The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1906-12-22
From stereogrAp.

of the land being IL feet above low
shallow. natural reservoirs or fresh
water breeding places for every Varle-
ty of mosquito. and the ground tends
to be lowest in the middle. When the
town was originally built no attempt
made to fill the low ground. either
in the streets or on the building sites
so that the entire surface was praC-
tirailv a dua smira: when the unag
mire became impassable certain of the
streets Were crudelv improved by fill-
ing especially bad mud holes with soft
rock or other material. In september.
1905. a systematic EFFORT was begun to
er sanitation OF the city IN fepfhary
last temporary relief measures were
taken. while in July the prosecution of
the work was begun in good earnest
The results are already visible in the
sewering. draining. guttering and pay
ing of the streets Some four months
will be required before the work Of
sewerage and street improvement will
be completed. but the progress already
made is very marked. Ditches have
been dug through the town. connecting
the salt water On both sides. and into
these the ponds. which have served
breeding places for the mosquitoes, are
drained. These bitches have answered
their purpose. for they are probably ifhi,i
diminution of mosquitoes More bitches
of the kind -re being constructed
Colon Water Supply.
1t was not practicable. with the
force at the commissions disposal. and
in view of the need that the force
Panama, to begin this work before
early last winter. Water mains were
then laid in the town and water was
reservoir proved to be of insufficient
capacity before the end OF the, dry
by hauling water over the Panama
railroad, so that there was at all times
a" ample SUNNY of the very best
water. Since that time the new reser-
voir back of Mount Hope has been
practically completed l visited this
carries some 5oo,9oe.ooo gallons Of
wfter Of his
what / saw while was on the 18TH.
mus. Nothing but cataclysm will
hereafter render it necessary in the
dry season to haul water for the use
of Colon and Cristobal.
Colon Pavements.
rode through the streets of Colon.
season. after two days of almost un-
exampled downpour. when they were
at their very worst. Taken, Taken as
bad: as bad as PENNSYLVANIA avenue
in Washington before Grants admin
istration. Front street is already in
ever. Some of the side streets
also in good condition: In others the
on. Through three-fourths of the
town it is now possible to walk, even
during the period OF Tremendous rain
in low shoes without wetting ones
feet owing to the rapidity with which
the surface water is carried away in
the ditches In the remaining one
fourth of the streets the mud is very
deep-about as deep as in the ordinary
street of low-lying prairie river town
of the same size in the United States
during early spring. All men to whom I
spoke were unit in saying that the
conditions of the Colon streets were
100 per cent better than year ago
The most superficial examination OF
the town shows the progress that has
been made and is being made in ma
cadamizing the streets. Complaint was
made to me by an entirely reputable
man as to the character of some of
the material used for repairing GER
tain streets. On investigati tion the com
pIafnt proved well founded, but it also
appeared that the use of the material
in question had been abandoned. the
commission after having tried it in one
or two streets finding it not appro-
pirate.
The result of the investigation of