Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-19
CONDITIONS ATPANAMA
TRAVELLERS AND REFUGEES FROM
IsTHMUS TALK.
Disease and Death From Fevers-Devel-
opment Of Canal Zone Medi-
cal Proposition.

A dozen persons arrived in New York yes
terday on the steamer Seguranca, fleeing
from the pestilential, malarial canal zone,
infested by yellow fever and threatened by
smallpox. They sailed from Colon. Their
statements and admissions are startling
evidence that the canal commission and the
sanitary department have not cleaned up
the zone as promised; that yellow fever.
smallpox or some other malignant disease
promises to become epidemic.
Those who arrived yesterday had heard
of no smallpox on the isthmus, but reported
that there was yellow fever at Panama.
Auditor Armstrong; Guarded Replies.
w. P. Armstrong of this city, auditor of
the Panama commission, was one of the
passengers He was asked if it was true
that the canal was death ditch, that the
laborers were miserably paid and harassed
by disease, that living was costly, water is
peddled by the natives, and that the work
ingmen have to endure privations unheard
OF under the French management; that
there are no accommodations for one-third
OF the Americans stationed in Panama
alone that illness followed detail to an
outlying station: that malaria is as preya-
lent as mosquitoes; that table board costs
from $40 to $50 month; that the hospital
is constantly crowded. that gambling
games are wide open seven nights week,
in spite of Gov. Davis proclamation; that
suspected cases of yellow fever are taken
to the hospital daily; that among the ma
tive Spaniards and negroes there have been
numerous fatal cases that there would be
a revolution today If it was not for the
presence of American warships that the
commission has refused to give doctors
money or medicines to complete sanitary
work; that there are now no medicines to
treat epdemics of smallpox or yellow fever
and that all the correspondents on the 18TH
mus are subsidized.
You seem to have line on the condi-
tions, said Mr.. Armstrong Il will not say
that some part of them are not exaggerated
ana that some part of them are not true.
heard OF one or two cases of yellow
Iever at Panama l read of them in a
newspaper published on Monday I heard
OF no shortness of supplies or medicines"
DR.. Pickneu on Situation.
The surgeon of the United States steamer
Dixie, now stationed at Colon to prevent
revolutions, DR.. Picknell, who has been in
the navy twenty-three years and seen serv-
Ice on every torrid, pestilential station on
the globe, returned on the Seguranca for his
health. He said there were in all nine vel
low fever suspects when he left the isthmus,
but at the other end of the Panama rail-.
road Three cases had developed aboard a
spanish steamer on the Way from Colon to
Havana, and one woman with yellow fever
who had been sent to the hospital at Colon,
had recovered.
THE trouble is said DR. Picknell, men
go down there too fast-faster than the
canal authorities can take care of them. If
they could only stop men from going from
here 1t would be a good thing.
Il have not heard of any shortness of
medicines. 1t Is now the hottest season of
the year, and they always have yellow
fever there and malarial fever Also
1T is true that they are selling drinking
water on the isthmus. They had to clean
out the old reservoir, and there is as yet
no other source of supply
Dixie's Presence Prevents Revolution.
An oiler. a carpenter, three firemen,
deckhand, a seaman and a corporal of ma
rines from the Dixie returned on shore
leave or for their health. $780,.
Il heard of one or two cases of yellow
fever at Panama." said one of them named
Lyman. 81 heard of no smallpox If there
was an epidemic, the first thing they would
do would be to stop shore leave. The Bos-
ton, flagship of the Pacific squadron, is at
Panama, and the Dixie at Colon. We left
here on September and are there to pre-
cent revolutions. If the Dixie was to leave
there would be a revolution in ten minutes
There is one thing they ought to do and
that is to build sewers right away. The con-
ditiOn of Colon is worse than that of San
tiago just after the Spanish war. If 1t
wasn't for the turkey buzzards-there are
millions of them-and the vultures in the
streets, there would be an epidemic. The
streets of Colon are that deep Qndica ting
about three feeD with refuse, but the birds
destroy the offal.
They have cleaned out the hospitals at
Colon" pursued Lyman, but the hospitals
are not large enough. AS 1 understand It,
the government has appropriated money for
medicines. heard Of no smallpox
Baltimore Doctors Views.
Dr. Horace NJ Simmons of Baltimore was
one of the arrivals In New York from Pana-
ma, where he went to attend the triennial
meeting of the Pan-American medical con-
gress.
DR.. Simmons was particularly impressed
with the sight of hundreds of thousands of
dollars worth of machinery which the
French had abandoned when their efforts to
build the canal failed and which he says
now line the 40-odd miles of road between
Colon and Panama.
He saw the Chagres river, which has been
known to rise 30 feet in few hours sub
merging the railroad forty feet, and which
gives the name to one of the deadly fevers
of the country.
"And here said DR.. Simmons SIS where
the medical influence manifests itself. This
canal cannot be built without the medical
man. Failure to recognize this has been
the fault in the past The French built a
hospital at the expense of 100000 there,
but the failure to enforce sanitary condi-
tons among the people is what made the
project fail.
1.-THE overturning of the soil in that coun-
try, where rich tropical vegetation in the
course of decay Is turned to the sun,
spreads deadly germs upon the atmosphere
and the anapholes, a species of mosquito,
spread them. Three newly married couples
left Colon just before us to go to Havana
on their wedding trips. and, of these, two
of the men and one of the women died
shortly after reaching Havana of yellow
fever supposed to have been received
through the mosquito.
American Enterprise to Conquer All.
ITO return to the sanitary conditions, /
believe that American enterprise is going
to overcome these handicaps AS we passed
through the country frequently saw fami-
lies seated at their meals on their porches,
clean, white cloths decorating their tables.
1.-THE work incident to the canal building
has unearthed unexpected mineral re-
sources In the country. Plain evidences of
gold mines and of other mineral deposits
are shown and, although our government
does not permit the working of these now,
when the canal is built believe many for
tunes will be made there. One obstacle
which the Americans will uIiekIy nvaroona