOACHIM" was not monotonous. Strenuous might apply to some features of it. There was golf on the boat deck, shuffle-board and ball on the promenade deck, and almost anything else in the way of entertainment on the saloon and upper decks. There was music by the German band. Graphophones at either end of the saloon deck supplied music and vaudeville as continuously as the boat's impressario found time to wind the machines. Breakfast followed n A Group on Deck From Left to Right: Rolla Wells, Stephen *-k* o*o i, ..r,.,- "k,J" .' U* I 1 ..u T> -n L. Baniett, Murray Carieton. ttle sea water bad at eight o clock in the morning. Bouillon was served at eleven; luncheon at one; coffee and tea at four; dinner at seven, and light supper at eleven. Life was well ordered. The government aboard was vested in the Joint Committee, Mr. Laws, of Cincinnati, Mr. Batcheller, of Boston, Mr. Carpenter, of Chicago, and Mr. Crawford, of St. Louis. These gentlemen arranged all programs, listened to all suggestions and supplied all official information. The decisions of the Joint Committee were not only accepted, but won hearty approval. Many of the rulings were experimental, for the expedition was without precedents to guide. The " PRINZ JOACHIM" was chartered under a contract which covered the staterooms and meals and other accommodations included in first-class passage. The contract also determined the itinerary. But there still remained open the question of supplies usually considered extras mineral water, cigars, cigarettes, wines, liquors, playing cards, etc. which are issued, as a rule, on the order of the traveler and charged to him. The Committee decided that such supplies should be paid for from the common fund. Everything on board, with the single exception of service in the barber shop, was free. This decision proved to be so satisfactory in its operation that special mention of it seems justified. The detail duties of the Joint Committee were divided. Mr. Laws was the medium of communication with Captain von Leitner. He was navigation officer, so far as the Clubs were concerned. Mr. Crawford had charge of the staterooms and of the bathrooms. Mr. Carpenter was officer of the decks and the arbiter in all controversies which arose in the smoking room. The very delicate duties of the cuisine supervision and of the dining room etiquette devolved upon Mr. Batcheller, of Boston. Mr. Batcheller was a diplomat. The first decision he made was that everybody should sit where he pleased, with the advice that everybody take a different seat at each meal, so as to get well acquainted with fellow voyagers. Mr. Batcheller's next fine stroke was to announce that anything but pajamas would be sufficient dress for the dining room. Each day, at eleven in the morning, the Joint Committee the high joints got together, compared notes on past kicks, and prepared plans for the future. The first Sabbath on board the " PRINZ JOACHIM " will be remembered as one of the most notable days of the trip. The Joint Committee began preparations for the observance of the day by appointing a 34 committee headed by Walker Hill and Henry C. Scott, of St. Louis. Associated with Mr. Hill and Mr. Scott to arrange appropriate observance of the day were Homer P. Knapp and George M. Wright, of St. Louis, Edward Goepper, President of the Commercial Club of Cincinnati, F. B. Carpenter, of Boston. Mr. Scott found a valuable auxiliary in the person of Lawrence Maxwell, Jr., of Cincinnati. Mr. Maxwell is remembered as Solicitor General in the second administration of President Cleveland. It was not so well known to members of the Commercial Clubs that Mr. Maxwell is an amateur musician of no ordinary qualifications. Mr. Scott pressed Mr. Maxwell into service with the result that the musical features of the service were something unusual in excellence. Mr. Maxwell arranged the scores and instructed the German band in the rendition of good American hymns. He trained a choir composed of Mr. Goepper, of Cincinnati, Dr. Warren, of Boston, Mr. Geicr and Mr. Davis, of Cincinnati, Mr. McCormick, of Chicago, Mr. Bremer and Mr. Lawrence, of Boston, Mr. Farwell, of Chicago, Mr. Rowe and Mr. Chatfield, of Cincinnati, Mr. Wright, Mr. Scott and Mr. Crawford, of St. Louis. Mr. Maxwell, played the piano and conducted his combined orchestra and choir. Mr. Scott, and his committee selecetd with care hymns in which the congregation of the members of the Clubs could join with the choir. The words of the hymns were put in type by the ship's printer, and a sufficient number printed on cards to supply all. Captain von Leitner and several officers of the ship attended the service. At eleven o'clock the bugle sounded. There had been an air of quiet expectancy all of the forenoon. By common consent, and without a suggestion from the Joint Committee, the usual amusements of week days were umitted. Members of the Clubs sat about the decks, looking at the flying fish, reading and conversing. At the sound of the bugle everybody moved in the direction of the dining saloon, which had been prepared for the service. The band under the direction of Mr. Maxwell played a German hymn. When Mr. Walker Hill arose at the end of the room it was to face the entire membership of the Clubs on board. He invited all to join in the singing and gave out the hymn ( "Come, Thou Almighty King, Help us Thy name to sing." The choir and orchestra led in perfect time. Quite generally the congregation made use of the card copies of the hymn. The singing was earnest and harmonious. "Let us pray," said Mr. Hill, and every head was bowed. The Episcopal service was followed. Mr. Hill read the prayer in a manner which might be expected of one who was brought up in a city which has twenty-one Episcopal churches, and whose family for several generations has been represented in the clergy. When he reached the Lord's Prayer the members of the Clubs repeated the whole in unison. The same was true when the Creed was reached. The choir and orchestra led in "How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, Is laid for your faith in His excellent word." The exercises lasted about three quarters of an hour. It goes without saying that with such a body of 3S American business and professional men the most perfect decorum was observed. But it can be said with propriety that the spirit of reverence and interest in the service throughout was such as to make the occasion very impressive and such as to afford no small degree of satisfaction to the Joint Committee and to the special committee which had prepared the order of the day. After the service the members sat about the decks in groups, reading or conversing. The first Sabbath of the Commercial Clubs was neither a dies non nor was it like a week day. It was a day unto itself and to be most pleasantly remembered. On Sunday, March 3d, the members of the Clubs arose to find the " PRINZ JOACHIM " headed toward Jamaica, and rapidly increasing the distance from Colon. The two days of intensely interesting observation on the Canal Zone were behind them. A bright sun shone. There was just a touch of coolness in the breeze which blew over the Caribbean from the North. This Sabbath was a day of needed physical rest after the talks and walks with Chief Engineer Stevens and his staff on the Isthmus. At eleven o'clock the bugle call drew a full attendance into the dining saloon. The choir under the leadership of Mr. Maxwell sang- ''O God, our help in ages past, Our home for years to come." Frank J. Jones, of Cincinnati, who had been chosen by the Committee to conduct the exercises of the day, read selections from the Episcopal service. The choir sang "My faith looks up to Thee Thou Lamb of Calvary." After the second reading the choir sang "Jesus shall reign where 'er the sun Does his successive journeys run." The services closed with the singing of the Doxology by the congregation. The third Sabbath on board the " PRINZ JOACHIM" came with the end of the cruise only two days away. Services were conducted by William Whitman of Boston. There was added solemnity when the prayer for the sick was read. In a near-by stateroom Charles Gordon Knox lay seriously ill, although at that time he was not thought to be in a critical condition. The choir sang impressively " Nearer, my God, to Thee, Nearer to Thee." The exercises closed with the entire body singing "Onward, Christian soldiers, Marching as to war." Sabbaths well spent were the three which the members of the Commercial Clubs passed on the " PRINZ JOACHIM." SUNDAY AFTER LEAVING THE ISTHMUS. A DAY OF REST. Reading from left to right: Edward Goepper, Walker Hill (in foreground), Oscar L. Whitelaw, Jos. R. Russell, Jos. D. Bascom, John Omwake, L. D. Dozier, James A. Green, Chas. W. Durrell, Jas. E. Mooney, Stephen L. Bartlett, Chas. F. Cutler, Robt. Batcheller, Harry L. Rice, S. Parker Bremer, L. W. Noyes, William Lodge, Harry L. Laws, Daniel Catlin, B. W. Campbell, E. C. Goshorn, William A. Fuller, Hanford Crawford. In chairs: From front to back J. T. Carew, Charles L. Hutchinson, Charles W. Knapp, David B. Gamble, D. B. Meacham, George O. Carpenter. Washington's Birthday THE third day afloat of the Commercial Clubs brought Washington's Birthday. When the Joint Committee notified Captain von Leitner of the desire to observe the day he smiled and promptly produced United States flags and a bust of the Father of His Country. The resources of the ship were put at the command of the Committee. Under the direction of the inspector, Mr. Fahrenheim, the bust was placed in the center of the saloon and decorated with the colors. The ship's electrician produced an electric star which was placed above the head of Washington. The head chef came forward with his special contribution to the occasion, a copy in miniature of Liberty Enlightening the World. This was done in parafine, and was an artistic reproduction, even to the elrctric torch held aloft. The flag of the four Clubs, the field embracing the four colors, blue for Boston, red for Chicago, yellow for Cincinnati and white for St. Louis, was displayed at the front of the saloon, forming the background for the speakers. All day the steward and electrician worked in the saloon, carrying out their plan of decoration with a zeal and taste which charmed the travelers. Celebration of the anniversary began early in the morning. The travelers arose to the strains of the Star- Spangled Banner," and when they came from their staterooms they found the ship dressed in flags fore and aft. But the elaborate formal program was associated with the dinner hour. At seven o'clock the members of the Clubs, in dinner dress, assembled forward and marched into the saloon to the measures of a Sousa march played by the German band. The Joint Committee Had arranged the program. This being a national occasion, rather than an official function of the Clubs, the committeemen decided to go outside of the officers of the Clubs to elect the chairman of the evening. At the invitation of the Committee David R. Francis accepted the duty of presiding. Immediately after the soup, Mr. Francis brought to their feet the members of the Clubs with this toast to "THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES Wherever patriotic Americans are assembled, whether on land or sea, whether under their own flag or under the flag of any foreign country; wherever toasts are proposed, there is one sentiment that is never overlooked. It is the sentiment not to our ruler the American people have no ruler; but I am sure you will all join me in drinking to the health and long life of the President of the United States." The toast was received with cheers. Mr. Chalmers, of Chicago, moved that a committee of four, one from each Club, be appointed to frame a message to be sent by wireless to the President of the United States. The motion was carried with enthusiasm. The committee was named, consisting of W. J. Chalmers, of Chicago, J. B. Russell, of Boston, Charles W. Knapp, of St. Louis, and W. W. Taylor, of Cincinnati. Without delay the committee proceeded to the wireless office on the boat deck and sent the following : On Board S. S. " PRINZ JOACHIM," February 22, 1907. The President, Washington, D. C. On this birthday of the first President, greetings are tendered to his worthy successor by the united Commercial Clubs of Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis, now enroute to Panama. The "PRINZ JOACHIM" was too far from a land station of the wireless to get the message through direct, but the operator "picked up" a coast-wise steamer equipped with the apparatus, and the coast-wise steamer was requested to send the message on to a land station. Soon after the forwarding of the message of greeting to the President of the United States, Mr. Francis again claimed the attention of the Clubs, proposing a toast to the German Emperor. He said : "We are sailing in a foreign steamer under a foreign flag under the flag of Germany on a boat of a line whose steamers encircle the globe. That line has attained its present efficiency and superiority largely through the influence of the German Emperor, who looks after, not only the political welfare of his people, but their industrial interests as well. I am sure you will join with me in drinking to the German Emperor." Mr. Francis called upon Captain von Leitner to respond. The band played "Die Wacht am Rhein " and everybody sang. The Captain came to his feet, his face rosy at the enthusiastic reception. There were shouts of " Hoch der Kaiser!" " Dreimal Hoch der Kaiser!" Captain von Leitner showed himself something of a humorist by saying: "I have heard your toasts to the President of the United States and to the German Emperor, and I think I can do no better than to propose in return three cheers for the Commercial Clubs of Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis." The cheers were given and then the officers of the ship presented the chief surprise of the evening. Every light went out. The star above and the circlet about the bust of Washington flashed. The flags fluttered. The members of the Clubs arose and voiced their appreciation. But this was not all. To the measures of a march, Steward Eggerstedt's entire force of assistant stewards and waiters in sailor shirts, with American flags looped over their shoulders, filed in. Each man carried an American flag in one hand while in the other he held high the ice cream course. The cream was in large pineapples resting on blocks of ice, hollowed to form lanterns. Inside of each block of ice burned a candle. At the conclusion of the menu, the Joint Committee sprung a happily arranged program. Only three speeches were permitted. The subjects were the Past, Present and Future of the country. As St. Louis had furnished the presiding officer, to the other Clubs were assigned the subjects for the speeches. Boston was appropriately given the Past. Cincinnati followed with the Present, while the orator for Chicago addressed himself to the problems of the Future. In every case the speaker grasped the idea had in mind by the Joint Committee, and the program worked out perfectly. In presenting the speakers, Mr. Francis said: "I believe it was William Makepeace Thackeray who said in 'The Newcomes' (it has been nearly, if not quite, forty years since I read it) that George Washington was the greatest boon in the shape of a man that an all-wise Providence had conferred upon the human race. Not only was he the Father of His Country, but twice its saviour, after we had achieved our independence. The most critical period in American history was the eleven years between the gaining of our independence and the adoption of our Constitution. No influence other than that of Washington could have induced the Colonies to adopt the Constitution ; and after he became President of the United States, no influence other than his, no will less determined than his, could have prevented our Government from taking sides with France in her war with Great Britain. It was his influence and his wisdom that kept us from all entangling alliances. So that from the standpoint of citizens of the United States, at least, no man who ever breathed the free air of America is entitled to one tithe of the credit that we should cherish for George Washington. "But his influence is not confined to the limits of our own country. You cannot go to any part of the civilized globe that you do not see the effects of the principles espoused and championed and established by George . Washington. By virtue of the independence which his leadership achieved in this country, the shackles have been severed from the limbs of the oppressed throughout the world. Today in the Western Hemisphere there is not an independent country that is not a Republic. To Washington's influence a great deal of that condition of affairs may be attributed. So that around the globe the influence of this remarkable man has been extended. Too much credit cannot be given to his work; too much homage cannot be paid to his memory. And we, a handful of American citizens, journeying from one part of the Western Hemisphere to another, here in mid-ocean, but do our duty when in response to our instincts we assemble around this festive board to do honor to the memory of so great a man. The history of the United States has impressed itself not only upon everyone who lives under the flag, but upon every intelligent mind in every civilized country on the globe. "This evening we are to talk about ourselves about our glorious past, about our magnificent present, and our promising future. And when we speak of the past our minds naturally revert to Faneuil Hall and Boston and Massachusetts. The first commercial club in the United States was organized in Boston. We who are members of commercial clubs in other cities of the United States, are grateful to Boston for having originated the idea, and for having carried into execution this most excellent plan. Therefore, the Committee has wisely determined that the 'Past of the United States' shall be responded to by a son of Massachussetts, by a member of the Commercial Club of Boston, by a man who not only represents our EMU. i \HRrNHrlM organization in that commercial metropolis of New England, but who represents a great who CM* in Hwb 10 rt* industry, the manufacture of cotton, and a man, who in addition to that, stands for his own pirtj impectni o< Ciminr. 41 individuality, which is admired by all who know him. I have the honor to introduce to you Mr. William Whitman, of Boston." Mr. Whitman said : "I thank you, sir, for your very kind presentation of my name, and for your reference to the Commercial Club of Boston; and I thank you, gentlemen, for your cordial reception. "Your chairman has stated to you that those who are expected to speak tonight have been given but brief notice, and you will readily understand that under the conditions which have ruled on the ship, there has been little time for preparation ; and as it is my habit to prepare when anything elaborate is expected, I wish to make apology for the desultoriness of what I may say. "I shall make no attempt to eulogize the great man whose birth we commemorate today. His place in history is firmly established. He is universally recognized as a great soldier, a great statesman and a lofty patriot. His name is endeared to the American people, and will live in history and in the hearts of the people as long as the written page and the memory of man endure. "But it may not be amiss on an occasion of this kind to allude to those qualifications of the first President of the United States which seem to me to have made him an ideal Chief Magistrate of our great Republic. We have been told that he was commanding in person; that he was courteous and dignified in manner; that he appreciated and understood the exalted position which he occupied, and that he maintained the dignity of that position. His poise and self-control were admirable. He exemplified the proverb (I do not know that I can quote it accurately) that 'He that ruleth his spirit is better than he that taketh a city.' Washington was a born leader and commander of men, and possessed that remarkable quality which I cannot describe of dominating and influencing those about him. His actions were in harmony with the Constitution and laws of his country. He recognized the limits of his functions. I do not remember any encroachments by him upon the federal legislature or the judiciary. Self was lost sight of in exalted patriotism. Although acknowledged to be the greatest man of his time, in his own country, he appreciated and recognized the ability of those around him. "But I am called upon to speak of the Past. Possibly it may have been expected that I should refer to the part that Boston has played in the history of this country from prior to the Declaration of Independence down to the present time. It seems to me, however, that in a company of business men such as this I should confine myself to speaking of the material development of the country. I will not enter into much detail. It is sufficient to know that during the past century this country has taken the foremost position among the nations of the world, in agriculture, in manufactures, in mining, and, when we take into account what is foreign, what is coastwise and what is internal, in commerce; and that that commerce comes as a consequence of the development of our productive industries. This development, as you know, is the wonder of the world. Pessimists think it is dangerous. They view our growth in wealth with alarm. The accumulation of large fortunes they regard as a menace to the Republic. But, Gentlemen, there is no occasion for alarm. There is a fundamental law there are exceptions to that law, I know but there is a fundamental law that men receive only in proportion to their contributions to the public good. The exceptions are rare. Wealth can be used by its possessors for the public welfare only. There may be exceptions, I say, but to what use can accumulated wealth be put that does not inure to the benefit of the people at large? It may not be a good simile, but in this connection I have thought often of the little rills that come down the mountains and empty into the streams, and eventually find their way to the ocean, and then the water that flows into the ocean goes back, by the operation of natural laws, to its original sources. "The inventions and discoveries of the last century that have made our material development possible have, in my judgment, correspondingly contributed to the comfort, the happiness and the uplifting of our people. Under them the hours of labor have been reduced and the wages and efficiency of labor increased. This development, as a whole, has been brought about through the Washington's Birthday The decorations of the dining saloon prepared for the celebration. utilization of steam, the improvements in chemistry, mechanics and metallurgy, and the wonderful adaptation of electricity. Let us think for a moment what we have on this ship, and compare it to what could have been had in Washington's time, or even up to a few years ago. The steamship is built of iron and steel, and iron and steel in the construction of steamships came into use within a few years. Tlir steamship itself is no older than some of the gentlemen present I refer to no one in particular. Even the locomotive and the railway have taken place within the memory of people now living. But to revert to this ship. Think of what electricity has done for us. I have no doubt there are some here who were born on a farm. What would you have thought in your early days some of you seated around this table of a room lighted like this is? When I was a boy the only light that was used in the country was a tallow candle. Whale oil was for grand occasions. "The telephone think what it has done for us. And most wonderful of all, we have wireless telegraphy. By an instrument on this ship, you have just sent a message to the President of the United States in Washington. "We are apt to think at times 'of the good old days,' but no sensible man can wish to go back to them. This trip, with its concomitants, would have been impossible a few years ago, without the inventions to which I have alluded. This trip, as someone said to me tonight, is a unique one, I venture to say the first of its kind ever made in the history of the world, the commercial clubs of four of our largest cities, at their own expense traveling nearly 6,000 miles to visit all these widely separated parts of the globe within twenty-four days. " Morever, I consider that rapid communication I mean communication by sea, by rail, by means of the telegraph and the telephone is one of the greatest instrumentalities in the world's progress. Everything of importance that occurs today in any particular part of the world is immediately known to all the rest of the world. So that, in the dissemination of knowledge, rapid communication plays an important part. I believe too that rapid communication is bringing about gradually what we all long for, namely, the brotherhood of man. It is bringing all people into closer touch and sympathy with each other. It is spreading the gospel of love and peace to all men. "I also believe the moral, spiritual and intellectual development of the country has kept pace with our material development. I need not refer to the ^establishment of institutions of learning and to institutions for original scientific research; to the care of the State for the sick, the unfortunate, the helpless and the insane; to the increased educational facilities of the country; or to the benevolence of individuals for the same purposes. Every member of each of the Clubs can point to men who spend the best part of their lives in carrying out these benevolent purposes, and none more so than the gentlemen from the Western States. 43 "In conclusion, I desire to call your attention to something that perhaps is of as great importance in connection with this subject as any. It is but a few more than fifty years since anesthesia was discovered. Just think of the human suffering that has been prevented by the use of anesthesia. It is only within a few years that antiseptics were discovered. The discoveries of anesthesia and antiseptics have made possible the great advances in surgery. Without them, the wonderful operations that are daily performed would be impracticable. Think of the discoveries that have been made in medical science, of the germ theory of disease and of germ destroyers. Only recently, in my own city, has been discovered the germ organization of small-pox. But as I am not to speak of the Future, I will let you imagine what will come from that discovery. The science of medicine is now being applied to the prevention as well as to the cure of disease, and the prevention of disease will work far greater changes than the curing of disease. We shall witness the latest triumphs of sanitary science on the Isthmus and in Havana. "Now the point of my remarks is to say, that our country is better for our material growth; that the members of these Commercial Clubs have been great factors in promoting it; that we recognize the contributions of science to the well being of mankind as having been greater in our day than in all the days that went before; that it is our privilege to live in an atmosphere pulsating with new thoughts and the discovery of latent powers; and that as each of us can say with Saint Paul, that he is ' a citizen of no mean city,' all of us can rejoice that we are citizens of the country of George Washington, a country dedicated to the liberty and progress of humanity, which has become in many respects and ought to be in all respects, an exemplar to the nations of the world." Introducing the next speaker, Mr. James A. Green, of Cincinnati, Mr. Francis said: "The next division of this very comprehensive subject of the United States is 'The Present". It was in 1783 that the treaty of peace between the United States and Great Britain was signed, and the next great event in our national history occurred twenty years later when, on April 30th, 1803, by a memorable treaty signed at Paris, our limits were extended to include the Louisiana Territory, or virtually to the Pacific Ocean. "Just ninety-six years thereafter, on the llth of April, 1899, was signed another treaty of Paris a treaty which marked the beginning of a new era in the history of the United States. From that date there has been a new foreign policy not a colonial policy, but a policy which extended the jurisdiction of the United States beyond the Atlantic and the Pacific. "Today we are living under the provisions of that treaty. We are going to touch at one or more of our acquired possessions acquired under the treaty of 1899. We are then going to visit another possession of the United States acquired a few years later, which we purchased or assumed not through any desire of aggrandizement, but through a sense of duty. We took up the 'white man's burden 1 ' "The present policy of the United States, glorious as has been our past, is different from what it was in the days of George Washington and the Declaration of American Independence. "A member of the Cincinnati Commercial Club has been selected to respond to 'The Present'. He not only represents our organization in that city, but he is a representative citizen of what was in my boyhood days known as the 'Queen City of the West', and in his commercial pursuits he stands for one of the greatest industries of this age, iron and steel. "I have the honor to present to you Mr. James A. Green, of Cincinnati." Mr. Green spoke as follows: "There was a Kentucky mountaineer who carne to deliver an address in Cincinnati, and he began with the remark, 'I am glad I have came'. All of us from Cincinnati are 'glad we have came', and the further we go the gladder we are. We feel that we can best express our thought in the words of Thomas Buchanan Read, whom we claim for our own: ' Yon deep bark goes Where traffic blows, From lands of sun tn land* of snows. Our happier one, Its course has run, From lands of snows to lands of sun. Oh, happy ship, To rise and dip, With the blue crystal at your lip, Oh, happy crew, Our souls with you Sail and sail and sing anew.' "America of today is my topic the America of the Present. And I wish I had the happy faculty of definition of the little girl in the physiology class who, when asked to define spine, said it was 'a limber bone your head sets on one end and you set on the other.' "America is so vast that no one definition will suit it. It is so great that the proudest boast of the mother country has in truth become ours, and the rising sun forever, day after day, gilds the stars and stripes upon our outer battlements. It is so varied that while they are harvesting ice in Maine today they are simultaneously plucking oranges in Florida; so varied that while the eternal summer clothes in everlasting green the hillsides in Porto Rico and the Philippines, yet winter without end spreads its deadly pall of ice and snow upon the northern shores of Alaska. These are material things. We also have lighted such a torch in our land a torch of free speech, of free thought and of freedom that it lights the heavens, and all the world may read. "But America to us is the great land that stretches between the Atlantic and the Pacific; the land of rivers and mountains and of lakes, of valleys and plains so fertile that the world has nothing to offer in comparison with them; the land that flows with more milk and honey than ever the land of the Prophets of Israel. If the Psalmist saw the cattle on a thousand hills, we Americans see the cattle on ten thousand times a thousand hills. And all are ours. They used to say that we Americans were provincial and never was anything more true. But are we provincial now ? As Sir Christopher Wren's epitaph says, ' look about you' for your answer. "Here we are, celebrating in feast and song and patriotic words the memory of that great American who was not over-praised when he was called 'First in War, First in Peace and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen.' Here we are, Pilgrims and Puritans from Boston; hustlers from Chicago, holding as their heritage the great Northwest; enterprising spirits from St. Louis, who hold as theii domain the mighty Southwest. And we of Cincinnati and modesty forbids me to say as I would fain do that we combine in a remarkable degree all the civic, patriotic, business and social virtues; so that our city, in its possession of such citizens, is happy beyond compare. "But here we are, Americans born and bred, Americans to the bone and sinew, going to an American possession, on a pilgrimage of great import, riding on a German boat and eating a dinner from a French menu, served on English china. If that is not cosmopolitan what is cosmopolitan ? "There have been great and distinctive periods in American history. All of us here have been brought up and lived through one of the most notable periods, that of the Civil War and the Reconstruction that followed it. That period only ended with the Spanish-American War, and the new century began the Present for America. "When I was a boy I was brought up to believe and doubtless all of you shared the same opinion, that there would be no more war; that civilization had so far progressed that nations would no longer settle their quarrels by the bloody wager of battle, but that the poet's dream would be realized 'When the war drums are all muffled, And the battle flags are furled, In the Parliament of Man, The Federation of the World.' "We were brought up as young men, I know, with the belief that our genius was not war but peace; and that our nation's hope was not war but peace; and I, for one, am not a man to unduly exalt the soldier or to think him the hero above heroes. I believe that the victories of peace are far more renowned than those of war, and that the discoverer who gives to the world a new continent; the pioneer who lays low the forest and lets in the sunlight upon the fertile fields; the man who unites cities and states by great railroads; the man who flashes on electric wires the thought of the world around the globe in less time than it takes to tell it; the men who have made life better and sweeter and easier, because of the multitudinous inventions of this modern day they are the heroes of the world and the benefactors of their time. "Yet, in spite of this, there is something about war that is not to be gainsaid. The triumphant peal of battle seems to arouse a nation and a people as nothing else can do. I will not speak of the marvelous example of this, that is given now in the victory of Japan. The results of the Japanese-Russian War may not be worked out for a century, so far-reaching will be their influence. But the war with Spain sent a trumpet blast through the American people, arousing them to a new sense of their own potentialities. We now have visions of our opportunities, and American thought has changed its form and attitude. A provincial people, we have become a world-power; a self-contained people, we have colonies and islands, and principalities and powers depending upon us. The foreign entanglements that the revered Father of his Country warned us against, are crowding upon us in a score of ways. "Then at home, no less than abroad, we have changed. There was a time when the ordinary thought could be expressed in thousands; now by the great consolidations of business interests men have changed things so that they think not only in millions, but in billions. Fresh life, fresh enterprise and new ideas are throbbing through and about us. We are tonight voyaging to visit the beautiful island that came to us as a result of the war with Spain, and to visit the much larger and more important island practically as large as some of the countries of Europe the burden of which is upon our shoulders. "But more than that. We are going to see one of the logical results of the inspiration of the Spanish- American War. Uncle Sam has stretched out his hand, across the thousands of miles of land and water that intervene between us and the Isthmus of Panama, to take up the work laid down by another, and to carry it to successful completion ; and when completed, it will not be the eighth wonder of the world, but the first. "The Spanish-American War made obsolete all of the geographies of the world, as it wiped Spain from the Atlantic and the Pacific ; and the Panama Canal will work a more startling change in the commerce of the world than war has ever made. America has made many contributions to mankind ; it has given the world many great and high gifts, but the Panama Canal will be the greatest contribution that any nation has ever made to the general welfare of mankind. " And this is the greatest task that any nation has ever undertaken, and it will stand as a monument of the present era. "The marvelous thing about all these changes of thought, and of attitude on the part of our country, is that democracy is in no whit changed. There never was a time when a patriot could be more of a patriot than today. There never was a time when we were 46 A CONGENIAL GROUP From left to right: Those sitting George M. Wright, John R. Morron, David R. Francis, Joy Morton, Clyde M. Carr, Those standing Alfred L. Baker, L. D. Dozier, Rolla Wells. more certain than we are today, that Americans can rise to the full measure of every opportunity, and that patriotism has not gone to seed, but is still in the flower of what I believe will be an immortal youth. "The greatest and best things that the fathers have given us are with us still. The spirit and example of Washington are our heritage. His bravery, his unselfishness, his devotion to his country and his honesty, 'time cannot wither nor custom change.' We have grown cosmopolitan ; we have grown great ; we are admitted to the family of nations ; we sit at the first table ; we are rich. The statistics of our prosperity are overwhelming and incomprehensible. And yet the Republic is and ever will be the same glorious Republic. And as we sail on across the seas tonight, how many of you must have thought : 'Sail on, Oh Ship of State, Sail on, Oh Union strong and great; Humanity with all its fears, With all its hope of future yean, Is waiting on thy fate.' ' Introducing the last speaker, Mr. Alfred L. Baker, of Chicago, Mr. Francis said: "The third and last division of this subject will be very appropriately responded to by a Chicagoan. "What a boundless vista opens up before us when we speak and think of the Future. I shall not intrench upon what the next speaker is going to say, but I wish to express this thought (which I believe I may do without encroaching upon his subject) about the name we bear, the Commercial Clubs of the four cities whence we hail (and I do not mean to cast any reflection upon the two great cities not represented here) I mean to say that we are not commercial clubs in the sense of our worshipping commercialism. There is something higher and better than commercialism. We are patriotic organizations, and when it comes to an issue between commercialism and the country to which we are proud to claim allegiance, is there a man in any of these Clubs who doubts which side these organizations would take ? We are not banded together to promote commercialism in its modern sense. We are public-spirited organizations. This mission demonstrates that, if any other evidence were required. And if we would preserve these organizations, if we would follow them to the ends of their existence, we should choose patriotism rather than commercialism. "But it is the Future about which we are to listen, and the gentleman who is to respond to that sentiment is not only from Chicago, a member of the Commercial Club of that City, -but he is the man who represents the interests that provide the capital for the development of our boundless resources; the man who places the securities and sells the stock to provide the money for the establishment of our industries and the development of our incomparable resources. Gentlemen, Mr. Alfred L. Baker, of Chicago." Mr. Baker spoke as follows : "The eloquence of the gentleman who has preceded me proves that he should have been the last speaker. It is a bad plan to end an occasion of this sort with an anti-climax, but the enthusiasm which the last speaker aroused makes me fear such a catastrophe. "In the first place, I feel not unlike the celebrated Irish politician, O'Connor, who once in an after-dinner speech in Philadelphia began somewhat as follows : ' I confess that I dread making after-dinner speeches. At a sumptuous dinner such as this, if I know at the end I must make a speech, I am nervous, I lose my appetite, and can admire nothing, even in the best efforts of the Chef. In truth, gentlemen, I readily imagine Daniel heaving a sigh of relief when the lions drew near to devour him heaving * sigh of relief and murmuring to himself: Well, if there is to be any after-dinner speaking done on this occasion, at least it will not be done by me.' "It is a custom in the Chicago Commercial Club that no man should refuse to do anything reasonable which he is asked to do. I should feel recreant in loyalty, both to my Club and to my country, however stammering the attempt or feeble the result, if on this 49 day, the birthday of the first President, I should not do my utmost to honor the memory of him to whom this country owes its first great impetus and inspiration. "We have listened to the recital of our country's record in the past, to the glorious history of its present, and I am now requested to voice the predictions of its future. "Long ago John Adams predicted that Alexandria, a town in Virginia, would some time become one of the greatest commercial ports in the world. Today the steamer on its way to Mount Vernon stops at Alexandria only when it is flagged. George Washington, the millionaire of his time, invested money in wharf property in Georgetown which today would not bring as much as he paid for it. Thomas Jefferson predicted that eventually in this country there would be three associated republics, divided by the great mountain ranges, one east of the Alleghenies, one between the Alleghenies and the Rockies, and one west of the Rockies to the Pacific Coast. "In view of these three illustrious failures of prophetic wisdom, it would seem that any predictions I might make would go not much further astray. "The tremendous changes undreamed of in the days of the Revolution, have been brought about by largely increased scientific knowledge ; by the telegraph, the telephone, the railway, the discovery and appliance of steam and electricity, and by the modern methods of organization, the development and growth of corporations. "In a recent book called the 'New Internationalism" is given Gladstone's statement that the entire accumulation of wealth during the 1800 years following the birth of Christ only equals the amount of wealth produced during the first fifty years of the Nineteenth Century; and he adds that the following twenty years that is from 1850 to 1870 produced as much wealth as the previous fifty years. Therefore within a lifetime, covering a period of three score and ten years, the amount of wealth produced was double that which had been accumulated since the beginning of the Christian Era. "And when we realize tonight that the amount of wealth which has been produced since 1870 makes even Gladstone's figures look small, we are almost bewildered by the magnitude of what has been produced during the last twenty years, being probably greater than the grand total of all the years which have preceded. "Mr. Whitman, the first speaker of the evening, referred to our country as having become a great world power and compared our commercial and industrial size with England and with Germany. It seems to me that he does not go far enough ; we no longer can be content to make comparisons with any single European nation. Our own territory between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans equals the entire territory of Great Britain and Europe west of Russia. It has more natural resources, more fertile soil, more coal, iron, copper, more mineral wealth of every nature and description ; and the wealth which it has already produced is but a few hundred millions short of one-half of the combined wealth of all these countries in Europe, viz.: Great Britain, Germany, France, Austria, Italy and Spain. We thus should soon in the future begin making comparisons of the United States and the entire continent of Europe; and there is no reason why we should become self-satisfied until our annual wealth and our commercial prosperity equal in magnitude the wealth and prosperity of all of 'the powers in Europe. "Even this will not be so wonderful a transformation as has already occurred since the death of Washington. The beginning of this vast movement of commercial and industrial activity was the factory system and the growth of the corporations. These factories soon began to combine among themselves, and today we have as a consequence tremendous organizations and aggregations of capital, which are practically under one management, such as the United States Steel Corporation, the Standard Oil Company, the Leather and Shoe Machinery Company, the American Smelting and Refining Company. And so I might go on and indicate how nearly all individual enterprise has become absorbed in these larger associations of capital. "None of these things was dreamed of in the days of Washington; and it seems to me that one of the serious questions of the future is the influence of these large corporations on the political and social happiness of our people. A larger and deeper sense of 50 trusteeship must be developed than now exists. It seems to me most fitting that on the birthdays of such great men as Lincoln and Washington, organizations like our own should have meetings for the purpose of seriously considering these problems of our social and political life. Such meetings will tend to awaken in our minds a livelier interest in public affairs. " Each one of you gentlemen has accomplished success in the line of business to which you have devoted your brains and energy, and each one of you undoubtedly realizes that the time has come when something further is necessary, larger views must be entertained, a wider interest cultivated and a greater responsibility recognized, than that which pertains to our own personal business concerns. There is constantly going on in the world a modification of individual selfishness. It has been going on for centuries. Out of it have developed the civilization, the representative governments, and the law and order of today. "The time has come for the selfishness of the money maker and of the business man to become still more modified, in order that he may adjust himself to the requirements and demands of the social and, political life of this generation. "And on this anniversary of so illustrious an American it is well to be reminded of the ideal which Washington creates in our minds. It is not a mere recital of his achievements which arouses our enthusiasm when our memory dwells upon his name and character. It is something more than this; it is a personality, a spiritual force which he has left us to feel, to admire and to imitate. It is the spirit in which he worked more than the works which he achieved, which renders his name immortal. "And as we bear his qualities in mind amid the serious, social, economic and political problems of today and those looming up in the future, I know of no better way of ending my remarks than to paraphrase the closing paragraph of Choate's euology on Webster: " 'On the battlefield, someone in the agony of the need of a general, exclaimed: "Oh, for one hour qf Conde'." So I feel like exclaiming tonight: "Oh, for one hour of Washington now." One more bold and brave counsel of moderation; one more throb of American feeling; one more inspiration from his majestic presence; one more farewell address; and then might he ascend unhindered to the bosom of his Father and his God.' ' As the celebration came to an end the members of the Clubs scattered to the promenade deck and to the smoking room. Mr. Dwight, of Boston, voiced the general sentiment as he commented: "I don't remember to have witnessed on land a better observance of Washington's Birthday than this has been." THE FREXCH Jl XK OX THE ISTHMI - Abandoned locomotive! end other machinery and material of the de LeMept retime, at Empire. SI St. Thomas FOUR nights and four days, less two hours by the log of the "Dampschiff 'PRINZ JOACHIM,' von Leitner, Captain", was required for the 1186 miles between Charleston and St. Thomas. An early dinner was provided Sunday evening, February 24th, and when the members came out on the promenade deck, the headlands of Virgin Island, better known to the travelers of today as St. Thomas, were looming over the bow and on the port side. The steamer leisurely made headway into the harbor of Charlotte Amalie, capital city of the little island, checking speed to pick up the pilot. The navigator of the expedition, Mr. Batcheller, of Boston, explained why it had been necessary to come forty-three miles east of Porto Rico and to make this stop. A steamship sailing under a foreign flag, he said, must make a foreign port after leaving an American port, before it can enter a second American port. It was true the " PRINZ JOACHIM" had called at Charleston after leaving New York, but that had required a special dispensation from Washington, to accommodate the Commercial Clubs of the western cities. While the quarantine and port officers were going through the usual formalities with Captain von Leitner, the negro boatmen swarmed about the foot of the ladder offering their services to take the voyagers ashore. They were noisy and importunate. Dusk came on and the lights of Charlotte Amalie were numerous before the steam launch was ready to leave the ship's side with its tow of life boats. With a parting injunction from the Joint Committee to be on board again at 11 p. m. sharp, the members of the Clubs almost to a man left the ship. At the dock they were welcomed by a large percentage of the population of the city a degree of interest in the party which was better appreciated when Mr. Leroy Nolte, Editor of the St. Thomas Tidende, exhibited a copy of his paper of the previous morning which contained the following: "The billionaires on the ' PRINZ JOACHIM' are due tomorrow. As a matter of accommodation, we learn that His Honor, the Police Master, has given permission to merchants to open their stores both tomorrow and next Sunday during the time that the tourist steamer is in port. This deserves thanks." By the itinerary the "PRINZ JOACHIM" should have dropped anchor in the fine harbor of St. Thomas at two o'clock, Sunday afternoon, but the seven hours lost at Charleston, owing to the bad weather off Hatteras, had not been made up. The citizens of Charlotte Amalie were disappointed. They, however, showed the proper spirit of accommodation referred to in the permission of the Police Master. They kept open their stores until the demands of the "billionaires" for post cards, panama hats, duck suits and bay rum had been entirely satisfied. St. Thomas is thirteen miles long and three miles wide, with a population of 10,000. There have been times in the history of the West Indies when the little Danish possession belot " cut quite an international figure. Today the island is of interest chiefly for its quaint attractions for tourists. The members of the Clubs did Charlotte Amalie quite thoroughly in the three hours ashore. As they landed at King's Wharf they scattered widely. Some visited Government House, an imposing building for so small a colonial possession. One group composed of Mr. Scott, Mr. Jones and Mr. Knox, of St. Louis, climbed the hill and found j a beautiful tropical garden through which the charming young daughter of a foreign consul conducted them. Mr. Nugent, of St. Louis, piloted a party to a very old and quaint church. " Blue Beard's Castle," the name given to the place of retirement, according to tradition, of one of the pirates when the Jolly Roger flew at the masthead in the Caribbean, was visited. Mr. Bascom and several members, who had started for the tropics without much thought of raiment, discovered that the stores of Charlotte Amalie were well stocked with duck suits of excellent quality. Bay rum is one of the staples of the Danish West Indies. It was purchased in quart bottles, and carried aboard the " PRINZ JOACHIM " in quantities sufficient to fill bath tubs. Very entertaining the members found the narrow streets, the heavy stone buildings, the quick spoken and courteous people of Charlotte Amalie. Plainly the local disposition was to make the stay as agreeable as possible. Questioning developed the fact that the people of St. Thomas make it their chief vocation to entertain and interest visitors from other countries. There was no resentment, only an apologetic manner in the explanation that Charlotte Amalie was not looking her very best the night the Commercial Clubs landed because some American warships had been in the harbor a few nights before and 500 jackies had been given shore leave to the utter demoralization of the street lighting system. It is easy to become acquainted with these West Indian subjects of Denmark. So long as the " PRINZ JOACHIM" remained in the harbor the latchstring of Charlotte Amalie was out to the Commercial Clubs. Not until the warning whistle blew and the members carrying their bundles and bottles started for the wharf did the shopkeepers begin to put up their shutters and to turn the keys in the locks of the massive doors. When the launch started for the ship with the last boat load, the population was still on the wharf looking good-will toward the departing "billionaires." Porto Rico IN a gentle shower, all pervading mist and the temperature of a-late-in- April morning, the Commercial Clubs landed at San Juan, Porto Rico. It was a case of anchoring out in the harbor and going ashore in the launches. When the President of the United States was at San Juan in November last he could not embark because the harbor had not been dredged to permit the movement of a warship. He informed Congress of the situation and said: "I do not think this creditable to us as a nation." While awaiting the rather slow method of getting ashore in relays, the members admired the bright and varied coloring of the buildings, public and private, and read the signs above the roofs of enterprising merchants the color scheme being a reminiscence of the Spanish regime, the huge letters telling all who sail of the completeness of American occupation. A zealous committee, representing the business interests of the city, was on the wharf to meet the first boat load of visitors. F. del Valle Atiles, the mayor, or alcalde, of San Juan, greeted Mr. Laws, chairman of the Joint Committee of the Clubs, as soon as he stepped from the boat, with a well-worded speech of welcome. Automobiles and carriages were waiting. Xo the members was handed a card informing them that the local committee hoped to carry out the following rapid-fire program with those who elected to pass the day in San Juan and its suburbs: 8:10 a. m. Drive about Marina (the wharves and warehouse district). Visit Planing Mill of Finlay Brothe r s, and Waymouth Trading Company. 