The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1905-07-19
J. {. Keys Back From Panama.
Green vile Ncws.)


nal zone, via New York.
"Therc is no denying it, these holes
in the ground will come into a fellow S
mind as soon as he experiences the
slightest pain or ache, and when he is
fiat on his back with case Of yellow
fever, they look worse than the bot
t0mless pit itself"
Mr. Keys is well known in Green
vile and his friends were delighted to
welcome him home from the Isthmus,
where he holds position with the
United States government. The sea
voyage of seven days has restored his
health and strength to great extent,
and flom his appearance one would
never suppose that he had only been
out OF the government hospital at An
con ten days, having recovered from
an attack Of yellow fever in it's most
severe type.
g! never knew that had the disease
until | was getting we'll when the doc
tors told me. had my suspicious,
though, for | knew something about
the treatment. It's not very pleasant
to think about, but those fellows had
cablcgrams to my father all written
and ready to send off announcing the
fact that j. &. Keys was dead. got
the better Of them and the fever, too,
aud later sent the message II sail to-
day. which looked a lot better TO
! me.
''hon't get the idea that the gov
crnmcnt, | mean our government, has
anything to do with those open graves.
1t hasn't. They are there simply as
custom Of peculiar people and
country. Such thing as buying a
OF in cemetery at Panama or Colon
y rarely known. They are not for
sale, but TO rent. For certain sum
your bones are allowed to rest six
months. At the end of that time,
your relatives aud friends must put up
another stipend, or the place will be
rcopencd and the cremation process
substituted. That accounts for the
open reccptacles, which are used time
and again.
"But with it all, Panama is not so
bad as some have painted it. The
government is doing mighty work
against the fever and in the course of
time things will be clean, and no ex-
pense is spared in its efforts to make
the men comfortable. w. g. Gorgan,
the physician who cleaned up Havs.
ma, is in charge. Thousands of dol
lars are being spent in fumigation and
disinfection, and gradually the dis.
eases are being cut down. The talk
of bubonic plague amounts to nothing.
Malarial fever is no worse than in this
country, and in the end yellow fever
will be practically disposed of, il is
believed"
Speaking Of the work n the canal,
Mr.. Keys said: "About seventeen
miles OF the canal has been dug 90
that launches can traverse it. All of
this was done by the French. The
distance across the Isthmus is forty
seven miles. Work is now going on
at the worst point, known as Culabra
Hill, where there has to be cut Of
600 feet in depth. This is likely to
be the last part completed. Seven
miles have been completed from Pan
anna on the Pacific, and twelve from
Colon on the other side. While the
1sthmus is hilly and mountainous but
few hills will have to be cut. The
labor is being done by Jamaica ne
groes."
Asked about the people and the
country, MIR. Keys said: "The in
habitants are mostly negroes and mu-
latos. There are some whites, who
are of Spanish descent, and there is
also show Of Indian blood. The
better class are white, and some are
we'll educated and refined, but as
rule The people are illiterste and i'm
neral. The business men are nearly
all Jews. There are q large number
of Chinese merchants who are making
money. These came to work on the
canal under the French.
''1n Panama, which is a city Of
10000 inhabitants, there is only ono
Protestant church. That is the only
one on the Isthmus, so far as know,
with the exception Of an Episcopal
church at Colon. The rest is Roman
Catholic.
''On the hills the country is very
healthy. The government has one of
its hospitals at Ancon, which has an
excellent climate and ia iust baok of