TWO STEAM SHOVELS NOW W OPERATION test holes disclose water to be contended with at depth of 30 feet on sand ridge cutoff cut off prom saturdays standard great activity exists at the sand cutoff cut off southwest of ogden thirty three four horse scrapers two steam shovels and men are working ten hours a day opening through what was formerly an irregular mass of hot glistening sand a cut that will average nearly thirty feet in depth the larger of the steam shovels is working on the west end two trains of eight cars each are kept constantly carrying away the sand that is up in three yard quantities at every dip of the shovel the large amount of earth removed per day can be realized when it is stated that the eight cars holding sik square yards of dirt per car arc filled in the short space of twelve minutes the dirt removed Is moved from the road by a puffing little engine and dumped along the south aide of the cut three times will the sand removing machine go over the course of the road before the necessary depth is reached following the steam shovel clearing away lighter quantities of band are the scrapers Sl ushers are not used as no water has yet been encountered but tet wells sunk reveal water at a depth of from thirty to fifty feet although no cars are now used on the east side a large force of men and one steam shovel is busy cleaning away the sand for two dumping roads that will follow the contour of the river bank the dirt removed on this end will bo allowed to slide down the embankment ban kment to the river bed below WITTES appointment WILL HELP negotiations oyster bay july 14 important details concerning the forthcoming conference between plenipotentiaries representing russia and japan and matters relating to the construction of the panama canal were under consideration today by president roosevelt he and arp roosevelt has as guests at luncheon at their sagamore hill home minister Ta kahira of japan theodore chairman and john F stevens chief engineer of the isthmian canal commission and thomas V hynes auditor pt porto rico several days ago mr Ta kahira made an engagement to see the president today about some other details of the peace conference to be held at portsmouth the japanese minister arrived heie from new york he was met at the fc by one of the presidents secretaries who escorted him sagamore hill assurance was given that the ministers visit was not of notable significance he bore no special advice to president roosevelt from the japanese government he discussed with mr roosevelt some points about the approaching conference but it is announced that no date was agreed upon for the reception of russian and japanese envoys by the president minister Ta kahira could not say positively when baron komura the japanese minister of foreign affairs who Is the principal envoy of japan to the conference would arrive in this country he is en route now from japan and is expected to reach new york about tho if M witte the chief plenipotentiary of russia shall bavo arrived by that time the reception to the envoys by the president will probably take place at sagamore hill on august let tho precise date will bo determined by the state department part ment of a conference between tho recently appointed secretary ellhu root and the plenipotentiaries it Is the expectation that the envoys will come from new york to oyster bay on the cruiser mayflower and the despatch boat dolphin they will bo accompanied by secretary root and perhaps by other officials of the state department they will go directly by tho same vessel from oyster bay 0 o ports mouth minister Ta kahira expressed his personal gratification at the designation of M aute as the leading plenipotentiary of russia he that M witte was one of dussias Rus sias mot eminent statesmen and his appointment would lend confidence to the conclusions of the conference he said that arrangements for the conference were moving along smoothly and expressed the hops that a satisfactory agreement would be reached itar Ta kahira after taking luncheon with the president left oyster cay for now york on the chairman shonta and chief engineer stevans with the president como time after tho departure of minister Ta kahira this was the first opportunity port unity the president had had to discuss canal matters with mr i and they went over the subject thoroughly As both mr shonta and mr stevens expect to sail for panama on the int alio president desired with them bufore ther dc 0 o consult nol likely that mr stevans will of the executive member be made a committee of the isthmian commission jsn occupied by his a it can be said however has been ghen tha amr hand t do construction a free ark he has his on ideas about to dd will not ands be pursue shered SS ered with in the work of his tal io thai great undertaking ho and ability t executive administrative ma out by chairman details to bo and the corn magoon shoals conference yon ference with the talked t virnia oan president y i frankly ab conditions our m aslon and cana talk with ral character about he was ol 01 sa s1 prudent desired canal evans before w left for mr stevena both to see 5 with the oTres ot the work just of us abo k now wo have about as many on tho under the existing could loy as we our executive conditions anizel now but the taff thoroughly 0 r ed organization h 7 parac kofl 1111 staff must be organized and its work mapped out we must make arrangements for the housing feeding and general care of our cm aloyes in itself a great task and we must complete the sanitary arrangements in the american zone all this will require time and energy and hard work but it will be accomplished sue cess tully I 1 have about concluded ar range ments with a man who Is to 10 ha go isthmus to arrange for the recreation of the canal we will have reading rooms amusement halls and al that sort