9:00 a. m. Call on his Excellency, Governor Beekman Winthrop. 9:15 a. m. Visit to El Moro and Casa Blanca. 10:00 a. m. Arrive Spanish Casino; reception until 11 a. m. 11:10 a. m. Drive to Union Club. 11:45 a. m. Luncheon at Union Club. 1:00 p. m. Visit factory of Porto Rican American Tobacco Company. 2:00 p. m. Take Special Train for Carolina, visit sugar central "Progreso." 4:00 p. m. Take train for Santurce. Drive to Country Club. 5:00 p. m. Stop at Country Club. 5:30 p. m. Drive to Union Club. 6:00 p. m. Dinner at Union Club. Miramar. After dinner drive to steamer landing. COME AGAIN. The day in San Juan was strenuous. It was no fault of the committee of business men that every engagement on the program was not kept. Tide cut no figure, but time did. The departure of the steamer, in order to get away from the harbor before daylight ended, shut out two or three numbers on the itinerary. The members, on their own initiative, undertook lines of investigation not mentioned in the program, but of individual interest. For example, Mr. Carpenter, of Chicago, devoted a part of the day to a personal investigation of the insular police, with results satisfactory to him. Improving upon the old and disliked guardia civil of Spanish times, the American authority has developed a semi-military police force, which includes both city and country in its operations. There is no municipal police. The jurisdiction of the insular force is bounded only by the limits of the island. The force numbers 700 men. With the exception of the chief and assistant chief, the officers and men are native Porto Ricans. Besides the insular police, which is under the local Porto Rican government, the Island has a regiment of native Porto Rican infantry. The army post in the mountains was seen by those of the party who made the overland trip from San Juan to Ponce, and its well kept appearance was commented on admiringly. In his recent message to Congress, President Roosevelt spoke of the "excellent character" of both the insular police and the Porto Rican regiment. It seemed to Mr. Carpenter and to other members of the Clubs, who looked into that subject, that Porto Rico's progress toward the maintenance of law and order by native policing has been a long step toward the solution of a difficult problem. Before scattering to see and to hear, the Clubs called at the Palace and were received by Governor Beekman Winthrop. They strolled through the wide corridors and spacious apartments with the wealth of decoration, statuary and paintings reminders of the days of the Spanish Governors-General, when Porto Rico was the ^^tefl ~mfJ$ 'iHN favorite colonial possession of Spain. ^ American occupation has meant little change in the fine architecture and historical features of the Palace. It has meant the introduction of American furniture and American sanitary arrangements. After the handshaking at the Palace, the party was conducted to the Spanish Club the Casino, as it is better known. There followed a reception, the manner TKC Morro-sn jum, p. R. of which charmed the visitors. The president, and other officers of the Casino, met the members as they reached the head of the staircase. Introductions followed. Upon a wide gallery a table was spread with refreshments. The president of the Casino spoke in Spanish, his words being interpreted. Mr. Goepper, President of the Commercial Club of Cincinnati, replied for the visitors, expressing appreciation of the courtesies, and admiration for evidences of Porto Rico's prosperity, his words being translated into Spanish for the benefit of those not understanding English. Mr. Goepper said : " I am sure that I am expressing the sentiment of the members of the four Commercial Clubs when I say to you that they greatly appreciate the cordial reception, the friendship and the interest shown by the gentlemen, the citizens of San Juan, in our visit to this delightful city. "To many of us it is the first opportunity we have had of seeing what you offer here not only in architecture, in foliage, in the picturesqueness of the city, but especially in the progress and the energy and the commercial developement, which is in the nature of a surprise to many of us from the North. "We sincerely wish that the Island may continue to prosper, and that your prosperity may increase. " I want to thank you sincerely, on behalf of the four Commercial Clubs here represented, for the kind attention and for your manifestation of friendship toward us. We regret that we are compelled to make our visit so brief. We should like very much to have been permitted to remain here longer, in order to become better acquainted with your industries and also with the gentlemen who have been so kind to us today. "I ask the members of the Commercial Clubs to join with me in a toast to the City of San Juan, Island of Porto Rico. May it continue to prosper, and may happiness and peace continue to reign here." The toast was received with enthusiasm. The Casino was the parting of ways for the visitors and for the local committeemen who had undertaken to guide and chaperon. Those who were to remain in San Juan, or who were to take short trips in the northern part of the Island, started in carriages for the Union Club, in the suburbs, to lunch. The adventurous spirits who had determined to make the overland trip of 130 kilometers 81 miles took the conveyances that had been provided. Two automobiles of ordinary capacity got away first as pilots to let the Ponce people, who had made elaborate preparations to entertain, know that the others in the party were coming. In these smaller autos were Mr. Russell and Mr. Wright, of Boston ; Mr. MacFarland, of Chicago ; Mr. Wulsin, Mr. Warrington, Mr. Worthington and Mr. Langdon, of Cincinnati. These autos left before eleven o'clock. About the same time an automobile carry-all was loaded to the end step with nine Boston and two Chicago members, together with the secretary of the San Juan Chamber of Commerce and the chauffeur, making thirteen in all in an 18-horse power machine. These gentlemen, who esteemed themselves fortunate, as compared with their friends still waiting for carriages, were Mr. Bartlett, Mr. Burnett, Mr. Boit, Mr. Carter, Mr. Dennison, Mr. Dwight, Mr. Mandell, Mr. Minot, Mr. Whitman, of Boston; Mr. Clow and Mr. Noyes, of Chicago. The carry-all moved off majestically and rolled out of San Juan over the military road at encouraging speed. Later in the day and far into the night the carry-all became better known as "the hearse" but that is a long and not 56 altogether merry story. For an hour after the automobile contingent had disappeared, those who were to ride in carriages speculated on the hour that would bring them to the last of the 130 kilometers. The members who drew carriages in the San Juan-Ponce lottery, were Mr. Cowdery, Mr. Hill, Mr. Jones, Mr. Knox, Mr. Nugent, Mr. Scott, of St. Louis; Mr. Ault, Mr. Carew, Mr. Chatfield, Mr. Davis, Mr. Durrell, Mr. Geier, Mr. Green, Mr. Laws, Mr. Lodge, Mr. Omwake, Mr. Rowe, of Cincinnati; Mr. Lawrence and Dr. Warren, of Boston. Acquaintances in the State may have difficulty in persuading themselves of the fact that at high noon of a February day these gentlemen set out in carriages to ride 81 miles. The vehicle was the typical Porto Rican carriage, built strongly on the general plan of the folding top surrey of the States, but with a screw brake and with easy seats. The motive power at first sight caused some of the party to feel doubtful. Just what was the origin of the wiry little ponies of the Island seems to be not altogether clear. Present results have come about by evolution and adapatation to the needs of the service. When these ponies are at pasture in the grasses of the Island they are often entirely hidden except as they chance to raise their heads. But two of them will whirl along the heavy two-seated carriage containing three or four people, with astonishing ease. It is gallop and trot and trot and gallop, up mountain and down mountain, with an occasional five minutes' stop to breathe, and at longer intervals a walking gait up the steepest grades. As the stops to breathe are always in front of a roadhouse, nobody has ever been able to tell whether the relief is for the little ponies or for the thirsty drivers. For a distance of twenty or thirty kilometers the ponies scamper along and then pull up alongside a Porto Rican stable, which is a roof on poles no sides. The harness is pulled off, fresh ponies are put in, and away rolls the carriage. With five teams the journey of 81 miles, over mountains 2400 feet high, is a matter of eleven hours. The members of the Commercial Clubs took a little more time for the passage, but they were out to see the country and for adventure. After such a statement of fact about distance and altitude,, something about the wonderful road, which makes possible and fascinating this journey, may seem properly prefaced. About the middle of the last century the Spanish authority in Porto Rico undertook the construction of a military road from the north to the south side of the Island, connecting the two principal cities, San Juan and Ponce. Distance as the crow might fly is thirty-five miles. In the engineering, to reduce grades to the minimum, the road was laid out and built eighty-one miles long between the two cities. Not only was the road graded so that it is for many miles no steeper than the tracks of some mountain railroads in the States, but it was built of material that endures today and keeps down the cost of maintenance. The black rock of the mountain sides is broken into about the size of macadam in the States. It is put on much like the method of constructing telford roadway ; but as soon as Mayor Wells, of St. Louis, saw a stretch of this road, and had examined it, he said, "the binder is what does it." In with the broken black rock, the roadbuilders of Porto Rico put limestone, which abounds in shells, and enough of the stiff clay to mix well. The roller On the Military Road to Ponce, Porto Rico. presses this composition into a roadway, which is almost as smooth as asphalt, and more enduring. Hour after hour the travelers were carried over this road of Porto Rico without sense of fatigue, so perfect is the paving. As stated, the road was built in the middle of The period of construction was some twelve years, charged with want of thoroughness or to lack of knowledge in uses of bridges of great number, on this the last century. The Spaniards have never been when it comes to road-making, stone and mortar. Culverts and military road, are stone-arched, with paved roadways. American authority has learned a lesson in road-making. Not only is this military road, from San Juan to Ponce, well maintained, but other roads are being laid out and constructed to connect all important centers of population and production. Porto Rico now has four hundred and twenty-five miles of these graded and paved roadways. The Island government has voted a loan of $1,000,000 to continue the road-building. It is not difficult to foresee the coming of the time when a trip to the Island for a month of automobiling will tempt thousands of Americans every winter. There are no such roads in the States as are being added to in Porto Rico. As yet the speed limit is not troublesome on this island. The rule of the road handed down by custom gives right of way to the faster vehicle. When the Porto Rican, with the ox-cart, sees a carriage or automobile approaching, he pilots his patient beasts to the edge of the road and stands at their heads with his goad presented until the road is clear again. The smaller autos, which carried three and four of the visitors, got through easily from San Juan to Ponce in between six and seven hours. This gave time to observe the wonderful scenery and to take the numberless curves with safety. So perfect is the roadway that automobile trucks from France are used for hauling between San Juan and the plantations by one of the large industrial companies. These trucks not only carry their own loads, but draw vans after them. The trouble with the automobile carry-all, which became, with the common consent of the Bostonians, "the hearse," was too much deliberation of movement. One of the two cylinders, with which the machine was equipped, had an inconvenient weakness for getting overheated. The hearse did not actually give out, but it had a way of slackening speed on the grades which prompted the travelers to think they could get on faster by walking. The pilot autos had gone on before. The carriages did not come up behind. So the hearse moved on through the afternoon and evening 58 tote" him With Ponce many miles away ! A Typical Home in the interior oi Pono Rico. At Coamo a distress signal was sent to Ponce. But when the relief automobiles dashed up from Ponce, at twenty miles an hour, the hearse was doing better than at any previous part of the trip. With rare consideration the Bostonians told the relief expedition to go on and meet the carriages. They had decided to "sit tight" in the hearse. The autos passed on. Almost before another kilometer had been covered the hearse began to deliberate again. "It was almost as bad going down hill as up," was Mr. Dwight's description. The uncertainties continued until the electric lights of Ponce began to rival the Southern Cross in the heavens, and far beyond the city the Caribbean shimmered in the moonlight. About midnight the Bostonians were "all in" but almost "after the ball" given by Ponce in honor of the Clubs, Mr. Boit, of Boston, had quit the hearse in disgust and had started to walk into Ponce, but, after he had hired a Porto Rican to through one ford, he rejoined the party in the carry-all. Whether made by automobile or pony carriage, the journey from San Juan to Ponce is an experience to be remembered for a lifetime. No member of the Commercial Clubs regretted the trip. The untoward sank into insignificance, or became a joke, when the delightful experiences were recalled. In the succession of wonderfully fascinating mountain scenes, the kilometer stone posts went by too rapidly. Men who have traveled extensively re-echoed the comment of Henry C. Scott, of St. Louis, when near the end of the journey he pronounced this "the greatest natural scenery, in the world." The guide-books call Porto Rico the " Switzerland of America." But Mr. Ault, of Cincinnati, and other club members who have done Switzerland, pointed out that while Porto Rico has the mountainous charm which is Switzerland's, Porto Rico has the luxurious vegetation, the glorious riot of brilliant colors, which Switzerland has not. As he looked across a wooded ravine, which was almost a chasm, and saw a perfect cone-shaped peak rise, clothed in deep green, to a crest covered with a cluster of trees, which were a mass of scarlet bloom, Mr. Cowdery, of St. Louis, voiced the longing which others felt for a botanist to talk intelligently of these objects of art in nature, new to northern eyes. Many fruits grow wild in Porto Rico. Along the roadside, not infrequently, were orange trees, native seedlings, bearing a small, sweet, jucy orange. At a country cafe, which was little more than a couple of small rooms, the travelers by the ponies and carriage line stopped to drink such coffee as would make the fortune of a caterer in the States. To provide against contingencies, the party had carried lunches from the ship, but when Mr. Green and Mr. Durrell, of Cincinnati, stopped at the hotel of one of the towns on the road, to supplement the bread and meat from the ship, they were served with strawberries. Previous to the occupation by the Americans there was almost no cultivation of the orange in Porto Rico. Now the orchards in cultivation cover 7,000 acres, with rapid increase in the planting of trees and every indication that orange shipments will soon be considerable. Of the coming of the Porto Rico cigar the members of the clubs received a strong impression. After the first range of mountains was climbed by the ponies the valley of the Rio Piedras was traversed for several kilometers. The military road was bordered by a succession of tobacco plantations. Much new ground was being prepared. Curing barns dotted the fields. New barns were in course of construction, The company offices, warehouses, factories, and stables were grouped in the centers of production. Five years ago the tobacco product of Porto Rico was $700,000. Last year it was more than five times that amount. The opening of new plantations, the buildings, the buying of tobacco land these foreshadow great development of this industry. As notable as the increase in acreage of tobacco is the improvement accomplished in culture. As the result of a discovery, and of two or three years of careful seed selection, tobacco raised in Porto Rico last year yielded a crop worth $5,000 an acre. There wasn't much of the particular kind about four acres but what was gathered was worth $2.50 a pound. The seed from which this very choice tobacco was produced, was valued at $100 an ounce. When Mr. Walker Hill, of St. Louis, was told this marvelous tale of Porto Rico tobacco, he began to hum a little song, which a member of the Commercial Club, of Boston, had worked off on him a short time before, running It seems to me, it seems to me, It seems to me just like a lie. It may be so, I do not know, But it sounds just like a lie. However, Mr. Daniel Catlin, of St. Louis, who knows as much about tobacco as Mr. Hill does about banking both being authorities in their respective lines, said the story was not improbable. The explanation of the high priced tobacco is interesting. Three or four years ago, on one of these plantations where special attention was being given to the seed selection and methods of culture, there appeared in the field a single stalk, which towered two feet above its neighbors. The leaves were of unusual quality. From the head of this stalk, which was between four and five feet high, was gathered carefully all of the seed. This seed was planted in a field by itself and given every possible attention to encourage its development. It repaid 60 A Group of Cock Fighters in Porto Rico, Rounded up by Mr. cieen and Mr. Durreii. the attention with more of the tobacco of extraordinary height and quality. Again the seed was saved and again the plant was given the best of opportunities. In this way has been obtained a crop of between four and five acres worth $5,000 an acre. The seed is now of sufficient quantity to rapidly increase the acreage. Other planters are eager for it, and the value put upon the limited supply is $100 an ounce. One of these new tobacco companies, of Porto Rico, has, since it began, increased its capital from $30,000 to $240,000. Last year the company paid 20% dividends on its capital. Mr. Catlin and Mr. Dozier, of St. Louis, gave a couple of hours of the stay in San Juan to an examination of a tobacco factory. They observed the extreme care taken in the assortment of cigars for different grades. The principal test was one of color. All the world seemingly wishes a light colored cigar. In the mountains the travelers saw hundreds of acres of tobacco plants covered with cheese cloth on poles, forming a close tent. Mile after mile this strange spectacle of cloth-covered tobacco fields was observed. Before the American occupation, such treatment of the growing tobacco was almost unknown in Porto Rico. This additional care of the crop costs $500 an acre. As each year sees an increasing acreage put under cheese cloth to mature, the results must be satisfactory to the planters. The explanation of the tent method is that the sun's rays are filtered, and that the maturing is slower and attended with better that is to say lighter coloring of the leaf. Some of the growers say the cheese cloth keeps off dust, particles of sand and insects which would otherwise do damage to the plants. Mr. Catlin, of St. Louis, who was the tobacco expert of the party, thought there might be a good deal in the philosophy of the effect of the covering on the ripening and coloring of the leaf. What they saw of educational facilities on the trip from San Juan to Ponce surprised and and pleased the members of the Commercial Clubs. At Rio Piedras, at Caguas, at Cayey, at Aibonito, at Coamo, at Juana Diaz towns on the military road, the visitors saw. school houses, the substantial and well kept appearance of which excited comment. Some of the buildings were of masonry construction, with handsome iron fences and neat yards. Alongside the road, at frequent intervals, were the country school houses, usually of frame, but painted and clean looking. But the appearance and manners of the children were even more gratifying to the visitors. Cleanliness seems to have been the first lesson taught, and to have been well learned. The members of the clubs saw many barefooted children about the homes of the working people. They did not see a barefooted child at school, or going to school, or Tobacco Crowing Under Cheete Cloth, as Sera from the Military Road, Porto Rico. 61 coming from school. They saw thousands of children at school, and going to and coming from school. All of them wore shoes and stockings, and clean clothes. The Porto Rican is born with a degree of dignity, upon which American education has built a most promising outlook for the coming generation. The Commercial Clubs, by turns, furnished the presiding officer of the party. It fell to President Whitelaw, of the St. Louis Club, to be the official head of the party while on the Island of Porto Rico. President Whitelaw gave a considerable portion of his time to a study of the educational system and its results, talking at length with Governor Winthrop, and other officials. The sum of $535,000 has been expended in building new schoolhouses since 1901. There are in operation between 1,100 and 1,200 schools, attended by 52,000 children. High schools, manual training schools, and an agricultural school supplement the common schools. A normal school is turning out native teachers. Porto Rico, it should be remembered, has a population only a little in excess of Boston or St. Louis. To a long day, full of the picturesque, the fascinating, the surprising, a reception at Ponce was the fitting and culminating finale. Mr. MacFarland, of Chicago, who was one of the first to get through to Ponce, characterized the affair as in most excellent taste. He described, with enthusiasm, the beautiful ladies, the decorations of the ballroom, the music of the concert which preceded the reception. At nine o'clock the committee called at the principal hotel in Ponce and escorted all of the visitors, who had arrived, up to that hour, to the theatre, which belongs to the Club and adjoins the Casino. The committee was composed of Simon Moret, the mayor; Jose Lacot, president of the Casino; Carlos Armstrong, president of the Board of Trade; H. A. Besosa, Xavier Mariani, Carlos Cabrera, Z. Cintron, G. Carlada. Accompanied by this committee, Mr. Wulsin, Mr. Warrington, Mr. Worthington and Mr. Langdon, of Cincinnati; Mr. MacFarland, of Chicago; Mr. Russell and Mr. Wright, of Boston, entered the handsome theatre to find 1500 ladies and gentlemen assembled to do honor to the guests of Ponce. The seven fortunate gentlemen agree that when they looked around upon the forty boxes filled with the ladies of Ponce and vicinity, they received an impression of the beauty and intelligence and fine taste of the ladies of Porto Rico, which At a Street Corner in Ponce. 62 will not soon fade from memory. The reception of the visitors by the audience was most pleasing. The concert, which gave the party an idea of the musical culture of the Island, consisted of selections from the soft, gentle music, popular with all of Latin blood. After the concert was given a pantomime by native talent. The visitors were escorted to the ballroom of the Club and presented to the ladies. Then followed refreshments delicious to the visitors. The dancing was begun and the guests were given their choice of partners. To add to the pleasure, it was discovered that many of the Porto Rican ladies spoke the language of the country of their recent adoption. As the night wore on, the members traveling by carnages and by the carry-all reached Ponce and were conducted to the ballroom to be received and entertained. Said Mr. MacFarland: "It was a social entertainment of the highest class. It was as fine as you will see anywhere in the States. It was remarkably well planned for such a double entertainment, and was carried through perfectly." The invitation and progam were highly prized as souvenirs of the Porto Rico visit: CASINO DE PONCE. PROCRAMA DEL FESTIVAL ARTISTICO PRIMERA PARTE La Directiva de este Centra ha acordado celebrar, en obsequio 1 - " Feria," Serie de Orquesta Lacome. a los miembros de los Clubs comerciales de Boston, Chicago, (?) Sou '< Balcon. Cincinnati y San Luis, el 25 del actual, un Festival Artistico dirigido por el reputado Profesor 2. "Tosca," cantada por la Srta Amalia Paoli, Puccini. 3. "Arlequinade Pizzicato" [orquesta] L. Ganne. DON FRANCISCO CORTES 4 Roya , e Czarda9 ,, .. MicbieU. Lo que me complazco en participar a Vd. como socio de dicho 5. "Colombe" Ch. Gounod. Centra. 6. " Propos Galants " Sudessi. Ponce, Febrera 23 de 1907. 7 - " Une Fete a Cuba " F ' P ' Cotte8 ' JOSE LACOT, PraUtmU. SECUNDA PARTE NUIT DE NOEL Terminado dicho acto, en el Teatro, se abriran los Salones del Mimo-Drama en un acto Casino, y e efectuara una recepcion en honor de dichos de F. P. Cortes y Argumento de Monsieur Berteyle senores. con el reparto anterior. Ponce is in the midst of the great sugar plantations of the Island. These plantations form the fringe of the beautiful mountain region of the interior. They are found near the coast, back of San Juan, and almost everywhere in the low country. Last year some of the sugar planters of Porto Rico cleared from the crop thirty per cent on their investments. Sugar leads in value of the crops of the Island. It is a growing industry- New centrals, as the manufacturing plants are called, are being built. New plantations are being opened. But the most promising thing about the industry is the improvement in methods. The south part of the Island is utilizing irrigation on an elaborate scale to insure moisture at the right time. Wells, driven to a depth of fifty feet, yield a seemingly inexhaustible supply of water. Some steam plowing is done. The mills are putting in the best and latest mechanical appliances. 63 I Landine Coconuts, Pone,, P. R. When it j s stated that l and j n parts of the I sland that so l d before the American occupation for five dollars an acre, now readily commands fifty dollars an acre, an impression of Porto Rican prosperity under the new regime is given. Conversing about the development commercially Governor Winthrop said to Mr. Batcheller that the total trade between the United States and Porto Rico had increased from $3,000,000 a year before American annexation in 1899 to $45,000,000 in 1906. "In the case of Porto Rico," commented Mr. Batcheller, "trade did follow the flag." Many interesting individual experiences the members of the Clubs enjoyed in Porto Rico. Mr. Elihu Thomson and Mr. Batcheller of Boston, immediately after the reception at the Governor's Palace in the morning, took their cameras, got into a carriage and spent a charming day in San Juan and vicinity. Mr. Batcheller from previous experience was able to do some effective guiding. Cristobal fort was visited. El Morro, with its dungeons and ancient fortifications, was done under the courteous guidance of Captain Gambell of the U. S. Army. Cristobal Colon Plaza, the Cathedral, Casa Blanca were viewed, and many picturesque bits of San Juan life were caught by the cameras. Then Mr. Thomson and Mr. Batcheller went to lunch at the Union Club in the suburbs. As they sat at the table a cheery "Hullo there" in genuine Bostonian accent greeted them. They looked up to meet the smiling look of Arthur Estabrook of Estabrook & Co., bankers, of Boston. Mr. Estabrook has for several years taken a deep personal interest in the welfare of Porto Rico. He has done a great deal to develop the industries and the commercial prosperity of the Island. Making Mr. Thomson, Mr. Batcheller, Mr. Bremer and Mr. Rice his guests for the remainder of the day, Mr. Estabrook got out a six-cylinder auto and gave them a twenty mile ride to the tobacco country on the military road. Mr. Batcheller and Mr. Thomson had occasion to congratulate themselves on the marvelous good fortune which attended them. Early in the day they were seeking the entrance to the Castle of San Cristobal and inquired the way of a lady who was passing. The answer was given. "But", said the lady, "have you a pass to get in?" The Bostonians looked at each other in dismay. "Oh well" said the lady, "perhaps my pass will take all of us in." And it did. An hour or two later Mr. Batcheller and Mr. Thomson asked a stranger on the street how they could reach Morro Castle. "You will need a pass," said the stranger, after giving the street directions. " Perhaps I can help you out." And thereupon the unknown wrote a pass which secured the Bostonians admission to the citadel. Many of the party renewed pleasant acquaintances with Major Cecil of the U. S. Army, who was in St. Louis during the World's Fair. Mr. Swift, of Chicago, found acquaintances awaiting him on the San Juan wharf and was whissed away. Mr. Chalmers, Mr. McCormick and Mr. Farwell, of Chicago, were among those whom Chairman Turner, of the San Juan reception committee, escorted about the city and to the Union Club. It was something of a whirlwind of hospitality that the members of the Clubs encountered in San Juan. At one stopping place for refreshments it occurred to Mr. Chalmers that the entertainment called for formal acknowledgment. He asked for order and was about to introduce Mr. David R. Francis, of St. Louis, to return thanks when he saw that the reception committee was already leading the way out for the next place on the program. Mr. Francis, Mr. Carleton, Mr. Knapp, Mr. George M. Wright, Mayor Wells, of St. Louis, and Mr. Wilson and Mr. Clark, of Chicago, were taken in charge by Laurence A. Grahame, who was Secretary to the National Commission at the World's Fair in St. Louis, and who is now Commissioner of the Interior of Porto Rico. In two automobiles the gentlemen were conveyed to the summer palace some distance out of San Juan. The palace was built and the grounds beautified for the Spanish Governors-General of the Island. Mr. Crawford and Mr. Bixby, of St. Louis, and Mr. Taylor, of Cincinnati, were handsomely entertained by the Behn Brothers at their home. One of the most unique experiences was that enjoyed by Mr. Cowdery and Mr. Hill, of St. Louis. About ten o'clock at night these gentlemen were riding along the military road, enjoying moonlight views of mountain scenery, thirty kilometers from Ponce. It came to them by chance that Mr. A. M. Lyons, of San Juan, representing the Government in the conduct of the , party across the Island, would have to leave the main road a little beyond Coamo and drive to C o a m o Springs to explain why shortness of time did not permit the party to stop at the hotel and take a late dinner there as had been arranged.' When Mr. Lyons turned off the main road, Mr. Hill and Mr. Cowdery with their carriage followed. Mr. Lyons stopped: "You gentlemen understand this is not the road to Ponce?" he asked. "Yes, we are going to the hotel to see the springs and to eat that dinner if it takes all night," replied Mr. Hill. The two carriages proceeded to what was in the days of the Spanish sovereignty the Monte Carlo of the Island, but which under the American occupation of the Island is a health resort with fame rapidly extending. The party drove into the beautiful tropical park surrounding the hotel. One glance told them that they had found something that discounted sleep. For half an hour the visitors strolled about the grounds. They went down the long covered passage and 65 Colunbui Slilur ind Ciule of Sin Crluobil. SID Juan, Porto Rico. many stone steps to the bath-rooms with their old fashioned marble Cowtot * Uta twi UFono W They keep the road lined tubs almost as large as plunge pools. They drank of the delicious hot water with not unpleasant traces of mineral qualities. They went to the spacious dining-room and were served over spotless linen with a dinner which required an hour to discuss. It was a meal of the most satisfying kind as to food, cooking and service. The visitors were quite prepared to believe what Mr. Lyons told them, that nothing better was to be had in any Porto Rico hotel. The Porto Rican dukes and the Porto Rican fruits in variety completed the dinner which Mr. Hill and Mr. Cowdery insisted upon calling a banquet. At the conclusion of the stay at Coamo Springs the gentlemen were disposed to make light of the suggestion of sleep that night. The ponies trotted into Ponce at 3:30 a. m. Mr. Lyons conducted Mr. Hill and Mr. Cowdery to the residence of Mr. George H. Buckley, who responded to the call bell. In five minutes the St. Louisans were in bed dreaming of Coamo. The stories they told next day of that midnight experience in the mountains of Porto Rico were almost too marvelous for acceptance, and were only eclipsed by the picturesque accounts given by Messrs. Green and Durrell, of Cincinnati. The latter gentlemen set out from San Juan with a driver who knew no English, and with the following to guide them: Rio Piedras Caguas Cayey (Road to Guayama) Plantations of the P. A. Tobacco Co. Aibonito Coamo Road to Coamo Springs Kil. Kil. Kil. Kil. Kil. Kil. Kil. In the Mountains of Porto Rico. View from the military road. 12 36 60 72 81 102 103 Kil. 118 Juana Diaz Kil. 130 Ponce Kil. 135 Ponce Playa A lame pony put Mr. Green and Mr. Durrell out of the running, their carriage dropping back behind the others. Thereafter Cincinnati brought up the rear in the eighty-one miles ride. Mr. Green recalled a few Spanish words from the bright 66 lexicon of his youth. At Caguas the carriage was stopped and a lesiurely dinner was taken. At Cayey Mr. Green and Mr. Durrell had given up all hopes of overtaking the others. At Aibonito they were reasonably certain that it was useless to think of reaching Ponce before morning. Mr. Green, after several hours' practice, had established a code of communication with the driver. When the fork of the road was reached at mid-night, he gave the order to go to Coamo Springs. Just as Mr. Hill and Mr. Cowdery, of St. Louis, drove out of the Coamo Springs Park after their Lucullian feast, Mr. Green and Mr. Durrell arrived. The Cincinnati gentlemen visited the Hot Springs and bathed in the old Spanish marble lined tubs. They found an alarm clock and set it with much care for four a. m. Then they climbed into the canopied, daintily curtained beds and slept blissfully. At four o'clock the alarm sounded. A Porto Rican breakfast was on the table. In the early morning Mr. Green and Mr. Durrell rode down the mountain, the rested ponies going at a gallop. Fresh as daisies they drove up to the hotel just as Mr. Laws was marshaling his overland party to go aboard the "PRINZ JOACHIM". Those who had circumnavigated the Island of Porto Rico reached Ponce Playa in time for an hour's visit ashore. When the steam launch sounded the return whistle they came back from the wonderful fruit market bringing cocoanuts and all manner of tropical fruits. Very tired, but thoroughly pleased with their day and their night, the members of the Clubs sailed away from Ponce. By wireless they sent back this message of appreciation: S. S. "PRINZ JOACHIM," Feby. 26, 1907. Laurence A. Grahame, (VmiinissicmiT Interior, San Juan, Porto Rico. To the officials, business organizations and social Clubs of San Juan and Ponce, the Commercial Clubs of Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati and St. I.diii- send this expression. The twenty -four hours passed upon your Island have given us impressions of Porto Rico which prompt us to say "the half was not told us." In groups we have seen your cities and harbors. We have traversed roads which are an object lesson to our whole country. We have admired your school system. We have observed your efficient insular police. We have inspected your thriving industries. Your hospitable shores are fading as we say to you by wireless we are proud Porto Rico is part of the United States. iMMUf IM PlINZ JOACHIM". Vlrmbtri reluming lo the hip oH Ponce. V R JOINT COMMITTEE OF COMMERCIAL CLUBS. 67 The seven wise men who had taken automobiles, and had reached Ponce in abundant season for the fete at the Casino, felt prompted to do something special, by way of acknowledgment of the courtesies shown them. At their instance, Mr. Wulsin sent the following: S. S. "PRINZ JOACHIM" Feb. 26, 1907. Hon. Simon Moret, Alcalde, Ponce, Porto Rico. Members Commercial Clubs Boston, Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, who enjoyed hospitality citizens of Ponce, ask you to again express to all their high appreciation and thanks. LUCIEN WULSIN. LAS CASCADAS. Near Northern end of the Cut. Shops and power plant, storage elevator, railroad yard, family and bachelor quarters, men's hall. 68 THE CHAIRMEN OF THE GROUPS Reading from left to right: Standing Robert A. Boit, John V. Farwell, Jr., Lawrence Maxwell, Jr. Sitting Robert M. Burnett, Elihu Thomson, Lucien Wulsin, J. G. Schmidlapp, Robert Moore. Systematic Observation BEFORE the departure from Charleston, Lucien Wulsin, Chairman of the Committee of Arrangements for the Commercial Club of Cincinnati, obtained from Washington a number of maps, official reports and addresses of recent dates upon the Panama Canal. The wisdom of this provision was seen in the demand for the latest official information on the Canal which developed among the members before the steamer was three days out from Charleston. Mr. Wulsin had also thoughtfully corresponded with officials at Washington, notably Mr. Shonts, seeking to outline, tentatively at least, a program to make the visit to the Canal Zone as effective as possible within the limits of the time allowed. In this correspondence it had been made clear that the members of the Clubs would pay all of their expenses while on the Isthmus, but would appreciate help in making their observations of conditions and progress comprehensive and thorough. Mr. Shonts had sent to Mr. Wulsin the following suggestions for a program, forwarded by Chief Engineer Stevens: "I would suggest that on their arrival in Colon early in the morning they can be taken to Panama on a special train, accompanied by some of our officials who will explain all points of interest and give them an idea of the whole lay-out en route. "Then, after luncheon at the Tivoli, they can be shown around lover Ancon and Panama, with possibly a trip around the harbor and islands on the ' BOLIVAR ' in the afternoon. "Making an early start the next day by special train, take them through the Cut and over the Panama Railroad, stopping at or visiting all points of interest, including the lock sites, big cuts, sites of the dams, railroad terminals at Cristobal, and other points of interest; and I believe we can arrange to give them luncheon at one of our eating-houses on that day. "The program of the first day, of course, would include visiting La Boca and covering explanation of dam and lock sites at that point." The day after the departure from Charleston the Joint Committee took up the matter of the program to be followed on the Isthmus. Upon the suggestion of Mr. Lucien Wulsin, a Committee on "Observation of the Canal" was named to prepare the program and to report it to a general meeting of members of the Clubs. This Committee was composed of Lucien Wulsin, Chairman, of Cincinnati, and one member of each Club Elihu Thomson, of Boston, Cyrus H. McCormick, of Chicago, Lawrence Maxwell, Jr., of Cincinnati, and Robert Moore, of St. Louis. The surgeon, Dr. Henry S. Warren, of Boston, and the press representative, Walter B. Stevens, of St. Louis, were attached to the Committee to render such assistance as might be desired the surgeon to advise on hygiene and sanitary questions, and the press representative to act as secretary. 71 Talking about the day's run -Charles w. Knapp and The Committee held several meetings before a report was ready Captain von Leitner. for submission. This report outlined a proposed program for the two days on the Isthmus, and recommended a plan of organization or division of the members into eight groups to give special attention to as many subjects. The Committee reported favorably upon Chief Engineer Stevens' suggestion, and added to it the following: "That in Panama a dinner be given at Hotel Tivoli at 7 o'clock on the evening of the first day, to which guests to be selected by Mr. Stevens, up to one hundred, should be invited in the name of the Clubs. "That luncheon on the second day at one of the eating-houses be the same as is given to their men. "That on the evening of the second day an informal dinner be given on board the ' PRINZ JOACHIM', with guests not exceeding fifty. "That the first afternoon be arranged so that members can for two hours, as they like, stroll about the City of Panama, see the sights and visit the shops ; and that on the second day, if possible, we run up the Canal in launches. "That as members are in eight groups, according to the subjects that interest them, the groups keep together in landing so as to meet the officials especially able to give them information desired." With some minor modifications and with changes in the order of things, found to be advisable after the landing at Colon, the main features of the program were carried out. The Committee, of which Mr. Wulsin was Chairman, submitted its recommendations to a general meeting of members of the Clubs in the dining saloon on the 26th of February, the first evening after the departure from Porto Rico. Mr. Farwell, Vice-President of the Commercial Club of Chicago, presided. Chairman Wulsin, addressing the assembled members of the Clubs, said the Committee had agreed on the following : 1. That we do not undertake to consider engineering problems already settled, but 2. That we may properly consider: Are labor conditions satisfactory ? Is labor effective ? Are conditions of living proper? 3. That our aim be not to assume finality of judgement but to form impressions as to conduct cf the work. Is it being carried on properly and efficiently ? Does the cost appear reasonable ? 72 What are the sanitary conditions ? 4. Our attention and thoughts should be directed to these questions by groups, and if we find material fur criticism, it should be helpful, not destructive. The Committee, the Chairman said, recommended the formation of groups of members upon the following subjects of special inquiry: 1. Sanitary and Hygienic Conditions. 2. Plan of Management. 3. Social and Racial Conditions, including Welfare and Ethical Questions. 4. Housing and Food. 5. Climate and its effects upon Americans. 6. Efficiency of Labor. 