Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-12-18


As to some matters | was able to meet
heir wishes; other requests l refused:
Is to yet others l reserved judgment
Third Day.
On Saturday morning we started ut
! O'Clock from the hotel. We went
through the. Culebra cut. stopping on
to see the marines and also to investi
gate certain towns -one. OF white en-
ployees. as 10 which in certain respects
complaint lad been made to me- and
another town where | wanted to See
certain houses Of the cOlored employ
ees. We went over the site If the pro-
posed Gatun dam, having Oh the first
day inspected the sites of the proposed
Ia Boca and Sosa dams We went out
on a little toy railway to the reservoir.
which had been built to supply the
! people Of Colon with water for their
houses. There we took lunch at the ell
gineers' mess. We then went through
the stores and shops Of ~CristObal. in
speeding carefully the houses Of both
the white and colored employees, mar
ried and unmarried, together with the
other buildings. We then went to Co
Ion and saw the fire department at
work. In four minutes from the signal
the engines had come down to Front
street and twenty one two and a half
inch hose pipes were raising streams
, OF water seventy-five feet high. We
rode about Colon, through the various
streets, paved, unpavesl and in process
OF paving. looking at the bitches, sew
ers. curbing and the lights. l then
went over the Colon hospital In order
to compare 1t with the temporary town
or field receiving hospitals which l had
already seen and inspected. | also in
spected some of the dwellings Of the
employees. In the evening l attended
reception given by the American EN-
ployees on the isthmus, which took
place on one Of the docks in Colon, and
from there went aboard the Louisiana.
Each day from twelve to eighteen
hours were spent in going over and in
speeding all there WAS to lie seen and
IN examining various employees.
What the French Left.
At the outset l wish to pay tribute
to the amount OF work done by the
French Canal company under very diff
hcuit circumstances. Many Of the
buildings they put up We're excellent
ana are still In use, though naturally
the houses are now getting out Of re-
pair. and much Of the work they did
In the Cu!ebra cut and some Of the
thQv in, AZ 1,.,
direct and real benefit This country
has never made better investment
than the $4OuUU.O0O which 1t paid to
the French company for work and bet
terments. Including especially the Pan
ANA railroad.
An Inspection OH the ground ut the
height Of the rainy season served to
convince Inc Of the wisdom Of con-
gress in refusing to adopt either a high
level or sea level canal. There seems
to be ! universal agreement Among All
people competent to judge that the
Panama route. the one actually chosen,
is much superior to both the Nicaragua
and Darieu routes
Prcii Minary Work.
The wisdom Of the canal manage
meut has been shown in nothing more
clearly than IN the way in which the
foundations Of the work have been
laid.
The first great problem to be solved,
upon the solution of which the success
Of the rest Of the work depended, was
the problem Of sanitation. This was
from the outset under the direction Of |
DR.. w. {. Gorgas. who is to be made |
full member of the commission The |
results have been astounding The !
isthmus had been byword for deadly |
unhealthfulness. Now, after two years |
Of our occupation, the conditions as |
regards sickness and the death rate |
compare favorably with reasonably |
healthy localities in the United States. |
Especial care has been devoted to min |
imizing the risk due to those species !
of mosquitoes which have been found |
to propagate malarial and. yellow |
fevers. Everywhere are to be seen the |
drainage bitches which have removed |
the breeding places Of the mosquitoes.
while the whole jungle Is cut away !
for a considerable space around the |
habitations. thus destroying the places
In which the mosquitoes take shelter.
Saw Oaly One Mosquito.
As a matter Of fact, but a single |
mosquito. and this not Of the danger
Gus species. was seen by any member
OF our party during my three days
on the isthmus. Equal care is taken by
the inspectors Of the health depart
ment to secure cleanliness in the
houses and proper hygienic conditions
of every kind.
Inspected the large hospitals at An
con and Colon. which are excellent
examples Of what tropical hospitals
should be. | also inspected the receiv.
Ing hospitals In various settlements.
went through number Of the wards
In which the colored men are treated. q
Of those in which the white
men are treated-Americans and Span
lards. Both white men and black men
are treated exactly alike, and their
treatment is as good as that which
could be obtained in our first class hos