New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-01-17
PANAMA CANAL PROBLEM
m Make Isthmus Habitablc for
White Men-Measures Needed.

..o,, A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE -aIBuNE-5
Colon. r. P, December Is.
The first and actually the greatest. question
h,ch will confront the United States when 1t sets
ert "A earnest on tho isthnian canal problem wil
- ,,at Of making the ssthnus habtable for white
=, II IS TO this work that the United States
,s. devote itself for weeks and months before
Nv real attempt IS made 10 cut the waterway, and
:, .s work which will call for the expenditure OF
.uIions in money. Should this feature OF the
,sthuian problem be IN any way neglected, our
government would be guilty as II it were to
ssn6 large bodies OF men through slaughter house
so open graves. That the authorities at Washing
con realize the Importance Of giving attention first
20 the sanitary aspect of this problem Is demon
..-ated by the fact that IL has already caused q
connlete sanitary survey OF the canal xone and
al contiguous territory to be made by experts.
Colonel William Murray Black. U. S. A. who IS
rsuresenting the United States government on the
work now in progress the great Culebra cut.
and who with his own hands. raised the first
pansmsn flag ever flung to the breezes In this CITY,
Ga "the man who cleaned Up Havana" He was IN
s,Ii charge OF the sanitary work IN the Cuban
capital during the American military occupation.
with what praiseworthy results everybody knows,
Havana having under his direction been trans
formed from a pesthoe into q delightful winter
hssl.h resort Colonel Black has been sta
sioned here for months. and while his work has
been purely OF engineering quality. he has made
q close study OF isthr1ian sanitary conditions and
requirements
On Of the earliest steamers leaving New
York after the establishment OF the new republic
Surgeon Major Guy L. Edie U. 8. A. a pas
sengsr for the isthmus. DR.. Eide was the man IN
charge OF the sanitary work IN Manila during the
American military occupation of the Philippine
metropolis. and his work there as successful
es was that done by Colonel Black In Havana Dr.
Edie has just sailed from the isthnus for the
States, having executed his rnission which was
by direction Of the War Department. to thoroughly
study the problem of sanitation the isthmus
and TO report TO the department exactly what 1t
will be necessary for the Unit.a States to do IN
order make this a 1T place for white TO
live in
AN EXPERTS VIEWS OF THE PROBLEM
In previous letters have sketchec. from the lay
mans viewpoint. the deadly unsanitary state of
this strip Of land between the two oceans. Before
Dr. Eide sailed from Colon had interview with
him. in the course OF which he explained the situe-
ton from the point II view OF the experienced
expert
'For purposes OF sanitary consideration the 18TH
mus must be divided into three parts" said DR..
Edie. THE first division extends from Colon to
Bohio. q distance OF about fourteen miles, the
second from Bohio to Corozal. the Pacific SIDE
q distance Of about twenty-eight miles. and the
third from Corozal TO Panama. i've miles The
cities OF Colon and Panama over which we secure
in the treaty sanitary control included
IN the first and third divisions respectively. In
the first division one begins to strike the hill coun-
try about seven and half miles from Colon Ad-
vancing from west to east through the third d.
vision. rising ground found about Eve miles from
Panama, while the second division lies almost en-
tireiy ,n the high ground.
The city OF Colon stanco upon a coral island
which lies very low in the water. and which is
surrounded two sides by vast and almost i'm
passable swanps. The only elevations IN that
vicinity are abrupt hills volcanic peaks Be-
tween Gatun and Bohio n the first division. there
IS elevated country. but this is all surrounded
by the same vast swarnps and morasses except on
the east where the high ground stretches away
into the mountains
"Au Of this first division Is unhealthfuI-de-
family The prolific of disease IN this
division is found the low lying ground. the
entire absence OF drainage the frequency OF pools
ponds and ouagmires, where mosquitoes breed
unmolcsted; the absence Of adequate supply of
pure water and the utterly unsanitary mode Of
living. These conditions are of such long standing
that nearly every house in Colon as well as in
the whole OF the first division, is infected with the
germs Of yellow fever and smallpox Life amid
such surroundings has been and still is merely
question of the survival Of the httest' There
reliable mortality figures percentages
procurable anywhere on the isthmus but we know
from reports. observation and the scant records of
the Colombian Army that the death rate has been
excessive in the high land we'll as IN the low,
and especially in this FIRST division.
COUNTRY NOT NECESSARILY DANGEROUS
From Bohio to Paradise. in the second division
the altitude above level is 100 to 45o feet This
Is exceptionally good hill country. well supplied
with natural drainage. having an ample supply
OF good. pure water and furnishing numerous very
admirable sites. There is reason whatever why
this section should be any unhealthcul for
people who know how to live right in a sanitary
sense than is any other tropical country where
the rainfall is continuous and excessive.
Panama lies much better than does Colon. being
erected upon a volcanic rock. having good natural
drainage. The accumulated fifth OF the city is
largely washed away by the heavy rains. Many
O. the buildings are to be sure, infected with the
germs Of yellow fever. smallpox and other infec-
uous diseases, but this is condition which
be easily remedied. / should, in fact say that in
the city OF Panama and in the third division of the
isthinus there presented serious problems of
sanitary engineering, sewerage system. pure
water and plenty of IL and a vigorous disnfection
CT all tho houses being about all that viii be
required
My Investigations here have convinced me that
the sanitary question 1T is presented the
isthlnus. is stubborn than other similar
problems with which the army has dealt In the
last 1--WE years. Manila in condition
when We occupied that city than is Panama to-
cay and what We cid there and in Havana has
given Us experience upon which depend
N dealing with the situation here The work Of
establishing good sanitary conditions here is moth
ihs more serious than question Of money. We
KNOW Just what should be done and how to do it.
ana with adequate allowances. the work can be
ooae speedily and effectively. That 1t should be
cone and carried TO completion before any active
eDort is made TO dig the canal is apparent. fer
70 send from Northern climates work in
.ns country, with il in its present state, would
be heinous
Far more serious than making this country
sanitary and, therefore habitable will be the task
. compelling the people now here and the labor
&c imported for the canal construction to avail
facilities W