7. Progress of the Work. 8. Efficiency of the Plant, including the Railroad. Elaborating the thought of the Committee in making these recommendations, Mr. Wulsin said: "We go to Panama for the purpose of receiving impressions. To arrive at conclusions would require an amount of stuoy which it is impossible for us to give, but we can form impressions of what we see, which may have more or leu value to ourselves and to those with whom we come in contact. "The Committee therefore laid down the proposition that, in whatever studies we make on the Isthmus, there is one thing we must recognize, and that is that we do not, nor can we, undertake to consider and judge or pass upon engineering problems. We all know that the greatest engineers of the world were called in to consider the kind of canal to be built, and among them was considerable diversity of opinion. The engineering problems are now practically all settled, and we are certainly not going with any idea that we can form judgments on them. "In making this visit to Panama, we are not going to be hypercritical, but shall endeavor to be helpful to our fellow-Americans who are engaged in that great work, whether as our friends, or simply as employees of the Commission. It has therefore been suggested and I wish to repeat this that we do not assume that we are going to Panama capable of forming judgments on this work from our two days of inspection, but we are going to form impressions. In doing this, if we would systematize our work of observation, we should proceed with order, so that each man may have a subject to which, so far as he is concerned, his special attention will be directed as a line of inquiry. "From the brief thought I have been able to give this matter in a general way, it seems to me our questions, as we 30 along the Isthmus, should be such as these : ' ' How do you manage ? ' ' How do you buy ? "How do you enable your men to do what they are called upon to do and what do they accomplish? "How do you get your requisitions for stores and supplies filled without a delay of six weeks or more and s hundred yards of red tape to get a pin, for example? "Another point, however, in the special Committee's plan of dividing the members into groups in going across the Isthmus, is to associate with each group on the Isthmus the oHicials having charge of special lines of work, who will be able to inform them accurately and reliably on specific points, showing how the business is run and the work is done." 73 An interesting discussion of the Committee's recommendations ensued. Mr. McCormick happily called the plan one of "systematic observation," and this was adopted as the best description of what was contemplated in the visit to the canal route. Inquiries by Mr. Charles W. Knapp and Mr. Francis, of St. Louis, brought out a general expression of views by members. Commenting on the recommendations, Mr. Moore, of St. Louis, said: "Mr. Chairman, as I understand it, the purpose of this Committee in presenting this plan of organization, is to help us form impressions, and from such impressions, to draw conclusions, understanding that they are not authoritative not final judgments, but such temporary judgments as the condition of the matter may warrant. Such judgments, although not final, I think are nevertheless very valuable." The question being asked whether it was the purpose to give to the press the reports of the groups under the proposed plan, Mr. Crawford, of St. Louis, stated: "I want to say emphatically that as far as I have talked over this matter with the Committee the question of publication is to be absolutely a subsequent matter. I am very sure that it is a second or third purpose, if one at all. The thought of the Committee was simply to provide the most effective and comprehensive method of acquiring information for the benefit of the members of this party, and having it for such dissemination as the members themselves may decide. The Group on Sanitation, for example, will inspect the quarters of the workmen, the water supply, street and sewage systems, and report what they found and what their opinion is concerning the same. The Group on Climate will make inquiries as to the kinds of weather that prevail, the seasons, and how the workmen are affected thereby. The Group on Efficiency of the Plant will examine and report on the machinery and tools and appliances in use, and the condition and operation of the railroad. I believe I am assigned to the Group whose duty it will be to look into Social and Racial Conditions and the ethical questions connected therewith. When we return to the boat from the trip across the Isthmus the several groups will submit their respective reports. That I am quite sure is the principal object; the matter of publication can take care of itself later. The plan appeals to me as an excellent one and I should, for my part, like to see it adopted." Mr. Carter, of Boston, also strongly favored the proposed plan, saying: "I certainly hope this plan will be carried out. It is a satisfaction to me to think that I can get the benefit of what the other members of this party will see on the Isthmus, as well as what I may see myself. Eighty sponges can absorb more than one sponge, and I want to take back the absorption of eighty sponges. I think this idea simply means planning in a systematic way the work we want to accomplish. We ought to know before we get to Colon, or at least by the time we arrive there, how we are going to work and what we are going to do, and when we get back to the ship each group will bring up its respective subject and we will discuss them in order. What the members of each group have to say will be only their personal opinions; we can then select what we want and when those selections are all boiled down that will be the report. It seems to me the committee is wise in saying that what we bring in will be only our impressions. I hope the plan the Committee has suggested will be approved." Mr. Farwell, of Chicago, voiced his sentiments on the matter as follows: "When Secretary Taft was in Chicago and made us a little speech, the impression we received was that we would make no formal report for publication, but would come back and say to our friends what we thought of the work and correct any false impressions that had gone abroad. The further the distance the greater the lie and the more difficult it is to refute it. A body of men like this, coming back and reporting to their friends what they saw, would do a great deal of good." 74 A strong advocate of the plan was Mr. Elihu Thomson, of Boston, who said: "I must say that when I first heard that Mr. Wulsin proposed to have this organization effected I felt a great tense of relief. By dividing ourselves into groups, as suggested, we can each study and devote ourselves to a specific line of inquiry and investigation, and secure as much information as possible on that particular subject. To facilitate the getting of thorough and comprehensive information regarding this great undertaking, gentlemen, an organization such as this is essential. Otherwise a great number of us will ask the same questions and many questions will be overlooked altogether. After obtaining all this information we seek, if we come to different conclusions about it, that is another matter, but what we want is to get first the information. I think that everything to be said is in favor of an organization of this kind. With it, we go to the Isthmus in a systematic body and with a clear idea of what we are each to do." The conclusion of the meeting was the unanimous adoption of the recommendations of the Committee, and the division of the members into groups as follows : GROUP No. 1. SANITARY AND HYGIENIC CONDITIONS. Mr. Boit, Boston, Chairman Mr. Clow, Chicago, Mr. Bremer, Boston, Mr. Benj. Carpenter, Chicago, Mr. Ryerson, Chicago, Mr. Lodge, Cincinnati, Mr. Warrington, Cincinnati, Mr. H. P. Knapp, St. Louis, Mr. Hill, St. Louis, Mr. Geo. O. Carpenter, St. Louis, Dr. Warren, Boston. GROUP No. 2. PLAN OF MANAGEMENT. Mr. Wulsin, Cincinnati, Chairman, Mr. Whitman, Boston, Mr." Cumner, Boston, Mr. Carter, Boston, Mr. Baker, Chicago, Mr. Morton, Chicago, Mr. Rowe, Cincinnati, Mr. Goshorn, Cincinnati, Mr. Laws, Cincinnati, Mr. Francis, St. Louis, Mr. Chas. W. Knapp, St. Louis, Mr. R. McK. Jones, St. Louis. GROUP No. 3. SOCIAL AND RACIAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING WELFARE AND ETHICAL QUESTIONS. Mr. Maxwell, Cincinnati, Chairman, Mr. Taylor, Cincinnati, Mr. Hutchinson, Chicago, Mr. Ault, Cincinnati, Mr. Batcheller, Boston, Mr. Campbell, Cincinnati, Mr. Minot, Boston, Mr. Crawford, St. Louis, Mr. Conover, Chicago, Mr. George M. Wright, St. Louis. Mr. Morron, Chicago, 75 GROUP No. 4. HOUSING AND FOOD. Mr. Knox, St. Louis, Chairman, Mr. Burnett, Boston, Mr. F. B. Carpenter, Boston, Mr. Bartlett, Boston, Mr. Carr, Chicago, Mr. Swift, Chicago, Mr. Langdon, Cincinnati, Mr. Chatfield, Cincinnati, Mr. Gamble, Cincinnati, Mr. Dozier, St. Louis, Mr. Nugent, St. Louis. GROUP No. 6. EFFICIENCY OF LABOR. Mr. Farwell, Chicago, Chairman, Mr. Meacham, Cincinnati, Mr. Dennison, Boston, Mr. Mandell, Boston, Mr. Cofran, Chicago, Mr. MacFarland, Chicago, Mr. Green, Cincinnati, Mr. Worthington, Cincinnati, Mr. Davis, Cincinnati, Mr. Carleton, St. Louis. EFFICIENCY OF Mr. Thomson, Boston, Chairman, Mr. Cowdery, St. Louis, Mr. Dwight, Boston, Mr. Russell, Boston, Mr. Chalmers, Chicago, Mr. Wilson, Chicago, GROUP No. 5. CLIMATE AS IT AFFECTS AMERICANS. Mr. Schmidlapp, Cincinnati, Chairman, Mr. Lawrence, Boston, Mr. Cutler, Boston, Mr. J. G. Wright, Boston, Mr. Clark, Chicago, Mr. Fuller, Chicago, Mr. Goepper, Cincinnati, Mr. Frank J. Jones, Cincinnati, Mr. Mooney, Cincinnati, Mr. Catlin, St. Louis, Mr. Whitelaw, St. Louis. GROUP No. 7. PROGRESS OF THE CANAL WORK. Mr. Moore, St. Louis, Chairman, Mr. McCormick, Chicago, Mr. Scott, St. Louis Mr. Rice, Boston, Mr. Noyes, Chicago, Mr. Thome, Chicago, Mr. Yeiser, Cincinnati, Mr. Egan, Cincinnati, Mr. Durrell, Cincinnati, Mr. Bi.xby, St. Louis. GROUP No. 8. THE PLANT, INCLUDING THE RAILROAD. Mr. Omwake, Cincinnati, Mr. Geier, Cincinnati, Mr. Carew, Cincinnati, Mr. Bascom, St. Louis, Mr. Wells, St. Louis. 76 11 House Sanitation .Clow. . Warrington. During the next two days the groups held meetings, talked over their respective subjects, and further sub-divided the lines of information to be sought. Brief reference to this preparatory work is interesting as showing the thoroughness which the groups applied to their observation. The Group on Sanitary and Hygienic Conditions, of which Mr. Boit, of Boston, was Chairman, sub-divided as follows : Towns Camps I Buildings ) Drainage < s V Carpenter, G. O. I Working areas f Plumbing Inspection Knapp, H. P. Paving and Maintenance , Cleanliness / Garbage Removal and disposal \ Inspection / Materials 1 Space I Ryer8 n ^ reen . ing } Lodge. Cleanliness ) Inspection Hill. Hospitals and Dispensaries . . Jails ) General Sanitation -J Quarantine . ) 1 ... > Carpenter, Benj. Mosquitoes ) Inspection Warren. Chairman Wulsin's Group on the Plan of Management determined to look especially to the following : , 1. What changes have been made in the plan of organization outlined in the President'* executive order of November 17, 1906 ? 2. Has any announcement been made since the Clubs sailed from Charleston. February 20th, regarding the letting of a general contract for the construction of the Canal? 3. Does political influence control or affect in any degree the appointment of officers and employees ? 4. Are union labor organizations recognized, or their rule* observed in any branch of mechanical work ? 5. Does the eight-hour law apply to any line of work ? If it doe*, is the effect beneficial or detrimental ? 6. With a single executive head with authority over all departments, what check will there be on his acts ? 7. If a general construction contract is not entered into, will it be necessary 77 The Sun from Colon Taking special train to cron the Uthmut 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. to advertise for bids in the cases of purchases of $10,000 or more, except in emergencies ? 8. Does the system of accounting provide for a periodical statement of assets and liabilities, or is it confined to a statement of receipts and expenditures ? 9. Has any policy been established respecting purchases outside the United States in cases where lower prices can be obtained in foreign markets ? The Group upon Efficiency of Plant, including the Railroad, of which Elihu Thomson was chairman, decided to make special inquiries as to the following : 1. Number of dredges. Number of excavators. Accessories. Number of railway cars. Number of locomotives. Track conditions. Average length of haul. Workshifts. Improvements in machinery to be made. Lighting in case of night work. Proposed plant for electric power. The group having Social and Racial Conditions, including Welfare and Ethical Questions to consider, organized with Mr. Maxwell, of Cincinnati, as chairman, and Mr. Taylor, of Cincinnati, as secretary. The subject was divided, and sub-committees were appointed as follows: Religious and Moral Conditions: Messrs. Morron, Crawford and Hutchinson. Buildings and equipment existing and proposed; church organizations; Y. M. C. A. etc. Saloons. High license. Social evil. Educational Conditions: Messrs. Minot, Conover and Ault. Buildings and equipment; enrollment in proportion to school age population. Segregation of races. Organization, grading and courses of study. Appointment, experience and origin of teachers. Federation. Languages taught. Night and adult schools. Compulsory attendance. Recreations and Amusements: Messrs. Batcheller and Taylor. Buildings and equipment. Theaters. Music. Dancing. Recreation and athletic grounds and organizations. Clubs. Secret societies. Gambling. Segregation of races. Law and Order: Messrs. Maxwell, G. M. Wright and Campbell. Code of Laws. Courts. Police. Private tenure of land. Conditions in Colon and Panama. The Group on Housing and Food, of which Mr. Burnett, of Boston, became chairman, when Mr. Knox grew too ill to give the subject further attention, included in its membership F. B. Carpenter, of Boston, who is commissary general of Massachusetts. Upon the question of food the group adopted the following lines of inquiry: 1. Who is in charge of the subsistence of employees? 78 Stewards of the "PRINZ JOACHIM" observing the members of the Commercial Clubs going ashore at Colon. HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS, ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, CULEBRA, CANAL ZONE Left to right: Top Row J. F. Stevens, Chief Engineer; H. D. Reed, Executive Secretary; W. G. Comber, Division Engineer, La Boca; E. P. Shannon, Secretary- of Chief Engineer; W. G. Bierd, Manager Panama Railroad; Jackson Smith, Manager Labor Quarters; Captain Shanton, Chief of Police, Canal Zone. Second Row J. G. Holcombe, Division Engineer, Municipal Engineer; Colonel Gorgas, Chief Sanitary Officer; Joseph Ripley, Assistant Chief Engineer; F. A. Maltby, Principal Assistant Engineer; W. G. Tubby, Material and Supplies. Bottom Row E. J. Williams, Disbursing Officer; D. W. Bolich, Division Engineer, Culebra; R. Arango, Division Engineer Met. and River Hyn.; H. L. Stuntz, Local Auditor; G. D. Brooke, Superintendent Motive Power and Machinery; W. M. Belding, Master Builder. (Average age, 43 years) 2. Is there any restriction as regards diet, or can any employee have what is desired ? 3. Is the plan of army rations used, or is subsistence sold in quantities, irrespective of immediate needs? 4. Price lists of commissary stores. 5. Is there any regulation as regards the kind of food issued, or is this left entirely in charge of the purchaser? 6. How are stores paid for, in cash or in orders on the paymaster ? 7. Are exchanges established similar to post exchanges at an army post, or do the commissary stores of the Commission carry a large variety of stores other than the usual army rations ? The Group upon Efficiency of Labor, of which Mr. Farwell, of Chicago, was chairman, agreed to seek information along these lines: Different nationalities of labor. Proportion of each nationality. Relative efficiency of each nationality. Proportion of each nationality in the hospitals. How many days in the week does each nationality average to work ? How does the average American workman in Panama compare in efficiency with the same man in the United States ? Difficulty in getting labor. The best sources of supply. Admitting sufficient housing, how many men are there at work now, and how many more could be worked to advantage ? Also how many additional men will probably be wanted each year to produce the maximum results? Is there any insufficiency of skilled labor? Efficiency of foremen, and chances of promotion. What difficulties are there in handling labor ? Is there any probability of strikes ? The result of this preparation for the visit was apparent within half an hour after the tug had landed the party on the wharf at Colon. A train was waiting. A committee to receive and to conduct personally was ready. For this duty, more onerous than they had imagined, "The Chief," as Mr. Stevens was universally called on the Isthmus, had selected Jackson Smith, Colonel W. C. Gorgas, W. D. Bolick, Arnold Shanklin and W. G. Bierd. Members of the party were not slow in learning that Jackson Smith was manager of labor, quarters and subsistence ; that Mr. Bolick was one of the division engineers of the canal construction, and that Mr. Bierd was general manager of the Panama Railroad, whom "The Chief" accounted one of his most valuable discoveries in the make-up of the organization. Mr. Shanklin is the Consul-General to the Panama Republic, whose robust Americanism has made him a marked force in all Isthmian affairs. Everybody knew, without asking, Colonel Gorgas, who had given the Isthmus its first year in four hundred past without a single case of yellow fever. Each of these representatives of "The Chief" speedily found himself the center of a group of serious-faced, terse-speaking business men, who wasted no time in talk, but who asked questions right and left, who stopped to look into details, who talked with superintendents, with foremen, with clerks, with laborers. 81 On the Isthmus THE nine-hundred and thirty-four miles of unbroken steaming from Porto Rico toward the Equator brought the "PRINZ JOACHIM" within view of the Isthmus early on the morning of Friday, March 1st. When the members of the Clubs in bath robes trooped up to the officers' deck to take their salt water plunges and showers behind the tarpaulin sided enclosure, they saw the low-lying mountains on the port side. It took some rubbering to adjust the points of the compass. Here was land in the wrong direction, and the sun was coming up in front of the ship. The Isthmian geography requires study. The sun rises in the Pacific and sets in the Atlantic, as seen from one point of observation. To cover the forty miles from the Atlantic to the Pacific one travels almost due south. There is two feet of tide in the ebb and flow of the Atlantic at Colon, and twenty-odd feet difference in the daily sea levels of the Pacific at Panama. The land lubber must be set right on several fundamental points like these before he is ready to study conditions in the Canal Zone. Before going ashore by tug at Colon, the members of the Clubs familiarized themselves with advice from the Joint Committee to this effect: No wandering in Colon, in view of the health rules. Pack in suit cases, to be properly tagged, dinner dress suit, conveniences for spending the night at hotel, and clean linen. Trip is dirty. Wear high shoes. American money is worth two for one. Take small change, which can be obtained from the purser. Bargain with cabs. This is an individual expense. As members are in eight groups, according to the subjects that interest them, it is suggested that groups keep together in landing, so as to meet the officials especially able to give them information desired. A quick transfer from the dock to the special train was made. But before the train started one group was noting the brick- paved streets, the evidence that the low coral island which is the site of the Alantic terminus of the Canal has been raised out of the mire by filling as much as four feet. Five minutes beyond the station at the docks the train halted. Mr. Bierd extended the opportunity to look over the railroad terminal yards, the machine shops and the round-house, to those who cared to go through them. He was a little surprised, probably, at the unanimity with which the members got out, and more so by 82 the thoroughness with which Mr. Elihu Thomson's group entered upon the inspection. The rauroad, as became impressive before the visit of the Commercial Clubs to Panama was finished, is the great mechanical factor in the building of the Canal. It is the chief of the tools. A mile of track is shifted or laid entirely new every day. Genius in railroad construction is building the Canal. It is saving millions of dollars in the moving of the tens of millions of cubic yards of dirt. Marvelous things men who are familiar with the evolution of railroad building in the States saw done during their brief stay on the Isthmus. They timed a long train of cars loaded high with rock and dirt and pushed out on a dump track. The cars were hardly at a standstill when a great scraper, drawn by a cable, was pulled from end to end, sweeping clean to one side of the track the entire train load. And then a car with a powerful apparatus somewhat like a snow plow, but stronger, moved along the same track, leveling and spreading and pushing out of the way the unloaded dirt. Six men with the equipment which has been adapted to canal construction and there is great variety of it do in a day what a few years ago would have taken three thousand men a week. This application of the most advanced mechanical appliances in railroad grading and construction, and the continuous exercise of trained ingenuity to create more mechanism of the same sort, filled the visitors with enthusiastic admiration and inspired confidence that the 52,000,000 cubic yards of dirt and rock to be taken out of the Culebra Cut, which is the heavy section of digginK. will be moved. In January the amount taken out of the Cut was 566,750 cubic yards; in February-, 650,000 cubic yards a short month. By June it was expected that the removal would reach 1,000,000 cubic yards. The shifting of the tracks made necessary from day to day, as the dumps grow, and as the levels go down in the excavation, is largely a matter of mechanical appliances. Sections of track are picked up and shifted several feet by powerful machinery, which is wheeled on cars from point to point as needed. With the mechanical devices performing such a vital part in the work, the railroad yards and shops came in for particular study by the group which observed the " Efficiency of the Plant." The Isthmian Commission, realizing how much railroad experience must count in this canal building, has drawn upon the best talent that can be found, and, as well, has provided the latest devices and the best possible equipment. Jackson Smith and W. D. Bolick were associated in railroad building in South America. They had part in the construction of the wonderful road between Guayaquil and Quito in Ecuador, where it was necessary to lower a man by rope 150 feet and keep him suspended until he could drill a hole, put in a blast and thus secure a footing by which to locate one section of the route. Such men are not daunted by the magnitude of the Panama Canal. They go on devising methods to increase the amount of dirt handled, with the minimum of manual labor and the resultant economy, until they make The mountains to skip like rams, the little hills like lambs. On the Isthmus there are two points of observation which overshadow the rest of the Canal route, interesting as is every one of the fifty miles from deep sea to deep sea. These points arc "The Dam" and H "The Cut." In speaking of them the canal man does not say "The Gatun Dam" and "The Culebra Cut." He refers to "The Dam" and to "The Cut." The Dam is to be built across the valley of the Chagres River just below the village of Gatun. It is five and one-half miles from the Colon terminus of the railroad, but seven and one-half miles from the deep water end of the Canal in the Atlantic, or the Caribbean. For the distance of four and one-half miles this end of the Canal is to be dredged through Limon Bay, the present water depth of the Bay varying from forty feet at the sea end to six feet just off the shore. This is a matter of dredging a channel and presents nothing of extraordinary interest. The members of the Clubs took a tug and went over this Atlantic end of the route, passing Cristobal, the point built out by the French. They saw the house that was constructed for and occupied by deLesseps, the group of shadowing palms, the little park and statue of Christopher Columbus presented by Eugenie in the days when hope of success ran high in France. The water of the Bay shoals into a marsh. Three miles of digging and dredging, through the marsh and lowland, brings this section of sea level canal to the locks and the Gatun Dam. It is not yet time to begin the monotonous but not difficult work of dredging this section. The Chagres is to be swallowed by the lake behind the Dam. As the Dam rises the dredging can go on. Much of the material pumped from the sea-level section may be disposed of in the Darn. At Gatun the members of the Clubs left the train and devoted a considerable part of the first half day on the Isthmus to one of the three big problems of the Canal," as President Roosevelt designated them. If present plans are carried out, this dam at Gatun will extend from one high hill to another, across the valley of the Chagres. It will be 7,700 feet long. It will be one-half mile thick at the bottom, 550 feet wide at the crest. Behind this dam the water will back up nearly 85 feet deep ; it will spread over the valleys and lower hills, until it covers considerably more than 100 square miles some say as much as 200 square miles. The engineers' surveys indicate the formation of a great interior lake, thirty miles long, and in places eight miles wide. The territory covered, according to the engineers, will be not less than 118 square miles. It will be increased somewhat by the excessive Site of the Gatun Dam A view across the valley on the line of the proposed embankment 7,700 feet r n c i_ * T -11 11 long and one-half mile thick at the base. rainfalls of the rainy season. It will swallow 84 A STEAM SHOVEL AT WORK It lifts five buckets of spoil in two minutes, and loads ten cars in thirty minutes. the Chagres River and its little tributaries. Rainfall in this valley of the Chagres means something new to visitors. Just before Colon was reached, the following prognostication was passed about on the decks of the " PRINZ JOACHIM The moon governs the weather, as a rule, And I think the saying is true; For at Colon it rains when the moon's at the full, And it rains when the moon's at the new. When the moon's at the quarter, then down comes the rain; At the half it's no better I ween ; When the moon's at three quarters, it's at it again, Besides it rains mostly between. The members of the Commercial Clubs carried their rain coats two days and saw no use for them. Yet one day of the President's visit in November was made notable by a shower of over an inch in fifteen minutes. About five inches of rain fell in the twenty-four hours. But November and March represent the difference between the wet and the dry seasons. On the Atlantic side of the Isthmus the rainfall is 120 inches ten feet in the course of twelve months. The Chagres has been known to rise twenty-eight feet in a night. These figures enter into consideration of the lake and of the dam which confines it. To provide for any excess of water over the amount used in the locks that is to maintain a steady level a spillway is located at one end of the dam. Approaching Gatun from the Atlantic, the ship will come to three locks, each 1,000 feet long and 100 feet wide. The ship will enter the first lock and be raised twenty-eight and one-third feet. The second lock will elevate twenty-eight and one-third feet, and the third lock will do the same. From the third lock the ship will ride out upon the lake eighty-five feet above the level of the Atlantic Ocean, and above that section of the Canal it has just left. The members climbed the high hill which will be one end of the 7,700 feet of the dam, and viewed the location of the first lock in the descent, the excavation for which was in progress. They found the steam shovels busy and the dirt trains moving. The flight of three locks will be double. While one series of locks is in operation raising a ship to the lake, the duplicate set beside it may be lowering a ship from the lake to the sea level. These pairs of locks are to be built as one structure with a wall dividing them into two independent parts. The structure of one pair of these double locks will be 360 feet wide, of reinforced concrete, with outer walls fifty feet thick at the base and narrowing to about twelve feet at the top. The wall dividing the structure into double or duplicate locks will be sixty feet thick. The whole structure will be buried in earth, only the coping and the interior being exposed. Principal Assistant Engineer Ripley, a graduate of engineering at the University of Michigan, with thirty 87 years experience at the Sault Ste. Marie Canal between Lake Superior valley ot The chaeres-The old town of ca.un -.vhich win obliterated by the Dam and Lake. and Lake Huron, explained to the visitors that at the Sault the lift provides for a vessel 600 feet long, sixty feet wide, with a draft of twenty feet. Here the lift is one-third more than at "The Soo" and provision is made for larger craft. At each end of the upper lock are to be two pairs of gates for more perfect control of the water. The visitors gave special attention to the foundations upon which must rest this mighty dam and these massive locks. They handled the dirt and rock, and speculated upon the character of the formations. They saw the results of the borings. The surface is a firm, hard, reddish clay about twenty feet thick. Underneath and to great depth is a soft blackish rock, little more than indurated clay. "It is nothing else than the old bed of the ocean" was the way one of the engineers described this underlying formation. The locks will be sunk in this clay and soft rock. The great dam will rest upon this foundation most of its length. For distances aggregating considerably over 2,000 feet of the dam's length there are two deep depressions in the soft rock, one 1,800 feet, the other 900 feet long. These depressions are filled with clay and scud to a depth of 200 feet, beneath which is coarse sand and gravel. The engineers expressed no apprehension as to the character of the foundations, or as to the strength of the dam to hold the lake nearly 85 feet deep at the base of the dam. The crest of the dam will rise fifty feet above the lake level which is 85 feet above the sea level. There were some unsettled questions of minor character about the locks and the dam, the engineers said, to be taken up when the members of the Canal Commission next visited the work. A great camp has come into existence upon the hills overlooking the Gatun Dam site. The railroad tracks have been laid along the sites of the locks and the moving of the dirt has begun. The building of these enormous locks will be a work of years. Preparation for the magnitude of the work at Gatun is impressive. The house building, the sanitary and water systems are on a scale to take care of a community of at least 5,000 people. When the preparations are sufficient it is the purpose to work in shifts day and night at this point. Standing upon the hilltop the members of the Clubs looked down upon the little village of Gatun, which will have to be moved. The dam and lake will entirely cover its present site. To construct the dam will require 22,000,000 cubic yards of rock and dirt. That is nearly half of the amount to be moved out of the Culebra Cut at the other end of the lake. But the Culebra Cut spoil will not be brought to the dam. The shortest possible haul is the rule of Panama Canal construction. The engineers locate the dumps with a degree of care second only to the attention given to the plan of excavation. No inconsiderable part of the 22,000,000 ON GATUN DAM SITE Reading from left to right: Those on car Oscar L. Whitelaw, Thomas P. Egan, W. K. Bixby, J. D. Bascom, J. W. G. Cofran, Walker Hill, E. G. Cowdery, Charles W. Knapp, John Omwake, David R. Francis, Rolla Wells, Collins Thompson (Official Stenographer) . Those on the ground John W. Warrington, D. B. Meacham, H. C. Scott, Lawrence Minot, Cyrus H. McCormick, Benjamin Carpenter, B. W. Campbell, H. L. Laws, William Gerig (Engineer for Dam), Consul-General Shanklin, WilliamE. Clow, W. G. Bierd (Gen. Mgr. PanamaR. R.), E. S. Williams (Chief Dept. Finance), R. H. W. Dwight. cubic yards which goes into the dam will be dredged from the sea-level canal below the dam and pumped to the place of deposit. When some one asked Engineer William Gerig if the engineers had no apprehension about the dam; if there was not danger of the water leaking through after the dam was finished, Mr. Gerig replied that there was as much danger of water working through the hills as through the dam. "We don't know what is inside of the hills," he said. "We will know what is inside of the dam. The dam will be just as solid and settled in its place as one of the hills." At Gatun, acquaintance with the Chagres was formed. From this point the course of the river and the present route of the Panama Railroad parallel for some miles. The Chagres has an awful reputation in the rainy season, but when the members of the Commercial Clubs saw it the river was harmless looking. It reminded St. Louis members of the Meramec and Boston members of the Merrimac. The Chagres is a small river except when the rains in the mountains swell its volume. It is a succession of pools of clear blue water with frequent stretches of sandy gravelly beach. Along the bank is luxuriant vegetation save where the sanitary gangs have made clearings and burned the trees and brush. These gangs are working their way along the Canal Zone, cutting and burning as they go. "The jungle" line is being crowded back into the mountain valleys. This is changing the appearance of the Zone. It is making the conditions more healthful and at the same time preparing the way for the channel and for the dumps of spoil. As the train left the site of the Gatun Dam and steamed up the valley of the Chagres, the engineers explained that where the rails ran there would be seventy-five feet of water when the lake is made. The depth of the lake decreases as the railroad grade ascends, but for more than twenty miles this Chagres Valley, which is the route of the railroad at present, will be under water. For a distance of ten miles from the dam the lake will be several miles wide, with the present hills forming islands of varying sizes. The depth will be sufficient for a much greater width of channel than the needs of the traffic demand. In other words, there will be a good deal of water to spare. When George M. Wright, of St. Louis, came on deck one morning during the passage through the Caribbean and looked all around the horizon without sighting a sail, he remarked to a man from Boston: "There is a great waste of water here. At least 85* of it could be spared. We don't need it in our business." For ten miles of the lake there will be water to spare. For sixteen miles of the twenty-three of lake travel in crossing the Isthmus the canal route will have a normal width of 1,000 feet, A virw of the deceptive Chigrei River. 91 widening occasionally to considerably more than that, but not narrowing to less than the 1,000 feet. Beyond sixteen miles the width of the route narrows to 800 feet and maintains that for a distance of four miles. As the route, still by way of the lake, enters the more mountainous region, the width decreases. The lake ends. The Canal is in plain evidence with towering sides. This is the Culebra Cut, sharing with Gatun Dam the importance of the great problems involved. When the ships have climbed the three steps at Gatun and have sailed the twenty-three miles of the lake, they are more than half-way to the Pacific, but have only come to the backbone of the Isthmus a backbone which is miles wide and which is made of something more substantial than the clay and shale at Gatun. In "The Cut" the drillers and the steam shovels are down to the trap rock. The explosives smash it but the spoil is heavy and the teeth on the steam shovels have to bite hard to hold it and raise it. A few days before the arrival of the members of the Commercial Clubs a blast of twenty-seven tons of explosive was let off at once in "The Cut". It tore into fragments 55,000 cubic yards of rock and soil. The engineers are now ready to do great things in the nine miles of Culebra Cut. At Culebra the members of the Commercial Clubs met the Chief Engineer, John F. Stevens. From that hour until the departure at Colon Mr. Stevens gave much of his time to the visitors, accompanying them to various parts of the work, laying before them plans and detailed information. On the day before the arrival of the PRINZ JOACHIM the announcement of the resignation of Mr. Stevens had reached the Isthmus from Washington. It was a matter of surprise to the members of the Clubs who had received no intimation of the coming change before leaving the States. The party had hardly landed when the evidence that the change had come as a shock to the canal organization became apparent. Under such peculiar circumstances the observation of conditions and of the work was made, gaining, if possible, additional importance from the unexpected situation. Mr. Stevens set the example of entire frankness in his communication with the visitors, an example which was followed by all of his assistants and subordinate officials. Every question pertaining to the Canal that could be suggested was answered with perfect candor. Only upon the reasons which had prompted his resignation was the Chief Engineer reticent. His responses to the expressions of satisfaction from the members of the Clubs upon what they saw were gratefully appreciative. He showed emotion at the manifestations of loyalty by the organization. His manner was that of a strong man who had been under prolonged physical and mental strain, and who was looking forward to a rest as the first thing after relief. The explanations the Chief offered of the work showed that he was fully satisfied with what had been accomplished ; that he believed the plan of preparation had been well laid. As for future progress, there was no mistaking the feeling of confidence he held that the Canal could be completed in eight years along the lines and upon the plans which had been developed. Mr. Stevens was quick and emphatic in his assurances to the members that no friction between the President and himself had prompted his letter of resignation. Mr. Stevens comes from old New England stock. His grandfather went into the wilds of Maine, made a home and reared a family. Earlier than that the family 92 AT LUNCHEON IN THE COMMISSION HOTEL CULEBRA From left to right: At nearest tables Frank J. Jones, Benj. Carpenter, Walter W. Taylor, D. B. Meacham, Daniel Catlin, W. J. Chalmers, Alfred L. Baker, Lawrence Maxwell, Jr., Frederick A. Gier, Dr. Henry S. Warren (Surgeon), Chas. Gordon Knox, Stephen L. Bartlett, R. H. W. Dwight, J. T. Carew, W. D. Mandell, J. G. Schmidlapp, H. W. Cumner, Chas. W. Knapp, Chas. W. Durrell, William Whitman, Robert M. Burnett. tree had become rooted in various places in the Connecticut Valley. The Chief Engineer is a very quiet man. In the past year and a half he has drawn about him adventurous Americans, very few of whom had known him before coining to the Isthmus. Among these captains and lieutenants of the organization are "tropical tramps" as they call themselves Americans to whom life and work in the tropics have a fascination. These are men who have built railroads in almost impossible regions. They found their way to the Isthmus when they felt there was something doing, and enlisted that is the word for the period of construction of the Canal. These men feel entirely at home under the conditions of the Canal Zone, and they make the young men who come down from the States feel at home with them. One of these "tropical tramps" who by sheer force of ability and devotion to the task, has been advanced to one of the highest positions on the work, was called upon for a speech at the reception given at the Tivoli by the members of the Clubs. Without fear of possible consequences deterring him, he bluntly declared : "We will dig this Canal in eight years, gentlemen, if Washington will let us alone." At Culebra the members of the Clubs took luncheon in a dining-room of the Isthmian Commission one of those set apart for the clerical force. The dining-room is divided into two parts ; in one it is allowable to sit without coats at the table; in the other, a little more formality is observed. The visitors, at their request, were served as nearly as practicable with the regular meal furnished at thirty cents to the official and clerical force of the Commission. The menu for luncheon, Friday, March 1st, 1907, was: Cream of Oysters. Columbia River Salmon, Sauce Hollandaise. Pommes Xaturelle. Chicken Mayonnaise. French Fried Potatoes. Asparagus. Petits Pois. Mince Pie. Fruit. Cafe Noir. From the porch of the hotel at Culebra the members of the Clubs in company with Mr. Stevens, ana the Principal Assistant Engineer, Mr. Ripley, and the Division Engineer, Mr. Bolick, looked down upon the scene of activity in Culebra Cut. This is the real Canal a narrow stretch between towering sides of rock and dirt. The slope is steep in places; in others, where the mountain range shows depressions, the incline is more gentle. Culebra Cut means nine miles of digging. The digging goes down by benches or levels. A bench is the width and height that a steam shovel can scoop out as it moves along the bottom or the side of the cut. From the hotel where they had lunched the members of the Clubs could see miles of tracks on these benches, or levels, in the sides of the Canal. Steam shovels were at work one above another, so that excavation was in 95 Culebra Cut The benches or levels by which the excavation is widened. A steam shovel's furrow i. forty ft wide. progress at the bottom and on every bench. Each shovel had its train of cars and engine beside it. With marvelous quickness the shovel took a huge bite out of the bank of dirt and rock in front, swung the bucket round to the side and dropped the contents out of the bottom. Four or five of the bites filled a car, which was pushed ahead to give place to another, and the filling was repeated. As soon as the train was loaded, away puffed the engine to the nearest dump ; a scraper was drawn by cable from one end of the train to the other and the contents of the cars were swept to one side. Some of the cars were of different pattern and were tilted to throw off the contents. A club member noticed that here and there a steam shovel stood idle some time awaiting the delivery of empty cars. The Chief Engineer explained that the steam shovels had been sent down from the States more rapidly than the cars so that at that time he was working only about sixty per cent, of the capacity of the shovels. Of an order for 1,000 cars there have heen delivered 700; the remaining 300 should be on the Isthmus now and would be there but for a fire in the car building works which made it necessary to send the order to another plant. It was the fact that with the present equipment he moved 650,000 cubic yards in February, which gave Mr. Stevens confidence this amount could be increased to 1,000,000 tons a month as soon as the additional cars were received. Railroad tracks in the cut were as thick as in a railroad yard. Every bench or level held one or more tracks. As they looked down upon the moving trains, saw the puffing steam of the shovels and listened to the clatter and roar punctuated at frequent intervals by the boom of the blast, the visitors were prepared for some figures which Mr. Stevens obtained from his Division Engineer, in charge of the work in the Cut, Mr. Bolick. The statement which Mr. Bolick gave to the Chief in the presence of members of the Clubs showed that, as they looked on, there were working in the Culebra Cut: 3 Steam shovels of the 45-ton class, with l-}4 cu. yd. buckets. 21 Steam shovels of the 70-ton class, with 2-^ cu. yd. buckets. 29 Steam shovels of the 95-ton class, with 5 cu. yd. buckets. Altogether, the steam shovels made an array of fifty-three. The locomotives in service numbered eighty-two American and twenty-nine French, the latter having been bought in the purchase of the canal plant and rebuilt. The cars in service were 299 dump, of the Western American make, 743 flat, of American make, and 200 dump of the French pattern. Right there was illustrated for the visitors the difference in the plant which the United States is employing as compared with the almost obsolete equipment sold by the French when the Canal was turned over. The American dump cars carried twelve cubic yards and the flat cars carried eighteen cubic yards each. They were of standard length. The capacity of the French dump cars, which were shorter, was only five cubic yards. It was a series of object lessons such as this which prompted one of the Club members to say publicly a few hours later that the visitors had found Mr. Stevens and his force doing in twelve hours what the French had not been able to do in two weeks. The plant in operation in the Cut as the party looked on included eighty-nine steam drills, twenty-three wall drills, thirty-two plows, twelve unloaders, thirteen spreaders. This was the mechanical part of the force. The brain and muscle were represented in the Cut by 845 Americans, 2,404 European laborers, 2,097 West Indian laborers, and 924 natives and white foreigners. Of such elements were made up the human and the mechanical forces, digging the way for nine miles. Gradually installing this plant and placing this human force along the nine miles of Canal proper, the Chief and his staff have increased the amount of "spoil", as they call it, removed from the Cut. Last summer they were digging and carrying away about 175,000 cubic yards a month. In February, as already stated, they removed 650,000 cubic yards. Up to March 1st the spoil taken out of the Cut amounted to 5,035,500 cubic yards, a very Dumping a Car Load of Spoil. 97 good beginning on the 52,000,000 cubic yards to be taken away in order to give everywhere at least forty-five feet depth of water in this section of the Canal, and everywhere at least 200 feet width at the bottom of the Canal. A considerable part of the nine miles of digging will give forty-five feet of depth and more than 200 feet width of channel. The bottom and some of the benches or side levels are now in trap rock, which means harder work than when the shovels were in the clay and shale. Of the 566,750 cubic yards taken out in January, the amount of rock was 299,292 cubic yards, or fifty-three per cent. To break out this rock required 180,965 pounds of explosives, a little more than ninety tons. The plant for the Culebra work means much more than the tracks and machinery in operation. Perched upon the mountain tops and sides are the hundreds of houses erected by the Commission for the offices and quarters of the people employed. And more of these structures, novel to American eyes with their supporting piers of masonry and their screened porches, are in course of erection. At Pedro Miguel the Americans have anglicized it into Peter Miguel which is the terminus of the Culebra section of the Canal toward the Pacific end, there is a track yard with four and one-half miles of track to facilitate the movement of the trains working in the Cut. Through this yard passed 7,000 cars in January. Near Bas Obispo, which is at the other end of the nine miles, or, to be more exact, the nine miles and 3,800 feet, of the Cut work, is White House yard, with its three miles of track, through which pass the trains carrying spoil northward to the dumping places. In January there were handled in White House yard 10,000 cars. These figures are necessary to give some understanding of the magnitude of what is doing in Culebra Cut. But they are inadequate. Only the views taken in succession through a long Panama day could convey the proper impression of what degree of practical progress has been reached. When they had lunched and had talked some time with the Chief Engineer and his staff on the hill above the Cut, the members of the Commercial Clubs went with Mr. Stevens to Bas Obispo and climbed upon flat cars with covered tops and open sides to proceed slowly through the entire section of Culebra. Before they started upon this inspection the party looked at some of the plant which the French turned over with the Canal rights for the $40,000,000. They saw locomotives and cars filling several miles of track. Most of this rolling stock is of such diminutive sizes as to render it of no further use. Such engines and cars as can be utilized have been put in condition and are being operated. Upon much of this stock was the date, 1886. What progress has been made in locomotives and cars in twenty-one years the comparison of the French with the American on adjacent tracks told impressively. Much of the French material was of high class, the American engineers and machinists say. In some of the discarded French locomotives is found $1,000 worth of copper. The Commission has found service for $800,000 worth of iron and other material turned over by the French. But a great deal of what the French left behind can be of no value whatever in the present plan of construction. Hundreds and 98 hundreds of tons of machinery have been shipped as scrap iron in ballast from Colon to the States because no use could be found for it on the Isthmus. And still there is a wilderness of this machinery scattered from one end to the other of the Canal Zone. The enormous French dredges are to be seen in the low places at either end of the Canal route. They are very complicated of construction and will never lift a cubic yard of spoil. The machinists go to the French machinery for parts that can be utilized in repairs, but they have abandoned hope of being able to make the French plant of much account. A tangle of vines is over the abandoned machinery. The jungle partially conceals much of this material. Trees of several inches circumference have grown through the dredges. Several acres of French locomotives parked at Empire are all but hidden by the tropical plants along the tracks. At Bas Obispo the members of the Clubs were shown how the lake made by the Gatun Dam would narrow to a width of 500 feet as the Canal route enters the more mountainous part of the Canal Zone. Where the party took the observation cars they found that the bottom of the Canal work was only seventy-four feet above sea level. The French had left off digging at the point where they reached 100 feet above sea level. The work of the Americans represented the lowering of the bottom from the 100 feet level to the seventy-four feet level. The excavation will go down thirty-four feet more to give a depth of forty-five feet of water when the dam is built and the lake filled. Here the Canal will have a width of 500 feet at the bottom for a distance of one and one-half miles, then narrowing to 300 feet for a distance of four miles. As the observation cars moved slowly into the Cut and the walls rose higher and higher, the members of the Clubs expressed no surprise that the plans called for the narrowing of the channel. Where 300 feet was sufficient for ^h all practical purposes there was no reason to remove more of the mountain sides than efficiency of the Canal demanded. The grade of the present bottom of the work was upward as the 'train proceeded into the Cut. This called for much more digging than at Bas Obispo. Very soon the visitors were told by Mr. Stevens that where the train had halted they were 100 feet above the sea level, which meant that the bottom would have to go down at least sixty feet. At steam shovel No. 210, as Mr. Bolick indicated the locality to the party, the visitors were told that where they stood they were just ninety feet above sea level and that the bottom must go down fifty feet to complete. A little farther on was White House bridge. There the bottom is 143 feet above the sea, and 103 feet more must come out of " the big ditch," as the Chief Engineer occasionally called it. Just before reaching , . ... ooo ' - o ., _ , _, . steam shovel No. 223 Mr. Stevens told the visitors they were 1J1 feet 99 The top ol Ih. dl.idr - Culrbti Cot Tht hijhr.t point. 