CHAGRES RIVER GRAVEL BEDS. PLATE 65. WASHING AND SCREENING PLANT IN OPERATION. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT BARGES BEING APPENDIX D. REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT MECHANICAL DIVISION. BALBOA, CANAL ZONE, July 15, 1915. SIR: In accordance with the Acting Governor's circular letter of June 19, 1915, I have the honor to submit the following relative to the operations of the mechanical division for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1915. Organization. The general organization of the division was the same as for the last fiscal year. The superintendent, assistant superintendent, mechanical engineer, chief clerk, and traveling engineer, together with certain subordinates in clerical and drafting positions, were considered as on general duty in the division. There was an authorized organization for each establishment, but the approval of the organization of the division as a whole permitted draftsmen, foremen, clerks, and mechanics to be detailed by the superintendent to any shop or plant as might seem desirable to insure the best accomplishment of the work. This arrangement gives the greatest flexibility and permits the minimum of excess positions in the organization to allow for temporary fluctuations in force caused by resignations, leaves, and other casualties. In addition to their general duties, the assistant superintendent has been in special charge of the Balboa shops and the mechanical engineer in charge of the oil-fuel pumping plants. At the end of the fiscal year the establishments in operation by the division consisted of the Balboa shops, including car shop and roundhouse, the Paraiso shops, the Cristobal Dry Dock shops, the Cristobal roundhouse, the Cristobal car shop, car inspection forces at Balboa and Mount Hope, fuel-oil pumping plants at Balboa and Mount Hope, and a small hostling establishment at Gamboa. other establishments in operation at the end of the previous fiscal year were discontinued at various times, in accordance with comments contained in the paragraphs below. All The general character of the work performed by the mechanical division is in a state of transition from the construction conditions, under which the majority of the work was on railroad and railroad excavating equipment, to the condition of operation, under which the amount of railroad equipment to be looked after will be small and the railroad excavating equipment almost nil. Under the operating conditions work on dredging equipment and work on floating equipment of other kinds, together with such work as may come to the shops from vessels using the canal, will constitute the majority of the work. In September, 1914, the condition of dredging work in the Cut justified the belief that there would be no difficulty in maintaining the canal open for maximum traffic without interruption, and expected changes in through freight transportation incident to the policy of |