Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-04-15

tCopyrighted by Frank G. Carpen,cr)
~ ANAMA, April 2,--l want TO give
~ you some idea OF the health condi-
lions OF the 1sthmus of Panama.
Most people think there is only a
sheet Of brown paper between this
place and hades, and that our life Is
made up OF continuous light with the
climate. The truth is pIrama would be
n Paradise II 1t were not for tho fevers.
The air here is as soft and sweet as
that of Ohio in June. This isthmus is
only about 80 miles wido and the
breezes from tho Atlantic aud the Pa
cinc are always blowing this way and
that. We go about In our summer
clothes, but the average temperature Is
about 50, the nights are cool and to-
ward morning one needs an extra cover.
At Culebra and In the other mountains
of Uncle SANS 1One II Is still colder
and the air is still fresher These con-
ditions prevail about all the year
round, Ii Is never as hot vs. our Gem
trail states IN midsummer and there Is
seldom "A night when one Is not able
TO sleep
NOT a HEALTH RESORT.
And still the isthmus Of Panama Is
not and never has been a health re-
sort. The lowlands are 3Wa npy ana
there has been much malaual fever
About half the American employees
have at one time or another been on
the sick list and about 1871 cent Of the
1000 men at work here are now IN the
hospitals We nave had between 80
and 40 cases ~ yellow fever during the
rast year and about one-thtrd Of the
yellow fever patients have died. TINS
isS not a high yellow fever death rate
IN population Of 10000 or 10000, ana
altogether the conditions are not bad
considering the fact that we have Just
begun to wipe out the mosquitoes ana
90 improve the sanitation and water
supply The percentage in the hospitals
at present is not as large az at most
of our army posts, and the malhrlal
fever here Is not TO be crmpareh IN lts
injurious effects to the grippe typhoid
or pneumonia, which they have at
home.
LOOKING FOR TROUBLE,
Indeed. the man who comes to Pam
ANA is liable to get the fever tIou
fright. The moment he leaves New
York the passengers condole with MN
upon the awful conditions lhty go
over the yellow fever cases OF the last
year, ana tne men WHO nav W. y" 'i'
the lsthnlus tell stories Ot the deaths
OF the past They relate how when
the Panama railroad was building the
mortality was so great that man died
for each tie I'm the track ana some
perhaps, say that the funeral trains
still move IN and ont carrying the dead
to Monkey hill The truth Is there
have been no such trains Tor many
years, and the tie story is OK doubtful
authenticity The passenger however,
does not know this. lie grows more
and more alarmed as he lands at Colon
and Is handed % circular OF health
warning by the quarantine officers
This circular IS issued by the canal
commission In capital letters the word
Malaria stands out in the hrst para
graph, and below it are directions how
10 escape H. The directions say mat
malaria comes from the bite of a te-
male mosquito and they urge every
one to use mosquito bars and take three
grains OF guIniue each day before going
TO bed. The circular is signed by col
Gorgas, the chief sanitary officer
received such "a circular on land
ing. ! heard more fever stories When
went TO the Washington House for
my dinner, and as crossed the 18TH
mus on the railroad a ghoulIsh friend
pointed out Monkey hill cemetery as
my future resting place aud remarked
"That little station further ON Is known
as Matachin, q Spanish word meaning
dead Chmamun' because 1000 Chinese
died therc.'
My fears increased as [ approached
Panama city and were by no mean