1.W (MI. uiu 10 be 4t MI. coid Hiii >iieii. lookinc lowiidi P.HMM. above the sea. He pointed to the stakes which showed where the French stopped work at 196 feet above the sea. Here the Americans have lowered the bottom sixty-five feet for a distance of 800 feet. But the Americans have done a great deal of digging which is not shown in the lowering of the bottom. As the French became pressed for means and felt the necessity of making a showing on paper of progress downward, they narrowed their workings. The Americans, looking to ultimate completion of the Canal, with full dimensions as planned, have taken a great deal from the sides. For a distance of two and one-half miles beyond White House bridge is a stretch where the bottom is 165 feet above the sea. The Americans have not lowered the bottom in this stretch, but they have widened it from fifty feet, where the French left the sides, to about 240 feet. Before reaching Gold Hill the illustration of this widening work was pointed out. The Americans have taken off from three to five cuttings with the steam shovels on each level, or bench. Each cutting represents a width of forty feet. The members of the Clubs stopped repeatedly to observe the operation of the shovels. They saw the teeth of the buckets sink deep into the mountain side, bringing out dirt and rock from two to five cubic yards at a bite. They timed the rapid movement of the machinery and saw the spoil go into the car at the rate of four or five buckets in two minutes. They saw a train of ten cars loaded in less than half an hour. They saw the device, which in half an hour moves 200 feet of railroad track between three and four feet. As the work progresses the tracks must be shifted. Not infrequently a mile of track must be moved into new position within a single day. A little distance beyond Culebra station the party stood on the backbone of the Western Hemisphere at its weakest vertebra. Here the bottom of the Canal will be 127 feet below the present level, which is 167 feet above the sea. On one side of the Canal Cut is Gold Hill, and on the other side is Contractors' Hill. In the gap between these hills was the highest level above the sea, 325 feet, when the French began to dig. The French made a narrow cut of considerable depth, but what they did was only a small part of the total excavation necessary. Here the Americans have widened the Cut. Gold Hill at the summit is 600 feet above the sea. The Hill opposite is 450 feet above the sea. The greatest amount of spoil to be moved is in this part of Culebra Cut. But the problem is only one of moving dirt and rock, the engineers explained. Beyond Gold Hill the slope of the country and the slope of the workings is toward the Pacific. The amount to be taken out lessens rapidly as Pedro Miguel is approached. The members of the Commercial Clubs were interested in a comparison of the Suez and Panama canals as regards width and depth. The Suez Canal, the engineers said, has a depth of thirty feet and a minimum width, at the bottom, of 108 feet. The Panama Canal will have a minimum width, at the bottom, of 200 feet, but that is for only a few miles in the heaviest work of the Culebra Cut. For the short distance through lighter work in the Culebra Cut the width will be 300 feet, but for most of the route of the Canal the width will be 500 feet or more. The minimum depth of the Panama Canal will be forty-one feet, but for the greater part of the route the depth will be forty-five feet or more. 101 The members of the Commercial Clubs completed the trip On Calun HMI-A stm shovci^workinu in day on the site of through Culebra Cut with Mr. Stevens and his staff late in the ^^^^ afternoon and spent the night at the Tivoli Hotel, just out of Panama far enough to bring them within the Canal Zone. In the evening the Clubs gave a reception in the parlors of the Tivoli to Mr. Stevens and 150 officials of the Isthmian Canal Commission and of the Republic of Panama. The occasion was rendered memorable and interesting by the comments of the members of the Clubs on what they had seen during the day, but especially by the tributes paid to the Chief Engineer and his organization, and the speech of Mr. Stevens in response. Mr. Whitelaw, president of the Commercial Club of St. Louis, presided over a gathering which included nearly every man of prominence in the Canal organization on the Isthmus, the members of the Clubs having as their guests President Amador, and Secretary of State Arias of the Republic of Panama, the Mayor of the city of Panama, Senor Osa, and other officials of the Republic. A toast to the President of the United States was proposed by President Amador and was received with enthusiasm. The Secretary of State of the Republic of Panama spoke in a patriotic strain. President Whitelaw, for the visitors, said: "We in the States are very much interested in this Canal, and we want to show our friends who are assembled here tonight, our guests on the Isthmus, that we are here, we think, to help in this project. We are, as you say, out 'on the firing line' to inspect what you are doing, and I want to say we are surprised at what has been accomplished. We believe there is no difficulty whatever about the consummation of this great work. It requires only time, money and brains. We feel that you are as much engaged in a work of patriotism, a work for the glory of the flag, as if you were on the battlefield, and we want you to know that we propose to stand by you and uphold your hands in every way we can. We are much pleased to think that we have patriotic citizens of the United States such as you whom we have had the pleasure of meeting here this evening, and who are willing to put their shoulders to the wheel and carry forward this great work. I think President Roosevelt was right when he said that the persons who have any part in this great work will be recognized when the work is finished, and that their names will be on the roll of honor just as much as if they had been soldiers in the United States Army in the time of war. "I now desire to call upon and to introduce to you the man behind the gun, Mr. John F. Stevens." There was great cheering when Mr. Whitelaw introduced the Chief Engineer as the "man behind the gun. " Mr. Stevens said : "We have had a great many visitors come here during the past two years, and they have come from many different motives. Some have come here in a friendly way to offer advice or criticism. Some, I am sorry to say, have come with unfair motives, and some, who have come to scoff, have remained to praise. But I think the greatest compliment to us who are doing this work has been the visit we are now enjoying. When we recall that a body of 100 business men from the principal cities of the United States have 102 THE TIVOLI HOTEL A view from the Avenue of Palms on Ancon Hill looking East to Panama Bay. taken their valuable time to see for themselves what we are doing, I think we all ought to feel complimented. I do myself, and I think every man here does. We want you to see everything there is to see, and we are sorry you cannot remain longer. We have done the best we could, working under discouraging circumstances. The greatest obstacle was climate, but I think that we recognize now that this is at least as healthy a place as the majority of us come from. I lived three years in the Southern States, and I think that the health conditions here today are far better than they were where I lived and worked during those years. This great work of sanitation has been accomplished by our sanitary department. The labor problem has been a great one, but we have gradually overcome it. As for the work we have done, you can see for yourselves. I am remined of a story of a lonely grave way back in the hills over which was a headstone, upon which was the inscription. ' He done his damnedest ; the angels could not do more. ' We have done nothing to be ashamed of, and many things to be proud of." At the conclusion of the remarks of the Chief Engineer the cheering was repeated again and again. Mr. Elihu Thomson, the distinguished electrical engineer, and a member of the Commercial Club of Boston, followed with a brief talk, enthusiastic in commendation of what had been seen and heard during the day. Mr. Thomson said : " I must say that our trip today has been one of the greatest incidents that we can look back to in our lives. I think I express the thought of every member of the Clubs who came to visit the Canal, that a more interesting day has never been spent by any of us. And the chief interest is, to see what the men who are at work on the Isthmus have accomplished. " It is one thing to have the machinery to do work. It is necessary to have that. But with all the machinery you may have you cannot accomplish an undertaking unless the men are there to do the work, and it is to these men, who are carrying on this gigantic enterprise, the greatest perhaps ever undertaken by any civilized nation, that we look with sympathy and with appreciation. We came here and found a great enterprise organized on the most substantial basis, progressing as we could not have hoped to see it progress, and showing the success of that organization by what has been accomplished in the past. The members of our party are connected with engineering and other large enterprises, and we look upon these matters from a business standpoint ; we can appreciate with the greatest sympathy the work that the engineers and other men who are working at this problem are doing. That the Canal will be finished is an assured fact, and I am certain that it will be finished in our lifetimes. It is a grand enterprise. It is the union between an insulated ocean I am speaking now electrically of the Pacific Ocean as insulated from the Atlantic Ocean. You are trying to put a puncture through that insulation. This will be accomplished ; the insulation , , , . , ON BOARD THE SPECIAL TRAIN will he punctured by hich pressure from behind, and we From lelt lo right: Silting it the windowi- John F. Stereni (Chief Engineerl. Darid R. Francli. Shall have a great highway between the two Oceans Standing L. D. Doziel, Arnold Shanklin i.U. S. Coniul General'. Stephen I. Bartlelt. 105 through which will pass the commerce of the world. We cannot prophesy what in the Trap Rock A section of the Canal at Bas obispo, ... where the excavation is down to the stratum that commerce will amount to. It may be that after the Canal is finished we which must be drilled and blasted, shall find some day that it is too small, and that it will be necessary to take off another slice to make it larger. "Now as to the nature of the enterprise; we came here, many of us, imagining the possibility that a sea-level Canal would perhaps be better. I, for my part, have come to the conclusion that the engineers were right and that the lock Canal is the thing ; that it is the only thing : I have entirely given up the sea- level idea. " I know that the enterprise will succeed. It must succeed, and when it has succeeded the great nation to which we belong will have accomplished the greatest engineering work the world has ever seen. " The concluding speech on the formal program of the evening was by Mr. David R. Francis, of St. Louis. Mr. Francis said: "This undertaking which we have come here to inspect is an unprecedented one in the history of our country. A great many years ago a distinguished Kentuckian, Henry Clay, with a numerous following, advocated the construction of national highways at the expense of the general government. Later Congress made appropriations to aid in the construction of a transcontinental railway. But never, until the beginning of this Canal project, has our government undertaken any work beyond its own borders. "I think I express the sentiment of all of the people of the United States, regardless of political affiliations, when I say that this project has, from its inception, met the hearty approval of all public-spirited citizens of our country. In fact, the thoughtful men of the United States saw no escape from our government and our country undertaking the work of uniting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans by a Canal across this Isthmus. "Over a hundred years ago we announced to the world our definition of the Monroe Doctrine. We said to the nations of Europe and of all the world that we are unalterably opposed to any foreign country acquiring any additional territory or jurisdiction in the Western Hemisphere. Having taken that position, and it having met with enthusiastic response from every quarter of our country, and from every generation since Monroe, there was no alternative left to us but to assist the people of this hemisphere who were affected by it. We said to Europe: 'You cannot purchase territory here." We could not stand back and say 'We will not buy territory,' and, 'We will not help the people of Central and South America to develop their territory.' It was incumbent upon us, as a duty we owed to the people of the Western Hemisphere, to promote the interests of that hemisphere. As an element in this we felt that the United States should control the Canal that unites the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific. When France secured the right to build the Panama Canal the Congress of the United States determined that it would construct another Canal, across Nicaragua. The French people and I say it to their credit feeling that the interests of the commerce of the world, if not the interests of the human race, demanded that the two great oceans should be connected, and feeling that two Canals could not be constructed at the same time, said to the United States, ' We will sell you the Panama Canal.' There was nothing left to do but to purchase it. They sold us the Panama Canal, in my judgment, at a bargain. The forty millions of dollars we paid for the Canal was the best investment of a commercial character the United States ever made. The work we have seen today not only demonstrates the truth of what I have said, but also establishes the fact that the French are entitled to great credit for the work. If we were placed back twenty-five years and were compelled to rely upon the machinery in use at that time we could not have accomplished in one week, or in two weeks, the work that Mr. Stevens and his assistants accomplish today in twelve hours. 106 "I think this Canal will enable our country and by our country I mean the United Stales of America to acquire and retain what it should have acquired years before this, and that is the commerce of Central and South America. We should not be compelled to send our mail to South and Central America by way of England or other European countries. When the Canal is completed we shall have direct lines of steamers to the west coast of South America, through the Canal, as well as to the eastern coast. And, in my judgment, it is impossible to overestimate the commercial value of the Panama Canal. I am sure every citizen of the United States now upon this Isthmus, whether engaged upon this work, or a visitor, cannot but feel his heart swell with pride that this great work was undertaken by the American Republic. I have little patience with men who are always looking for some ground upon which to criticise a public enterprise. I think that men administering government and performing public work are always entitled to the impartial judgment of the citizens of their country. I have little patience with visitors who come to the Isthmus with their minds made up to find something to criticise. What we wish to do is to have this work completed in a workmanlike manner and in the most expeditious way possible. I am sure, at the same time, the citizens of the United States will have no patience with any policy or effort to make the construction of this Isthmian Canal a political agency. "I feel that I would be unjust to my own feelings if I failed to express my thoughts concerning another feature of this work, and I wish to say that I speak for myself alone. I believe it !s a great misfortune for the success of this work that the man in charge for two years past has derided to sever his connection. One of the most difficult parts of any work to perform, especially a work of the character of this, is the formation of an organization, the building up of a working force. It is just as necessary to form such an organization before beginning the work as it is to take good sight with one of the large guns upon a man-of-war before firing. The man in charge realized the necessity for such a policy. My observation is that the two years have been wisely spent. Not only has a working organization been formed, but much good physical work has been done. But although an organization may be formed, and all the modern machinery and supplies secured and put at work, there must still be an esprit It corps in the men performing the work. That esprit dt corps, we find existing here, but not, I fear, with the same enthusiasm that characterized it forty-eight hours ago. The personality of an organizer and leader is a great factor in any work, and while it may be replaced in this instance, and possibly improved upon which I extremely doubt I still think the risk is too great to have made the change. I know nothing about the reasons which brought about this change, and I am only giving expression to sentiments which I cherish and the thoughts that come up in my mind. If the change was brought about by the government in Washington, it, perhaps, is wiser than we are, but I still say that I believe the promotion of this work could have been, better effected without a change at this time. If the change is the result of the volition of the man himself I think and I say it in his presence that he has made a mistake. I think he has missed an opportunity of building to himself a monument that would go down through ages to come, a heritage for his children, of which they and their children and their children's children should be justly proud. " There is only one other thought that I wish to express on this occasion, and that is this: no one can visit the people of Central and South America as I have within the past sixty days without being impressed with their hospitality and their kind-heartedness and with their general good feeling toward all people who visit them. This enterprise has the good-will of all the people of Central and South America. I may say here, fearing that I omitted to say it earlier, that I am sure the people of Central and South America do not mistake what we mean by the Monroe Doctrine. We have no desire or intention of colonizing the countries of Central and South America. We wish to have them maintain their independence with the form of government they have adopted, which form is fashioned after our own. I am sure the people of Central and South America will have no thought that the people of the United A riew throucb Culcbn Cut. 107 States has any idea of annexing or subjugating them. Their hospitality is well known, and we who have visited them have seen that the reputation they enjoy in that regard is well deserved. "I think I express the sentiments of all of the members of this party when I say to the President of Panama that we appeciate the cordiality of our reception. We shall do ourselves the honor of making a formal call upon him tomorrow. While we are not delegated to make any formal expression I am sure he will appreciate the force of what we say when we express to him our appreciation of the good-will and assistance the people of Panama have rendered toward this great Canal enterprise. "We thank you for your presence here this evening." From the grand parlor of the Tivoli, at the conclusion of the more formal program of the evening, Mr. Whitelaw, of St. Louis, the presiding officer of the evening, and Mr. Taylor, of Cincinnati, chairman of the committee in charge of the evening reception and supper, led the way to the dining room. The members of the Clubs were the hosts. Their guests were the officials of the Republic of Panama, the heads of departments of the Canal Commission, the diplomatic and consular corps of Panama, the representative business men of Panama. Seated about many small tables in the spacious dining room, the hosts mingled with their guests. A buffet supper was served, after which Mr. Whitelaw happily introduced several of the guests. Entertaining and mirth-provoking were the impromtu talks. Among those called upon was Mr. Edward J. Williams, head of the Financial Department of the Commmission. Mr. Williams said: "Mr. Chairman, Friends and Neighbors, Members of the Commercial Clubs of Beer-making St. Louis and Cincinnati, Bean-eating Boston, and last, but not least, dear old Chicago, the home of the Fastidious Pork Sausage: "Mr. Chairman: It strikes me that it is most unfair of you to so unexpectedly call on me this evening, especially as this is the first day of the month and has been pay-day, I being called upon in my official capacity several thousand times today (however this is the only time when I have not been prepared) by the honest, efficient men whom you have seen working with such energy and so intelligently on this, the greatest piece of work ever attempted by human hands. They seem to heed not in the least the statements of one Poultice Biglies, made by him, no doubt, in order to make a dime magazine a success, in which he called them grafters and incompetents, unable to secure positions in the States ; but judging from their actions, should he ever visit this Isthmus again he had better have a delegation of friends on hand to Where the two men are standing was the bottom level in Culebra Cut which the French company identify his remains. reached. The motor car is on a level sixty-five feet lower which represents the . . . _!_. dijginz done by the United States in this section of Culebra Cut. A great deal has been said here tonight about 108 the progress the United States has made on the Isthmus since its occupation, but to my way of thinking if not the most; certainly one of the most noticeable things has been overlooked. I am willing to admit that Colonel Gorgas has trimmed a few mosquitoes, that Bolick and his light opera troupe have broken all yardage records at Culebra Cut, that Colonel Tom Cooke has stamped a few well filled caskets, but they don't look so much when you stop to think how \V. G. Bierd has changed the Panama Railroad from two streaks of rust, connecting the "Crab-eaten Sea" with the Pacific Ocean, and a few French tea-kettles into a modern, thoroughly equipped railroad with a grand roadbed, all trains running on time and very comfortable, such as you rode upon today. "But to return to the pay: There are some who are listless and some who are ashamed to take the money, but we are ashamed when we find that we are able to hand one such a small stipend as is allowed by our government, when already by hi* management thousands of dollars have been saved, and by the completion of the Canal, with the policies being carried out that are in vogue and the new ones that are continually being invented, I miss my prediction if millions are not saved. This is all due to the grand man whom we have learned to love, whose lack of frills and whose hearty co-operation have endeared him to all, and we have just learned with the deepest regret that he is to leave. I refer to our beloved Chief Engineer. " Gentlemen, I thank you. ' When the applause which followed Mr. Williams' happy remarks had subsided, Mr. Whitelaw called upon Mr. Jackson Smith, who has charge of the Labor and the Commissary Department of the Commission. Mr. Smith responded : "The Chairman promised that he would not call on me, he said that I had done so many things so well that he would let me off on this one. We have, as the chairman has stated, thirty thousand men ; we have thirty-five thousand. We have the force here that can do the work if they will give us the money and not tie our hands in Washington. The personnel is here to dig the Canal, and it cannot be improved on. We have five thousand Americans here on this work that are second to no Americans, to no men, on the face of God's green earth. The laborers, the men who are actually digging the Canal, we are bringing from the four quarters of the earth; but it makes no difference where they come from, the Americans here will make a success of them. " Hotpilil buildinfi on Anton Hill II the Pclc Occin Irrainm ol Ik* Clnil. 109 Colonel Gorgas, head of the Sanitary Department, who had been called upon earlier in the evening, but who had been detained elsewhere, was discovered in the dining room surrounded by members of the Commercial Clubs. President Whitelaw promptly brought him to his feet by a timely allusion to the excellent work of himself and staff on the Isthmus. Colonel Gorgas said in part : "We are glad to have you here and to have you see the sanitary work that has been done. We take the ground that we are now building the Canal with as little loss from sickness as could be done in most of the Southern States. We take great pride in saying this, as we believe it is a compliment to the Sanitary Department. I hope the Clubs will come here in two or three years from now, when we shall be able to say that the Canal has been practically built. " Sitting at the table with the Chief Engineer was W. G. Bierd, General Manager Panama Railroad. When called upon, Mr. Bierd said : "There is practically only one question in our minds tonight, and I am afraid to trust myself to speak on that subject. Our feelings toward our Chief and our appreciation of his splendid qualities have been voiced by those who are much better able to define them than myself. But since we must undergo this deplorable experience, and our Chief, in obedience to his own judgment, by his 3wn choice and by his own wishes, has decided to make this move, I ask you fellow employees to join me in wishing him Godspeed. " The devotion of the Canal officials to their Chief was further expressed by Mr. W. G. Belding, Master Builder, who said: I am a little too full for utterance just now. I do not know what I can say in addition to what has been expressed by those who have preceded me. I know there is a vein of sadness running through the heart of every employee of the Canal Commission tonight which has come about because our Chief is to leave us. I know of nothing that has happened that has affected the employees of the Isthmian Canal Commission so deeply as that news. However, I feel that I owe certain duties to the United States Government, and whether I remain on the Isthmus twenty-four hours or twenty-four years, whoever my superior officer may be, I shall endeavor to give him the same loyalty that I believe I have given to Mr. Stevens. I have been very close to the Chief Engineer during my connection with this work, and I am proud to say (and I think I voice the sentiments of every employee on the Isthmus) I have never known a man for whom I have a higher regard than I have for Mr. Stevens, and I am certainly sorry to see him leave. " Colonel Tom M. Cooke, in charge of the Customs on the Canal Zone, and H. D. Reed, Executive Secretary, representing the civil government, closed the speaking. Not the soft, dreamy strains of Latin-America, but the vigorous, inspiring music of the States, accompanied the hearty enthusiasm of the evening at the Tivoli. Somebody asked the American Consul-General about the players. "That," said Mr. Shanklin, "is the Isthmian Canal Commission Band. The leader plays the snare drum and gets $15,000 a year. The trombone is played by a man who is paid $15 a week, and the clarionet receives fifteen cents an hour." Then the Consul-General cleared up the mystery by explaining that the Canal Band was a volunteer organization, recruited from the musical talent found in the force from top to labor. The leader is Mr. Maltby, one of the principal engineers, and his instrument is the snare drum. The office force, and even the labor ranks are drawn upon to make the quota of instruments. no AT THE SITE OF THE SOSA DAM Chief Engineer Stevens pointing out the route of the Canal on the Pacific side. On the left: Lucien Wulsin, Collins Thompson (Official Stenographer), L. D. Dozier, Walker Hill, D. B. Meacham. In the center: Martin A. Ryerjon, John F. Stevens (Chief Engineer). On the right: D. B. Gamble, John W. Warrington, C. L. Hutchinson, Oscar L. Whitelaw, Hanford Crawford, Frank J. Jones, Chas. S. Dennison. An interesting incident of the visit to Panama was a dinner given by the American Minister and Mrs. Squiers. The guests from the Commercial Clubs were David R. Francis, of St. Louis, John V. Farwell, Jr., of Chicago, Rolla Wells, Mayor of St. Louis, and W. K. Bixby, of St. Louis. The other guests were the President and Mrs. Amador, the Secretary of State and Mrs. Arias, of the Republic of Panama; Mr. Stevens, Chief Engineer; Colonel Perkins, commanding the U. S. Marines on the Isthmus, the American Consul-General, Arnold Shanklin ; the Secretary of the American Legation, Mr. Sands, and the Secretary to the Minister, Mr. May. The dinner preceded immediately the reception at the Tivoli, Mr. Francis and his fellow guests from the Clubs escorting President Amador to the reception. The distance across the Isthmus by rail is about forty-seven miles. To provide the yard room, the turnouts into the dumps and the parallel tracks on the different levels in the Cut means the construction and continuous use of 269 miles of running track, including the main line. The sidings represent 160 miles of track. When the big Dam is ready it will be necessary to move the Panama Railroad from its old location between Gatun and Pedro Miguel, to the side of the Lake. This means a new route almost the entire distance across the Isthmus, and in places several miles from the present line. The old road will be from seven to seventy feet under water. The new road will skirt the east side of Gatun Lake from five to ten feet above the water level. The second day, members of the Commercial Clubs accompanied Chief Engineer Stevens and his staff over the Pacific section of the Canal route. The first day they saw and examined, so far as the progressing work could inform them, two of what President Roosevelt called the "three big problems," the Gatun Dam and the Culebra Cut. The second day was in part devoted to the remaining problem the Lake and the Dam of the Pacific end of the Canal. A member of the Commercial Clubs, Mr. Dwight, of Boston, after going over the route, said: "The new waterway is not strictly speaking a Canal; it is to be, by a svstem of locks, principally two lakes through which the steamers can go at good speed.' The Canal begins, at Pedro Miguel, to make its descent from the mountain level, eighty-five feet above the sea. A lock 1,400 feet long, 350 feet wide, and seventy-five feet deep will lower vessels at Pedro Miguel thirty feet to La Boca Lake, which will have a level of fifty-five feet above the Pacific Ocean. The Rio Grande River is swallowed by La Boca Lake just as the Chagres is taken into Gatun Lake. The Rio Grande is much smaller than the Chagres. La Boca Lake will furnish about five miles of the Canal route. This lake is created by the building of two dams at Sosa Hill, almost on the Pacific ocean's edge. These dams will flood a marshy valley through which the French had dredged the Pacific end of their Canal, and where some of the abandoned HI dredges, almost overgrown with tropical vegetation, were seen by the members of the Commercial Clubs. La Boca is the present Pacific terminus of the Panama Railroad. It has tracks and docks extending out into the shallow water some distance to facilitate the loading and unloading of ships. The making of the lake and the dredging of a channel out to deep water will mean a complete transformation of La Boca. With the plans spread out before him, Chief Engineer Stevens made clear to the members of the Clubs the location of the dams and locks. He also showed how the creation of the La Boca Lake means a fresh water harbor in which ships may anchor and remain until ready to go to sea, either directly into the Pacific, or across the Isthmus to the Atlantic. The fresh water harbor of La Boca Lake is esteemed by the engineers a distinct advantage. Two locks divide the lift between the Pacific Ocean level and the La Boca Lake level, and at the same time give adequate control over tidal changes of the Pacific, which at this point are from twenty to twenty-eight feet. Looking out from La Boca, the members of the Clubs saw the islands between which are the entrances to the Bay of Panama. They saw one old hulk which they were told was the first side-wheeler on the Pacific Ocean, and another which was described as the first screw steamer on the Pacific. At La Boca and .at Corozal, in the same vicinity, were two of the' plague spots on the Isthmus. The members of the 'Clubs saw these localities cleared and drained and in good sanitary condition. Sanitary gangs were still at work, cutting away the jungle, laying drains and extending the zone of perfect sanitary protection. In one place the visitors came upon a negro with a can of kerosene carefully oiling the surface of a rivulet, applying the preventive against the mosquito. At Ancon Hill, just outside of Panama and within the Canal Zone limits, the visitors saw what inspired them with strong admiration the hospitals. Here, on a fine elevation, with nothing to check the sea breezes, the French began to build hospitals. The Americans have covered the hillsides with clusters of buildings. Everywhere is the screened porch. Vegetation is limited to the grass and to the yucca palms. Nothing must interfere with the free movement of fresh air. The Pacific is on one side. The Isthmus stretches away for miles in view on the other. The City of Panama lies at the base of the hill. Ancon is ideal for hospital purposes. Here Colonel Gorgas and the medical staff have conquered that which was the harrowing factor in the Isthmian Canal problem. Weary of body, satiated in mind, the members of the Commercial Clubs reached Colon just before dusk, the evening of Saturday, the second of March. As they climbed the long gang-way to the deck they were met by Mr. Batcheller, of the Joint Committee, who counseled quick dressing for dinner. The guests of the evening were Chief Engineer Stevens and his associates, together with the British The last look toward the Pacific terminus of the Panama canal. 114 ! rimiin f mini ON THE STEPS OF THE TIVOLI AT PANAMA Reading from left to right: First row J. D. Bascom, Thos. P. Egan, E. C. Goshorn, C. H. Thorne. Second row E. G. Cowdery, M. A. Ryerson, B. W. Campbell, L. A. Ault, George M. Wright. Third row H. J. MacFarland, C. L. Hutchinson, W. K. Bixby, Robert Moore, Dan'I Catlin. Fourth row William Whitman, C. H. Conover, L. W. Noyes, F. J. Jones. Fifth row F. B. Carpenter, H. L. Rice, J. W. G. Cofran, Benj. Carpenter, J. T. Carew, H. C. Yeiser. Sixth row Geo. O. Carpenter, S. Parker Bremer, Henry S. Warren (Surgeon), R. H. W. Dwight, Robt. Batcheller, Harry L. Laws. Standing Jno. Omwake, Jno. M. Clark, D. B. Meacham, William Lodge, Walker Hill. Consul at Colon, Mr. Hudson and Mrs. Hudson, and the German Consul at Colon, Mr. Heuer. The lady was given the place of honor at the Captain's table. She was seated between Captain von Leitner and President O. L. Whitelaw of the Commercial Club of St. Louis. She was toasted. Upon her was bestowed the emblematic button of the Commercial Clubs. Her gracious presence was requested at other tables by delegations sent to present the invitations. Her fair English face flushed with amusement, the lady bore herself with splendid self-possession, in the very novel position of the only representative of her sex at a dinner party of over one hundred gentlemen. With great cheering the party arose and responded to " The President of the United States. " The presiding officer of the evening was Edward Goepper, President of the Commercial Club of Cincinnati. Addressing the guests and the members of the Clubs, Mr. Goepper said: "Gentlemen, our first regular toast, 'The President of the United States," has already been proposed and accepted. 'The Lady,' the next regular toast, which we had intended to introduce after the first speech of the evening, has also been proposed and received with the approbation to which it was entitled. "I have the great pleasure to announce to you that we are favored by the presence of the representative of the United States, and as we are about to leave his dominion and he has been so kind as to give us a certificate of good character, I am sure you will all be glad to hear from Mr. Arnold Shanklin, American Consul-General at Panama." Mr. Shanklin, who had been untiring to his efforts to make the visit of the Clubs in every way successful, said : " Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen : "I cannot remember when my voice has gone back on me before, but my throat is in trouble. I have talked so much during the last two days, and have tried to so raise my voice above the noise of the train, that my vocal chords seem to be in considerable distress. I trust you will therefore pardon my hoarseness and the apparent effort with which I am compelled to speak. " Allow me to say that I appreciate very much the kindly feeling which you have expressed. If I have done aught to make it one whit more pleasant for this party, I am glad, and am mo/e than repaid, because, to be perfectly candid with you, it has been a matter of selfishness with me. You do not know how glad we are to see you here, and how much we regret to see you go. Such visits as youm are really oases in our life down here. We are tempted sometimes to go into ice-houses just to see how it would feel to be at home again. I am glad to know that you have been pleased with what you saw on the Isthmus, and with our modest efforts to entertain you, and I believe you are sincere when you speak of the pleasure your visit has afforded. " Gentlemen, I have the pleasure and honor of serving the American government in the capacity of Consul-General at Panama. It is a matter of regret to me that I could not show you more attention, but you could not give us the time. You came in like a streak and are going out the same way. We would like for you to have stayed with us long enough for us to have carried out the program we had arranged in your honor, but there were others waiting for you. " And now I shall not take more of your time or impose upon your patience further than to say that we beg of you, as you proceed on your way to Jamaica and thence on to Cuba and home, not to forget us. As you sail on and the waves dash against the iide> of this good ship, as you glide safely over the rolling billows, let the stars tell you that we have not forgotten you, and let them remind you of us. " I have a telegram addressed to Governor Francis and the members of the Commercial Club*, which contains a parting message for you, and which I shall read. It is from the American Minister, Mr. Squires. 117 11 Governor Francis and members of Commercial Clubs, Boston, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis: I regret exceedingly that I will not be able to dine with you this evening and particularly that I shall not be able to personally wish you all a bon voyage. I hope you will return another year when you may expect a warmest kind of a welcome from all the Squires family. ' " Mr. Goepper next introduced the Consul of Great Britain as follows: "We are turning our faces homeward and toward the possessions of our mother country, to whom we are so closely bound by ties of commercial and financial relations, but above all, by ties of friendship. "We are so fortunate as to have with us as our guest of honor this evening, not only the representative of Great Britain, but we are favored by the presence of his gracious wife, and we are certainly indebted to both of them for making this an unusual incident in our voyage. It gives me great pleasure to call upon the Consul of Great Britain and to introduce to you Mr. Hudson." Mr. Hudson was cordially received and said: "Gentlemen, I wish to say that I thank you very much for the honor you have done my wife and myself. I am sure it has been a great pleasure for us to be with you tonight an honor quite unexpected, I assure you. We thought we were coming here with the Captain only, but we are very pleased to have met you. "I thank you for the way you have received the toast which was proposed a short time ago to my Sovereign, and I can only wish you a bon voyage; and when you arrive in Jamaica I hope you will receive a hearty welcome. I was there myself a few weeks ago and saw the results of the earthquake. "I thank you again for your kind reception to us tonight, and wish you all bon voyage." Captain von Leitner, rising in his place, claimed attention. He said: As Governor Francis says do not forget the President of the United States, I think it is no more than right that we do not forget the German Emperor either." The toast to the German Emperor was received with great applause. Mr. Goepper introduced the Consul of Germany at Colon saying: "Gentlemen, we have had occasion to be reminded of a nation that is also closely allied to us by fraternal and commercial relations, by being on this boat. The nation to which I refer has made marvelous progress in an industrial way, as you all know, and likewise boasts of a wonderful marine. I think it is therefore eminently proper that we should have a few words from another guest of honor this evening who has been so kind as to be present, and I will ask Mr. Heuer, the German Consul to address you." Mr. Heuer responded pleasantly as follows: "Gentlemen, I also came in my private capacity as a guest of Captain von Leitner, as I supposed, but finding myself in the company of you gentlemen, I am none the less happy to be here. I think it is one of the greatest pleasures of my life. I hope the trip you are making on this German steamer may be a very delightful one, and that one of these days you will return to Colon, to find the progress made on the Canal equally as gratifying and satisfactory as you have found it on your present visit, under the able direction of Mr. Stevens. " Mr. Goepper next introduced Mr. Bierd, Manager of the Panama Railroad. He said : " I am reminded that we are expected to leave before the shades of evening grow much heavier, and I see the Captain is already growing a little nervous. Therefore we shall be obliged to curtail the evening's entertainment and make it more brief than was planned, but we cannot permit our guests to leave us without referring to the visit we have had on the Isthmus during the last two days, and being reminded of the attention given to every detail of our comfort which only those who have had similar experience can appreciate. 