The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1906-12-21


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 al
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-ive feet high. We
rode about Colon, through the various
streets, paved, unpaved 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 it with the temporary town
or field receiving hospitals which had
already seen and inspected. l also in
spected some of the dwellings Of the
employees. In the evening attended
a 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
specting all there was to be seen and
In examining various employees.
What the French Left.
At the outset wish to pay tribute
to the amount of work done by the
French Canal company under very diff
ficult circumstances. Many Of the
buildings they put up were excellent
and are still in use though naturally
the houses are now getting out Of re-
pair, and much of the work they did
In the Culebra cut and some of the
work they did in digging have been Of
direct and real benefit. This country
has never made a better investment
| than the $40,000000 which 1t paid to
the French company for work and bet
terments including especially the Pan
anna railroad.
An inspection on the ground at the
height Of the rainy season served to
convince me of the wisdom Of con-
gress in refusing to adopt either high
level or a sea level canal. There seems
to be a universal agreement among all
people competent to Judge that the
Panama route, the one actually chosen,
Is much superior to both the Nicaragua
and Darien routes.
Preliminary Work.
The wisdom Of the canal manage
ment 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. G. Gorgas. who is to be made |
full member of the commission. The |
results have been astounding. The |
isthmus had been a 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 Only One Mosquito.
AS a matter of fact, but a single
mosquito, aN.d 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. l also inspected the receiv-
ing hospitals in various settlements. /
went through a number Of the wards
In which the colored men are treated,
number 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
pitfalls at home.
Health Showing Remarkably Good.
In October there were ninety-nine
deaths among the employees of the
isthnus. There were then on the rolls
$500 whites, seven-eighths of them
Americans. OF these whites but two
died Of disease, and neither was an
American. OF the 5000 white Ameri-
cans, including some 1,200 women and
children, not a single death has &C.
CURED in the past three months, where
as in an average city In the United
States the number Of deaths for q sim
liar number of people in that time ,
would have been about thirty from y,
disease. This very remarkable show |
ing cant OF, Of course, permanently OBJ
tain, but it certainly goes to prove /
that If good care Is taken the isthmus I
Is not a particularly unhealthy place.
CorozaI, some four miles from La
Boca. was formerly one of the most I
insanitnry places on the isthmus,
probably the most insanitary There !
was a marsh, with a pond In the mid !
die. DR.. Gorgas had both the marsh c
and pond drained and the brush clear n
ed OF. so that now, when went over
the ground, 1t appeared like a smooth b
meadow interseeted by drainage d
bitches. The breeding places and shell .
tering spots OF the dangerous mosquI-, D
toes had been completely destroyed.
The result Is that Corozal for the last y
six months 0lke La Boea, which for q
merly also had a very insanitary rec I
ord had less than 1 per cent a week c
admitted to the hosnjtaI At Corozal q