Evening star., 1904-02-29
TO IMPROVE COLON
THE ENTIRE ISLAND SHOULD BE
FILLED IN.
Conclusions of Surgeon Perry, Who
Has Studied the Subject, Are
Generally Hopeful.

Surgeon j. c. Perry of the public health
and marine hospital service. who has been
since last month at Colon making special
study for President Roosevelt of the sani-
tary conditions on the isthmus. has sub
mitted an exhaustive preliminary report
to Surgeon General Wyman. He devotes
the greatest portion of his report to the city
of Colon but also describes conditions at
Panama and along the proposed route OF
the isthmian canal
Hopeful Conclusions.
His conclusions are in the main, most
hopeful. He describes the present condi-
ton of Colon as woefully insanitary and
unhealthy, and SAYS that it's redemption
will be an immense task. but 1t should be
successful. The climate of the camps along
the route of the canal he describes as far
superior to that OF Colon and Panama, and
he says that with proper sanitary regula-
tons the health of their occupants should
remain good
Colon is built on the Island of Manzanilla
% In the Bay of Limon. close to the main
land. and connected with 1t by the dam OF
the Panama Railroad Company. The island
is leased from the government by the Pan
anna Railroad Company.
THE unoccupied portion of the island. by
far the larger" Surgeon Perry says, "re-
mains today a primitive swamp, covered
with dense tropical vegetation and stagnant
water. furnishing admirable breeding places
for millions of mosquitoes. The swampy
area is not confined to the island upon
which Colon Is situated. but extends back
to the town the mainland for distance
of fifteen miles. this swamp being from
three to five miles wide.
Malarial Fever the Fatal Disease.
1.-THE most common and fatal disease in
Colon is malarial fever especially the per-
nicous forms. This disease exists through
out the year, but is more prevalent and Sc
we're during the rainy season. All types of
malarial fever are more frequent in Colon
than Panama. and the pernicious forms
are prevalent.
THE question now naturally arises: Can
Colon be made healthy town? think this
can be answered in the affirmatve-that is,
healthy tropical city. The task Is a large
one, and is an engineering problem. Briefly
mentioned, 1t means filling in the entire
island on which the town Is built the in
stallation of good supply of water q have
been told this can be secured from Santa
keta, eleven miles distanD and sewerage
system, the destruction of the greater num-
Der of the buildings now occupied by the
negro population, and the construction of
new houses sanitary principles and the
enforcement of sanitary regulations"
To Make Panama Healthy.
AS to Panama, Surgeon Perry says: "The
improvement of Panama and making it a
healthy tropical city requires the installa-
ton of a good water supply and modern
sewerage system, thereby removing breed
Ing places for mosquitoes etc. A good sup->
ply of water can be obtained from the Juan
Diaz river, twelve miles distant"
As TO the towns along the route of the
canal, Surgeon Perry says: THE inhab-
ftants are almost exclusively negroes and
Chinese. All the villages are extremely
filthy, with no sanitary regulations or re-
strictions. no sewers or water supply ex-
cept that furnished by rain water or small
springs streams.
"A number of excellent sites exist for
camps in the hills. and the canal company
has located most of its camps in such local
tiles. The climate where its camps are
located is far superior to that of Colon or
Panama. and with proper sanitary regula-
tions, by which they are maintained as san
itary units, the health of the occupants
should remain good"