118 THE CANAL ON PAPER Chief Engineer Stevens showing the plans of La Boca Dams. Those looking on (reading from left to right) : Charles H. Thorne, Elihu Thomson, Edward Goepper, Robert Moore, Robert Batcheller, Rolla Wells, Chas. W. Knapp, Henry C. Scott, Jas. A. Green, D. B. Meacham. "We are all greatly indebted to Mr. Bierd for his untiring attention and courtesy. I will make my own remarks short as an example and ask Mr. Beird to say a few words before we take leave of him." Mr. Bierd's response was as follows: "Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the Commercial Clubs: I assure you it has been a great pleasure not only to myself, but to everyone else that has had the privilege of trying to make your trip interesting and agreeable, to see you here and to show you wli.n is being done toward the construction of the Canal. I want to say that of the very many visits that have been made to the Isthmus, to inspect the Canal work and the railroad (and by the way, I may say that the railroad is but an auxiliary of the Canal), of the many visits that have been made here by those desiring to obtain a better understanding of the character and magnitude of the work going on here and the conditions under which it is performed there has never been, I say, a visit paid the Isthmus that has been to us and I believe when I say that I voice the sentiments of all my associates I repeat, there has never been a visit paid the Isthmus in the interest of the Canal that has equaled the visit you gentlemen have just made, and none which we feel to be such an honor. "We appreciate very highly, gentlemen, the kind and friendly feeling that has been shown toward us mho are engaged in this undertaking. The interest you have taken is very encouraging to us. I think everyone present here tonight really enjoyed and appreciates this interest. And I believe the visit of your Clubs will have a lasting effect upon the Canal work. It is these encouragements that help us. There have been some who came and found fault. As long as the fault-finding is reasonable and justified we are perfectly willing to accept it and to try and correct the lapses. But where it is without foundation and is the result of malice or misrepresentation, we strongly resent it. "Gentlemen, we want to express ' our appreciation of your kind words and the good cheer you have infused in us, and we hope sincerely that the remainder of your trip may be safe and pleasant. " Captain von Leitner arose with evident determination to hasten the departure. He said: "Gentlemen, I am glad you all come back and you enjoyed your trip on the Isthmus. I must say one thing. I now see one thing. That the Commercial Clubs made one mistake, that they did not bring the ladies with them. I can see it now because everybody wants Mrs. Hudson to sit at their table. " I ought to say I see here tonight some guests w,hom I saw before in Panama. I see among others the head man that builds the Canal, and I think it no more than right that everyone take his glass and drink his health. " Mr. Goepper introduced the Chief Engineer, saying: "Gentlemen, you will be detained only a short time longer, and while I realize how much might be said in introducing the next and last speaker of the evening, yet in effect little could be added to what was said last night. "The Panama Canal is perhaps I should say the adoption or taking over of the Canal by the United States may indirectly, at least, be traced to the interest which the four Commercial Clubs of Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis took in it. How they practically inaugurated the movement is past history. During the past two days it has been the privilege of the members of the Clubs on this visit to see that the work is being carried on as they had hoped it would be. We came to make sure that it was. We canv with the wish in our hearts really to know that what we are so deeply interested in is being accomplished. But we struck a minor chord when we reached here. The pleasure which we would have felt in leaving after having attained our object has been tempered by the announcement of the withdrawal of the Chief Engineer. You had occasions yesterday to see what he has accomplished an I better speakers than I have borne testimony to his work. I merely wish on behalf of the four Clubs to express to him our gratification, and our appreciation of the great work he has done, our regret that he is thinking of leaving, and our earnest hope that he may not 121 adhere to his decision. In any event, however, our good wishes go with him, and I will now call upon Mr. Stevens to say a few words and give him the opportunity to say good bye." Mr. Stevens replied feelingly: "Mr. President, Lady, and Gentlemen of the Commercial Clubs, your leaving us tonight makes me sad. We are glad you came and we wish your stay could be longer, but I am sensible of the fact that you are all busy men, and that you are compelled to neglect your business to be here. We hope the two days you spent on the Canal Zone have proved enjoyable and profitable in affording you a clearer idea than you have had before of the character and progress of this undertaking. "Let me say on behalf of all the employees of the Canal Commission that we are proud that you came to see us at our work, nd hope you can find your way clear to come again. May this good German ship bear you safely home, and on behalf of every American citizen on the Canal Zone I wish you Godspeed." The speaking concluded with brief remarks by Mr. David R. Francis, of St. Louis, who said : "I crave, Mr. President, Gentlemen and Representatives of foreign countries present here this evening, your indulgence for but two or three minutes. "We have accomplished the main, if not the objective purpose of our visit. We have traversed the Isthmus; we have seen the work being done on the Panama Canal. We have been pleased with what has thus far been achieved. We are better pleased with the spirit which permeates the men who are engaged in this great undertaking, and just as every citizen of the United States, when called upon to defend the flag, will sacrifice every financial interest and take up arms in behalf of his country, just next to that do we think that every citizen of our beloved country, when called upon to take part in this work, should respond to the call. "This is one of the great undertakings of the age and every man should feel proud to be connected with it. When we go home it will be our duty as well as our pleasure to tell, not only the people of our respective cities, but the people of the entire country, what is being accomplished here; and we shall be proudest of all to tell them of the spirit that inspires every man engaged in this project. "I feel that it should be considered a duty on the part of every American citizen who is qualified to perform any work to feel that the government of the United States may call upon him to perform it. "In closing, sir, I am sure I voice the sentiments of every member of these Commercial Clubs when I say that we extend hearty congratulations to the men who are engaged in this work for the physical progress made. And we say to them, go on. "A speech was made last night by an employee a timely and effective speech which said that regardless of who may lead this work, the speaker would be loyal to the head, and he trusted every employee of the Commission would feel likewise. That was a proper and an opportune speech for an employee to make, and I hope it will have its effect. But we all know that when there is a change in the leadership of such an organization as this, demoralization follows. Therefore I am confident I express the views of all present when I say that it is our sincere hope there will be no change in that leadership." At this point Captain von Leitner, who had been manifesting a little anxiety, arose, his face beaming with good nature, his manner marked with a sense of duty, and said : " Gentlemen. I think it is time to go." The Captain did not progress further. There was no weathering that hurricane of merriment. The dinner was over. As Mrs. Hudson was escorted from the dining saloon there followed her in a great chorus: " Good-night, lady. We're going to leave you now." 122 A STOP AT BAS OBISPO Reading from left to right: Laurence Minot, Edward F. Swift, James A. Green, T. P. Egan, N. H. Davis, C. L. Hutchinson, W. B. Lawrence, J. D. Bascom, James R. Carter, L. D. Dozier, General Manager Bierd (Panama R. R.), Consul General Shanklin, David R. Francis, Robert M. Burnett, H. L. Laws, A. H. Chatfield, Charles S. Dennison, David B. Gamble, C. H. McCormick, William Worthington, L. A. Ault, W. D. Bolick, Joseph D. Bascom. On the train E. G. Cowdery, Robert Moore, Robert Batcheller, George M. Wright, Charles H. Thorne, Lucien Wulsin, L. W. Noyes, J. W. G. Cofran, Henry C. Scott. The tug carrying the guests back to Colon had barely passed from view of the waving handkerchiefs and sound of the cheering when the "PRINX JOACHIM" raised anchor and turned northward for the run of 550 miles to Kingston. What the Canal officials thought of the visit of the Commercial Clubs was summed up by Superintendent Bolick, who remarked just before the departure: "I am pumped dry." The heads of departments of the Isthmian Canal Commission have met many visitors and have answered a great variety of questions. They found in the members of the Commercial Clubs observers who for comprehensiveness and number of inquiries broke all records. The Panama STAR AND HERALD had this to say of the impression which the Clubs left behind them : The business and financial standing of each and every one of the eighty odd commercial men in this party is such as to make their report of the conditions they found to exist on the Canal Zone second in point of public interest only to the special message to Congress in which President Roosevelt told of what he found when he was here. Last November the Canal officials on the Isthmus had to answer the questions of one man determined to learn all that he could about the Canal work. Last Friday and Saturday the men in charge of the several departments had to stand the examination of eighty odd gentlemen, who have been, or are at present, in active management or control of some of the largest and most representative business organizations in the United States and the commercial world today. The gentlemen in this party represented every shade of political belief. As soon as they had greeted the Reception Committee they inquired as to which of them they should go for information along the several lines of inquiry that it had been decided before landing was wanted, not only by members of the party actually present, but by the members of the Clubs who had not been able to come to the Isthmus. Before the special train chartered by the party had left the big new yards at Cristobal the visitors interested and familiar with railroads were crowding around General Manager Bierd, plying him with all manner of questions about the Panama Railroad. Mr. Joy Morton, of Chicago, and President Frank J. Jones, of the Little Miami Railroad, gave Mr. Bierd a searching examination, and when they had finished Mr. Joseph B. Russell, President of the West End Street Railway Company, and Treasurer of the Boston Wharf Company, brought 125 THE TWO MAYORS AT LA BOCA Rolli \Vcll. Mirot of Si. Louii. ind Don. ). Ktincmo it li On*. Mayor of Panama. out Mr. Bierd's reasons for claiming that, owing to the material improvements at Colon, the steamship business of the Panama Railroad at that point is handled at a reduced cost and at speed that, considering labor conditions, is hard to equal in any other port in the world. The methods for receiving, caring for and distributing all of the supplies needed en the Isthmus were the subject of study for the gentlemen who know the most modern methods by which it is possible to do this work. Charles S. Dennison, Vice-President of the Dennison Manufacturing Company; James A. Green, one of the firm of Matthew, Addy & Company, of Cincinnati; John G. Wright, of Boston, one of the biggest wool merchants in the country, and Mr. Edward Swift, Vice-President of Swift & Company, whose Chicago house has business connections almost all over the world, put the Chief of Department of Material and Supply through a running fire of questions that made some of the Material and Supply men say it was worth a day's pay to have the work of answering so many questions. At Gatun, the engineering members of the party, Mr. Elihu Thomson and Mr. Robert Moore, with the plans in hand made a personal inspection of all the points about which they had any doubt. Mr. Gerig and his assistants were prepared for questions, but asserted last Friday night that they had never experienced a more exhausting examination. At Matachin the magnitude of the operations carried on by the big shops under Mr. Cummings detained the visitors longer than the reception committee had expected. Mr. Brook, the Superintendent of Motive Power and Machinery, needed all of the time the train took in travelling from Bas Matachin to Culebra Cut to explain to the presidents and managers of the big firms represented to just what use the Canal Commission puts all the old iron and scrap machinery of which so much is to be seen on the Isthmus. At the entrance to the Culebra Cut, the reception committee transferred the visitors to some flat cars so that in going through this interesting section of the Canal they might see, as the Chief Engineer had directed, the top, bottom and the sides of all that was to be seen. This was the portion of the trip to which the members of the Chicago Commercial Club had been looking with especial interest. Chairman Shonts had delivered an address before the Club in January last and told them some very interesting points about the Canal. They wanted to see every place he had mentioned. Chief Engineer Stevens joined the party at Culebra, but Mr. Bolick, the Division Engineer at Culebra, was the principal expositor of the work done in the Cut. The Chicago men wanted to know everything. They inquired into almost every problem that he mentioned. Questions of sanitation brought every one of the visitors, at some time during their visit, to Colonel Gorgas, "the Grand Old Man of the Isthmus" as some of them called him. The Colonel seemed about the only head of department that was unperturbed by the exactions of the trip, and yet he personally explained to most of the gentlemen in the party the methods by which he has so completely altered the health conditions of this Isthmus. Commissioner Jackson Smith had to meet all questions as to where, how and through whom he has secured the men now here and how he expected to secure those still needed to carry on the work, and as to the ways and means adopted for feeding, and caring for the thirty-five thousand men of which his department has charge. 126 GROUP ON SANITATION AND HYGIENE Reading from left to right: Sitting Homer P. Knapp, William Lodge, Robert A. Boit (Chairman), John W. Warrington, Martin A. Ryerson. Standing Henry S. Warren (Surgeon), S. Parker Bremer. Impressions THE day after the departure from the Isthmus Mr. Wulsin, Chairman of the Committee on Observation of the Panama Canal, called together the chairmen of the eight groups and the members of his committee. The participants in the conference were Messrs. Thomson, Boit, Burnett, and Carpenter, of Boston; Mr. Schmidlapp and Mr. Maxwell, of Cincinnati; Mr. Farwell and Mr. McCormick, of Chicago ; Mr. Moore, of St. Louis. On account of the illness of Mr. Knox, of St. Louis, Mr. Burnett and Mr. Carpenter, of Boston, were in charge of the work of the group on Housing and Food Mr. Burnett on Housing, and Mr. Carpenter, who is commissary general of Massachusetts, on Food. To the conference Mr. Wulsin submitted the question whether the groups should be asked to put their impressions in writing. It was the unanimous conclusion that each group should make a concise written report. The conference further agreed that a general meeting of members of the Clubs should be held, at which each group should be given fifteen minutes in which to present the written report and such verbal additions and comments as the members of the groups might see fit to make. Following the conference the chairmen of the groups called together their associates. The preparation of the reports was undertaken. It was a work of hours. In the meetings of the groups there was thorough discussion of what had been seen and heard on the Isthmus. On the 4th of March the general meeting of the members was held in the dining saloon, Mr. Farwell, of Chicago, presiding. In announcing the purpose of the meeting Mr. Farwell said that each group would be entitled to occupy fifteen minutes in the report of impressions received. Mr. Boit, Chairman of the group on Hygienic and Sanitary Conditions, presented the following: The subject given your committee on Sanitation and Hygiene is a broad and far-reaching one, and it would be impossible to treat the question in a manner worthy of it in the space that we should take. We shall, therefore, confine ourselves as strictly as possible to certain details of the work which our committee think may be of interest to you, and shall be happy to answer as we go on, any question you may wish to ask. 129 We shall divide the subject under three heads: ! Water supply and drainage. 2 Street department. 3. General sanitation of the Zone, Panama and Colon, and the buildings in them. Water Supply and Drainage The water is supplied from three large reservoirs: 1. Located ten miles from Panama, consisting of two lakes, having a capacity of 500,000,000 gallons 2. Located at Empire, containing 250,000,000 gallons. 3. Located three miles from Colon, with a capacity of 580,000,000 gallons. These reservoirs are supplied from water sources long distances from the towns and camps, and at points entirely safe from the possibility of contamination ; and either from natural lakes or rivers, or, as in the case of Colon, from a pond made by damming a stream in high land back of Colon, about one mile from Mt. Hope. In all cases analysis has shown the water is soft and contains nothing in solution that is deleterious to health. Filtering will remove any sediment there may be in it, though some prefer to boil it before using for drinking purposes. The supplies for Colon and Panama are sufficient for towns of much larger areas and population, and the pressure is sufficient. At Panama the pressure varies from forty to sixty pounds, which is enough for protection in case of fire. There are about twenty miles of water mains in the City of Panama, and ten miles of pipe leading to the city. The mains are from six to sixteen-inch pipe. All of the sewer pipes used are vitrified pipe. These are led from the towns in the Zone, except Panama and Colon, to rivers and points in them that cannot possibly endanger the health of the inhabitants. Many run into the Chagres River. In certain isolated places, in temporary camps, the night soil is carried in buckets to remote points. In Colon and Panama the sewers run into the sea beyond low water mark The work itself, the materials, the installation and plumbing, are all good and done by competent head plumbers and skilled labor. In a portion of the work poor material was used, as that was all they had on hand, but this is now being replaced. There are six inspectors of this work. Every householder in Panama is taxed for water and sewer connections, whether he has them or not; and the mains are piped off to the curbs of the streets so that the owner's connection requires only opening under the sidewalks. The law in Panama makes these water bills a direct lien upon the property, but in three cases only has it been necessary to resort to this method of collection. With the introduction of running water, laws were passed prohibiting the use of cisterns and the collecting of rain water for domestic purposes, and under close and regular inspection this custom has been stopped. Those whose houses are not connected with the mains must draw such water as they need from the nearest street faucets. The garbage in Panama and Colon is collected daily, and throughout the rest of the Zone it is taken at least once a week and either burned or carried A Panamanian Village Typical Huts on the Isthmus. 130 GROUP ON PLAN OF MANAGEMENT Reading from left to right: Sitting James R. Carter, David R. Francis, H. W. Cumner, Lucien Wulsin (Chairman), William Whitman, Chas. W. Knapp. Standing Walter B. Stevens (Press Representative), E. C. Goshorn, Alfred L. Baker, Joy Morton, Robt. McK. Jones, Harry L. Laws. out to sea, or to some point where rilling is going on and dumped there, and the next loads of excavations cover it up. Street Department The roads in the villages are treated as are those of any United States village, hut where there are to be permanent settlements they will be paved and sidewalks made; in several places this work has already been begun. Most of your Committee did not see the streets of Colon and Cristobal except from car windows, but we were credibly informed that about a half had already been paved, or are in process of paving, and that the whole will soon be completed. We were also informed that they are raising the grade of depressions in the land to prevent the possibility of stagnant pools. For this purpose the government is supplying, from the excavations, material for filling and is forcing the inhabitants to do the work. In such cases the grade will be raised from three to four feet. And now we come to Panama, which your Committee thinks in many respects is an object lesson. Two years ago this was a city of mud and chaos. And look at it today! In Panama there are in all about twenty miles of streets. During the last two years: Ten miles of them have been thoroughly laid in vitrified brick, Seven and one-half miles in good macadam and concrete and about Two and one-half miles remain to be completed after the drains have first been laid. When the vitrified brick is used a rilling is first made of broken stone, and over this a layer of concrete, and on the concrete rest the vitrified brick from curb to curb. Under this have of course been laid all of the water pipes and sewers of which we have spoken. Besides this, there are the concrete curbs, and in many places the finished sidewalks. Thus Panama is today a town of well-paved streets. These are not flushed except by the rain, which is carried off by 200 sewer inlets, but they are swept daily early in the morning by machines, and your Committee doubts if you will find a cleaner looking town of its size from Maine to Texas. General Sanitation With regard to this subject, little can be said with which you have not all become familiar. You have seen the clearings of the hillsides and the burning of the brush, making broad open spaces about the working settlements. You have seen the draining and filling of the marshes near them. You have seen the use of petroleum on the pools of small streams that must for the present be allowed to remain. You have seen the draining of the surfaces of the hillsides themselves, on which dwellings and other buildings stand. You have seen the careful screening of the homes of the operatives. You have seen how these houses are built on posts that the ventilation under them may be perfect. And, in the opinion of your Committee, you have seen more suitable and better built and more comfortable homes for the laborers than you are likely to find provided anywhere in the world for a similar purpose. You have seen the hospitals well laid out and equipped with every necessary appliance for first-class work. And in statistics that may be given, it must be remembered that the French company reported only those deaths which occurred in the hospitals, whereas our records show every death in the Zone. The French company charged the contractors one dollar per day for every patient sent to the hospital, which resulted in them sending as few as possible; in the opinion of Colonel Gorgas this meant the reporting of not more than one-fourth of the actual deaths. You have noticed the little graveyards all along the line. These were the graves of the unreported dead of the former period. Yesterday a boss laborer was heard to say to Colonel Gorgas: "Colonel, I was up at the hospital for a week, and they just treated me royally." And he spoke with evident and sincere gratitude. 133 GROUP ON SOCIAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING WELFARE AND ETHICAL QUESTIONS Reading from left to right: Sitting Robt. Batcheller, Hanford Crawford, W. W. Taylor, Lawrence Maxwell, Jr. (Chairman), B. W. Campbell, Chas. H. Conover. Standing John R. Morron, George M. Wright, Lawrence Minot, Charles L. Hutchinson, L. A. Ault. operation. Aside from the general management, some inquiry was made as to the details of what might be termed storekeeping, bookkeeping, accountability of officials, and it may be said that these seemed to the committee to be characterized by good methods and such as are found in efficient business organizations of the day. " In examining the storehouse yesterday, some of us had occasion, without previous notice to those in charge, to look into the book' which are being kept by the clerks of that department. We found the accounts arranged in prope' manner for the careful accounting of all of the stock on hand. The books showed the amount of stock on hand at the beginning of each month, the amount issued during the succeeding thirty days, the amount received, the remainder on hand at the expiration of that period, and the amount ordered and in transit. Not only is a monthly record of this kind kept, but there is also a daily inventory; in fact, our brief examination showed really what a good, well -organized department of this kind should be." In behalf of the group on Social and Racial Conditions, including Welfare and Ethical Questions, Mr. Maxwell, the Chairman, Mr. Taylor, of Cincinnati, and Mr. Crawford, of St. Louis, presented the three sections of the report, which was as follows: Law and Order The Canal Zone is a strip ten miles in width extending across the Isthmus of Panama, over which complete and exclusive jurisdiction was ceded to the United States by the Republic of Panama by the treaty of November 18, 1903. This jurisdiction is exercised through laws of the United States passed by Congress, applicable to the Canal Zone, by executive orders of the President, which have the form and effect of law, and by enactments, rules and regulations of the Isthmian Canal Commission, in which body is vested general legislative power, subject to the laws passed by Congress and the executive orders of the President. Laws enacted by the Commission are subject to the approval of the President. The first act passed by the Commission known as Act No. 1, provided for the organization of judiciary and the exercise of judicial power in the Canal Zone; it was adopted August 16th, 1904. Under it the judicial power of the government of the Canal Zone is vested in a supreme court, circuit courts and municipal courts. The municipal courts exercise jurisdiction similar to that vested in justices of the peace in the United States. They have jurisdiction of offences where the punishment is limited to a ( fine of twenty-five dollars or imprisonment for thirty days, and of civil actions where the amount in controversy is less than $100. The circuit courts have appellate jurisdiction of all cases arising in the municipal courts, and original jurisdiction over all other civil and criminal cases. They correspond to the nisi prius courts of record in the United States. There are three circuit judges, each of whom exercises jurisdiction in one of the three judicial circuits into which the Zone is divided. One circuit court is held at Ancon, one at Empire, and one at Cristobal. The three circuit judges sitting in bane compose the supreme court, which is the highest court in the Zone. It has appellate jurisdiction over the circuit courts and original jurisdiction in mandamus, certiorari, prohibition, habeas corpus and quo warranto. The chief justice receives an annual salary of $6,500 and the associate justices $6,000 each. Each judge is furnished with a dwelling house or apartment, or in lieu thereof, a sum of money equal to eight per cent of his annual salary. The judges are paid their traveling expenses in coming from the United States to the Zone, at the time of their appointment, and their salaries commence on the date they leave home to make the journey to the Zone. There is little litigation, and the cases are decided promptly. There are no juries. In original cases where the penalty of death or imprisonment for life may be inflicted, two municipal judges sit with the circuit judge. The power of the executive branch of the government of the Canal Zone is vested in a governor, who is appointed by the 137 President of the United States, and in other officers appointed by the governor, Spanish laborers in Culebra Cut. Mr. Maxwell, of Cincinnati, .,,_..,-,,_ .. inspecting them. subject to the approval or the Isthmian Canal Commission. The police force consists of a chief of police, 175 officers and men, and seven clerks. The community is law-abiding and order is well maintained. The amount of crime is remarkably low for such a large and heterogeneous population. The officers of the Zone report an appreciable advantage resulting from the decrease in the number of saloons in the Zone, following the adoption of a license of $1,200. Lotteries and gambling were prohibited by one of the first executive orders of the President, and are also prohibited, as is prostitution, by the criminal code adopted by the Commission. The Commission has also enacted a code of criminal procedure. Educational Facilities There are 2,500 children of school age in the Zone. Of these, 1,531 colored children and 206 white children are enrolled, and about 700 colored children and seventy-five white children are not yet provided for. There are thirty-one teachers. Of these twenty-one are white women from the States, nine are Jamaica men and one is a Jamaica woman. Text books and supplies are furnished by the Government. The schools are conducted almost entirely in English. Separate school-rooms are provided for the white and colored children. Education is compulsory, and the Zone police aid in enforcing attendance. Free transportation is furnished where needed. There are morning and evening sessions of three hours each. The attitude of the people toward education is in most cases enthusiastic, and the large proportion of the pupils are apt scholars. There are no adult or evening schools, but classes may hereafter be established for teaching Spanish and such subjects as are required for civil service examinations. The pay of the teachers is $80 a month for twelve months, for those who are graduates of normal schools and have had experience as teachers, and less for those not so well qualified. Five new school houses are to be built and more teachers are to be brought from the States as soon as accommodations are provided for them. Moral and Religious Conditions As a means for providing for the religious and moral welfare of those in their employ, and to protect them against temptation by furnishing facilities for religious worship, and for entertainment and social recreation, the Canal Commission has authorized the construction of eight buildings, in as many different localities in the Zone, which are to be operated under the direction of the International Committee of the Y. M. C. A. Four of these buildings are practically completed, the one at Culebra being ready to receive its furniture and equipment. The others will be constructed as soon as the first four are opened. Each is a double building of two stories and extension, with spacious verandas, social rooms, auditorium to seat 300, billiard and pool room, library, class rooms, bowling alleys, gymnasium, baths and lockers. 138 GROUP ON HOUSING AND FOOD Reading from left to right: Sitting Edward F. Swift, Perin Langdon, Robert M. Burnett (Chairman), A. H. Chatfield, Dan C. Nugent. Standing Clyde M. Carr, Fred. B. Carpenter, Stephen L. Bartlett, David B. Gamble, L. D. Dozier. The plan of operation will be a modification of that followed in the army, navy and railroad Y. M. C. A. buildings to as to tit special Isthmus conditions. The Commission is also erecting buildings to be used for church purposes, providing separate edifices for Roman Catholic and for Protestant worship, the latter to be used jointly by various denominations. As necessity requires, additional buildings will be erected. At Ancon, Culebra, Cristobal and elsewhere, chaplains for the hospitals have been appointed, white and black, Catholic and Protestant, whose salaries are paid by the Commission. Various denominations now have at different points in the Zone places for preaching and for Sunday School work ; some have acquired sites and are about to erect independent edifices. In Panama and Colon there are additional church facilities, but they are not to any great extent patronized by Canal Zone residents. There is a volunteer committee of fourteen, called the Visitation Committee; the members visit the hospitals regularly every Sunday morning from eight to ten o'clock, reading to the sick, writing letters for them, and performing other friendly offices. There is also what is known as the Good Order Club ; it has now twenty-three members whose names and identities are not known to the general public. These gentlemen aim to report to the proper officials anything which they observe and deem inimical to the best interests and welfare of the Commission or of those under its control. An effort is being made to extend this movement to include Panama and Colon. Recreation and Amusements It is evident that the provisions for the Canal employees is inadequate. The early completion of the Y. M. C. A. club houses will help materially, and it may be expected that the theatrical and other public amusements at Panama and Colon will improve with time. Lack of means of recreation has been one cause of the resignation and return to the United States of a considerable number of employees. The Commission is evidently alive to this need, and has taken steps to make conditions in this direction, as in others, as favorable as possible. Baseball grounds have been established at several camps; great interest is taken in the game, and the rivalry between the clubs is as keen as it is in our leagues at home. The gymnasiums in the Y. M. C. A. club houses will be sure to encourage a wholesome attention to other athletics, and they will become centers for all such interests. In the matter of music, the organization of the Isthmian' Canal Commission band, at first purely voluntary, was soon taken up by the Commission and encouraged by an allowance of extra pay for attendance on the weekly rehearsals. This excellent reed band of thirty-five pieces gives frequent concerts at the various camps besides playing at public functions. The Commission has made an appropriation for the employment of a professional musician to take charge of this band, as well as to establish singing societies. Among social or benevolent societies, of which there are several, may be mentioned a masonic lodge, a university club a Panama and another in the Zone, while the excellent Hotel Tivoli at Panama provides still another center of social interest. Another hotel at Cristobal and possibly another on high ground midway on the Isthmus seem likely to be required in the future. The reasonable provision by the Commission of facilities for social enjoyment is a wise expenditure. Such facilities will aid materially in attracting the best class of men to the service, and in keeping up their morale under conditions which involve, for the greater number, long absence from home. LAWRENCE MAXWELL, JR., Chairman, CHARLES L. HUTCHINSON, W. W. TAYLOR, ROBERT BATCHELLER, L. A. AULT, LAURENCE MINOT, B. W. CAMPBELL, CHARLES H. CONOVER, HANFORD CRAWFORD, JOHN R. MORRON, GEORGE M. WRIGHT. 141 For the group on Housing and Food, Mr. Burnett, as Chairman, presented the report, as follows: The Subsistence Department on the Isthmus furnishes supplies of first-class quality at reasonable prices. Mr. Jackson Smith is in charge of commissary supplies. Lieut. Wood, of the Third Cavalry, U. S. A., is his assistant and looks after issuing same. There are no restrictions as regards diet. The purchaser of food from the Subsistence Department has the choice of the kind of food and the quantity he desires. In the case of the negro laborer, thirty cents per day is deducted from his pay for his meals, which are furnished him cooked, from the government kitchens. This is done to compel the negro to take sufficient nourishment as it was found he economized in his food at the expense of his health and strength. The United States has built at Cristobal an up-to-date bakery with a capacity of from 20,000 lo 30,000 loavec daily, and bread of first-class quality is furnished therefrom. There are three grades of meals: First. A thirty cents meal, served to Americans, where table-cloths, napkins and glassware are provided. This meal is served by waiters in the hotels. It consists of the following dishes: Breakfast: Fresh fruit, cereals, bacon and eggs, potatoes, batter cakes, tea and coffee. Dinner (at noon): Soup, an entree, roast beef, pork or mutton, (chicken twice a week), two vegetables and dessert. Supper: Cold meats, canned or dried fruits, tea and coffee, bread and butter. Second. The forty cents per day meal to Europeans, consisting principally of rancho stew made of meat, beans, potatoes and macaroni, with bread, tea and coffee. Third. The thirty cents per day meal to negroes, consisting of bread, potatoes or yams, rice, beans, fresh or cured meat or salt fish, tea and coffee. An ample supply of good drinking water is available at all times from the government reservoirs. There are about 3,000 Americans and 3,000 Europeans who are fed at hotels and mess-halls, and 7,000 negro employees who are fed from the government kitchens, making a total of 13,000. There are 15,000 additional employees who get their stores from the Subsistence Department. The Committee thinks it important that fresh vegetables be furnished employees, and if necessary, believes that the government should undertake truck-gardening for this purpose. Some complaint is made as to the cooking and the preparation of the food, which the Committee believes is well founded, and thinks increased attention should be given to this matter, as well as to the table service at the hotels. The Committee on housing employees of the Canal has only words of commendation. It gives as information to the Committee of the Whole the following description of the different houses which the government has adopted as standard. These houses are simply but comfortably furnished: No. 1. For a family. Dining room, kitchen and pantry, two bed rooms, toilet and shower. Porches screened. No. 2. For two families (double house). Same accommodations for each family as No. 1 provides. Porches screened. No. 3. For officials' family. Dining room, parlor, kitchen, pantry, store room, servant's room, toilet and lavatory for servant on first general floor. Second floor, three large bed rooms, drying room, shower, toilet and lavatory. No. 4. Bachelor's house. Four rooms on each floor, two stories, with shower, toilet and lavatory on each floor detached. Screened all around. No. 5. For four families. Each two bed rooms, kitchen, pantry, toilet and shower. Screened all around. No. 6. For one family. Two bed rooms, kitchen, pantry, space on porch for dining room. Toilet, shower and lavatory. Screened front and back. 142 GROUP ON CLIMATE AS IT AFFECTS AMERICANS Reading from left to right: Sitting Jas. E. Mooney, William A. Fuller, Daniel Catlin, J. G. Schmidlapp (Chairman), John M. Clark, John G. Wright. Standing Oscar L. Whitelaw, Chas. F. Cutler, Edward Goepper, William B. Lawrence. No. 7. For l>.ii ln-lniv Two floors, eight rooms each. Shower, toilet anil lavatory detached. Screened all around. Standard laborers' barracks, consisting of room 30x40 feet, table down center with benches. Three rows of standard bunk>, forty-eight in all. Windows screened in front and back; ends screened. Toilets, five showers and lavatory. At each important town a station hotel, like the one at which the party lunched on March 1st, has been erected. Dining room 30 x 100 feet. Second story : sixteen large rooms 16 x 16 feet, eight toilets. In another building, connected by piazza, is assembly hall, billiard and pool room, and above dormitory of sixteen small bed rooms 10 x 12 with showers and toilets. There were over 2,100 dwellings of different sizes which came into possession of the Commission from the French. The poorest of these were destroyed and the balance have been repaired and put in first-class condition. The government is adding constantly to the number of dwellings, and is constructing many at the present time. The excellence of the housing seems to us one of the striking features of the Canal work. Those familiar with labor quarters in any section of our own or other countries cannot but feel that the housing offered on the Isthmus is the best in the world. ROBT. M. BURNETT, Chairman, F. B. CARPENTER, A. H. CHATFIELD, CLYDE E. CARR, DAVID B. GAMBLE, EDWARD F. SWIFT, L. D. DOZIER, PERIS LANCDON, D. C. NUGENT, STEPHEN L. BARTLETT. For the group on Climate as it Affects Americans, Mr. Schmidlapp, of Cincinnati, Chairman, read the following report : After making such inquiries as opportunity offered and such observations as the length of our visit permitted, we feel justified in staling that : 1. The climate is equal, if not superior, to that of any other tropical region of similar altitude. 2. Its effects upon Americans are not injurious. 3. We believe there is no reason why Americans, observing proper precautions, should not be able to live in the Canal Zone for yean. 4. We believe there is no climatic reason that prevents a satisfactory continuation of the work and the successful completion of the great undertaking. J. G. SCHMIDLAPP, Chairman, WILLIAM B. LAWRENCE, CHARLES F. CUTLER, JOHN G. WRIGHT, JOHN M. CLARK, WILLIAM A. FULLER, EDWARD GOEPPER, FRANK J. JONES, JAMES E. MOONEY, DANIEL CATLIN, OSCAR L. WHITELAW. Mr. Farwell, Chairman of the group on Efficiency of Labor, was presiding over the meeting. He called upon Mr. Worthington, of Cincinnati, to read the report of that group. The report was as follows: The labor can be most conveniently classified for our purposes as skilled and unskilled. Before our inquiries upon the ground we had supposed the supply of unskilled labor presented a problem of continuing difficulty, but we were assured on all sides that this problem was practically solved. The unskilled lab >r now employed consists in the main of West Indian negroes, Italians and Spaniards. A considerable body of 143 Jamaica laborers in the Canal Zone. Greeks is expected shortly. These white men are sending home for their families and friends, which is encouraging as showing their liking for the work. The negroes are paid thirteen and one-third cents silver per hour, and their meals; the white men, forty cents silver per hour, and they furnish their own meals. Every laborer of each class is furnished lodging, light, fuel, water and hospital service free of charge. Nine hours constitute a day's work, viz: from 6:30 to 11:30 a. m. and from 1 to 5 p. m. The difference above mentioned in the scale of wages indicates a marked difference in the efficiency of the work ; and if the comparative results achieved ^A were correctly stated to us, the negro is the better paid of the two. For, reducing these figures to a common basis by taking gold to silver at two to one, according to Isthmian usage, and counting the white man's meals at forty cents gold per day, at which rate he can procure them from the Isthmian Canal Commission, he receives net per day $1.40 gold, while the negro receives sixty cents gold, thus making a ratio of two and one-third to one, while the comparative ratio of efficiency in work as given us is approximately three to one. The reasons assigned for the greater efficiency of the white laborer are greater intelligence, physical strength, endurance and vitality. When instructed as to a new piece of routine work the lesson lasts and needs no repetition, while the negro needs constant supervision. The white man attacks his work more vigorously and he keeps in good health. This matter of health has led to requiring the negro to eat the food supplied by the Canal Commission as, when left to his own desires, he preferred the toothsome but innutritious yam to the strength-giving bean. As a result, the efficiency of the negro has greatly increased and [he has worked more steadily. The President having recommended the change, it is interesting to note what has been accomplished. No trouble has been experienced lately in getting an adequate supply of each class of labor, and none is now anticipated. Of course the force must be constantly recruited to keep up with the present demands as well as to be prepared for the future. It is estimated that over eighty per cent, of the black force has changed during the year; and yet, while over ninety-five per cent, of the whites in a given force can be relied on for constant service, less than seventy per cent, of the negroes will be available. We were assured that the force now on hand was as large as could be profitably employed with the present equipment. An increase in cars and tracks will open the field for more men ; but there seems no doubt that men, white and black, can be obtained in sufficient numbers as needed. We say, "white and black" for two reasons: First. Because we were assured that notwithstanding the superiority of white labor by every test, it is desirable to employ both kinds to prevent each from fancying it could control the situation. Second. Because Chinese labor is not wanted. While the Chinese coolie would meet every requirement of intelligence, strength and vitality, yet his introduction would lead to difficulties of administration and segregation which it seems desirable to avoid unless the confronting of the subject becomes necessary. The only serious trouble now noticed is the difficulty of securing efficient gang bosses from the ranks, the general scale of intelligence not being quite equal to this demand. 146 GROUP ON EFFICIENCY OF LABOR Reading from left to right: Sitting Jas. A. Green, William Worthington, D. B. Meacham, John V. Farwell, Jr. (Chairman), J. W. G. Cofran, H. J. McFarland. Standing Murray Carleton, W. D. Mandell, Nathaniel Henchman Davis, Charles S. Dennison. Passing now to the skilled labor : this force has been recruited almost entirely from the United States. The method now employed to secure it is by employment agencies at home. Inquiry is there made as to the qualifications of applicants, and on arrival the men are assigned to the class of work with which they are familiar. Naturally the scale of wages, which includes free lodging, light, fuel, water and hospital service, is higher than is paid for similar work at home. Eight hours constitute a day's work : from 7 to 11 a. m. and from 1 to 5 p. in., and each man is entitled to forty-two days vacation, and if he needs it, to thirty days sick leave, on full pay. The inducements offered have been sufficient to tempt an adequate supply of competent men. Of course some come who are unfitted for the work, and others who, though fit, have not the adaptability to meet the surroundings. These are dismissed as soon as their deficiency is discovered. But the good man stays, is pleased with his work, and makes more money than he could at home. As vacancies occur in the higher ranks they are filled, if practicable, from below, and some of the men whom we met have reached their present positions by several promotions from inferior positions in which they had proved their capability. The chiefs with whom we came in contact impressed us as a highly intelligent, picked force such a representation as might be expected from pursuing the principle of the survival of the fittest. We made inquiry as to the efficiency of the labor, both skilled and unskilled, as affected by climate, and as to the difference in the product of a day's labor on the Isthmus, compared with that of the same type of man at home, and were told there was practically no difference aside from the allowance already mentioned for vacation and sick leave. That this will continue indefinitely for the whole body of skilled labor may be doubted, as eighteen months or two years seems too short a period from which to draw such a conclusion. But past experience proves at least that the tropical climate has not the enervating influence upon the efficiency of the healthy man interested in his work that had been feared. Aa to the unskilled labor there need be no apprehension, for the climatic conditions are those to which the men of that class are accustomed. We asked also as to the difficulties in handling labor from insubordination, strikes and other troubles, and were advised that none had been experienced or was apprehended. We heard of but one organized labor union, that of the steam shovellers, consisting of 180 men. The situation is so different here from that in the normal labor market that the occasion for such troubles is not likely to arise. There is but one employer and house owner, and he cannot be expected to furnish lodgings to those who do not work. Those who quit work will be compelled by force of circumstances to go elsewhere, and cannot stay and intimidate those who wish to continue. In conclusion we wish to call attention to the sympathy with the work and the zeal and intelligence of the men with whom we came directly in contact. They were young men and picked men. One and all, they spoke with unhesitating faith in commendation of the plan of the work, of the ability of the Chief Engineer, and of his fidelity and zeal, and of the practicability of completing the Canal upon the lines now proposed. And they bore witness to the existence of a like faith in those under them, and of competition among them as to who should make the best showing for his day's work, if an artisan, or for his squad or department, if of higher grade. We believe that the men in charge have solved the labor problem, and we have only words of praise for what they have accomplished. They have created an esprit de corps which has permeated the whole body of men under them, and will lead to a zealous prosecution of the work. It is of the utmost importance that the spirit thus inculcated should be fostered and encouraged by all in whose hands the execution of this stupendous task will fall. JOHN V. FARWELL, JR., Chairman, MURRAY CARLETON, D. B. MEACHAM, NAT. HENCHMAN DAVIS, WM. WORTHINGTON, H. J. MACFARLAND, J. W. G. COFRAN, CHAS. S. DENSISON, WM. D. MANDELL, JAMES A. GREEN. 149 At the conclusion of the reading of the report, Mr. Campbell, of Cincinnati, arose and addressed the Chair. He said: " There is one point in this report that seems to me to be unreliable or incorrect. That is that the skilled labor receives higher wages on the Isthmus than at home. My information is that skilled laborers receive less than in the States." On behalf of the Committee, Mr. Worthington replied : "When you take into consideration what they get free, such as lodging, fuel, water, light and hospital service, their wages are greater than at home." Mr. Farwell added: "Engineers, for example, on the railway, receive $180 a month, besides getting forty-two days' vacation a year and thirty days' sick leave, if needed." Mr. McCormick had made inquiry on this specific point. He said: "I asked Mr. Beird, the general manager of the Panama Railroad, and he said the engineers all get more in the Canal Zone than in the United States." Mr. Goepper ended the discussion on that point by saying: "The truth of that statement is apparent; if they did not get more they would not remain there." A PANORAMA VIEW OF THE ZONE The valley here shown will be covered by Gatun Lake, twenty miles long and eight miles wide. 150 GROUP ON PROGRESS OF THE CANAL WORK Reading from left to right: Sitting J. T. Carew, L. W. Noycs, Robert Moore (Chairman), Thos. P. Egan, H. C. Yeiser. Standing Cyrus H. McCormick, Charles W. Durrell, Henry C. Scott, Harry L. Rice. For the group on Progress of the Work, the Chairman, Mr. Moore, of St. Louis, read the following report : To properly understand and appreciate the progress made it is necessary to take into account the fact that less than three yean ago, when the government undertook to construct the Canal, there was no organization and nothing but obsolete tools with which to work, nor was the type of Canal definitely decided upon by Congress until June 30, 1906. Before work could begin in anything more than a tentative way, it has been necessary to make new surveys and plans ; to organize a civil government; to do an enormous work of housing and sanitation; to practically reconstruct the railroad; to order, to transport for thousands of miles and to assemble the largest construction plant ever brought together ; to create an organization and to gather an army of laborers, skilled and unskilled, by whom the work should be done an army which during the wet season of eight months is compelled to work under very adverse conditions. But all this, though not yet completed, has been so far accomplished that at the most important and critical points Gatun locks and the great summit cut from Bas Obispo to Pedro Miguel work is now in operation at a rate which has increased from 178,000 cubic yards in July, 1906, to 500,000 cubic yards in February, 1907, and which promises in a few months to exceed 1,000,000 yards per month. Assuming that there will be no substantial change in the present plans or methods of work, we see no reason to question the estimate of the engineers that the Canal will be open for traffic in eight years, /'. e., by January 1st, 1915. ROBERT MOORE, Chairman, CYRUS H. McCoRMicK, C. H. THORNE, HENRY C. SCOTT, H. C. YEISER, H. L. RICE, THOMAS P. ECAN, LAVERNE W. NOYES, CHARLES W. DURRELI., W. K. BIXBY. Mr. Elihu Thomson, Chairman, presented and read the following report for the group on the Efficiency of the Plant, including the Railroad : The economical and rapid construction of the Capal depends on maintaining its construction and transportation plant at its highest possible efficiency. Shops : We found the machine and other shops for repairs and maintenance, as well as for the production of parts needed in the work, to be of ample capacity and to possess a good equipment of tools and machinery. It appeared also to your Committee that the men were well adapted to operating this machinery, and the force was sufficient. Docks and Terminals : On the Atlantic side the dock facilities, including conveyors, appear to be modern and ample, and the railway terminals well arranged for storage and service with a capacity of 1,000 cars, and for 500 more in the storage yards. The same general condition of things seems to exist on the Pacific side. 'RuilrnaJ : Of the Panama Railroad, thirty-six miles have been double tracked and stone ballasted, leaving nine miles yet to be double tracked; the total mileage being forty-five miles. All of the railway has been relaid with seventy-pound steel rails. A crushing plant for making stone ballast, with a capacity of 900 tons daily, is in operation. The labor available seemed ample for the purpose of operation. Railway Equipment : The railway equipment of locomotives will be completed when the orders of twenty additional locomotive! are filled and those on the ground are assembled and in operation. 