The sun., 1905-05-17
MAKING CANAL ZONE HEALTHY
GEN. DAVIS TELLS or THE FIGHT
AGAINST YELLOW FEVER.
New WaterWOrks the Chief Factor in the
Problem or WIpns Out the Danger.
Gus MOsuuitO--Jamaica Negroes
Are Inclined to he Trouble MAX ers.

PROBLEM or Wlpins Out the Danger.
Gus MOsquitO--.Jamaica Negroes
Are Inclined to De Trouble Make
Gen. G. w. Davis. recently the Governor
OF the Panama Canal Zone, who arrived on
the Allianea from Colon yesterday, IL up in
Westchester county absorbing east wind
tog OF Long Island Sound brew AZ cure
FOR malarial fever Of the Panama City vim
tage. His son-in-law and daughter, Mr.
and Mrs. Philip q. Mumford, met Cen
Davis at the dock yesterday and took him to
their home at Pelham Manor, where he was
found last evening looking quite as we'll as a
person has a right to look who has been
suffering for many weeks from low
maRrial fever.
@The voyage home,' said the General,
did me lot Of good, and have no doubt
will soon he all right again.
i was down there Just about year, and
was we'll enough until few weeks ago,
when began to have fever every day
not heavy enough to put me frankly on the
sick list, but enough to keep me feeling
pretty miserable. Then, Of course; they
filed me up with quinine. and that kept my
head buzzing 80 that altogether 1t was
rather an unpleasant state Of affairs. But
1t was Notwithstanding but malaria.
Some Of our people down there have
been scared by the yellow fever-there Is
no denying that. In fact. have had men
frankly tell me that they we're scared, and
they were men who would never weaken
on line Of battle ror behind gun. But
even such men get Into senseless fear Of
disease, and then there is no reasoning
hnr T1a Ia fhor
has amounted to little, In the month OF
January there were 10 CHS ee, In February
II, In March II. in April 3, and up to the time
] left there, q week ago, there had been
Just six cases this month, And these
Panama City alone.
BY the first OF August am entirely
confident that We will have stampe out
yellow fever In Panama-that It will be
permanently eradicated. The reason 1t
has been harder to combat in Panama
than 1t was In Havana is because OF the
different conditions In the two cities, Tho
cause Of yellow fever is no longer theory.
II you talk to the doctors about tho trans
mission Of the disease by mosquitoes being
ths subject further NTH you. They WIN
tell you that It u Q. demonstrated fact.
For man to get yellow fever or malaria
two things are essential. :, In the hrst place,
he must be bitten by'a mosquito. and In
tho second place that mosquito must pre-
yellow fever or malaria.
'On Feb. %, our corps Of scientists IN
Havana announced that they knew the
cause Of yellow fever and that the disease
would be stamped out. BY the first Of
Stamped % OF out. . In Panama f It viii BE- stamped tam
out Just as 1t was in Havana. But, as l
said before, it is taking longer, because
the conditions are different. In Havana
there was, to begin with, an excellent
water works SYSTEM Panama had no
water came from very shallow wells in the
outskirts Of the city. 1t was taken from
theee wells, put into casks, mounted on
wheels and sold to consumers in five gallon
oil cans. In addition to this, every house
collected as much water IA possible from
the roof. Every house nearly, had roof
odstern and some had two Of them.
.Now these oisterns and the water that
vas bought and stood In many cases in
open vessels In the houses, became breeding
places for mosquitoes. And these house
fever. The swamp mosquitoes will carry
ma laria but they do not carry yellow fever.
80 the problem Is very largely narrowed
down to killing OF these house bred mos
quitoes. and the way to kill them of Is to
destroy their breeding places. The first
adequate water works system. That sys-
tenn Is now nearly completed. The source Is
back In the mountains ten miles away
and the water is brought to the city by an
flrst Of July and after that month will see
yellow fever In Panama on its last legs.
ITO get rid Of the malaria bearing mos
quito is another matter. The breeding places
are too large and the problem Us too com
plicated. I suppose there always will he
As to the people down there, my rela
tions with the Governor and with all the
officials were very pleasant. do not think
We will have any trouble,
There was some trouble about some OF
the negroes in our employ as you may have
read. They were Jamaican negroes and the
trouble started. ! believe, over their food.
The Panama police beat them in very
brutal and inexcusable manner The Brit
ish Consul took the matter up and so did !,
furnishing the Panama Governor with
our proofs and the matter Is now under
investigation. None Of the negroes was
killed, but twenty -one OF them had to 60 to
the hospital for treatment.
-The Jamaican negro is quite different
from our Southern darkies. / think he is
moro intelligent, but his shifslessness M and
negro is sufficiently well informed as to
his rights and very tenA cous Of them. He
quickly announces himself as a British
subject and is very proud OF the circ,lm-
stance. 1t would never do In the world to
take down our American negro to work by
the eide OF the Jamaican. Our American
negro would soon have his razzer out and
20 to carving and then, Of course, there
would be no end OF trouble and complica-
tons
Twenty-Five employees OF the Isthmian
Commission, frightened from Panama by
yellow fever, landed yesterday from the
steamship Allianca. Two OF the ships
Grew. Manuel Soto. a mess boy and Thomas
Sautisi, a deck boy, had unusually high
temperatures and were removed at Quaran-
tine for observation
PANAMA r. r. DIRECTORS MEET.
The directions of the Panama Railroad
held an all day session yesterday in prepara-
ton for the departure to the lsthmus Of
Gov. Magoon and Chief Engineer Wallace
by the SeguranCa to-day. The directors
have teen unable to secure ships of Ameri-
can registry Of satisfactory size and charac-
ter.
Plans were approved for the enlargement
OF the terminal and dock facilities nt Colon
and Panama and final steps were taken to
double track the line and provide new equip
ment for the railroad at an expenditure
OF about 81. 100000. The directors author
lied powers of attorney for the admins
tration Of affairs on the Isthmus Mr.
Wallace will have charge Of matters relating
to commerce and traffic and Judge Magoon
will ko va rha rpe of cesS iDnarv poWprs