Evening star., 1905-11-10

service of the Department of Agriculture
made an address along forestry lines. He
predicted a timber famine If more care is
not exercised in the preservation of the
forests of the country.
Chairman Shonts' address was as follows:
President Birge and Members of the
American Hardware Manufacturers Asso-
citation: When I received Mr.. Lupton's in
vitation to come before your association
and talk on the Panama canal, 1 accepted
it with pleasure because of the opportunity
It afforded of talking to business men in a
business way of what is a great business
project. AS 1 view it. the building of the
canal is a business and not a polit cal prop
osition. l propose. in what l have to say
TO you, to talk as a practical man to practi-
cal men who are themselves engaged in
large commercial enterprises, and who
know from experience the difficulties to De
met and the enormous amount of thought
and labor involved in the inauguration of
great undertakings in the United States.
You Will be able to appreciate, therefore,
how every difficulty was aggravated in an
enterprise of the magnitude of the isthmian
canal, in which the preparatory work had
TO be carried on 1000 miles from the base
OF supplies. But this is not all. The work
had to be done in a hostile climate AMI TN
der health cond tions which. through CEN
had become a menace to the lives of all
persons save natives Of the tropics.
Three Fundamental Tasks.
I'm order, therefore, to make the isthmus
a place fit to live in and to work in there
were three fundamental tasks which had
TO be performed in advance of all others.
First. Thorough sanitation of. the 18TH
mus
Second. Providing suitable habitations
for all classes of employees.
Third. Providing a system of food sup
ply which would afford to all employees op-
portunity of obtaining wholesome food at
reasonable cost.
"First-In regard TO sanitation: When the
United States began this work there were
no systems of water works of sewerage or
of drainage on the isthmus. The people de-
pended largely on unprotected cisterns for
their water supply, filled during the rainy
season. and on barrels filed from neighbor-
ing streams. all breeding places for mos
quitoes. The filth of ages had accumulated
around the dwellings and in the streets un-
disturbed except when washed away by tor
rental rains. Pools of stagnant water had
existed for years in proximity to dwellings
and inseCt-breeding swamps lay undrained
adjacent TO the cities and many of the
towns.
Sanitary Improvements.
Seventy per cent of Panama is now sup
Piled with pure mountain water, fed from
storage tank large enough TO furnish sixty
gallons per day to each inhabitant after its
present population shall have increased one
half. Fifty per cent OF a complete modern
sewerage system has been installed, and
work on the remainder is being carried rap
Idly forward. The first million of brick for
paving Its streets are ON the ground The
city has been fumigated time and again.
first house by house, to stop the spread of
disease and again as unit; that is, the en-
tire city at one time large force is just
finishing a thorough cleaning of the city
the first scrubblng 1t has had during its GEN.
turtles OF existence: and Gov. Magoon un-
der whose Jurisdiction all this work has
been so successfully accomplished, is ar
ranging 10 raZe many of the worst shacks
and replace them with modern sanitary
buildings. Within year, Il may confidently
be predicted Panama will be city well
watered, well severed well paved and clean
and healthy.
What has been done for Panama is be-
ing done for Colon and every important Ia
Dor camp across the isthmus. Work on
Colons water reservoir is well under way,
and temporary measures are being employ
ed to safeguard the city's health pending
the report OF board appointed TO recon-
mend plans for permanent improvements.
An abundant supply Of pure water from
mountain springs has been provided at Gu
Zebra and at other important labor centers
along the line of the canal, and adequate
drainage is being installed in them also.
-Four thousand one hundred men are now
SO effective has been the work that yellow
fever has been virtually extirpated from the
isthmus. In June last there were e. cases
of yellow fever there; in July. A. In Au-
gust. "a in September, g. and in October
the worst month of the year for yellow
fever. 8-no one OF the latter among the
employees. and all originating many miles
from the line of the canal. In regard to
general health conditions, l was told. when
on the isthmus in October. that there were
over hundred less patients in Ancon Hos
pital than there lad been for many months
although We had brought in 1900 addi-
tional laborers during the previous two
months. and 1t was from the new arrivals
that the hospitals were usually recruited
Insignificant Death Rate.
ITO fully understand what has been ac
complished by our sanitary work it is only
necessary to compare the present rate OF
sickness with that which prevailed on tho
isthmue when the French We're in posses
sion. In August, 1882, the second year VI
the French occupancy, with a force of 1,%s
men. the death rate was 112 per 10O1. 4 .
AuguGt, 1905. with tercs Of 1900 mel,