153 The same thing can be said of the car equipment but at present there is a great car shortage, which is now the most serious obstacle to rapid construction. This refers of course to cars intended for construction and dumpage. While some of the French car equipment is used, it is to be replaced as soon as possible by the modern plant for the reason that is of limited capacity. Compressed Air Plant : In the compressed air plant for operating drills, hoists, etc., there are twelve compressors of 2,500 cubic feet of air per minute a capacity which seems to be ample for the requirements. Coal Shutes : The coal shutes which have been established are apparently modern and well equipped. Foundries: There are foundries for making cast iron castings, in which the principal source of materal is French scrap, with a small addition of pig iron. Operation and Earnings of Railroad: For general information it may be of use to note that the commercial freight handled per month on the Panama Railroad has increased from about 40,000 tons in August, 1905, to over 96,000 tons in January, 1907. The cost of delivery on the docks per ton is now fifty-one cents, having been reduced from seventy-one cents. The total cost of operating the Panama Railroad is now fifty-nine per cent, reduced from eighty per cent of the gross receipts. The cost per ton mile, which was in December 1905, $.0634, was in December, 1906, reduced to $.0422. The earnings per ton mile during the same period increased from $.068 to $.071. Steam Shovel Equipment: The steam shovel equipment is standard and we are informed is quite effective for the work in hand. So far as known, its capacity is much ahead of the capacity for transportation and disposal of the dirt. It is in fact working at about fifty per cent capacity. This it is expected will be remedied when the cars and locomotives now ordered and the additional trackage contemplated are in full service. Dredging: Before the completion of the Canal there will he needed a considerable amount of dredging, but that stage has not been reached, and the plant for it cannot be dealt with here. Old Plant: While some of the French machinery is being used in the interim, most of it, on account of it being obsolete, and of limited capacity, has been abandoned, and when the plant is completed with its modern equipment, all the rest should naturally be likewise abandoned, as it belongs to a period more than twenty years back, which fact forbids its economical operation at the present time. Men : So far as we could learn from our intercourse with the engineers and the people in charge of the various departments with whom we came in contact, they are capable, enthusiastic and energetic men, and seem to have their work well in hand. Conclusion: In general, it may be said that it appeared to us that the plant, when completed, will be well balanced and capable cf being used economically to accomplish the work for which it has been established. ELIHU THOMSON, Chairman, E. G. COWDERY, WALTER H. WILSON, R. H. W. DWIGHT, JOHN OMWAKE, J. B. RUSSELL, F. A. GEIER, W. J. CHALMERS, J. T. CAREW, ROLLA WELLS, J. D. BASCOM. As the reading of the reports progressed, the satisfaction of the general body with the work performed by the groups was shown in frequent and emphatic applause. Each report was passed upon by a motion to accept, which was carried unanimously. When the last report was accepted, Mr. Francis, of St. Louis, said : "Gentlemen, I do not know how these reports impress you, but I feel like paying my respects to the Committee which 154 GROUP ON EFFICIENCY OF THE PLANT Reading from left to right: Sitting R. H. W. Dwight, W. K. Bixby, Rolla Wells, Elihu Thomson (Chairman), Wm. J. Chalmers, Jos. B. Russell. Standing J. D. Bascom, Walter H. Wils3n, Fred. A. Gsier, John O.nwake, E. G. Cowdery. outlined this plan of inspection, and personally I can see no objection to authorizing our press representative to give these reports, as written, to the public. "In order to bring this matter before the meeting, if the stenographer can take down a motion, I shall be pleased to make one, if you will, Mr. Chairman, recognize me for that purpose." Upon being requested to proceed, Mr. Francis offered the following : The Commercial Clubs of Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis, having visited the Canal Zone, and having given such inspection to the work as their time permitted, and having been pleased with the progress of the work, give the following as their conclusions : That the decision of the United States to connect the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans by a Canal across the Isthmus of Panama was wise and timely. That the purchase by the United States of all of the rights and property of the Panama Canal Company for a consideration of $40,000,000 was a judicious investment. That this great undertaking should be considered a national enterprise in which every American citizen should cherish a proprietary interest. That the work should be pushed with all possible vigor to the earliest practicable completion, and such means should be provided and such instrumentalities should be employed as will conduce most effectually to that end. As Mr. Francis resumed his seat Mr. Bixby, of St. Louis, arose and said: " I would like to ask Governor Francis if he would not include in his motion an endorsement of the lock system on the Canal." Mr. Francis replied: "I thought the report as it now reads on that point would be sufficient. However, if you wish another sentence in my motion specifically endorsing the lock system, I have no objection to inserting it. While I never professed to know which would be preferable, I was inclined, until coming to Panama, to favor a sea level Canal, but since going over the ground I have no doubt that the conclusion to construct an eighty-rive-foot lock system Canal is a wise one." Mr. Wulsin doubted the desirability of including such an endorsement in Mr. Francis' resolution. He said : "The Committee on Plan of Management, while desiring to limit themselves, according to the instructions of the General Committee, and to the expressions made at the meeting that we hesitate to undertake in our brief visit to discuss and express opinion upon engineering problems which have been referred to and considered by the eminent engineers the President called together, nevertheless did go this far: " We regard its (the Canal's) successful completion, according to the plan adopted for an eighty-five-foot lock Canal, as absolutely assured." "Speaking for myself personally, I wonder whether it is wise for us to do more than to say that from what we saw we believe an eighty-five-foot lock Canal is all right. I do not like to see the Commercial Clubs announce conclusions and judgments on a matter of this kind. Maybe I am too much a man of impressions." The Francis resolutions, being submitted to the meeting, were adopted without a dissenting vote. Mr. Schmidlapp, of Cincinnati, claimed attention: " Befoie we adjourn," he said, "I should like to ask whether anyone made inquiry as to whether the work could progress more rapidly by using night shifts. Did anyone inform himself on that point?" 157 Mr. Moore, Chairman of the group on the Progress of the Canal Work, had made such inquiries. In reply to Mr. Schmidlapp's question he stated: "I did make such inquiry and was told that it is the purpose of the management, when they get the additional equipment now ordered, and also an electric plant to light up for night work, to put on a night force where it can be done economically and effectively. Until then they cannot do anything of that sort. Furthermore, when work on the Gatun locks, which is likely to be a sticking point, is begun, it is their purpose to continue the work without intermission or cessation night and day until completed." Mr. Chalmers, of Chicago, made the following suggestion : " As there has been so much question," he said, "in the States about the progress of the work, I think some statement ought to be included in this report concerning the increase in the excavation from the Culebra Cut. I am informed that in January that excavation amounted to 500,000 cubic yards, in February to 650,000 cubic yards, and that in March it will probably reach 1,000,000 cubic yards." Mr. Ryerson brought the matter of disposition of the reports to a point. He said: " In order to cover these various questions that have been raised, would it not be well to have the chairmen of the several groups constitute a committee to assemble these reports and prepare something that will cover all of the points brought up. I move that such a committee be appointed a committee consisting of the eight group chairmen." Before this motion was put to a vote, Mr. Francis, of St. Louis, was recognized : " I have no objection," said he, "to such a motion. I do not want to throw any firebrands into this meeting. There is one very important question, however, which has not been touched upon here, and which this Committee might consider and report upon, and that is, whether in the judgment of the members of this party, it is wise for the government to continue this work itself, or whether it would be better to let it by contract." The motion of Mr. Ryerson was seconded and carried. Mr. Davis, of Cincinnati, said : "I move that these reports as they now read be put together and made to dovetail into each other, and that no new matter be included in them." The motion was duly seconded and carried. The meeting adjourned. 158 DRILLING FOR THE BLASTS IN CULEBRA CUT The Report to the Clubs THE group chairmen met in accordance with the instructions of the meeting of the whole body and prepared a general report, made up of the group reports, with an introduction. A general meeting of the members of the Clubs was held in the dining saloon the day before the " PRINZ JOACHIM " reached Charleston. Mr. Farwell, presiding, read the introduction and laid before the meeting the general report. On motion the introduction was approved. On motion the report was adopted and ordered to be presented to the Commercial Clubs of Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis. The introduction and the general report follow: Members of the Commercial Club: of Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis, who have just returned from a trip to Panama, have united in a report of their observations for submission to their Clubs. The members participating in the trip numbered eighty-six, divided about evenly among the four Clubs. They chartered a steamer, the " PRIXZ JOACHIM," paid all of their bills on the Isthmus, and asked no favors, other than to be given a fair opportunity to see for themselves what were the conditions and the progress of the work. On the way to Colon the members held several meetirigs and discussed ways and means to make the observation systematic and to cover as much ground as possible in the time to be spent on the Isthmus. A special Committee reported a plan of action by which the membership was to be divided into groups, each group having a Chairman. Eight of these groups were suggested for the following lines of observation and inquiry: 1. Plan of Management. 2. Sanitary and Hygienic Conditions. 3. Social and Racial Conditions, including Ethical and Welfare Question;. 4. Housing and Food. 5. Climate as it Affects Americans. 6. Efficiency of the Labor. 7. Efficiency of the Plant, including the Railroad. 8. Progress of the Work. These divisions were approved. The members were divided into eight groups of ten or eleven members each, regard being had to the wishes and special qualifications of members in their assignment to the groups. 161 During their stay upon the Isthmus the groups, beside inspecting the conditions and work generally, sought out officials who could specifically inform them upon the subjects in which they were most interested. They visited the departments and the localities to which these special lines of inquiry pertained. Several of the groups sub-divided their subjects and separated into sub-committees. Learning, upon the arrival of the party, that this systematic observation was planned, the officials of the Isthmian Canal Commission, from the Chief Engineer down, co-operated heartily, in every way possible, throughout the entire stay on the Isthmus, to aid the members of the Clubs in carrying out the plan. By the course pursued the members multiplied many times the effectiveness of their inspection, as compared with what would have been the results of the visit without organization or division of the subject. After the departure from Colon the groups held meetings. Members compared among themselves the information obtained and the impressions formed. At a general meeting of the members held on board the " PRINZ JOACHIM," the groups presented their reports, which were discussed and accepted. These group reports were embodied by the chairmen of the several groups in a general report to be submitted to the Clubs, as follows: Plan of Management : In the prosecution of a great undertaking the first and most important preliminary is the securing of an organization for doing the work efficiently, expeditiously and economically. We have given as careful consideration as the limited time at our command would permit, to the details of this organization and the general plan of management. Our observation of the operations under the organization convinces us that it is an admirable one for its purpose. The time spent in completing it has not been misspent. The evidences of good results, already apparent, should steadily increase as the work progresses. The officials appear to us to be of a high order as to character and ability. They seem to work in harmony with each other, to be enthusiastically loyal to their chief. It would be difficult to find in any body a better esprit de corps. There was universal expression of regret among them at the recent resignation of the Chief Engineer, Mr. John F. Stevens. It seems unfortunate that circumstances should have necessitated this change. It is a matter of congratulation that the plan of management provided in the first place for the thorough sanitation of the Canal Zone and of Colon and Panama. The successful accomplishment of this has apparently made the Isthmus so healthful that the great work of construction is now carried on without serious hindrance by climatic conditions. We regard its successful completion, according to the plan adopted for an eighty-five-foot lock Canal, as absolutely assured. Sanitation : We divide this subject under three heads : 1. Water supply and drainage. 2. Street department. 3. General sanitation of the Zone, Panama and Colon, and the buildings in them. Water is supplied from three large reservoirs : 1. Located ten miles from Panama, consisting of two lakes, having a capacity of 500,000,000 gallons. 2. Located at Empire, containing 250,000,000 gallons. 3. Located three miles from Colon, with a capacity of 580,000,000 gallons. These reservoirs are supplied from water sources a long distance from towns and camps, and at points entirely safe from the possibility of contamination. They are formed either from natural lakes or rivers, or, as in the case of Colon, from a pond made by damming a stream in the high land back of Colon. In all cases, analysis has shown the water is soft and contains nothing in solution that is deleterious to health. Filtering will remove any sediment that may be in it. Some persons prefer to boil it, however, before using for drinking. 162 SITE OF GATUN LAKE The Panama Railroad, Chagres River and Village of Gatun. The supplies for Colon and Panama are adequate for towns of much larger area and population, and the pressure is sufficient. There are about twenty miles of water mains in the City of Panama and ten miles of pipe leading to the city. In Colon and Panama all of the sewer pipes are of vitrified pipe. The sewers are led from the towns in the Zone to rivers and points in them that cannot possibly endanger the health of the inhabitants. In Colon and Panama the sewers run into the sea beyond the low water mark. The work itself, the materials, the installation and the plumbing, are all good. The work was done by competent head plumbers and skilled labor. In a portion of the work poor material was used, as that was all there was on hand at the time but that is now being replaced. The householder in Panama is taxed for water and sewer connections whether he has them or not; and the mains are piped to the curbs of the streets so that the owner's connection requires only opening under the sidewalks. The law in Panama makes the bills for water a direct lien upon the property, but in three cases only has it been necessary to reiart to this method of collectian. With t!ie introduction of running water, laws were passed prohibiting the use of cisterns and the collection of rain water for domestic purposes ; and under close, regular inspection, this custom has been stopped. Those whose houses are not connected with the mains must draw such water as they need from the nearest street faucets. The garbage in Panama and Colon is collected daily, and throughout the rest of the Zone it is taken up at least once a week, and either burned or carried out to sea, or to some point where filling is going on and dumped there, and the next loads of excavation cover it up. 2. The roads in the villages are treated as are those of any United States village, but where there are to be permanent settlements the streets will be paved and sidewalk' made. In several places this work has already been begun. Half of the streets of Colon and Cristobal have already been paved or are in process of paving, and the whole of this work will soon be completed. The Reservoir it Empire, about half-war acrost the Ifthmui. 165 We were also informed that depressions in the land are being raised to prevent the possibility of stagnant pools. For this purpose the government is supplying the material for filling and is forcing the inhabitants to do the work. In such cases the grade will be raised from three to four feet. We now come to Panama, which we think in many respects, has become an object lesson. Two years ago this was a city of mud and chaos. Panama has about twenty miles of streets. During the last two years ten miles have been thoroughly laid in vitrified brick; seven and one-half miles in good macadam and concrete; two and one-half miles remain to be completed after the drains have been first laid in them. There are concrete curbs. Panama is to-day a town of well-paved streets. These are not flushed except by the rain, which is carried off by two hundred sewer inlets, but they are swept daily, early in the morning, by machines. We doubt if there is a cleaner looking town of the size of Panama from Maine to Texas. 3. With regard to general sanitation we can say that we have seen the clearing of the hillsides and the burning of the brush, making broad open spaces about the working settlements. We have seen the draining and the rilling of the marshes near the settlements. We have seen the use of petroleum in the pools of small streams that must for the present be allowed to remain. We have seen the draining of the surfaces of the hillsides on which dwellings and other buildings stand. We have seen the careful screening of the houses of operatives. We have seen that these homes are built on posts, that the ventilation under them may be perfect. In our opinion we have seen more suitable and better built and more comfortable homes for laborers than are provided for them anywhere else in the world for a similar purpose We have seen the hospitals well laid out and supplied with every necessary appliance for first-class work. These hospitals have a staff of about fifty physicians and surgeons and 150 nurses. The French company reported only those deaths which occurred in the hospitals. Our records show every death in the Zone. The French company charged the contractors one dollar per day for every patient sent to the hospitals, which resulted in the sending of as few as possible. In the opinion of Colonel Gorgas, not more than one-fourth of the actual number of deaths was reported under the former regime. We observed many little graveyards along the line of the proposed Canal. In these were the graves of the unreported dead of the former period. By one of our members a boss laborer was heard to say to Colonel Gorgas: "Colonel, I was up at the hospital for a week, and they just treated me royally." He spoke with evident and sincere gratitude. The credit for this great sanitary work, which has made the building of the Canal possible, is due to the scientific and executive ability of Colonel W. C. Gorgas and to the devotion of his entire staff. Law and Order: The Canal Zone is a strip ten miles in width, extending across the Isthmus of Panama, over which complete and exclusive jurisdiction was ceded to the United States by the Republic of Panama by the treaty of November 18, 1903. This jurisdiction is exercised through laws of the United States passed by Congress applicable to the Canal Zone, the executive orders of the President, which have the force and effect of law, and by enactments, rules and regulations of the Canal Commission, in which body is vested general legislative power, subject to the laws passed by Congress and the executive orders of the President. The laws enacted by the Commission are subject to the approval of the President. The first Act passed by the Canal Commission, known as Act No. 1, to provide for the organization of a judiciary and the exercise of judicial power in the Canal Zone, was adopted August 16, 1904. Under it the judicial power of the government of the Canal Zone is vested in a supreme court, circuit courts and municipal courts. The municipal courts exercise jurisdiction similar to that vested in justices of the peace in the United States. They have jurisdiction of offences where the punishment is limited to a fine of $25 or imprisonment for thirty days, and of civil actions where the amount in controversy is less than $100. 166 THE CHIEF ENGINEER EXPLAINING MAPS AT LA BOCA From left to right: In the center John V. Farwell, Jr., Chief Engineer John F. Stevens, Benj. Carpenter, Thomas P. Egan, Chas. W. Knapp. On the left C. H. McCormick, W. E. Clow, Wm. Lodge, L. D. Dozier. On the right L. W. Noyes, F. A. Geier, David B. Gamble, Robt. Batcheller, David R. Francis, James R. Carter. The circuit courts have appellate jurisdiction of all cases arising in the municipal courts, and original jurisdiction over all other civil and criminal cases. They correspond to the nisi prius courts of record of the United States. There are three circuit judges each of whom exercises jurisdiction in one of the three judicial circuits into which the Canal Zone is divided. One circuit court is held at Ancon, one at Empire and one at Cristobal. The three circuit judges sitting in bane compose the supreme court, which is the highest court in the Zone. It has appellate jurisdiction over the circuit courts and original jurisdiction in mandamus, certiorari, prohibition, habeas corpus and quo warranto. The chief justice receives an annual salary of $6,500 and the associate justices $6,000 each. Each judge is furnished with a dwelling house or apartment, or in lieu thereof is given a sum of money equal to eight per cent of his annual salary. The judges are paid their traveling expenses in coming from the United States to the Canal Zone, at the time of their appointment, and their salaries commence on the date they leave home to go to the Zone. There is little litigation and the cases are decided promptly. There are no juries. In criminal cases where the penalty of death or imprisonment for life may be inflicted, two municipal judges sit with the circuit judge. The power of the executive branch of the government of the Canal Zone is vested in a governor, who is appointed by the President of the United States, and in other officers appointed by the governor subject to the approval of the Isthmian Canal Commission. The police force consists of a chief of police, 175 officers and men, and seven clerks. The community is law-abiding and order is well maintained. The amount of crime is remarkably low for such a large and heterogenous population. The officers of the Zone report an appreciable advantage resulting from the decrease in the number of saloons in the Zone, following the adoption of a license of $1,200. Lotteries and gambling were prohibited by one of the first executive orders of the President, and also are prohibited, u u prostitution, by the criminal code adopted by the Commission. The Commission has also enacted a code of criminal procedure. Educational Facilities: There are 2,500 children of school age in the Zone. Of these, 1,531 colored children and 206 white children are enrolled, and about 700 colored children and seventy-five white children are not yet provided for. There are thirty-one teachers. Of these, twenty-one are white women from the Slates, nine are Jamaica men and one is a Jamaica woman. Text books and supplies are furnished by the government. The schools are conducted almost entirely in English. Separate school rooms are provided for the white and colored children. Education is compulsory, and the Zone police aid in enforcing attendance. Free transportation is furnished where needed. There are morning and evening sessions of three hours each. The attitude of the people toward education is in most cases enthusiastic, and the large proportion of the pupils are apt scholars. There are no adult or evening schools, but classes may hereafter be established for teaching Spanish and such other subjects as are required for civil service examinations. The pay of the teachers is $80 a month for twelve months, for those who are graduates of normal schools and have had experience as teachers, and less for those who are not so well qualified. Five new school houses are to be built and more teachers are to be brought from the States as soon as accommodations are provided for them. Moral and Rtligious Conditions: As a means of providing for the religious and moral welfare of those in theii- employ, and to protect them against temptation by furnishing facilities for religious worship, and for entertainment and social recreation, the Canal Commission has authorized the construction of eight buildings in as many different localities in the Zone, which are to be operated under the direction of the International Committee of the Y. M. C. A. Four of these buildings are practically completed, the one at Culebra being ready to receive its furniture and equipment. The others will be constructed as soon as the first four are opened. Each is m double building of two stories and extension, with spacious verandas, social room, auditorium to seat 300, billiard and pool room, 169 library, class rooms, bowling alleys, gymnasium, baths and lockers. The plan of operation will be a modification of that followed in the army, navy and railroad Y. M. C. A. buildings, so as to fit special Isthmus conditions. The Commission is also erecting buildings to be used for church purposes, providing separate edifices for Roman Catholic and Protestant worship, the latter to be used jointly by the various denominations. As necessity requires, additional buildings will be erected . At Ancon, Culebra, Cristobal and elsewhere, chaplains for the hospitals have been appointed, white and black, Catholic and Protestant, whose salaries are paid by the Commission. Various denominations have now, at different points in the Zone, places for preaching and for Sunday-school work; some have acquired sites and are about to erect independent edifices. In Panama and Colon there are additional church facilities, but they are not, to any great extent, patronized by Canal Zone residents. There is a volunteer committee of fourteen, called the Visitation Committee, who visit the hospitals regularly every Sunday morning from eight to ten o'clock, reading to the sick, writing letters for them, and performing other friendly services. There is also what is known as the Good Order Club ; it now has twenty-three members, whose names and identities are not known to the general public. These gentlemen aim to report to the proper officials anything which they observe and deem inimical to the best interests and welfare of the Commission or of those under its control. An effort is being made to extend this movement to include Panama and Colon. Recreation and Amusements : It is evident that the provision for the recreation and amusement of the Canal employees is inadequate. The early completion of the Y. M. C. A. club houses will help materially, and it may be expected that theatrical and other public amusements at Panama and Colon will improve with time. Lack of means of recreation has been one cause of the resignation and return to the United States of a considerable number of employees. The Commission is evidently alive to this need, and has taken steps to make conditions in this direction, as in others, as favorable as possible. Baseball grounds have been established at several camps; great interest is taken in the game, and the rivalry between the clubs is as keen as in our leagues at home. The gymnasium in the Y. M. C. A. club houses will be sure to encourage a wholesome attention to other athletics, and will become centers for all such interests. In the matter of music, the organization of the Isthmian Canal Commission band, at first purely voluntary, was soon taken up by the Commission and encouraged by an allowance of extra pay for attendance on the weekly rehearsals. This excellent reed band of thirty-five pieces gives frequent concerts at the various camps besides playing at public functions. The Commission has made an appropriation for the employment of a professional musician to take charge of this band, as well as to establish singing societies. Among social or benevolent societies, of which there are several, may be mentioned a masonic lodge, a university club at Panama and another on the Zone, while the excellent Hotel Tivoli at Panama provides still another center of social interest. Another hotel at Cristobal, and possibly another on high ground midway on the Isthmus, seem likely to be required in the future. The reasonable provision by the Commission of facilities for social enjoyment is a wise expenditure. Such facilities will aid materially in attracting the best class of men to the service, and in keeping up their morale under conditions which involve, for the greater number, long absence from home. Housing and Food : The Subsistence Department on the Isthmus furnishes supplies of first-class quality at reasonable prices. Jackson Smith is in charge of commissary supplies, Lieut. Wood, of the Third Cavalry, U. S. A., is his assistant, and looks after issuing the same. There are no restrictions as regards diet. The purchaser of food from the Subsistence Department has the choice of the kind of 170 food and the quantity he desires. In the case of the negro laborer, thirty cents per day is deducted from his pay for his meals, which are furnished him cooked, from the government kitchens. This is done to compel the negro to take sufficient nourishment, as it was found he economized in his food at the expense of his health and strength. The United States has built at Cristobal an up-to-date bakery with a capacity of from 20,000 to 30,000 loaves daily, and bread of first-class quality is furnished therefrom. There are three grades of meals: First. A thirty cents meal, served to Americans, where table-cloths, napkins and glassware are provided. This meal is served by waiters in the hotels. It consists of the following dishes: Breakfast: Fresh fruit, cereals, bacon and eggs, potatoes, batter cakes, tea and coffee. Dinner (at noon): Soup, an entree, roast beef, pork or mutton, chicken (twice a week), two vegetables and dessert. Supper: Cold meats, canned or dried fruits, tea, coffee, bread and butter. Second. A forty cents per day ration for European labor, consisting principally of rancho stew made of meat, beans, potatoes and macaroni, with bread, tea and coffee. Third. A thirty cents per day ration to negroes, consisting of bread, potatoes or yams, rice, beans, fresh or cured meat or salt fish, tea and coffee. An ample supply of good drinking water is available at all times from the government reservoirs. There are about 3,000 Americans and 3,000 Europeans who are fed in hotels and mess-halls, and 7,000 negro employees who are fed from the government kitchens, making a total of 13,000. The 15,000 additional employees get their stores from the Subsistence Department. ON THE HILI. AT GATt X Eicavatinf for the locks which will rtite ship* to the lake level eighty-fire feel above the sea 171 We think it important that fresh vegetables be furnished to employees and, if necessary, believe the government should undertake truck gardening for this purpose. Some complaint is made as to the cooking and the preparation of the food which we believe is well founded. We think increased attention should be given to this matter, as well as to the table service at the hotels. We have words only of commendation for the housing of employees. There were over 2,100 dwellings of different sizes which came into the possession of the Commission from the French. The poorest of these were destroyed and the balance have been repaired and put in first-class condition. The government is adding constantly to the number of dwellings, and is constructing many at the present time. The houses are simply but comfortably furnished. The buildings have porches and the porches are screened. Shower baths are in every house. At each important station is a hotel with large dining-room on the first floor, with large rooms on the second floor. Connected by piazza is another building containing assembly hall, billiard and pool room, bed rooms and shower baths. The excellence of the housing seems to us one of the striking features of the Canal work. Those familiar with labor quarters in any section of our own or other countries cannot but feel that the housing offered on the Isthmus is the best in the world. Climate as it Affects Americans: After making such inquiries as opportunity offered and such observations as the length of our visit permitted, we feel justified in stating that: 1. The climate is equal, if not superior, to that of any other tropical region of similar altitude. 2. Its effects upon Americans are not injurious. 3. We believe there is no reason why Americans, observing proper precautions, should not be able to live in the Canal Zone for years. 4. We believe there is no climatic reason that prevents a satisfactory continuation of the work and the successful completion of the great undertaking. Efficiency of the Labor: The labor can be most conveniently classified for our purposes as skilled and unskilled. Before our inquiries on the ground we had supposed the supply of unskilled labor presented a problem of continuing difficulty, but we were assured on all sides that this problem was practically solved. The unskilled labor now employed consists in the main of West Indian negroes, Italians and Spaniards. A considerable body of Greeks is expected shortly. These white men are sending home for their families and friends, which is encouraging as showing their liking for the work. The negroes are paid thirteen and one-third cents silver per hour, and their meals; the white men, forty cents silver per hour, and they furnish their own meals. Every laborer of each class is furnished lodging, light, fuel, water and hospital service free of charge. Nine hours constitute a day's work, namely: from 6:30 to 11:30 a. m. and from 1 to 5 p. m. The difference above mentioned in the scale of wages indicates a marked difference in the efficiency of the work. If the comparative results achieved were correctly stated to us, the negro is the better paid of the two. For, reducing these figures to a common basis by taking gold to silver at two to one, according to Isthmian usage, and counting the white man's meals at forty cents gold per day, at which rate he can procure the food from the Canal Commission, he receives net per day $1.40 gold, while the negro receives sixty cents gold, thus making the ratio of two and one-third to one, while the comparative ratio of efficiency in work as given us is approximately three to one. The reasons assigned for the greater efficiency of the white laborer are greater intelligence, physical strength, endurance and vitality. When instructed as to a new piece of routine work the lesson lasts and needs no repetition, while the negro needs constant supervision. The white man attacks his work vigorously and he keeps in good health. This matter of health has led to requiring the negro to eat the food supplied by the Canal Commission as, if left to his own desires, he preferred the toothsome but innutritious yam to the strength-giving bean. As a result of this policy the efficiency of the negro was greatly increased and he has worked more steadily. The President having recommended this change, it is interesting to note what has been accomplished. 172 AT THE FOOT OF SOSA HILL Viewing location of dams at Pacific terminus of Canal. On the extreme left are Henry C. Scott, Robert Moore, C. H. McCormick and John V. Farvrell. No trouble has been experienced lately in getting an adequate supply of each class of labor, and none is now anticipated. Of course the force must be constantly recruited to keep up with the present demands as well as to be prepared for the future. It is estimated that over eighty per cent, of the black force has changed during the year; and yet, of a given force, while over ninety-five per cent, of the whites can be relied on for constant service, less than seventy per cent, of the negroes will be available. We were assured that the force on hand was as large as could be profitably employed with the present equipment. An increase in cars and tracks will open the field for more men ; but there seems no doubt that men, white and black, can be obtained in sufficient numbers as needed. We say, "white and black" for two reasons: First. Because we were assured that notwithstanding the superiority of white labor by every test, it was desirable to employ both kinds to prevent each from fancying it could control the situation. Second. Because Chinese labor is not wanted. While the Chinese coolie would meet every requirement of intelligence, strength and vitality, yet his introduction would lead to difficulties of administration and segregation which it seems desirable to avoid unless the confronting of the subject becomes necessary. The only serious trouble now noticed is the difficulty of securing efficient gang bosses from the ranks, the general scale of intelligence not being quite equal to the demand. We pass now to the skilled labor. This force has been recruited almost entirely from the United States. The method now employed to secure it is by employment agencies at home. Inquiry is there made as to the qualifications of applicants, and on arrival the men are assigned to the class of work with which they are familiar. Naturally the scale of wages, which includes free lodging, light, fuel, water and hospital service, is higher than is paid for similar work at home. ANCON HILL A virw (torn the Tivoli Hotel ihowinc the hoipilili. with the Cilr ol 1'invni on the kit. thr Hicific end ot the Cn"' ' K in ?.."' " c sugar estates. The dusty plain about Kingston gave place to luxuriant vegetation. Orange trees loaded with ripening fruit the travelers readily recognized, but the breadfruit, the tamarinds, the spice trees, were less familiar. Beside the railroad track ran a broad, deep irrigation ditch full to the brim with water clear as crystal. The arid southern part of Jamaica looks to the northern part with its heavy rainfall to divide on moisture. By Mr. Batcheller the members had been told that their destination was Bog Walk, and when they pressed for an explanation of the name they were told that Bog Walk was the popular pronunciation of the Spanish Boca del Agua, which means, "Mouth of the Water." The 600,000 African slaves, brought over to till the soil of Jamaica before the British conscience was aroused, made strange work of the Spanish names they found on the Island. The train passed out of the plantation belt and without intervening foothills, climbed into rugged mountainous country. Jamaica, narrow as it is, only forty-nine miles across, has mountains 7,000 feet high. Two hours 'J( out of Kingston the train was in the midst of wild scenery with heavily wooded mountains all about. It roared through a tunnel, came out beside a pretty station with a little park surrounding. And there was the Boca del Agua, " The mouth of the Water," which is the head of the Rio Cobre River. Carriages, carry-alls, and automobiles were waiting for a ten-mile drive, the charm of which is not equaled in the States. It is well to see America first and then go to Jamaica to learn what a good road is. Mile after mile the decent of the gorge of the Rio Cobre was made over a road which shared with the rushing river the space between the two towering mountain sides. Here and there were patches of rocky cliffs in view, but for the most part the towering slopes were covered with a dense growth of plants and trees. The star apple, the palms, the bamboo clung to the mountain sides while all about them in profusion were ferns and plants and vines of great variety. ' This is like riding for miles through some vast greenhouse, " was the way Robert McKittrick Jones of St. Louis described it. The flora, grown under glass and nurtured with so much care in the States, here thrived riotously out of doors. Winding down the gorge, each curve opening up another fascinating view, the road was a succession of gentle grades over which the ponies trotted briskly. Occasionally the road crossed over a stone bridge and changed sides with the river. Well up toward the source an eight-foot iron pipe gathered a strong head of water and held its growing pressure until at a power house the pressure was carried into another kind of current 1ST A black Aphrodite discoved by Mr. Green, Mr. Davis and to j, e transmitted bv wire down the valley. These Jamaica roads Mr. Gamble in the gorge of the Rio Cobre. are built of broken rock like macadam, but a natural kind of cement completes the binding and gives a surface almost as smooth as asphalt. The Island has 2,000 miles of these roads kept in perfect condition by continuous repairing. As the travelers rode down the gorge from Bog Walk they saw here and there the little heaps of material placed for repair purposes. They saw the black women of Jamaica breaking and assorting stone for the roadmaking. The ride ended at Spanish Town, the old capitol before the days of British occupation. It was amid tropical conditions and yet through a country that differed from Porto Rico and the Isthmus. The travelers missed the royal palms, but they saw everywhere the all-spice trees. They saw more kinds of fruits than anywhere else in their West Indian journeyings. They saw flowers and ferns and orchids in endless profusion. They saw a population in which the dark-skinned were very dark, in which the proportion was fifty negroes to one white person the great majority being a gentle, well mannered, easy-going people, doing little work, and subsisting upon next to nothing. At Spanish Town the Cathedral and the King's House were visited. At the Rio Cobre hotel, a quaint- looking building with wide porches, with lawns sloping away front and rear, with oranges and lemons on the trees, the travelers ate a Jamaica lunch of half a dozen courses, including dishes novel to American palates. They were given revelations in the marvelous fruitfulness of Jamaica. The luncheon menu included a bewildering variety of fruits and vegetables. But there were strange things to see, not edible, gathered from trees and shrubs of Jamaica. Small black boys were waiting in front of the hotel to sell the visitors strings of beans and nuts of many sizes and shapes, of all the colors of the rainbow, strung like beads and easily mistaken for beads at first glance. "Job's tears" was the fanciful name bestowed upon one variety of these hard legumes, sombre gray in color. The descendants of the slaves of Jamaica have their own nomenclature. The origin of the Bog Walk has been mentioned. "Wag water" is the Alta Agua of the Spanish regime. The attention of Mr. Cowdery, of St. Louis, was attracted to a tree with a long narrow leaf which, no matter how slight the breeze, was in constant movement. He asked his black coachman for the name of the tree. "We call it 'woman's tongue' tree," said the driver. Mr. Cowdery looked puzzled. "It is never still," explained the driver with real English gravity. 188 JAMAICA WOMEN BREAKING STONE TO REPAIR THE ROADS The scenery in the gorge of the Rio Cobre was that of Mr - Tirlor ' ' <=''"" " kin ' '" *!<>,,. vegetation unchecked and riotous. Occasionally the thatched roof of a hut was visible in the jungle like growth. A path led to the road. Little black children, hearing the rattle of the carriages, ran out to cry a greeting and to hold up fruits for sale. The day in Jamaica was rounded out with a trolley ride some miles to Constant Spring. The route was through the best suburban section of Kingston, past the villas of Kingston officials and merchants. Upon the great highway, beside which were the railroad tracks, there was much life. Black women, erect and dignified, strode along with even step carrying on their heads bundles and baskets. Burros with enormous panniers went by singly and in trains of from three to half a dozen. Not infrequently the man who had been to market with a burro load of fruit or produce rode ** C homeward, sitting well back, his feet hanging over the front of the baskets. At the village of Half-Way Tree, a few miles out of Kingston, the cars stopped long enough to test the superstition which these black people have against the camera. The members obtained some snap-shots of Jamaica life, but the women and children were rather unwilling subjects. Frequently they disappeared through convenient doorways and gates when they saw the camera approaching. Once Captain Forwood followed, and picking up a five-year-old girl brought her out to be photographed. The expression of apprehension changed quickly to delight when the coin dropped into the little, black palm. At Constant Spring the members of the Clubs were almost under the shadows of the Blue Mountains. Here again the characteristic of no foot-hills was noted. The gently undulating, fertile land, extended from the base of the mountains to the coast. From the porches of the Constant Spring hotel were views embracing miles of charming country, much of it in cultivation, if that word can be used to describe the banana plantations, the coffee and spice groves, the cane fields, the orange and lemon trees, which, season after season, all but take care of themselves. Repeated appeals from the Joint Committee were necessary to break the spell of the Jamaica charm and to draw the members of the Clubs from the grounds of Constant Spring back to the cars. At 5 o'clock the whistle of the " PRINZ JOACHIM" blew warningly. When night came on the steamer had left behind the rocky coast of Jamaica, made more uncertain by the earthquake. 