of thing by means of which the men will pass their idle hours pleasantly and profitably no continued mr shouts in response to an inquiry the sanitary conditions on the isthmus arc not so bad as they have been represented A lot of people have become frightened by the yellow fever but if is not so bad as might be expected judge ma goon sent reports of present con and they have been made pub he precisely as he sent them he and I 1 agreed before we w ent to panama that the exact conditions should be made public and that agreement has been kept out ot twenty cases of yellow fever in may we lost only two and in june out of more than twice that number we lost only four the sanitary conditions are being bettered all the time and as boon as wo complete arrangements for moie adequate supply of pure water we shall have little or no difficulty my belief Is thai the actual digging of the canal will have to bo done by laborer inured to the tropical climate that labor we shall be able to get without any serious trouble ached whether it was his idea to use chinese labor in the canal to any extent he replied that some Chinese the rice fields of southern china probably would meet the labor require ments of the isthmus buthe doubted whether the northern could live and work la the tropical tro climate ot panama adverting to the panama railroad he said we have been devoting a good deal of time recently to the panama railroad it is now in excellent condition ahli it Is mv 47 miles long the road including the necessary sidings and spurs has nearly miles of track the traffic over it is very heavy such business is purely comm mercial and that business is large is handled just as it would be by an other railroad and such business as the road does is charged the canal commission as part of the canal construction expenses chairman was asked whether he could say anything regarding the proposed transfer of the canal commission and its affairs from tho war to the state department 1 I think he replied ou oud be belter able to get that information from the president I 1 can say however that no definite conclusion has yet been reached so far as I 1 am personally concerned it make no difference whether the canal affairs vere directed by secretary or by secretary root both arc equipped ad for the work ahe transfer is a matter with which I 1 have notions to do mr shoals did not TIOW how long he might remain on the isthmus NEW SYNDICATE OPPOSES theatrical TRUST JH new york july 14 announcement of a new combination of actors in america against what Is known as the theatrical trust wa made today by lee shubert the leading companies la be new combination are headed by david belasco and mrs minnie madden fiske lee shubert will manage the line of theaters which will be placed at the disposal of mr belasco mrs alsko and others tho new combine will back quteen companies on the road and such actors as sarah bernhardt ada rehan jefferson de angulis Ang clis henry miller lillian russell david warfield ld blanche bates bertha galland robert hilleard Hill lard mrs biake and mrs leshe carter the actors under the new management expect within another week to have a sufficient number of theaters on their own circuit in america to play the year round mr shubert an thai as this company now has fourteen play houses under its control including theaters in new york philadelphia chicago st louis and london england and that within a week he would be able to open a dozen more to his attractions besides these places the new combination is counting upon the support of independent houses all over tho country the amendment by the theatrical syndicate managers of a contract which mr shir bert says he made with them agreeing to pay them 55 per cent of the profits on all of the syndicate attractions booked at his theaters was the cause of his break from the trust ranks his friendliness toward david belasco during the last two months he said was a further cause of the new combine we signed a contract with the theatrical syndicate which la headed by klaw erlanger agreeing that the syndicate could book their attractions in our houses for 25 per cent of the profits for a period of five years eald mr shubert after we had signed this contract a letter was dent to us by the syndicate askin us to amend the contract by agreeing not to add any more theaters to our own circuit mr shubert says at this point he has only eight heaters in his own circuit and did not feel strong enough to make a fight against the syndicate when I 1 asked mr shubert continued why this new amendment was required I 1 was told that our company had violated its contract with the dacate by refusing to accept ame of other attractions which they had booked at our houses they said this was a violation of our contract with them though that document contained the provision that tho syndicate attractions were at all times subject to our omer after this conversation the matter was allowed to rest tor a time meanwhile tho lyric theatre company way extending its own circuit and acquiring new attractions tr when our company was building tho garrock theater in st louis the syndicate told us that we would not bo allowed lo 10 g book our own attractions in our own houses it we pursued our policy and yet at their convenience they always filled their theaters with our attractions on my return aiom europe last juno I 1 was met by mr erlanger and had a chat with him about patching un our difficulties he told roe that it I 1 did not book in any of our theaters I 1 could have anything I 1 because I 1 booked belasco in one of our houses the garrock Garr lck he said that the tours of the royal chef and of fantana already booked wore off let mo say in the present move we are not attempting io fight the bandi cato but merely m aalf protection trying to and a for our own attract altin