Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-08

neer. The last two buildings are among the
best in Panama We are repairing all OF
these structures and are building others in
addition as quarters for the men,"
What are you doing about schools and
post offices?"
I'VE expect to establish schools in every
municipality, and we have already put our
postal machinery into operation. There are
United States post offices at Ancon and
Colon, and at the different towns along the
line We are now. using the Panama stamp
with the words Canal Zone printed across
the face. The postal rates are the same as
in the United States"
Religion on the Zone.
Are our new Panama subjects church,
going people. GOVERNOR l asked.
Yes. The Jamaicans are nearly all Epis-
copalians. Methodists or Baptists and the
others are Catholics. There local
Catholic churches here and there over the
zone, and quite a number in Panama. We
have a Catholic church at CristobaI. one
at Gorgona, one at Empire and one at An
con. There Is a convent in Panama, ana
that city is also the residence of the
bishop
Have the Americans established any
mission stations?"
NO" replied Gov. Davis, mot as yet,
but when Bishop Nicely of the Methodist
Church passed through on his way to
visit the mission stations of South America
he said he expected to establish mission
President Mckinley to Porto Rico to inveA.
tigate its conditions, has been here, and the
Y. NJ. c. A. have Mr.. Thompson on the
zone looking over the ground. He has gone
back to the United States to get authority
and funds to establish a Y NJ. c. A. deI
partment at Panama which shall extend
throughout the zone. l gave him a letter
to the commission and suggested that he
see the Secretary of War. He will prob,
ably have the help of the canal commission.
Indeed, | have already recommended that
buildings be erected for the Y. NJ. c. Al
and 1 trust we shall be able to give them
amusement grounds and a swimming pool.
The Salvation Army are also at work. They
deal with the lowest classes of these peo-
pie, and we want to encourage them They
have already night lodgings and employ
ment bureaus at Cristobal.'
The Governor and the Clerks.
How are you getting along with your
American employees? Are you able to ac-
commodate them?"
YES but not as well as shall in the
near future. We have a corps of carpen-,
tiers repairing the buildings at Cristobal
and all along the line. The men are neces-
sarily crowded just now. but we shall erect
homes for them as soon as we can get the
proper localities. The commission has just
authorized me to begin condemnation pro-
ceedings for certain sites upon which we
shall put up quarters so commodious that
each man can have a room OF his own. we
shall have amusement halls for the en-
pIoyes including billiard halls and reading
rooms. We shall also have croquet, tennis
and golf grounds and we expect to make
their lives pleasant and enjoyoble"
The Question of Health.
do all the men who come here get sick?"
mo; the percentage of sickness is much
larger than at home; but you must re-
member there is a decided change of Gle
mate food and manner of living. Many are
not sick at ALL 1 came here the first OF
April, and have been here almost all or the
time since then. and have not been sick
a day Capt. Stanton, the chief or police,
has not been sick, and there are many,
MANY others. The 412 marines who resided
at the Empire for year had no deaths, and
only one-third of them had malaria. The
I'd Battalion is here now, and so far they
have had but one death The chief trouble
we find TO be malaria, due largely TO tho
bites of the mosquitoes. we have also had
some yellow fever, also caused by mos
quito Infection We are doing all we can
to extermnate the mosquitoes and to i'm
prove the sanitation of the zone.
LAS to our health, the total number of
United States employees on the isthmus is
$500, and the number in the hospitals is
now less than 100, or about % per thousand.
This is less than per cent. We are now
putting in sewers and arranging to give
Panama a new water supply, and we shall
eventually do the same for Colon.
I'VE are improving the hospitals and
ing care of the sick. do not consider this
climate deadly If the employees of the
canal will take the proper precautions they
should enjoy good health. The tempera-
ture of Panama City ranges from T3 to SIS,
although it sometimes rises as high as o.
One needs light cover during the latter
part of the night.
No Friction.
How about the stories that there 10 al
conflict between you and Chief Engineer
Wallace?'
"All such reports are absolutely without
foundation. There is no friction of any
sort or kind here, and there is not likely
to be any
1T has been said that the commissioners
are at loggerheads with one another"
"If so 1 do not know it, said General
Davis. las for me, was sent here to do
what could. So far / have done my level
best, and will continue to do so. Our rela-
tons with the officials and people of the
Panama republic are entirely harmonious
and satisfactory. We are doing all We
can to further the object for which we are
here. and that is to construct an inter-
oceanic canal in the quickest possible time
and at the least possible cost"
FRANK g. CARPENTER.