Trucks and trains were hauling away the rock and dirt from the site to places where they can be safely dumped. Excavators carve into the mountains with every bucket full of earth. We dig, we blast away, and keep on moving forward. Garrett and I have sent the plans to other companies whom might be willing to bring their machines to the site.
Machines were not the only things coming in to the work site. Soon nurses, doctors, cooks, and even teachers were coming to the site to help out. Many of the workers here have children of their own, and want to stay close to their families while they work. The work hours are long, but the rewards and the big payoff in the end are well-deserved.
The Tier 4 locomotives are pulling out trains filled with overburden from the site. The locomotives, which the workers call 'Mules', are the main supply line for the workers as well. They haul out the earth being dug out, and haul the supplies needed from building supplies to medicine and food. Anything that was needed on the site was brought in.
The Golden Eagle Excavation and Mining Company and the Iron talon Earthworks were the only companies whom took up the job of building the canal. We maybe short on machines, but we have the heart. We will have to make do with what we've got, and our crews don't seem to mind. Every machine in our inventory was now at the work site.
"Whew, these mountains seem to be endless," said Gabby, looking at the little progress we made on the first day. Gabby is right though. We still have a long way to go,
"Gabby, not even all the magic in Equestria can make this project go faster, we just have to keep working at it," I said to her, "lion's strength, and winged eagle's might,"
Every machine we brought in had a job to do. Cleo and Foxy, our two Insley H-3500-Cs, worked with our Caterpillar 245s Kitten, Scoop, and Princess playing a game they call 'Pass the Bucket'. The rock and dirt from the lower part is brought to the high part by the Insleys. Then the trio takes up that dirt, and dumps it into the waiting dump trucks.
Our Insley H-3500-Cs, and our Caterpillar 245s have the important job of taking the overburden to dump trucks like Holly and Helena whom find a safe place to dump it. The rock and dirt go through a rock crusher where the rock will be used in the concrete and the nutrient-rich soil will be sent to the farms in villages like Appleloosa and Ponyville.
The lunch break came when the whistle blew. One of newly arrived cooks made us tacos, "Have you heard from any of the other companies?" I asked taking a bite of braised beef, beans, guacamole, shredded lettuce and sour cream in a tortilla. Garrett shook his head 'no' as he sat next to me to enjoy his lunch. The food is good on the work site.
He sighed, "I hate to say this, but no, it looks like we're on our own," Garrett said, and looked out at the mountain ahead, "first we gotta get through the mountains, reroute the river, and form the lake before we start putting in the locks, we gotta a ways to go," Garrett said, "we're moving at a slow pace, but we're keeping up with the schedule,"
"Kudos to the cook though, when you get food like this, it makes you work harder, and work better," said Giselle, enjoying her lunch with Irma and Greta
"A wise one once said that an army marches on it's stomach," said Greta, "you're right though, the better the food is, the harder you work for it,"
With lunch over, it was back to work. So far we've had no accidents, but a few close calls. Thank Celestia for reflexes, and wings. The problem was when the ponies started building the canal twenty years ago, it was mostly earth ponies and minotaurs that took up the jobs and wages. This led to a lot of accidents and deaths during construction.
Ma Deuce, Kaiser, Blossom and Belladonna work with the Lima 1850 Cable Shovels Laura and Lana, and the two Northwest 100DH excavators Nellie and Nola in filling the trains full of railcars with debris from the blasting area. A train comes by once every minute to the site to haul the stone to the quarries to be made into building materials.
"Billie, I need for you to get Ma Deuce to the other side of the tracks, there are some areas that need digging," Garrett instructed from his two-way radio in the cab of Laura. My Northwest 100DH and I crossed the special train crossing, and went to the new digging site. Ma Deuce and I helped out Gilda and Blossom in filling up the line of railcars.
With the end of the shift, we decided to have a dance party with the workmen of the Iron Talon Earthworks, "Let's go, boys," cheered Gilda,
Outside around the side
Form a circle forward I'm an
Outsider on the side
Formerly a farm-boy
Inside I'm on the side
I'm divided undecided
Back then around again
Second time's a charm boy
upside mortified
Rubber-necking bottle-necking
Smoke-stacks cigarettes
Polish on the details
I try to stay inside
Eyes and ears and curtains closing
They lie on their sides
Casualties of retail
back then the earth was green
Dirt was black and the air/water was clean
And then upon the scene
Cars and trucks and gasonline
Inside I'm petrified
I don't want to hide/watch it anymore
black or white/left or right or in between
I'm never really sure which way I lean
Hey mister what does it mean he said
Cars and trucks need gasoline.