191 Cuba DON'T talk politics. This was the injunction laid on the members of the Commercial Clubs as they approached Cuba. The prohibition was observed from the hour the bow of the " PRINZ JOACHIM" poked into the harbor at Santiago, where Hobson sunk the collier, until the last look at Morro Castle astern, after the steamer left Havana. The Pearl of the Antilles was viewed in all lights but that of politics. The " PRINZ JOACHIM " left Kingston just before dark on Tuesday, March 5th. At sunrise the mountain range of Eastern Cuba was in view. After an early and hurried breakfast the voyagers were on deck to see where the fleets of Sampson and Schley stood off shore day after day waiting for Cervera's fleet to come out. The "PRINZ JOACHIM" was headed due north for what at first was a slight gap in the frowning headland. Away to the eastward came into view the coast depression where Shaffer's army disembarked to make the land campaign against Santiago. Then the squat outlines of Morro guarding the entrance to the harbor were distinguishable. A sail boat came scudding along the coast westward of the entrance. That was the course Cervera's ships took until, one after another, crippled and sinking, they were driven on the rocks. Long before the "PRINZ JOACHIM" came up with the pilot boat and drew near the entrance, the line of white-crested surf breaking at the foot of the cliffs both east and west of Morro was visible. Not until the steamer was fairly into the narrow, tortuous channel did Santiago, at the head of the harbor, come into view. The most entertaining, most fascinating approach to any of the West Indian cities visited on this cruise of the Commercial Clubs was the entrance to the harbor of Santiago and the sail to the immediate vicinity of the city's water front. The half day which the itinerary allotted to Santiago was all too short. While some of the members rode and strolled about the city, others breakfasted leisurely after the Latin-American custom. Santiago has a restaurant, La Venus, famed throughout the West Indies. Breakfast at La Venus is a Santiago experience to be remembered. Many of the members enjoyed that experience. Perhaps half of the party took carriages and made a hasty drive out of the city and over a fine road to San Juan Hill, passing the great peace tree in the shade of which the capitulation of Santiago to the Americans under Shafter was arranged. They were fortunate to have for their escort Mr. Elwell, a prominent merchant of Santiago. Mr. Elwell came from northern Ohio to Cuba seventeen years ago. When the time arrived for all Americans to leave the Island he disposed of his 192 ON SAN JUAN HILL Viewing the battlefield near Santiago. Reading from left to right: Daniel Catlin, W. K. Bixby, W. B. Lawrence. business in Santiago and went to Washington. A little later he returned in charge of a department of the Red Cross work with Shafter's army. When Santiago fell, Mr. Elwell resumed his residence and went into business again. The United States government has made the beginning of a military park, including San Juan Hill. Some cannon, brought from Morro, at the mouth of the harbor, have been posted on the Hill. An observatory has been built in order that visitors may have a good view of the battle field. San Juan Hill is the Mecca of all American visitors to Santiago. In Santiago Mr. Maxwell, of Cincinnati, and Mr. Charles W. Knapp made the acquaintance of the Jamaica kola, a tropical non-alcoholic drink, the praises of which they sang with enthusiasm. On the boat landing at Santiago the Joint Committee presented to the members the choice of routes to Havana. They told them frankly that the overland journey might be one of some hardships. It had been planned to go eastward from Santiago to Guantanamo, part of the way by a new railroad, the Cuba Northeastern. The new road was not running through as had been expected when the program was arranged in the States. There was some doubt about reaching Guantanamo. The Joint Committee could not guarantee connections or sleepers. The members were told that they must decide for themselves whether they would go by rail or by steamer to Havana. To take charge of those who might decide to join the overland expedition one member of the Joint Committee, Mr. Hanford Crawford, of St. Louis, was selected. Having furnished Mr. Crawford with two stewards from the " PRINZ JOACHIM " and a large supply of Poland water, the other Joint Committeemen took leave of him as of one they might not meet again in a long time. When Mr. Crawford called his roll at the railroad station a little before noon he found his party made up as follows : From Boston : Mr. Bartlett, Mr. Cumner, Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Cutler. From Chicago: Mr. Clow, Mr. Hutchinson, Mr. McCormick, Mr. Morton, Mr. Noyes, Mr. Ryerson, Mr. Swift and Mr. Wilson. From Cincinnati: Mr. Ault, Mr. Durrell, Mr. Egan, Mr. Geier, Mr. Green, Mr. Lodge, Mr. Maxwell, Mr. Meacham, Mr. Omwake and Mr. Yeiser. From St. Louis: Mr. Crawford, Mr. Dozier, Mr. Francis, Mr. Hill, Mr. Jones, Mr. Chas. W. Knapp, Mr. Homer P. Knapp and Mr. Nugent. The handbag of Charles W. Knapp, of St. Louis, was thrust into the car window as the train left the station. Mr. McCormick, of Chicago, was not so fortunate. His handbag went around to Havana *" by steamer. c.m P in the ci.r p..k .i Kin,,ion. No party of tourists ever set out for an unknown country with 195 T r,,,h, u ,kr more implicit faith manifested in their personal conductor. No conductor ever more fully justified the confidence reposed in him, than did Mr. Crawford. These gentlemen followed Mr. Crawford on board the cars after their busy morning in Santiago and asked no questions. Before they realized that they were hungry, they were fed with sandwiches from the " PRINZ JOACHIM. " At thirty-minutes intervals the duck-garbed stewards caromed along the aisles with the Poland water, which never gave out. An hour from Santiago the special train made a leisurely stop at Estacion del Cristo. Small boys ran alongside the cars offering oranges in clusters of a dozen, and bunches of little bananas which are known as " lady fingers. " Larger boys offered cocoanuts. They carried their long knives, machetes, and when a purchase was made, deftly sliced off the ends, scooped a puncture to the hollow interior, and presented the cocoanut water in natural goblets. Other tropical fruits, less familiar to the travelers, were tendered. All of these products were sold at such low prices that every Americano became forthwith a buyer. Traffic was encouraged by the fact that every little merchant knew American money and wanted nothing else. No question of exchange complicates the tourist trade in Cuba. American money goes in the interior of the island just as universally and as acceptably as it does in Porto Rico. So the members of Mr. Crawford's party bought and bought at Estacion del Cristo. As rapidly as they found their stock depleted, the little boys darted away and were back with fresh supplies. When the train was ready to proceed the interiors of the cars presented an extensive horticultural exhibit. Then the travelers ate and ate. In the midst of the feast Mr. Green, of Cincinnati, arose at the end of a coach aisle and shouted: "Gentlemen! I wish to propose a sentiment. To our unfortunate friends on the ship!" " To our unfortunate friends on the ship! " responded the adventurous thirty, holding aloft and flourishing oranges, bananas and cocoanuts. "We are not through to Havana," said Mr. Crawford warningly, " although the start seems to be all right." Three hours of much curving and climbing brought the train to La Maya, in a coffee and cocoa district of eastern Cuba. Here two army ambulances and two dozen saddle ponies and mules were waiting in charge of half a dozen stalwart young Americans attached to the new Cuba Northeastern Railroad. The hand baggage and the boxes of Poland water were strapped to a two-wheeled cart. Half the party 196 Forestry of the Tropics. chose their mounts. The others climed in the ambulances. The cavalcade filed down the principal street of La Maya and out on a ridge which commanded a view of the surrounding country for miles. The route was down a steep road into a valley and up by a stiff climb to another tableland. A half hour's ride covered the distance from La Maya to where a train was waiting on the roadbed of the new Cuba Northeastern. Later in the day, as they were nearing Guantanamo, the members of Mr. Crawford's party learned that they had had the distinction of being carried in the first passenger train over the road. A. V. Sims, president and general manager of the Cuba Northeastern, met the party at La Maya. Mr. Harry Robinson, of the railroad corporation, accompanied the party from Santiago. When Mr. Crawford met Mr. Robinson he recognized something familiar about him. After some thinking he said : " Robinson, you ought to know me." Mr. Robinson looked hard, but replied regretfully that he could not recall they had ever met. "Don't you remember Hanford Crawford?" was asked. "Yes," said Mr. Robinson, "but he didn't have any beard." Years ago, when Hanford Crawford was a young man just out of college, he taught in a locally famous boys' school of New York City, and Harry Robinson was one of the boys. Teacher and pupil had lost track of each other until they came together in Eastern Cuba From La Maya Valley all of the way to Guantanamo, a three hours' journey over the new Cuba Northeastern, the members of the Clubs explored a part of the Island almost unknown to this generation. Here was the scene of the terrible devastation of the Ten Years' War. When the rebellion against Spanish authority began, in 1868, this region was one of the most productive of all Cuba. Here were coffee plantations. Cocoa was a notable product. Cuba was producing 750,000 tons of cane sugar, and the sugar estates of eastern Cuba were among the richest on the Island. With the revolution of 1868 ended what was known as "the golden age" of Cuba. In the Ten Years' War which followed, 40,000 Cubans perished. Spain lost 208,000 of the 257,000 soldiers sent to sustain her authority. 197 Toward the close the policy was declared tO be tO "convert the En Route to BOB Wlk in Jamaica. Facing the camera (readinu from left to right) : David B. Gamble, Hanford Island into a desert." The value of the property destroyed and the Crawford, D. B. Meacham. cost of the war amounted to $300,000,000. For miles, the members of the Commercial Clubs rode through a marvelously fertile section, once under cultivation, much of it the property then of French planters, laid waste in the Ten Years' War, and now with a forest of thirty years' growth spread over it. Before leaving Santiago some of the visitors were shown where the fifty American officers and men, coming on the Virginius, to join the Cuban revolutionists in the midst of the Ten Years' War, and having been captured, were executed. American capital is behind the movement to reclaim this region and to make it productive again. Americans are building the Cuba Northeastern. American settlers are acquiring the land and clearing it for sugar, coffee and fruit. The evidence of American occupation in eastern Cuba was abundant and impressive. The new houses, such as American farmers would insist upon "'' !JJ building, were numerous. The only concession to the climate was in the porches. Tall, broad-shouldered Americans, with faces bronzed by the tropical sun, towered above the groups of natives at the railroad stations. That the region is in the pioneer stage was shown by the acres of logs at every stopping place. The present business of the new road is largely that of transporting to the coast logs of mahogany, ebony, rosewood, cedar, logwood and other hardwoods of the tropics. A stalwart Canadian at one of the stations told the party that it cost $20 an acre to clear away the forest, and that the lumber yielded $15 an acre. When the American railroad builders began in eastern Cuba they used some mahogany logs for ties. Now they employ a native wood called cagueran, which lasts like steel. The travelers saw the beginnings of coffee plantations, but it takes a period of years to bring the coffee trees to the stage of profitable production. One coffee plantation, well advanced, was pointed out. The owner sells all of this coffee for home consumption at Guantanamo and receives twenty cents a pound for it. Passing over the new roadbed the party noted that already grass and vines covered the sides of the embankments and of the cuts, so rapid is the growth of vegetation. Where the road was cut through the forest it was impossible to see but a few rods into the dense growth. With this experience came the realization that it was impossible for Spain to conquer revolutionists who had such opportunity for concealment. As the train approached Guantanamo, the wilderness was left behind. Great sugar estates stretched away in all directions. The tall smoke stacks of the sugar mills centrals, they are called in the vernacular of the 198 AII (bond! Samiifo. Island towered above the clusters of buildings which dotted the vast fields of cane. Mr. Sims pointed to one field which he said had yielded cane year after year without replanting for forty-seven years. But the yield had decreased to seventeen tons of cane an acre, and the owner had concluded to replant. In this wonderfully rich Guantanamo Valley, the rule is to cut the cane steadily for thirty years and then to turn the field into grass for a rest of ten or twelve years. The Guantanamo Valley has for years had its own railway system, the Cuba Eastern, giving the sugar estates the outlet to tidewater on Guantanamo Bay. The Cuba Northeastern is being built to connect the Cuba Eastern and the Guantanamo Valley with the railroad systems of central and western Cuba, as well as to develop the country between. In the station at Guantanamo, Mr. Crawford divided his party, sending most of them to the La Venus Hotel, and taking a minority to the Washington. He notified all of the members that dinner would be served at the Washington. A ride through the streets revealed a little Cuban city, which had made no progress for thirty years, suddenly called upon by American enterprise to undergo transformation. To their surprise, the members of the Clubs found excellent hotels, such as few cities of like population in the States could boast of. The hotels were characteristic of Cuba, built around the large open court, with cafes open to the street. The beds were scrupulously clean, with canopies and curtains. The furniture was new. The attention was most painstaking. At eight o'clock the members assembled at the Washington and were served with dinner at a long table set on a balcony overhanging the street. The proprietor of the hotel, his clerks and his chef assisted the waiters in serving the dinner. When, after several excellent courses the whole roast pig was carried around for inspection and the explanation was offered that the delicious flavor was due to a life-long diet of pine nuts, Mr. Green, of Cincinnati, felt constrained to rise from his chair and to propose again the sentiment : "Gentlemen! To our unfortunate friends on the ship!" There was but one discordant note in the feast. A street piano, the only one in eastern Cuba, had been whirled into position just under the balcony. The operator played continuously until Mr. McCormick, of Chicago, was, on motion, made a committee of one to go down stairs, return the thanks of the Clubs to the mechanical orchestra, and at any cost to secure the removal beyond 'earshot. Mr. McCormick did his work well. At the conclusion of the dinner, which well deserved to be called a banquet, Mr. Crawford introduced Mr. Sims, who gave some interesting information about eastern Cuba. Mr. Sims said: 199 Mr. Toastmaster and Gentlemen : Notwithstanding the fact that I weigh about 200 pounds, whenever I rise to speak I always feel like a two-cent piece in a band-box. I sometimes think I might have thoughts in my dreams but on occasions of this kind I have none. I believe all I can say to you tonight, gentlemen, is that I welcome you here most heartily. I wish very much that you might come again to this city, not only to enjoy a visit to this -part of Cuba, which is so interesting, but that you might then be able to appreciate the rapidity with which this end of the island is developing. No doubt the remainder of the island has its story of marvelous development, but I shall not speak of that because I am not familiar with it. I remember on one occasion, after several years of arduous work in the laboratory, I succeeded in making a floor out of dry sand that stood about 2,000 pounds pressure to the square foot. There happened by this exhibit of floor a German who represented a large builder. He asked me how I made it. I told him that I simply put the screens in and reinforced them instead of reinforced concrete. He asked, "What you do then that make it don't fall?" I said, "Nothing." "Well," he said, "I would like to show it to my friends." I said, "All right." He said, "Yes, but I don't want them to think that I am such a liar as that." Well, gentlemen, that's the way I feel about the eastern end of Cuba. Until you have seen some of it, I am afraid you will think, from the stories I could tell you, that I am a liar. If I should tell you that there are hundreds of mahogany trees on this end of the island that would require the outstretched arms of four men like myself to reach around, know you would think I am a pretty big liar. Gentlemen, these things are true. The part of Cuba you have traversed today the Spaniards have known and occupied for a hundred years or more. I would very gladly offer to head a junketing party, if any of you are sufficiently interested to go. We could take some "hay-birds," 'commonly known as mules in the States, and I could show you some of the wonderful things of which I speak. When I speak of mahogany, I mean hardwoods generally, for the cedars in Cuba are worth three or four times the money value of standard mahogany, and there are many other varieties of wood, the value of which has never been made known to the world. As I say, I cherish an honored reputation for veracity, and therefore shall not expatiate further along this line. I want to repeat that we are very much pleased to see you here. (Cries of "Go on! Tell us the whole story! ") Gentlemen, I am not an expert in sugar cane. I may say, in the first place, that I came here about two and a half years ago to look over a certain property and to report to its owners as to its value. It happened that while I was here the chief engineer resigned, and I was asked to hold his place until a successor could be appointed. During that time the manager resigned and I was asked to take his place. And then our superintendent died and I was requested to hold his place. These circumstances caused me to look with greater care and with more detail into the business advantages and opportunities that were offered by this part of Cuba. The opportunities may be just as good in other parts of Cuba, but I am sure the eastern end cannot be surpassed for the fertility of its soil and the promise of development it presents. After a residence of about three months in this little city I made up my mind I would give up my business connections in the States. I would give up the practice of my profession as a consulting civil engineer, and would abide here. It has so happened, however, that I have not been relieved of the positions I have mentioned, and so I have remained .with the Cuba Eastern and its affiliated enterprises. My duties as manager of the Cuba Eastern made it incumbent upon me to look into the cane industry in order that among other things I might estimate the amount of freight to be secured for our road. I noticed that along the Cuba Eastern there did not seem to be the proper amount of enterprise and industry. I went up the road and found a good proposition that would yield a profit of thirty per cent every time the money was turned over. It seemed also to involve small business risk. I submitted it to a man here who has money to invest, and showed him all of the details of the proposition. He listened to me until I had finished and then simply shrugged his shoulders. I said, " Don't you want it? " He replied, "There is only thirty per cent in it. " I could hardly understand his position until he told me he could lend his money at two per cent a month. Then I went further and investigated the amount of tonnage that could be produced from an acre of cane land. I found that in this valley, without work and without cultivation the average yield is about thirty tons of cane to the acre, which means three tons of 200 sugar. In Iowa, thirty bushels of wheat is a pretty big yield. Thirty bushels of wheat makes about a ton to the acre. Here, as I said, an acre yields about thirty tons of cane and three tons of sugar. It has been yielding for a hundred years at the same rate. When cultivated the land will yield fifty tons of cane per acre, which makes five tons of sugar, worth two cents a pound. In Porto Rico my understanding is you have to plant the cane once every five or six years. This afternoon, on the Cuba Eastern, you passed a cane field that was planted forty-seven years ago and has never been replanted during that time. These facts are not appreciated by those in the States. Those acquainted with sugar conditions in Louisiana, where I am told the cane must be planted every year, find it difficult to believe that here, speaking conservatively, we plant only once every thirty years. The Iowa soil produces a dividend, during a fairly good year, over and above labor wages for the fanner, of from five and one-half per cent, to six and one-half per cent, on a valuation of $100 per acre. Cuban soil will pay interest at six per cent, on a valuation of $500 to $600 per acre. What is the difference ? Why is not the interest produced by the Cuban soil and sent to the States in the form of a New York draft just as good as money invested in Iowa? I will tell you. During the Spanish occupation of Cuba you might make six per cent, on $500 or you might have several years when you would not make anything. The reason why it requires a dividend of $6 only on the Iowa land to make it worth $100 per acre and requires $30 or $40 here is that the people who set the values upon the land have been brought up from childhood to regard the crops that grow on the land as very uncertain, due to political conditions. All this country needs to establish values is the security of a good and stable government. Sugar cane land will sell at $60 per acre, but it is all in large tracts, and to be profitable, it must be accessible to a good mill. Virgin soil in this country is for sale anywhere at from $8 to $12 an acre soil such as you rode through today. To show our confidence in these figures, we have bought within the past eighteen months, in round figures, 100,000 acres of land. That land today has such small value for the same reason that the cane land is worth only $60 an acre, namely, because the people have not been taught to know that an investment in real estate is a perfectly safe investment. The man who can see the events that are coming and who gets possession of land at the rale the owners are perfectly willing to sell at now, in my opinion, is going to reap a very handsome profit in a very short space of lime. The land that a year ago sold for $6 an acre is now selling at from $20 to $30 an acre. Much of it is changing hands, and settlers are coming in quite rapidly. I spoke of our company having acquired a considerable quantity of land at cheap prices. We could now dispose of this land a' much enhanced values. The reason we do not sell land at $25 that cost us $5, is that it is not a paying business. We have had in Cuba five or six colonization companies. Every one of them has started out under full sail, but has struck a shoal and has met with misfortune. I am adverse, as a rule, to mentioning names in a talk of this kind, but I will say that at one place, a few miles from San Luis, and located on our line, a colony began with excellent opportunities. But the colonists have not succeeded because they did not study the conditions properly and did not adapt themselves thereto. Our colonization scheme has been formulated on an original and scientific basis. It is proposed to sell to a farmer, for example, 100 acres of land. We will require that he plant one-half of it in cane, and we bind ourselves to buy that cane from him for fifteen years, or for half of the estimated life of the field without replanting. Wr figure that the profit he can make on the fifty acres will put in his pocket at least $1,000 a year. The colonist therefore will not go back to the States. The return of the discouraged is what has damaged all of the colonization companies in Cuba. Most of the colonists have not been successful. By creating a market for the crop raised on half of this land, we expect to enable our colonist to make a greater success than he would make in the States with 100 acres. In addition he will have the remaining half of his farm to plant with vegetables. We do not bind ourselves in legal manner to this further encouragement but we have announced and of course we intend to conform that we will put up a cold storage plant that will take care of all of the vegetables produced on this remaining; half of the land of our colonists, where they may be retained until they can be transported to market and disposed of. You can look at this soil and see that the foundation of the vegetation is legumes, showing that nitrogen is constantly being stored in the ground. You can burn the vegetation and weeds will not grow up, but legumes will. We have gone into the land you saw today and spent $220,000 for the clearing of it and the planting of it in cane. The roots of the cane in the ground are the security for that $220,000. It is good security, for whatever you plant you reap. Gentlemen, these are but a few of the things I have seen and learned during the past two years, since I came to Cuba. I might say I am in the brick business, too. I was showing some of you this afternoon, as we were driving around town, two lots that I was offered not long ago for $250.00, one at $100 and the other at $150. I did not buy them, and there is where the joke is on me. Within several months the corner lot, which I was offered at $150 brought $900, and the other one $700. There is a big building on them now. Brick sell here for $25 per thousand. I own all of the brick yards in town, but I did not know I was in the business at all until one day a fellow came to me and asked me to make a price on a number of brick. I thought at first he was jesting and treated his remarks in that way. He persisted in asking that I make the price. I said to him, " Why, you are mistaken, I haven't any brick to sell. " He said, " Don't you own a certain lot here in town ? " I replied affirmatively. He said " Don't you own this other lot ? " mentioning another location. I admitted that I did. " Well, " he said, " Have'nt they both got brick kilns on them, and aren't they the only yards in town?" When I examined the property later I found such to be the case. And so that is how I am in the brick business. We are not doing a very big business, but are selling all we can make. The reason we can't turn them out faster is because we can't get the machinery from the States. All of our brick have to be manufactured by hand. But, gentlemen, while I have a monopoly on the brick business of this city, I assure you I have not raised the price of our product or tried to stamp out legitimate competition. My friends, these are not the exceptions I am pointing out to you, but the rule. When I came here, two years ago, a little building several blocks up this street was the only hotel in town. It had two rooms. A sick man occupied one, and it was always a question of who would secure the other. Now we have three or four hotels two of them are furnishing the accommodations for you gentlemen tonight. We have four or five miles of macadam roads and streets. This is a sample of the development that has taken place within the past two years. I believe that Guantanamo will, in a few years, be the Havana of eastern Cuba. At Guantanamo Bay we have any amount of water, vertically and horizontally. We have around this place a perfect garden. From the bay itself we are about twenty kilometers. That is a misfortune, but we could not build the city right on the bay because of the agricultural conditions. There is no fresh water at the bay. All of the fresh water used there has to be hauled down as freight. Here no irrigation is necessary. The soil is fertile beyond compare. You can raise anything on it. In fact, you cannot keep things from growing on it. There is no more productive country on the face of the globe. Now, gentlemen, I am not going to detain you longer. I hope you can return to Cuba some near time and will stay long enough to verify some of the statements I have made this evening. I desire again to express our appreciation and pleasure at your visit, and to thank you for your kind attention to my remarks. Following President Sims, there was much spirited oratory. In front of the balcony assembled many of the ladies of Guantanamo. Inspired by the environment, the presiding officer of the evening, Mr. Crawford, brought to their feet in succession, for short talks, Mr. Francis, Harry Robinson, of the Cuba Northeastern, Mr. Maxwell, Mr. Nugent, Mr. McCormick and Mr. Lawrence. In the cool of the morning Mr. Crawford called his roll at the Guantanamo station. All were on time. Mr. McCormick, of Chicago, triumphantly exhibited his new baggage. He had found in Guantanamo a substantial bag of fibre and had filled it to the handles with a collection of necessities which ranged from toothbrush to pajamas. The party was in high good humor. Breakfast of genuine Cuban coffee, eggs from Guantanamo hens, 202 and rolls that could not be excelled in Paris, had pleased everybody. '" : 'ip ' ' MMM "^^i J'.,*^",' Roblc ' u ' Ev **' Once more the spirit of the occasion effervesced in Mr. Green, of Cincinnati, who exclaimed as he held aloft a bottle of Poland water: "Gentlemen! to our unfortunate friends on the ship! " As the train left the station the party had a vision of eastern Cuba of the old times. A volante drawn by galloping mules rolled out of the city on the road to the Soledad sugar estate, the huge wheels leaving a cloud of dust behind. 1 he route was back over the Cuba Northeastern to La Maya Valley where "three cheers for Sims" were given. The ride over the hills in the ambulances and on the ponies and mules was repeated. And then the travelers settled down for the long journey through the Island with Havana the terminus. All day the route lay over table lands of central Cuba where, until after the recent war with Spain, there was no railroad. At Bayate the travelers saw the cleared fields and the homes of the Scandinavian colony, which was established soon after the Spanish-American war. The colony began to raise great crops of fruit before facilities for marketing had been provided, and suffered loss thereby. At Bartol a short stop was made. The substantial improvements and the orange groves were admired. The latter half of the day the journey was through the stock ranges of Cuba, where cattle were grazing in grass knee-deep the first week in March. Alto Cedro was the stopping place for lunch. Here Mr. Crawford led his party into a spacious dining room where a bright-eyed, agile Chinaman directed {he serving of seventeen varieties of food, beginning with the Cuban dish of fried eggs with rice, and concluding with guava jelly on cheese. The astonishment was great when the Chinese proprietor brought on dishes of baked beans, which won the unstinted approval of the members of the Commercial Club of Boston. But the excitement increased when the waiters served a dozen of freshly cooked peach pies. Gentlemen!" cried Mr. Green, of Cincinnati, holding aloft a peach pie in each hand, "to our unfortunate friends on the ship!" An hour was given to the remarkable luncheon at Alto Cedro. Before the train started the proprietor distributed to each member of the party a neat card, reading: The party insisted on having a photograph of their host, and Y. Chong obligingly stood before the camera. The remaining peach pies that could not be eaten were taken on board of the train and added to the stock of fruit collected for emergencies. It might be imagined that Mr. Crawford's party did little but eat on their three days' journeying across Cuba. They did a great deal besides eating, but the banquets were frequent. In the early evening the train reached Camaguey, a city of 50,000 people, which, until the building of the Cuba Railroad, the Van Home enterprise, a few years ago, had no railroad communication with the rest of Cuba. Immediately upon their arrival the members of the Clubs took carriages and drove about the city for one hour. They found narrow but paved streets, handsome residences of the Cuban type, shops well stocked, and fine churches. But more impressive than these was the appearance of the people. Very few dark-skinned persons were seen. The Cubans of Camaguey are white men and women of pleasing features and dignified appearance. When later the visitors were told that Camaguey presents, in far more than average purity, the Cuban people, they were well prepared to accept it. After noting the cleanliness of the streets, the handsome appointments of the residences, the well kept stores, the visitors were prepared to expect a hotel in keeping with such a fine city, but they had not anticipated what they found in the Hotel Camaguey. Built around a patio, which was a small park with fountain and flowers and shrubbery, the hotel covers three and a half acres. Even in Havana, Cubans speak of Hotel Camaguey as the finest hotel on the Island. The travelers sat down to dinner in a dining-room which accommodated them in one corner. The long table was decorated with flowers and with great pyramids of fruit. Mr. Crawford cut short the speech-making at the close of the dinner and led the way back to the train. Sleeping cars were added to the coaches at Camaguey. An hour before arriving at Camaguey Mr. Crawford had knitted his brows over the problem of lower berths and upper berths. He had succeeded in finding volunteers enough for upper berths to relieve the pressure. But when the party went on board the train there speedily developed a spirit of self-sacrifice. Everybody was willing to take an upper berth after seeing the lowers. Those who retired last found surplus lower berths but all upper berths filled. Thus did the expected difficulties of the trip disappear when the time came to meet them. The test of the staying quality of the expedition came at 1:30 in the morning. Beside a great sugar central, Jatobonico, the train stopped. The party was invited out to see sugar-making as it is carried on in these days of improved labor-saving machinery. Rather informally clad, the travelers left their berths and went through the sugar mill. They saw the cane by the car load lifted in a kind of cradle and deposited in the hopper. Mechanical traveling buckets carried the juice throigh the lime-mixing process. At all stages were automatic devices and labor-saving contrivances until the filled bag with its 320 pounds of sugar represented the finished product, worth two and one-quarter cents a pound. The capacity of this central, with its shifts of labor to cover day and night, is 1,000 bags in twenty-four hours, or about $7,200 worth of sugar. In a grinding 204 IN THE FORTIFICATIONS OF HAVANA season of 100 days this central is expected to turn out $600,000 worth of sugar. And it does it with American machinery- The centrals about Guantanamo have American managers and chemists, but they are still using English and French machinery. Mr. Crawford's party slept peacefully through an hour's wait at Santa Clara. Somebody in authority, discovering that the engineer, with cheerful confidence in the right-of-way, was about to start with a locomotive having no headlight, insisted that the train be held until the missing part was supplied. When morning came Matanzas was several hours away. Mr. Crawford consulted with train men, who knew no English, and learned that coffee might be ordered at Colon. This was done. Of the refreshment at Colon there is not much to say further than that it made the later breakfast at Matanzas more appreciated. "The Naples of Cuba" has learned much since the tide of American travel has been setting in so strong. When the special of the Commercial Clubs drew into the imposing Matanzas station, a committee of citizens, escorting the mayor, was on the platform, and large automobiles were waiting outside. The party was conducted to the Grand hotel, by the committee, consisting of Eugenio Galbon, President of the Chamber of Commerce ; Stewart Hamilton, manager of the Matanzas branch of the Royal Bank of Canada; Bonifacio Menendez, Francisco Ferrer, Alejandro Ezquirre, Wenceslao Gonsalez Soil's, N. Urrechaga, Silvio Silveira, Padro Urquiza, Alfredo Heydrick and S. F. Yawger, manager of the Matanzas branch of the National Bank of Cuba. To breakfast with the visitors, the business men of Matanzas had invited Isidoro J. Ojeda, the mayor of the city, Colonel Sweet and Captain Wilson, U. S. A. While the breakfast was in progress the band of the Twenty-eighth Infantry played a number of selections. At the close of the breakfast brief speeches were made by the mayor of Matanzas, who welcomed the Clubs, and by Hanford Crawford, who expressed the hearty thanks of his associates for the very handsome entertainment. The visitors were given a ride in automobiles to the Paseo and along the beach of the beautiful Bay, of Matanzas. Early in the afternoon the train was under way for Havana, and with expressions of delight the members of the Clubs were viewing from car windows the beautiful Yumuri Valley. From the wilderness of eastern Cuba to the closely populated and highly improved section between Matanzas and Havana was a marked transition. At five o'clock Mr. Crawford landed his party in the heart of Havana only a few hours after the "PRINZ JOACHIM" had dropped anchor in the harbor. The sail around Cuba had been very interesting but less strenuous. "Our unfortunate friends on the ship" had not been unfortunate. They had, after leaving Santiago, entered Guantanamo Bay and had inspected the unrivaled naval station secured to the United States under the treaty with Cuba. They had found the fleet of Admiral Evans in the Bay, and Captain von Leitner had given evidences of his qualities as a navigator by circling in and out among the battleships while the members of the Clubs cheered them and the admiral. The thirty-six hours in Havana were made memorable chiefly by individual experiences, although the visit was not without its social and official functions. Friday evening, March 8th, a reception was given at the 207 AT THE GOVERNOR'S PALACE, HAVANA Reading from left to right: R. H. W. Dwight, D. B. Meacham, Walker Hill, John V. Farwell, Jr., C. H. McCormick, L. W. Noyes, David B. Gamble, J. G. Schmidlapp, John M. Clark, W. K. Bixby, L. A. Ault, W. A. Fuller, W. J. Chalmers, John Morron, A. L. Baker, George M. Wright. Palace was one of the most pleasing incidents of the Havana visit. At 6 o'clock, by request of the Joint Committee, the members of the Clubs assembled at the Hotel Telegrafo, on the Prado, to dine in Cuban style. The small tables, each for four persons, were set in a part of the large cafe opening upon the sidewalk. There, with Central Park across the way, with the Saturday evening throngs of Havana's most popular boulevard passing in endless procession, the members ate the typical Cuban dinner, according to the following menu : Mantequilla y Aceitunas Sopa Jigote Pescado minuta. S. Mallonesa Polio Asado Caserola Ensalada Mixta Filete al Homo Frutas y H el ados Vinos Jerez Rioja Clarete Lainez White Rock Hotel Telegrafo Marzo 9, 1907. Flowers in profusion decked the tables. Pescado minuta the little fish on the menu were very appetizing and well calculated to stimulate the diner's interest in the other 640 varieties which abound in Cuban waters. The Joint Committee had planned a full evening program for the last night in the American Mediterranean. When dinner was finished carriages were waiting the little one-horse coach of Havana which carries two passengers comfortably and has a low seat with little leg room for the third member of the party. They were driven direct to the Jai Alai building where for two hours the ball game, which arouses Cuban interest to a higher pitch than any other sport, was studied by the visitors. There is no accounting for taste in recreation as well as in other directions. The Americans observed with interest the dexterity and the strenuous exertions of the players. They were entertained with the eager betting of the crowd. They could not feel the infatuation which made the Jai Alai enterprise so fabulously profitable to the stockholders of the enterprise. In twos and threes they left the game of pelota unfinished and returned to the ship or rode about the City. Late in the evening many of the visitors were entertained at the Hotel Miramar. Walter A. Stanton, president of the National Bank of Cuba and chairman of the Spanish Treaty Claims Commission, welcomed the guests, expressing the great pleasure felt by Havana in having the honor The Carrier Pigeon Between Cuantanamo and Havana a carrier pigeon alighted on the steamer and remained several hours. 211 of a visit from the Commercial Clubs of the four great cities of the Ml - Yciscr ' 0( Cincinnati, and his souvenir of the isthmus. United States. He spoke of the industrial and commercial benefits which might result mutually from such a visit. David R. Francis, of St. Louis, and Lucien Wulsin, of Cincinnati, replied, heartily thanking the officials and the business men of Havana for their hospitality and courtesies. Sunday morning the " PRINZ JOACHIM" left the harbor of Havana. The Joint Committee voiced the sentiments of the Clubs in the following: S. S. " PRINZ JOACHIM, " March 10, 1907. Governor Magoon, Havana: The members of the Commercial Clubs of Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis, on board " PRINZ JOACHIM " from Panama, desire to express through you their high appreciation of the kindness and courtesy shown them in Cuba, and beg that you will accept their profound thanks for yourself and all throughout Cuba and in Havana who so generously contributed to the pleasure and interest of the visit. THE JOINT COMMITTEE. Scrupulously the members of the Commercial Clubs refrained from talking politics in Cuba. They investigated material conditions thoroughly. They realized the great possibilities of the wonderfully fertile island. They brought away strong impressions. 212 LEAVING THE STATION, CITY OF PANAMA Reading from left to right: On board the train Chas. W. Knapp, J. D. Bascom, D. C. Nugent, B. W. Campbell, Rolla Wells, John F. Stevens (Chief Engineer), Thos. P. Egan, Robt. Moore, Stephen L. Bartlett, H. L. Rice, Capt. Shanton, M. A. Ryerson, Benj. Carpenter, Chas. S. Dennison, R. McK. Jones, D. B. Meacham. Those on the station platform David R. Francis, C. H. McCormick, Robt. Batcheller, W. D. Mandell, Henry C. Scott, R. H. W. Dwight, N. H. Davis, E. G. Cowdery, Edward Goepper, W. E. Clow, J. R. Carter, Wm. Worthington, Chas. W. Durrell, J. A. Green, Lucien Wulsin, E. C. Goshorn, LaVerne W. Noyes, Frank J. Jones, Arnold Shanklin, J. W. G. Cofran, Daniel Catlin, Elihu Thomson, Joy Morton, W. J. Chalmers, Walker Hill, Jos. B. Russell, W. H. Wilson, L. D. Dozier, G. M. Wright, Fred A. Geier, Murray Carleton, Hanford Crawford, Oscar L. Whitelaw, Robert A. Boit, H. J. MacFarland, W. G. Tubby, James E. Mooney, Edward F. Swift, Chas. F. Cutler, L. A. Ault, S. Parker Bremer, J. G. Schmidlapp, John V. Farwell, Jr., C. H. Conover, John M. Clark, Geo. O. Carpenter, Clyde M. Carr, Alfred L. Baker. Homeward Bound HOMEWARD bound, between Havana and Charleston, the " PRINZ JOACHIM, ' with the favoring current of the Gulf Stream and with no headwinds to hinder, did better than the schedule. Captain von Leitner told his passengers that he would land them in Charleston Tuesday morning, March twelfth, instead of at noon as the itinerary had contemplated. The cabin was handsomely decorated with palms and flags under the direction of Mr. Fahrenheim for the farewell assembly. A resolution thanking the Hamburg-American line, and the officers, was presented by Mr. J. W. Warrington, of Cincinnati, and was unanimously adopted. Captain von Leitner acknowledged the courtesy in a few words expressing the pleasure it had been to him to have the Commercial Clubs on his ship. The tiibute to the Hamburg-American line was not perfunctory. The agreement entered into with the Joint Committee was carried out by the steamship people with evident determination to make the cruise entirely satisfactory to the Clubs. Mr. Emil Boas, New York, general manager, and Mr. J. P. Meyer, assistant to general manager of the Hamburg-American line, manifested more than official concern in the trip of the Commercial Clubs. Prompted by a warm personal interest, as well, they aided greatly in the successful execution of the plans of the Joint Committee. To accompany the party and to exercise supervision over arrangements for physical comfort, the management brought from Europe Mr. E. Fahrenheim, whose province it is to go upon special and extraordinary cruises of the steamers of the Hamburg- American line. Mr. Fahrenheim has upon several occasions accompanied the Emperor of Germany, and has been the recipient of souvenirs of these voyages presented by the Emperor in recognition of his services. His presence on the '' PRINZ JOACHIM " contributed materially to the enjoyment of the Trip to Panama. The resolution, presented by Mr. Warrington, heartily approved by the members, and signed by the Joint Committee, was as follows: Resolved: That as members of the Commercial Clubs of Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis, returning from a cruise to Porto Rico, Cuba, Jamaica and the Isthmus of Panama, we desire hereby to express our thorough satisfaction with the manner in which the Hamburg-American Steamship Company has fulfilled the terms of its contract with us, under which the steamer " PRINZ JOACHIM" was chartered. In particular, we tender our sincere thanks to Mr. Emil Boas, and to Mr. J. P. Meyer, his assistant, representing the Hamburg- 215 in December, presented to the trip to Panama, this American Line in New York City for their personal efforts to make the voyage in every way successful. We acknowledge the courtesy of the home office of the Steamship Company in placing at our disposal the inspector of cuisine, Mr. Emil Fahrenheim, whose skill and management added so much to our comfort and enjoyment. It gives us great pleasure to mention in an especial manner the continued courteous attention of Capt. Von Leitner, and of the other officers, and of the entire crew of the "PRINZ JOACHIM", whose labors contributed to make the trip thoroughly enjoyable. HARRY L. LAWS. ROBERT BATCHELLER. BENJAMIN CARPENTER. HANFORD CRAWFORD. In the circular of information which the Commercial Clubs the attractions of inducement was held out for acceptance. "During February and March, in these tropical waters, unpleasant weather is practically unknown; a comfortable trip at sea is therefore assured." While old Atlantic and phosphorescent Caribbean were not at all times as smooth as glass, the " PRINZ JOACHIM" encountered no storm. There were few meals which did not bring to the dining saloon the full complement of voyagers. Not many of the members were making their first acquaintance with ocean travel, but three or four who were at sea on an initial experience escaped sickness to their surprise and great gratification. The end of the first day out justified this wireless message: "At sundown, Commercial Clubs three hundred miles from Charleston toward Porto Rico. Weather perfect." Cooling breezes, sunny skies by day, beautiful moonlight nights favored the travelers almost throughout the cruise. The voyage of the " PRINZ JOACHIM " was 5,660 miles. This distance those representing the Commercial Club of Boston traveled on the steamer. The members representing the Commercial Clubs of Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis journeyed 4,360 miles by water. The cruise began at 6 a. m. February 18th, and was concluded at 3 p. m. March 14th. Captain von Leitner's log, the translation of which from the German was obtained, thoughtfully, by Mr. Green, of Cincinnati, was as follows: VON LEITXER, CAPTAIN S. S. "PRINZ JOACHIM. 1 216 AT SPANISH TOWN The quaint hotel at the ancient capital of Jamaica, where luncheon was served. Steamship "PRINZ JOACHIM" -Trip from New York to the West Indies Abstract from Log New York to Charleston Left Pier 55, Mor.day, Feb. 18, '07 at 6:15 a. m. Passed Scotland Lightship, 8:00 a. m., Chro. 1:15 p. m. Beginning of passage, Draught, forward 19' 5", aft. 19* 6". From To Course Wind Latitude Longitude Pittance Feb. 18, Diverse NW 4 39 38' N 73 57' W 50 miles Feb. 18, Feb. 19, S 12.5 W SSW 4-5 35 7' N 75' 14' W 278 " " 19, " 20, Diverse SW 6-7 32 52' N 79 12' W 270 " Remaining distance, 28". End of passage Wed., Feb. 20, '07, 3:10 p. m., Chro. 8:46, Draught, forward 19' 5", aft. 19' 3". Time of passage, 2 days, 7.2 hours. Total distance, 626 miles. Average speed, 11.3 knots. Remark* Moderate Sea Smooth Sea Smooth Sea Charleston to St. Thomas Left Pier in Charleston, Wed., Feb. 20, '07 at 8:15. Beginning of passage, 10 p. m., Chro. B, 3.32; Draught, forward 19' 5", aft. 19' 5". , Due -N * To Feb. 21, " 22, Course Wind Latitude Longitude Feb. 21, " 22, " 23, " 23, " 24, Remaining distance, 79". End of passage Sunday, Feb. 24, '07, 6:15 p. m., Chro. 10:57, Draught, forward 18' 4", aft. 19'. Time of passage, 3 days, 19.4 hours. Total distance, 1,186 miles. Average speed, 13 knots. Remark. S36.5 F, NW 3 30 13' N 77' 35' W 185 mile* Moderate Sea S 40.5 E S45' E S45 3 E S ? ENE 4-5 ENE 7 26 9' N 22 37' N 19 8' N 73 3 38' W 69 46' W 65" 58' W 322 " 300 " 300 Broken Sea Choppy Sea Rough Sea St. Thomas to San Juan Left harbor Sunday, Feb. 24, '07, 11:40 p. m. Beginning of passage, 12 p. m., Chro. 4.23, Draught, forward 18' 4", aft. 19'. End of passage, Monday, Feb. 25, '07, 6:00 a. m., Chro. 10.28, Draught, forward 18' 4", aft. 18' 10". Wailed at harbor entrance on account of rain for pilot, 8:50 a. m. Time of passage, 6 hours. Total distance, 70 miles. Average speed. 11.7 knots. 219 San Juan to Ponce Left harbor Monday, Feb. 25, '07, 5:45 p. m. Beginning of passage, 6:10 p. m., Chro. 10.20 p. m., Draught, forward 18' 2", aft. 18' 7". End of passage, Tues., Feb. 26, '07, 6:20 a. m., Chro. 11.5, Draught, forward 18' 2", aft. 18' 7". Time of passage, 12.2 hours. Total distance, 142 miles. Average speed, 11.6 knots. Ponce to Colon Beginning of passage, Tues., Feb. 26, '07, 9:45 a. m., Chro. 2.30, Draught, forward 13' 2", aft. 18' 7". Date Course Wind From To Feb. 26, S 58= W ENE 3 Feb. 26, " 27, S 59.5 W ENE 3 " 27, " 28, S 58 J W E 5-6 Remaining distance, 244 miles. Choppy Sea. End of passage, March 1, '07 7:20 a. m., Chro, 1, Draught, forward 18', aft. 18' 5". Time of passage, 2 days, 22.5 hours. Total distance, 934 miles. Average speed, 13.2 knots. Colon to Kingston Left Bay of Colon, March 2, '07, at 9:55 p. m. Beginning of passage, 10:00 p. m., Chro. 3.37. Draught, forward 18', aft. 18' 2". Latitude Longitude Distance Remarks 17 40' N 67 06' W 31 miles Moderate Sea 14 50' N 72 04' W 333 " " " 11 58' N 76 48' W 326 " " " Longitude Distance Remarks Rough Sea, (stea. pitch.) 78 54' W 77 25' W 133 miles 281 " From To March 3, N 23 E NNE 6 11 47' N March 3, "4, N 18' E NNE 6 16' 14' N Remaining distance, 110 miles, Rough Sea. End of passage, sighted Plum Point, Monday, March 4, 8:55 p. m., Chro. 2:23, Draught, forward 16' 8", aft. 19' 3". Time of passage, 1 day 22.8 hours. Total distance, 550 miles. Average speed, 11.8 knots. Kingston to Santiago de Cuba Beginning c. passage, Tues., March 5, '07, 6:00 p. m., Chro. 11.17, Draught, forward 16' 8", aft. 19' 6". End of passage, Wed., March 6, '07, 7:00 a. m., Chro. 0.20, Draught, forward 16' 8", aft. 19' 5". Time of passage, 13 hours. Total distance, 166 miles. Average speed, 12.8 knots. Santiago de Cuba to Havana, via Guantanamo Left Santiago Harbor, March 6, .07, 0.30 p. m., beginning of passage, 1:00 p. m., Chro. 6.20, Draught, forward 16' 8", aft. 19' 5". Entered Guatanamo Bay at 4 o'clock to view the American fleet and continued directly on course. Fran Course Diverse Wind ENE 4 E 3 Latitude 21 51' N 23' 14' N Longitude 76 36' W 82 10' W To March 7, March 7, "8, Remaining distance, 12 miles, moderate sea. End of passage, Fri., March 8, 1:15 p. m., Chro. 6.SO, Draught, forward 15' 10", ah. 19". Time of passage, 48.5 hours. Total distance, 641 miles. Average speed, 13.2 knots. Havana to Charleston Left Havana Harbor, Sunday, March 10, '07, 7:15 a. m. Beginning of passage, 7:50 a. m., Chro. 1.26, Draught, forward 17' 6", aft. 19' 10". Distance 300 miles 329 " Remarks Moderate Sea Kron, Course Diverse Latitude 23 48' N 29 12' N Longitude 81' 37' W 79 44' W 57 miles 367 " Moderate Sea Date N To March 10, Diverse ESE 4 March 10, " 11, NE 4 Remaining distance, 212 miles, moderate sea. End of passage, March 12, 3:30 a. m., Chro. 9. Time of passage, 1 day, 19.7 hours. Total distance, 636 miles. Average speed, 14.6 knots. VON LEITNER, Capt. Held fire-drill on February 20, 22, 27; March 3, 7 and 10. Held boat-drill on February 24, 25, 26; March 1, 6 and 8. During each drill, the boats were alternately lowered to the waters, bringing various boats into use. The boats are all in good, seaworthy condition. A German folk song, the music rendered upon the cornet, was the signal for something doing in the early morning of the " PRINZ JOACHIM" day. It sounded first toward the bow. It swelled amidships. It died away aft. 