Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1904-05-13
THE PANAMA CANAL.
The Problems Which the Commission
Charged with Its Construction VIII
Have to Solve.

Have to Solve.
[Walter Wellman in the Review of Re-
views
At last the seemingly interminable pc
Rod of investigation, agitation and con-
troversy is at an end, and the United
states is going ahead with the practical
work of digging the Panama canal Pres
ident Roosevelt has named and the SEN
ate has confirmed the Isthman Canal
Commission, the body which is to have
direct charge of the gigantic enterprise.
The members of the commission are:
Rear Admiral walker T. S. N. Getired),
Maj. Gen. George w. Davis, U. S. A.
(retired), both of the District of Column
bia: William Barclay Parsons, of New
York; William IL. Burr of New York.
Ben iamin NJ. Harod, of Louisiana; Carl
Ewdld Grunsky, of California, and Frank
j. IIecker, of Michigan
The commission will have a look at
the canal strip. which is new ground to
all tut two of them. They will study on
the spot the plans and drawings pur-
chased from the French company,-a set
which must rank as the most Vommniuus
and complete ever prepared for an en-
cheering enterprise
In all estimates of the money and time
needed for the completion of this enter
prise, it should not be forgotten that SO
far as the excavation of the main chan
mel is concerned, about 20 per cent. of
the work is already done.
During the next few weeks, the COM
mission will determine how much of the
machinery and appliances of the French
company now on the ground are avail
able for work i'm the future. Not much
is expected from this source. While
there are many valuable dredges and eN-
CaVators, hundreds Of locomotives and
thousands of cars, the commission Will re-
gard itself fortunate If it saves 10 per
cent. of useful material out OF the whole
10. aNfF1s to ct Ff
with The same is largely true of the
buildings. offices hospitals, storehouses,
etc.,-erected by the old DeLesseps com
pany and its successor. Many of these
costly buildings have gone to rack and
ruin and are now worthless. Others
may be repaired. Here again, is nu-
cleus which will save much time and not
a little money in starting the first opera
tions.
No more important subject than the
sanitation of the 1sthmus is to be taken
up by the commission, and none other
will receive earlier attention. In fact,
preliminary Investigations in this line
have already been made. The commits
sion will send to the Isthmus Col. w. G.
Gorgas, the yellow-feVer expert OF the
army, who has done such excellent work
in TuLa. He will study the local stu
alton and prepare comprehensive plans
! for sanitation of the canal zone and of
| the city OF Panama itself Sewerage and
| drainage systems, and the introduction
| of an adequate supply of pure wateer. are
| held as imperative needs, no matter how
| much they may cost. Yellow fever is the
| plague most feared. hut 10y improved sani-
! tltion and thorough system of inspec-
! ton with occasional quarantine against
! La GuaYra ana other fever ports near
! by, there is little doubt that the health
! conditions among the thousands OF work
men VINO will soon be on the lsthmus
/ may be comparatively satisfactory.
DR.. Spratling. brigade surgeon. who has
! been on the lsthmus with the American
| marines, reports that there has not been
! % case Of yellow fever. malaria, or any
! other disease peculiar to the region among
/ his men. and he attributes their immunity
! largely to the fact that they drink none
| but distilled water. Except at tine ocean
| ends most of the route is well above the
sca-leVel and the danger of epidemic is
| small Great care VIII have to be cN-
crcised at the termini; and among the
things he recommends is drainage of the
| immense marshes near Panama and Co
Ion. which breed billions and billions Of
mosquitoes. White men who have been
! on the ISthmuS many years say that
they havo no trouble with lcycrs hut find
it necessary to take good care of them
selves. All the l1borcrs now employed
10y the French company, -four or five
hundred in number are Jamaica ne
erocs. and their health is fairly good
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