'The Wake-up" was the title which the band leader employed.. The notes and words, as furnished by the leader, are given herewith : Golf on Deck A life preserver, the pulling hole. Wacht auf ihr Schlafer ,, Gross und Klein", Those keeping score and looking on. (from left . . , to right): William E. 'Clow, H. P. Knapp, Es wacht schon langst der ,,Capitam L. D. Dozier, William K. Bixby, C. H. - , i, u Guten Morp-en " zu Conover, Stephen L. Banlett, Robert A. " ' ' " Boit. Wacht auf ihr Schlafer aus der Ruh ! Wake up you sleepers, big and small, The early rising Captain beats ; "A Good Morning" to you all Wake up you sleepers, big and small. Mr. Ault, of Cincinnati, a world-wide traveler, had a smoother version of the words for "The Wake-up." His version was: Awake! Awake! Thou sleepy one, And view the rising of the Sun. ' Tis time the day's work was begun; And so, get up, thou lazy one. Long before they reached Charleston the members of the Clubs knew "The Wake-up" by heart and many of them could hum or whistle it. A daily diversion on the " PRINZ JOACHIM " was the outcome of the hat pools. Mr. Carpenter, of Boston, inaugurated this entertainment and it proved to be so popular that he was induced to continue in charge to the end of the cruise. He was sometimes called the pool builder. Every day Mr. Carpenter collected a dollar from each member. Then he drafted into service two assistants, who drew names and numbers from a hat until all of the participants had been divided into groups of ten, with numbers from one to ten. At exactly 12 o'clock each day the Captain gave Mr. Carpenter the run of the preceding twenty-four hours. The winners of the pools were those whose numbers corresponded with the last numeral in the run. If the " PRINZ JOACHIM'S" run was 127 miles, the winners of the pools were those whose numbers were seven in the groups. And they received ten dollars each. Mr. Carpenter made the rounds of the decks every day just after noon, distributing the winnings of the pools. A couple of hours later he made his second call and collected for the next day's distribution. A golf tournament supplied all of the excitement which one day demanded. It was of overshadowing interest while it lasted. Golf on shipboard! Whoever heard of a putting hole on deck? The committee on sports devised the game and formulated rules, which called for considerable skill. Upon the officers' deck the teams, one for each city, assembled. A life preserver was the putting hole, the ends pointing toward the player. It was located so that the cabin used for the wireless telegraph office and outfit served as a backstop, preventing wild balls from passing overboard. The distance for putting the ball was fifteen feet. From the scratch line the 22J AFTER LUNCHEON AT THE CULEBRA DINING HALL Reading from left to right: Clyde M. Carr, Alfred L. Baker, D. B. Meacham, Frank J. Jones, John M. Clark, D. C. Nugent, Consul-General Shanklin, C. S. Dennison, C. H. McCormick, L. D. Dozier, John F. Stevens (Chief Engineer), Oscar L. Whitelaw, David R. Francis, Daniel Catlin, Rolla Wells, W. H. Taylor, R. McK. Jones, F. B. Carpenter, W. B. Lawrence, W. J. Chalmers, W. K. Bixby, Benj. Carpenter, Lucien Wulsin, H. J. MacFarland, Homer P. Knapp. bill. ThOK Frink J. Jonct. Th omit P. Run H. J. MicFirlind. EliKu Thornton. F. A. ticiei, Willing A. Fuller. ball must be driven by a single stroke into the life preserver to win. The golf players of the four cities entered with zeal into the contest. Each individual player had five drives, for which he paid five cents apiece. At the close of the tournament the score stood: Chicago, 42; Boston, 36; Cincinnati, 36; St. Louis, 32. The championship honors of the tournament were won by William A. Fuller, of Chicago, who made the perfect score of five. One of the games which the committee on sports provided for recreation was quoits. It was played with rope rings. Mr. Cumner, of Boston, is an experienced yachtsman. He taught the land lubbers how to make the rope rings. The game of shuffle-board was, perhaps, the most provocative of hilarity. The long-handled pushers, or shovels, were in almost continuous use mornings and afternoons. Among the most enthusiastic of the shuffle players were Mr. Egan, of Cincinnati, and Mr. Charles W. Knapp, of St. Louis. With these gentlemen behind the shovels, and one of the German sailors of the "PRINZ JOACHIM" reporting the scoring, there was fun enough to entertain the whole line of occupants of the steamer chairs. The sailor was willing, but his vocabulary of English was limited. " Das ist gut !" the sailor would call out when a disk had been shot down the long deck and had played havoc with the disks which had been shot before, displacing them from their positions on the numbered squares of the diagram. Then would follow a dialogue at long range between the players and the sailor outlook to determine for which side the result was ' gut. " "Twenty-five is bad!" the lookout would announce. "Bad for which side red or white!" Mr. 'Knapp would shout. " Red ist gerecht, " the sailor would reply, after careful inspection of the diagram. And then the game would proceed. There were other players on the shuffle-board Mr. Jones, of St. Louis, Mr. Walker Hill, of St. Louis, Mr. Dennison, of Boston, Mr. Cumner, of Boston, Mr. Mandell, of Boston, but none of them made the welkin ring as did Mr. Egan and Mr. Charles W. Knapp. One day at sea, off the coast of Cuba, a carrier pigeon circled and alighted on the " PRINZ JOACHIM. " The bronze feathers drooped a little. The bird was evidently very tired. Nobody was allowed to approach near enough to decipher what was on the band around the leg. But so long as the travelers kept at a distance the pigeon manifested no uneasiness whatever. One of the stew?rds placed some rice near. The pigeon ate greedily. After making itself at home several hours on the " PRINZ JOACHIM " the bird spread its wings and flew away. 225 Quoit, on Deck- H^W^Cumn^r constructine Every aftemOOH, when the "PRINZ JOACHIM" W8S HOt in port, four gentlemen settled down in one corner of the ladies' saloon to decorous, serious, old-fashioned whist. They were Mr. Carter and Mr. Wright, of Boston, and Mr. Cowdery and Mr. Hill, of St. Louis. Bridge was more popular than any other card game, but the universal form of recreation was reading. One of the most appreciated acts of the Joint Committee was the investment made in periodical literature. The latest issues of 200 monthly and weekly publications (literary, scientific and political) were distributed about the ladies' saloon. There was reading for everybody, and everybody read. But the most assiduous readers, probably, were Mr. Ryerson, of Chicago, Mr. Chatfield, of Cincinnati, and Mr. Thomson, of Boston. "Medicine ball" and indoor base ball were games which Mr. Dwight, of Boston, Mr. Nugent and Mr. Bascom, of St. Louis, and Mr. Carr, Mr McCormick, Mr. Morron, Mr. Wilson and Mr. Carpenter, of Chicago, adopted for a daily constitutional. Mr. Maxwell and Mr. Green, of Cincinnati, discovered the uses of the saloon deck for a running track. This galaxy of strenuous athletes also formed the famous Venus de Milo bath club, which met on the upper deck every morning behind tarpaulin screens. When it came to the art of conversation, Cincinnati put forward an easy and agreeable talker in the person of Mr. Warrington. Chicago entered Mr. Wilson, and Boston had a most pleasing conversationalist in Mr. Whitman. After the breakfast hour there was a gathering on deck to witness a bout between the best story tellers. Mr. Bixby, of St. Louis, Mr. Chalmers, Mr. Morton and Mr. Morron, of Chicago; Mr. Russell and Mr. Dwight, of Boston, and Mr. Green, of Cincinnati, were among the contributors to these morning symposiums. Each day, on board ship, abounded in entertainment. The sunsets charmed. Often they were attended with wonderful cloud effects near the horizon as the great blazing ball dipped under. The travelers lingered long at the rail to see the tropical evening come on. A delightful experience after nightfall on the Caribbean was the gathering of a group about Professor Elihu Thomson. With the aid of his small telescope Professor Thomson pointed out and talked about the constellations seen only in southern waters. These impromptu talks were not only informing but fascinating to the listeners and lookers. One incident of the cruise was the practical sympathy shown for the American residents who sustained serious losses in the earthquake at Kingston. Returning to the steamer rather earlier than most of the party on 226 the evening of the departure from Jamaica, Mr. Whitman, of Boston, and Mr. Dozier, of St. Louis, met a committee bearing credentials from the American consulate. The extent of the suffering among the American residents of Kingston was explained and a written appeal for assistance was presented. After the steamer sailed, Mr. Whitman and Mr. Dozier drew up a brief statement and opened a subscription for the sufferers. No canvass was made but notice was given that those who felt disposed to contribute to a relief fund for the American colony in Kingston could find the paper in the reading room. Mr. Whitman consented to act as treasurer of the fund. Before the end of the voyage he had received $3,900. A committee composed of Robert M. Burnett, R. H. W. Dwight and Robert Batcheller was chosen to determine the disposition of the fund. At Charleston the members of the Commercial Clubs of Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis disembarked. Full two hours on the dock was required to do business with the customs officers. The travelers had not brought home a great deal that was dutiable, but they did bring the most extensive and varied collection of souvenirs ever encountered by the officials of that port. Each member of the party was stocked with what had caught his fancy. Time was required to go over the individual inventories and to determine whether some of the unusual imports were dutiable. In the end the members got the benefit of doubt and the United States Treasury was not materially benefited by the cruise of the " PRINZ JOACHIM." Mr. Yeiser, of Cincinnati, had been captivated by a Panama monkey, "an amoosin' little cuss." The monkey was the only live souvenir. Mr. McCormick, of Chicago, had, perhaps, the most unique and valuable collection of material reminders of the places he had visited. He was one of the last to get away from the Chariest on dock. The mayor of St. Louis, Mr. Wells, had been honored with so many gift cigars by the various alcaldes he had met in \Vest Indian waters that the landing at Charleston was somcwh.:, embarrassing to him until the customs officers sho\\cd their appreciation of the situation. Dress patterns of pina cloth, the fibre of th Philippines, manufactured at Barcelona, had caught the eyes of Mr. \ -i-nt and Mr. Homer P. Knapp, of St. Louis. Mr. Bixhy and Mr. I)o/.ier, of the same city, went in for Panama hats. Mr. Chalmers, of Chicago, and Mr. Russell, of Boston, had enough of the bright-Colored beans and shells of Jamaica to supply a kindergarten. Al/'l r r 1 i i iiii / / \i Air. v_arleton, ol St. l.ouis, had searched the shops Ol I Jhispo street, on it>r "r.is. 'KM- "cbt I irr i; u i. . : ... : , . u. . Havana, with charming results. Enough Spanish fans to make the east wind envious were carried home to Boston. Mr. Carpenter, of Chicago, gathered the most varied assortment of strings of beads. Mr. Batcheller and Mr. Mandell of Boston, were among the members who secured extensive collections of post cards, while Mr. Geier, of Cincinnati, and Mr. Wright, of St. Louis, obtained complete assortments of the stamps of the Canal Zone and of the Republic of Panama. Mr. Morron, Mr. Swift and Mr. Wilson of Chicago, were among the most industrious and comprehensive collectors of souvenirs. Intermingled with the business transactions on the dock were the leave-takings, cordial and hearty. Warm friendships these masterful men from the four cities had formed in the three weeks afloat. A round dozen of the Bostonians elected to return to New York on the " PRINZ JOACHIM," braving Cape Hatteras a second time in a month. A lonely, heroic group they looked as they stood on the all but deserted deck. Every train out of Charleston that day carried , scattering members of the Commercial Clubs. Some hurried north on business. Some departed for Florida and other southern resorts to join waiting families. The largest party, made up of members of the Clubs of 'Chicago, Cincinnati, and St. Louis who were hastening direct to homes and duties, took a special train out of Charleston at four o'clock in the afternoon. This train reached Chattanooga next morning and Cincinnati in the evening, arriving in a severe rain storm. More farewells were said. The Chicago and St. Louis members left on the earliest trains for their respective cities. Washouts along the White river in Indiana delayed the St. ^___-_ Louis delegation twelve hours, giving Mr. Walker Hill, who had ^^ ^ ^_ T f^HBMniW*^ been put in charge of traveling arrangements, an excellent opportunity to show his ability as commissary. At 7 o'clock in the morning this bank president might have been seen picking his way along the single muddy street of the hamlet where the train lay storm bound. Under one arm Mr. Hill carried the entire stock of crackers of the only grocery in the place. Under the other arm he lugged a great section of cheese. To be eligible for membership in one of these Commercial Clubs, a candidate must be a man of affairs; he need not be a millionaire. Business or professional success and a marked degree of public spirit The ou Guard Leaving Charleston for New York, count. Money does not talk in the councils of the Commercial Clubs. On this voyage to the Isthmus the evidences of wealth were not conspicuous. A cap, a loose coat, a pair of trousers, an outing shirt, a belt, canvas shoes, constituted costume de rigeuer. There was no special 228 Reading from left to right: Wm. D. Mandell, S. Parker Bremer, W. B. Lawrence, S. L Harriett. Elihu Thomson, James R. Carter, H. J. MacFarland, R. A. Boit, F. B. Carpenter, J. M. Clark, William Whitman, C. S. Dennison. In the rear Lawrence Minot and W. R. H. Dwight. THE JOINT COMMITTEE AT LEISURE' Reading from left to right: Robt. Batcheller, Harry L. Laws, Hanford Crawford, Benj. Carpenter. dressing for dinner. Once on the cruise down the travelers broke the undin* colon. - Menken oi the ciub rule of go-as-you-please in dress, and that was in honor of Washington's Birthday, when, upon the appeal of the Joint Committee, dinner coats and dress shirts were brought out of the steamer trunks. A canvass of the party showed only four who could be classed as "retired" or as capitalists at leisure. The others had visible employment. Merchants were, perhaps, the most numerous class. Manufacturers were the close second in numbers. But both merchants and manufacturers represented a variety of interests, ranging through dry goods, drugs, hardware, wool, paper, meats, soap, woods, iron aad steel. Law, medicine, banking, insurance, journalism, were on the list of occupations shown by the roster. Managing officials of a score of great national corporations were in the party. From Boston came members of families whose names are part of the history of New England. Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis were represented by men who have been identified with the upbuilding of those cities for a quarter of a century. Perhaps nothing better illustrated the varied character of the membership of this party of nearly one hundred persons than the assignments to the groups for observation of conditions in the Canal Zone. Special adaptability was discovered for every line of inquiry. When, for example, the group on Housing and Food was made up, the membership included the commissary general of Massachusetts, two representatives of the National Biscuit company, an officer of one of the great meat packing concerns, a manufacturing chemist who, for recreation, conducts a model dairy, marketing the milk and cream of 800 cows. In his special message to Congress, last winter, the President said of this Panama Trip of the Commercial Clubs, then in contemplation. " It will offer as witnesses of the exact conditions men whose experience as business men and whose impartiality will make the result of their observations of value to the country as a whole. " The country has gained eighty-six eye-witnesses to exact conditions in the Canal Zone. These witnesses were not in any sense guests. They planned their itinerary. They paid their bills. Nowhere was any implied obligation of hospitality permitted to influence judgment. Governments and corporations have conducted expeditions to promote publicity. That is legitimate. But the resultant testimony must always be taken with due allowance for the enthusiasm of the guest. The Trip to Panama of the Commercial Clubs was of entirely different character from the so-called junket. Who can at this time begin to estimate the influence of this unique tour of inquiry? The Commercial Clubs have returned. The members of the Clubs have given out their impressions. Their utterances have gone to all parts of the country. But this is not the end. Indeed it is only the beginning. The eighty-six representatives of the four Commercial Clubs are standing witnesses. They have acquired thorough personal knowledge of conditions and are equipped to consider the problems of the Isthmus, as they may arise. Their evidence will be continuous. As the work progresses, as questions of detail come up, these witnesses will be qualified to express opinions and to support those opinions with statements of facts. Of the high estimate which people at once placed upon the impressions formed by the members of the Clubs, it was possible to realize some idea. In the cities of the four clubs invitations to deliver addresses were many. The public shared with the Government at Washington the opinion of the value to be put upon the impressions received by the members of these Clubs. In a few weeks following the return of the Commercial Clubs more than one hundred and fifty lectures or addresses upon the subject of the Canal were delivered by the members. Mr. James A. Green, of the Commercial Club of Cincinnati, prepared a lecture which he illustrated with 100 lantern slides. This lecture was delivered before the Commercial Club of Cincinnati. Mr. Green was immediately in request. He repeated his lecture twenty times to clubs and organizations in and about Cincinnati. "I consider it a patriotic duty," he said, "to tell the story of Panama and what the Government is doing. My experience is that the people are enthusiastic over the Panama Canal; that they appreciate its tremendous importance and that they foresee the day when the diplomacy, strategy and commerce of the western world will center about this Isthmus. " Mr. O. L. Whitelaw, president of the Commercial Club of St. Louis, was not far behind Mr. Green in the number of addresses delivered upon the results of the trip. The Boston Commercial Club devoted its annual meeting to "Panama;" and issued a program of surpassing interest. Other members of the Commercial Clubs have delivered addresses in relation to the trip, some of which are still being repeated as this book goes to press. Those members who gave special attention to climate, to ethical and welfare questions, were deeply impressed with the feeling that Americans who go to Panama to dig the Canal are subjected to peculiar and trying conditions; that they need the mental recreation and the moral encouragement which soldiers in the field must have to do their best. The President understood this wearying quality of the Panama atmosphere. He had seen it. Doubtless he had it in mind when speaking of the trip of the Commercial Clubs, he said : St. Michael's Church, City of Panama. 232 " Such interest as a visit like this would indicate will have a good effect upon the men who are doing the work." The morale of an army means a great deal in relation to its efficiency. The visit of the Commercial Clubs has resulted in more than the dissemination of accurate and comprehensible information of inestimable value to the whole country. It did great immediate good to the thousands of Americans on the digging line. It will make to a more correct appreciation of the consideration and encouragement which the folks at home must, in the coming years, extend to the army of Canal makers in the Zone. While observation of the Canal was the primary purpose, it was by no means all that made this cruise of the " PRINZ JOACHIM" a notable voyage of discovery. Grave problems humanitarian, political, commercial- exist in the islands south of the mainland of the United States. They are pressing for solution. The members of the Commercial Clubs have met these problems, not as on the printed page, darkly, but face to face. Three of the principal Islands of the West Indies the Commercial Clubs visited under most favoring conditions to form opinions. They saw Porto Rico, Jamaica and Cuba. Porto Rico is under stable government which encourages education and which gives popular representation in political forms approximating the territorial in the States. Jamaica has had the colonial policies in force for generations. Cuba's political status is what next? In progress toward higher civilization, toward material prosperity, Porto Rico is far in advance of the others. Jamaica is the same yesterday, today and forever, so long as the colonial system shall endure. That system is the Procrustean form of politics. Cuba was a revelation in material possibilities. Those members of the Clubs who made the overland journey from Guantanomo to Havana three-fourths of the length of the island saw a territory as large as Pennsylvania not one-half cleared. They saw soils derived from decomposition of an organic limestone of oceanic origin soils which produce the exhausting crop of sugar cane year after year without replanting. There are no soils in the States, or anywhere else in the Western Hemisphere, which offer such possibilities of production as Cuba's. As questions pertaining to our American 'Mediterranean develop questions other than those about the Panama Canal, questions of trade relations, of political policies it will be of incalculable value to the country to have these witnesses, who can speak out from personal knowledge of conditions. If this trip of the Commercial Clubs to Panama shall prove a precedent, so much the better for the country. There cannot be too much of personal inspection of the Canal. There cannot be too close personal acquaintance of professional and business Americans with other parts of the world, and especially with the islands to the south. 233 Charles Gordon Knox WITH flags at half mast, the band silent, not a handkerchief waving from the promenade deck, not a loud word of greeting, the " PRINZ JOACHIM" came to the dock at Charleston, early in the morning of March 12th. A few hours before the landing the unexpected death of Charles Gordon Knox, Secretary of the Commercial Club of St. Louis, had occurred. Mr. Knox had participated actively in the earlier part of the three weeks' cruise of the Clubs in the West Indies. He was not thought to be critically ill until after the steamer left Havana for Charleston. When he started on the trip from St. Louis, February 18th, he was, apparently, in good health. Two days after the steamer left Charleston, February 20th, Mr. Knox told several of the members that he was not feeling well, but he did not consult the physician accompanying the party, Dr. H. S. Warren, of Boston. He adopted such simple remedies as he thought the ailment called for. When the ship reached San Juan, Porto Rico, Mr. Knox was feeling so much better that he joined those of the party who elected to cross the island in carriages to Ponce, a distance of eighty-one miles. Mr. Knox rode in the carriage with Henry C. Scott, a fellow member of the Commercial Club of St. Louis. Mr. Knox spoke repeatedly of his enjoyment of this overland journey, long as it was. When he went on board the ship at Ponce, February 26th, he was not feeling so well, but he attended to business as an officer or the Club from St. Louis. On Wednesday Mr. Knox discovered that he had considerable fever. He carried with him a testing thermometer, and on trying it saw that his temperature was 104. This prompted him to call on Dr. Warren. The disease had not progressed to that stage which made a definite diagnosis possible. Dr. Warren gave his immediate and close attention to the patient. When the ship reached Colon Mr. Knox was much improved. He greatly desired to make the trip across the Isthmus and was so certain he felt entirely equal to it that the Doctor consented. Mr. Knox took the trip without apparent discomfort. He was much interested in the Canal work. In the division of members for systematic observation on the Isthmus, Mr. Knox was selected for chairman of the group on Housing and Food. He called together those who were to be associated with him and helped to plan the work before the arrival at Colon. This group made a thorough study of the housing policy and of the system of food supplies for the different classes of employees and labor. 234 When the party returned to the ship Saturday night, Mr. Knox was not so well. Shortly before the departure on the steamship Dr. Warren asked Colonel Gorgas, the head of the medical department of the Canal Zone, to see the patient. He was apprehensive that typhoid fever was developing. Dr. Gorgas confirmed the opinion. From that time Mr. Knox was confined to his state-room with a trained nurse in charge. The disease progressed slowly. Mr. Knox repeatedly expressed entire confidence that he would pull through. He dictated the telegrams to his wife and friends. He insisted that he was in no danger and that nothing alarming should be sent about him. Upon the arrival in Cuban waters the question of removing Mr. Knox from the ship to a hospital was considered. The situation was explained to the American officials. Governor Magoon took a personal interest in the matter. Dr. Jefferson R. Keane, the head of the American Medical Department in Cuba, saw Mr. Knox and make an examination of his condition. The patient was anxious to get home. Dr. Keane and the other physicians expressed the opinion that Mr. Knox was in no immediate danger, and that it would be better for him to proceed to a cooler climate. Acting upon the best advice obtainable, and in accordance with Mr. Knox's wishes, his friends decided to have him continue the voyage to Charleston, it being the purpose to have Mrs. Knox meet him there and to have him remain until able to proceed to St. Louis. At Havana, a second nurse especially qualified for care of typhoid fever, was taken on board. There was nothing to indicate a critical condition until Monday, March llth. In the forenoon complications caused alarm. Mr. Knox had trouble in breathing. Later in the day the lungs cleared and the patient was better. At five minutes to seven o'clock in the evening Mr. Knox was resting quietly and perfectly conscious. Mr. Scott said to him he would go to dinner. Mr. Knox replied, "All right." Ten minutes later Mr. Scott was summoned hastily by the nurse. At 7:30 p. m. Mr. Knox died. It was the opinion of those most familiar with the case that Mr. Knox must have brought the germs 01 the disease in his system when he came on board the ship at Charleston, Feby. 20th. The death of Mr. Knox was announced to the members of the Clubs just before the close of the dinner Monday evening. Mr. Burnett, of Boston, conveyed the sad information in a few impressive words. The hush that followed was broken only when eight members, two from each Club, were named to express the sense of loss and the feeling of sympathy for the bereaved. The memorial framed by the Committee was as follows : The members of the Commercial Clubs of Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis, returning from Panama on board the S. S. " PRINZ JOACHIM, " do, by their Committee appointed for the purpose, express the deep sorrow which i> felt by all, over the death at sea of our fellow-member Charles Gordon Knox, of St. Louis, on this the llth day of March, 1907, as we are nearing our first home port of Charleston. The respect and love felt for him by all who knew him, best testify to the high qualities of Mr. Knox. In his death the 235 Commercial Clubs lose one of their most valued members; one who cherished and maintained, by his unwavering devotion to duty, the high ideals of our Clubs. The hearts of all turn with deep sympathy to Mrs. Knox in her sad bereavement. WILLIAM WHITMAN, LUCIEN WULSIN, ELIHU THOMSON, J. G. Schmidlapp, Boston. Cincinnati. OSCAR L. WHITELAW, JOHN M. CLARK, WALKER HILL, BENJAMIN CARPENTER, St. Louis. Chicago. Mrs. Knox, who had been informed from time to time of her husband's illness, arrived in Charleston Tuesday morning shortly after the steamer docked. All arrangements had been planned to convey Mr. Knox to a hotel or to a hospital where he could remain until able to return to St. Louis, so confident were his friends up to the last day that he would reach Charleston and that he would recover. Henry C. Scott and Robert McKittriclc Jones, of St. Louis, had been unremitting in their attention to the sick man. The details of the funeral were left with them, Mrs. Knox being prostrated by the shock. With Mr. Scott and Mr. Jones were associated L. D. Dozier, Dan C. Nugent and Murray Carleton to represent the Commercial Club of St. Louis at the funeral. A special car attached to the northbound train conveyed Mrs. Knox and the committee to Morristown, New Jersey, where the burial took place on Thursday, March 14th. Mr. Knox was one of the most active members of the Commercial Club of St. Louis. He was a moving spirit in the arrangements for the Panama trip. Born at Yonkers, N. Y., January 17th, 1852, Mr. Knox attended Phillips Academy at Andover, Massachusetts, and studied at the University of Berlin. In 1887 he married Miss Edith Sherman and in 1888 he came from New York to St. Louis to take an official position with the National Stock Yards and with the Stock Yards bank. He was a member of the Second Presbyterian church, a trustee of Westminster College, of the Mercantile Library and of the Young Men's Christian Association. He was a director in the Mechanics- American National bank and the Commonwealth Trust Company. 236 SUNSET ON THE CARIBBEAN The Commercial Club of Boston Executive Committee WILLIAM A. BANCROFT, President, STEPHEN L. BARTLETT, Secretary, ROBERT M. BURNETT, Vice-President, R. HENRY W. DWIGHT, Treasurer, GEORGE S. MANDELL, JOHN G. WRIGHT, WILLIAM L. ALLEN. Members GORDON ABBOTT, President Old Colony Trust Co. President United Electric Securities Co. President Massachusetts Electric Cos. CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS, 2ND, Treasurer Harvard College. Trustee. WILLIAM L. ALLEN, W. H. Allen & Son, Leather Merchant:. CALVIN AUSTIN, President Consolidated Steamship Lines. FRANCIS B. AUSTIN, Austin & Dotin, Metals. WILLIAM A. BANCROFT, President Boston Elevated Railway Co. STEPHEN L. BARTLETT, President Stephen L. Bartlett Co., Importers Cocoa and Chocolate. ROBERT BATCHELLER, (Retired) WALTER C. BAYLIES, Armory, Brown & Co., Dry Goods Commission. MARCUS BEEBE, Lucius Beebe & Sons, Leather Merchants. A. D. S. BELL, Real Estate FRANK B. BE.MIS, Estabrook & Co., Bankers. HOMER L. BIGELOW, Bigelow, Kennard & Co., Jewelers. ROBERT A. BOIT, Insurance Trustee of Estates. WILLIAM H. BOWKER, President Bowker Fertilizer Co. S. PARKER BREMER, Parker, Wilder & Co., Dry Goods Commission. EVERETT W. BURDETT, Moody, Burdett, Wardwell Sc Snow, Lawyers. ROBERT M. BURNETT, President Joseph Burnett Co., Manufacturing Chemists. TIMOTHY E. BYRNES, Vice-President New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. 239 Members Continued FREDERICK B. CARPENTER, Geo. O. Carpenter & Son, Insurance. JAMES R. CARTER, Treasurer Carter, Rice & Co., Wholesale Paper. HENRY B. CHAPIN, Schirmer, Chapin & Emmons, Stock Brokers. CHARLES F. CHOATE, President Massachusetts Hospital Life Ins. Co. President Essex Co. B. PRESTON CLARK, Trustee. EDMUND D. CODMAN, Trustee Lawyer. EDMUND W. CONVERSE, Converse, Stanton & Co., Dry Goods Commission. CHARLES E. COTTING, Real Estate. HARRY W. CUMNER, Cumner, Jones & Co. President Boylston National Bank. CHARLES F. CUTLER, President Eastern Drug Co. CHARLES S. DENNISON, Vice-President and Treasurer Dennison Mfg. Co., Manufacturing Stationers. GEORGE A. DRAPER, Treasurer Draper Co., Cotton Machinery. R. HENRY W. DWIGHT, Superintendent National Express Co. Wells, Fargo & Co. Express. CHARLES L. EDGAR, President Edison Electric Illuminating Co. JOHN A. FENNO, Superintendent and Treasurer Boston, Revere Beach & Lynn R. R. Co. FREDERICK P. FISH, President American Telephone & Telegraph Co. WILLIAM A. GASTON, Gaston, Snow & Saltonstall, Lawyers. CURTIS GUILD, Proprietor Boston Commercial Bulletin. HENRY L. HIGGINSON, Lee Higginson & Co., Bankers. JOHN H. HOLMES, Editor Boston Herald. JEROME JONES, President Jones, McDuffee & Stratton Co., Crockery & Glassware. WILLIAM B. LAWRENCE, Lawyer. E. D. LEAVITT, Consulting Engineer. WILLIAM H. LINCOLN, (Retired) JOHN D. LONG, Lawyer. CHARLES L. LOVERING, Treasurer Merrimack Mfg. Co. Treasurer Massachusetts Cotton Mills. Treasurer Massachusetts Mills in Georgia. GEORGE S. MANDELL, Boston Transcript. WILLIAM D. MANDELL, C. F. Hovey & Co., Dry Goods. EDWARD P. MASON, (Retired) CHARLES S. MELLEN, President New York, New Haven c Hartford R. R. Co. LAURENCE MINOT, Trustee. CHARLES MOORE, Chairman Executive Committee Submarine Signal Co. HOMEWARD BOUND Those who braved Hatteras the second time. Reading from left to right: Top row Stephen L. Bartlett, Elihu Thomson, Jas. R. Carter, William Whitman, Robert A. Boit, Robt. M. Burnett, H. L. Rice, F. B. Carpenter. Middle row C. H. Conover, N. H. Davis, von Leitner (Captain), John M. Clark, H. J. MacFarland. Lower Row Charles S. Dennison, R. H. W. Dwight, W. D. Mandell, W. B. Lawrence. Members Continued HENRY C. MORSE, (Retired) HENRY W. PEABODY, Henry W. Peabody & Co., New York & Boston, Expoi & Import Commission Merchants. ROBERT S. PEABODY, Peabody & Stearns, Architects. GEORGE F. PUTNAM, President Hill Mfg. Co. HARRY L. RICE, Treasurer Rice & Hutchins, Shoe Manufacturers. JAMES L. RICHARDS, President Boston Consolidated Gas Co. JOSEPH B. RUSSELL, President West End Street Railway Co. Treasurer Boston Warf Co. Vice-President State Street Trust Co. JAMES J. STORROW, Lee Higginson & Co., Bankers. GEORGE F. SWAIN, Professor Civil Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Member Boston Transit Commission. Engineer Massachusetts Railroad Commission. , CHARLES H. TAYLOR, Jr., Business Manager Boston Globe. ELIHU THOMSON, Electrician and Engineer. General Electric Co. FREDERIC A. TURNER, Vice-President Boston Plate and Window Glass Co. LUCIUS TUTTLE, President Boston & Maine R. R. Co. EDGAR VAN ETTEN, Vice-President New York Central & Hudson River R. R. Co. BENJAMIN VAUGHAN, Merchant. JOHN W. WEEKS, Hornblower & Weeks, Bankers. Vice-Presidenf First National Bank. WILLIAM WHITMAN, President Arlington Mills. President Whitman Mills. President Manomet Mills. Harding, Whitman & Co. CHARLES W. WHITTIER, C. W. Whittier & Bro., Real Estate. MOSES WILLIAMS, Lawyer. SIDNEY W. WINSLOW, President United Shoe Machinery Co. ROBERT WINSOR, Kidder, Peabody & Co., Bankers. JOHN G. WRIGHT, Wool Merchant. The Commercial Club of Chicago Executive Committee JOHN V. FARWELL, JR., President, JOHN W. SCOTT, Secretary, JOHN R. MORRON, Vice-President, DAVID R. FORGAN, Treasurer, GEORGE E. ADAMS, THEODORE W. ROBINSON, CLYDE M. CARR, JOHN G. SHEDD, Louis F. SWIFT. Members GEORGE E. ADAMS, Real Estate. ARTHUR T. ALOIS, Aldis & Company. J. OGDEN ARMOUR, President Armour & Co. FRANK H. ARMSTRONG, Secretary Reid-Murdoch & Co. EDWARD E. AVER, Ayer & Lord Tie Co. ALFRED L. BAKER, Alfred L. Baker & Co. EDGAR A. BANCROFT, Scott, Bancroft, Lord & Stephens. ADOLPHUS C. BARTLETT, President Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co. CHARLES L. BARTLETT, President Orangeine Chemical Co. ENDS M. BARTON, President Western Electric Co. NELSON P. BIGELOW, President Bigelow Bros. & Walker Co. RICHARD M. BISSELL, Hartford Fire Ins. Co., Hartford, Conn. ELIPHALET W. BLATCHFORD, (Retired) W. VERNON BOOTH, President A. Booth & Co. JOSEPH T. BOWEN, Vice-President Metropolitan Surety Co. J. HARLEY BRADLEY, President David Bradley Mfg. Co. ANDREW BROWN, New York. WILLIAM L. BROWN, President American Ship Building Co. CLARENCE BUCKINGHAM, John H. Wrenn & Co. EUGENE J. BUFFINGTON, President Illinois Steel Co. 244 Members Continued DANIEL H. BURNHAM, Architect. * EDWARD B. BUTLER, President Butler Bros. AUGUSTUS A. CARPENTER, (Retired) BENJAMIN CARPENTER, George B. Carpenter & Co. CLYDE M. CARR, Vice-President J. T. Ryerson & Son. EDWARD F. CARRY, Second Vice-President American Car and Foundry Co. LESLIE CARTER, Chairman South Side Elevated Ry. Co. WILLIAM J. CHALMERS, President Commercial National Safe Deposit Co. JOHN M. CLARK, Chairman Chicago Telephone Co. WILLIAM E. CLOW, Vice-President James B. Clow & Sons. ROBERT C. CLOWRY, New York. JOHN W. G. COFRAN, General Agent Hartford Insurance Co. CHARLES H. CONOVER, Vice-President Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co. CHARLES R. CORWITH, Real Estate. ALFRED COWLES, President Rialto Company. RENNSELAER W. Cox, President Pioneer Cooperage Co. CHARLES R. CRANE, 1st Vice-President Crane Co. RICHARD T. CRANE, President Crane Co. J. J. DAU, Vice-President Reid-Murdoch Co. CHARLES G. DAWES, President Central Trust Co. FREDERIC A. DELANO, President Wabash R. R. Co. THOMAS E. DONNELLEY, President R. R. Donnelley & Sons Co. JOHN M. DURAND, New York. ALBERT J. EARLING, President C., M. ic St. P. Ry. Co. BERNARD A. ECKHART, President Eckhart & Swan Milling Co. FRANCIS C. FARWELL, Secretary John V. Farwell Co. GRANGER FARWELL, Granger Fanvell & Co. JOHN V. FARWELL, JR., John V. Fanvell & Co. SAMUEL M. FELTON, President Chicago & Alton Railroad Co. Louis A. FERGUSON, 2d Vice-President Chicago-Edison Co. STANLEY FIELD, Vice-President Marshall Field & Co. LEITH A. J. FORBES, Scotland. EDWIN G. FOREMAN, President Foreman Bros. Banking Co. DAVID R. FORGAN, President National City Bank. JAMES B. FORGAN, President First National Bank. 24S Members Continued WILLIAM A. FULLER LYMAN J. GAGE, New York. JOHN J. GLESSNER, International Harvester Co. FREDERICK GREELEY, Treasurer Greeley-Howard Co. ERNEST A. HAMILL, President Corn Exchange National Bank. J. T. HARAHAN, President Illinois Central R. R. Co. JOHN F. HARRIS, Harris, Winthrop & Co. TURLINGTON W. HARVEY (Retired). FRANKLIN H. HEAD, Capitalist. HARLOW N. HIGINBOTHAM (Retired). CHARLES H. HODGES, Detroit, Mich. MARVIN HUGHITT, President C. & N. W. Ry. Co. CHARLES H. HULBURD, President Elgin National Watch Co. CHARLES L. HUTCHINSON, Vice-President Corn Exchange National Bank. JAMES L. HOUGHTELING, Peabody, Houghteling & Co. SAMUEL INSULL, President Chicago-Edison Co. DAVID B. JONES, President Mineral Point Zinc Co. FRANK H. JONES, Secretary American Trust & Savings Bank. CHAUNCEY KEEP, Trustee Marshall Field Estate, EDWARD D. KENNA, Capitalist. WILLIAM KENT, Capitalist. ROLLIN A. KEYS, Franklin MacVeagh & Co. CHARLES F. KIMBALL, President C. P. Kimball & Co. HERMAN H. KOHLSAAT, H. H. Kohlsaat & Co. VICTOR F. LAWSON, President Chicago Daily News Co. THIES J. LEFENS, Real Estate. ROBERT T. LINCOLN, President The Pullman Co. HUGH J. MCBIRNEY, Assistant Manager National Lead Co. A. A. McCoRMICK, Indianapolis Star. CYRUS H. MCCORMICK, President International Harvester Co. HAROLD F. MCCORMICK, Vice-President International Harvester Co. MEDILL MCCORMICK, Chicago Tribune. HIRAM R. MCCULLOUGH, Vice-President C. & N. W. Ry. Co, HENRY J. MACFARLAND, President M. D. Wells Co. FRANKLIN MACVEAGH, Franklin MacVeagh & Co. 246 Members Continued CLAYTON MARK, National Malleable Castings Co. ROBERT MATHER, Vice-President C., R. I. 4 P. Ry. Co. ARTHUR MEEKER, Director Armour & Co. GEORGE MERRYWEATHER, President Railway Exchange Bank. JOHN J. MITCHELL, President Illinois Trust It Savings Bank. JOHN R. MORRON, President Diamond Glue Co. JOY MORTON, Joy Morton & Co. MARK MORTON, Treasurer International Salt Co. PAUL MORTON, President Equitable Life Ins. Society. WILLIAM MUNRO, London. THOMAS MURDOCH, President Reid-Murdoch Co. MURRY NELSON (Retired). CHAS. D. NORTON, General Agent Northwestern Mutual Life Ins. Co. FRANK B. NOYES, Chicago Record-Herald. LA VERNE W. NOYES, President Aermotor Co. JOSEPH E. OTIS, President Western Trust 4 Savings Bank. FRANCIS B. PEABODY, Peabody, Houghteling & Co. KRSKINE M. PHELPS, Phelps & Dodge. ALLEN B. POND, Pond & Pond, Architects. EDWIN A. POTTER, President American Trust & Savings Bank. HENRY H. PORTER, Capitalist. WILLIAM H. RAND (Retired), NORMAN B. REAM, Capitalist. ALEXANDER H. REVELL, President A. Revell & Co. THEODORE W. ROBINSON, First Vice-President Illinois Steel Co. EDWARD P. RIPLEY, President A. T. & S. F. Ry. Co. MARTIN A. RYERSON, Capitalist. JAMES GAMBLE ROGERS, Architect, New York. JOHN W. SCOTT, Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co. Louis A. SEEBERGER, Seeberger & Richards, Real Estate. H. G. SELFRIDGE, London. JOHN G. SHEDD, President Marshall Field & Co. BYRON L. SMITH, President Northern Trust Co. WALTER B. SMITH, John H. Wrenn & Co. 247 Members Continued JOHN A. SPOOR, President Union Stock Yards & Transit Co. A. A. SPRAGUE, II., Sprague, Warner & Co. ALBERT A. SPRAGUE, President Sprague, Warner & Co. OTHO S. A. SPRAGUE, Sprague, Warner & Co. HOMER A. STILLWELL, Manager Butler Bros. MELVILLE E. STONE, President Associated Press, New York. CHARLES L. STROBEL, President Strobel Steel Construction Co. B. E. SUNNY, Manager General Electric Co. EDWARD F. SWIFT, Vice-President Swift & Co. Louis F. SWIFT, President Swift & Co. CHARLES H. THORNE, Treasurer Montgomery Ward & Co. EDWARD A. TURNER, President Ewart Mnfg. Co. FREDERIC W. UPHAM, Vice-President Peabody Coal Co. EMERSON B. TUTTLE, Real Estate. CHARLES H. WACKER, President Chicago Heights Land Association. WALTER H. WILSON, Vice-President Western Trust & Savings Bank. JOHN E. WILDER, Wilder & Co. ARTHUR D. WHEELER, President Chicago Telephone Co. WILLIAM S. WARREN, President Hulburd, Warren & Co. The Commercial Club of Cincinnati Executive Committee EDWARD GOEPFER, President, FRANK A. LEE, Vice-President, JULIUS FLEISCHMANN, A. H. CHATFIELD, Secretary, JOHN OMWAKE, Treasurer, JAMES A. GREEN, HARRY L. LAWS. Active Members THOMAS W. ALLEN, President John H. Hibben Dry Goods Co. WM. H. ALLEN, President The Alms & Doepke Co. L. A. AULT, President The Ault & Wiborg Co. WM. J. BREED, President The Crane & Breed Mnfg. Co. LEE H. BROOKS, President The Pettibone Bros. Mnfg. Co. B. W. CAMPBELL, Vice-President The Perkins-Campbell Co. J. T. CAREW, President The Mabley & Carew Co. A. H. CHATFIELD, President The Chatfield & Woods Co. NATHANIEL HENCHMAN DAVIS, President Central Trust & Safe Deposit Co. CHARLES W. DURRELL, Durrell Bros. RICHARD DYMOND, Manager Glenn Estates. THOMAS P. EGAN, President The J. A. Fay Sc Egan Co. WALTER H. FIELD, Vice-President The American Cotton Oil Co. JULIUS FLEISCHMANN, President The Fleischmann Co. DAVID B. GAMBLE, Director of The Proctor & Gamble Co. FREDERICK A. GEIER, President The Cincinnati Milling Machine Co. JAMES M. GLENN, Manager Glenn Estates. EDWARD GOEPPER, President The Herman Goepper Co. I'mviN C. GOSHORN, Manager National Lead Co. JAMES A. GREEN. Matthew Addy & Co. Bancroft Library Active Members Continued WM. M. GREENE, CHARLES L. HARRISON, Harrison Estate. JAMES J. HOOKER, President The Putnam-Hooker Co. M. E. INGALLS, Chairman C. C. C. & St. L. Ry. Co. FRANK J. JONES, President Little Miami R. R. Co. HARRY M. LANE, President The Lane & Bodley Co. PERIN LANGDON, The National Biscuit Co. HARRY L. LAWS, James H. Laws & Co. FRANK A. LEE, President The John Church Co. WM. LODGE, President The Lodge & Shipley Co. LAWRENCE MAXWELL, JR., Lawyer, Maxwell & Ramsey. D. B. MEACHAM, Rogers Brown & Co. A. B. MEADER, Secretary The Meader Furniture Co. Jos. S. NEAVE, Superintendent City Street Cleaning Dept. JOHN OMWAKE, President The U. S. Playing Card Co. WM. COOPER PROCTOR, President The Proctor & Gamble Co. W. S. ROWE, President First National Bank. J. G. SCHMIDLAPP, President The Union Savings Bank & Trust Co. STEWART SHILLITO, President The John Shillito Co. BRADFORD SHINKLE, President Covington & Cincinnati Bridge Co. N. W. STROBRIDGE, Vice-President The Strobridge Lith. Co. W. W. TAYLOR, President The Rookwood Pottery Co. PETER G. THOMSON, President The Champion Coated Paper Co. ALBERT B. VOORHEIS, First Vice-President The Union Savings Bank & Trust Co. JOHN W. WARRINGTON, Lawyer, Paxton & Warrington. AUGUSTUS WESSEL, President The Cincinnati Railway Supply Co. WM. WORTHINGTON, Lawyer. CLIFFORD B. WRIGHT, Vice-President First National Bank LUCIEN WULSIN, President The Baldwin Piano Co. H. C. YEISER, President The Globe-Wernicke Co. Honorary Member WM. H. TAFT, Secretary of War, Washington, D. C. 250 THOMAS MORRISON, Thos. Morrison & Co. A. HOWARD HINKLE, ALEXANDER MCDONALD, Standard Gil Co. HARLEY T. PROCTER, New York City. Retired Members JAMES E. MOONEY, President The American Oak Leather Co. Non-Resident Members THOMAS T. GAFF, Washington, D. C. RALPH PETERS, President Long Island R. R. Co., New York City. S. M. FELTON, President Chicago & Alton R. R. Co., Chicago. -'M The Commercial Club of St. Louis Executive Committee JAMES A. WATERWORTH, President, W. H. LEE, Treasurer, DAVID R. FRANCIS, V 'ice-President, ALFRED L. SHAPLEIGH, Secretary, OSCAR L. WHITELAW, HANFORD CRAWFORD, EDWARD MALLINCKRODT. Active Members ELMER B. ADAMS, DANIEL CATLIN, U. S. Circuit Judge. Manufacturer (Retired). JOSEPH D. BASCOM, E. C. COWDERY, Secretary-Treasurer Broderick & Bascom Rope Co. General Manager Laclede Gas Light Co. W. K. BIXBY, HANFORD CRAWFORD, Chairman American Car & Foundry Co. President Scruggs-Vandervoort-Barney Dry Goods Co. HARRY L. BLOCK, H - N. DAVIS, President Union Sand & Material Co. President Smith & Davis Manufacturing Co. HUDSON E. BRIDGE, L - D - DOZIER, President Bridge & Beach Mnfg. Co. R- B. DULA, ROBT. S. BROOKINGS, Director The American Tobacco Co. Vice-President Sam'l Cupples Wooden Ware Co. GEORGE L. EDWARDS, AoOLPHUS BUSCH, President A. G. Edwards Brokerage Co. .... .... BENJAMIN EISEMAN. President Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association. , r-, Merchant. MURRAY CARLETON, HOWARD ELLIOTT, President Carleton Dry Goods Co. V It M m i Northern Pacific Ry. Co. GEO. O. CARPENTER, ALEXANDER EUSTON, Resident Manager National Lead Co. Manufacturer THOMAS W. CARTER, DAVID R FRANC ^ Gram Commission. Francis, Brother & Co. 252 THE LOG CABIN GROUP Reading from left to right: Those sitting George M. Wright, Murray Carleton, David R. Francis, Charles W. Knapp. Those standing: L. D. Dozier, Rolla Wells. Active Members Continued WM. E. GUY, Railroads. HENRY C. HAARSTICK, St. Louis Union Trust Co. WALKER HILL, President The Mechanics'- American National Bank. JOHN A. HOLMES, J. A. Holmes Lumber Co. CHARLES H. HUTTIG, President Third National Bank. ROBT. McK. JONES, R. McK. Jones & Co. SAMUEL M. KENNARD, President J. Kennard & Sons Carpet Co. CHARLES W. KNAPP, President Publishers: George Knapp & Co. HOMER P. KNAPP, Vice-President Butler Bros. W. H. LEE, President The Merchants-Laclede National Bank F. W. LEHMANN, Lawyer. THOMAS H. McKirrRiCK, President Hargadine-McKittrick Dry Goods Co. EDW. MALLINCKRODT, President Mallinckrodt Chemical Works. GEORGE D. MARKHAM. \V. H. Markham & Co. THEO. F. MEYER, Vice-President Meyer Bros. Drug Co. ROBERT MOORE, Consulting Engineer. CHAS. NAGEL, Lawyer. F. G. NlEDRINGHAUS, President National Enrmeling & Stamping Co. D. C. NUGENT, First Vice-President B. Nugent it Bro. D. G. Co. O. H. PECKHAM, President National Candy Co. H. CLAY PIERCE, Chairman Waters-Pierce Oil Co. Jos. RAMSEY, JR. HENRY C. SCOTT, President Laclede Power Co. E. G. Sc UDDER, President Scudder-Gale Grocer Co. A. L. SHAPLEIGH, Treasurer Norvell-Shapleigh Hardware Co. JOHN F. SHEPLEY, Vice-President St. Louis Union Trust Co. D. S. H. SMITH, Local Treasurer The Missouri Pacific Ry. Co. WILLIAM TAUSSIG, President St. Louis Bridge Co. L. B. TEBBETTS, Manufacturer. FESTUS J. WADE, President Mercantile Trust Co. JULIUS S. WALSH, Chairman of the Board, Terminal R. R. Association of St. Louis. Chairman Mississippi Valley Trust Co. JAMES A. WATERWORTH, Fire Insurance. ROLLA WELLS, Mayor of City of St. Louis. J. J. WERTHEIMER, President Wertheimer-Schwarts Shoe Co. 2S5 Active Members Continued THOMAS H. WEST, President St. Louis Union Trust Co. EDWARDS WHITAKER, Stock & Bond Broker. OSCAR L. WHITELAW, Merchant. GEORGE M. WRIGHT, Vice-President and General Manager Wrn. Barr Dry Goods Co. E. F. YOAKUM, Chairman Ex. Com. St. Louis & San Francisco R. R. Co. Honorary Members JOHN C. BATES, Lieutenant-General U. S. A. (Retired) CYRUS B. BURNHAM, Merchant (Retired). W. S. CHAPLIN. Ex- Chancellor Washington University. SAMUEL CUPPLES, President Sam'l Cupples Wooden Ware Co. S. M. DODD, President Wagner Electric Manufacturing Co. GEO. S. DRAKE, Banker (Retired). ETHAN ALLEN HITCHCOCK, Ex- Secretary of the Interior. RUFUS J. LACKLAND, President Boatmen's Bank. E. C. SIMMONS, Simmons Hardware Co. JOHN A. Sc UDDER, Capitalist. E. O. STANARD, President E. O. Stanard Milling Co.