The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-18

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Health Of the Isthmu Remarkabl
Good-FataI species OF Mosquitoes
Nearly Eliminated ASSIMILATION Worn
In Panama and Colon Canal Con
structiOn Going on with vIgOr and
Emciency- New Records for Excava'
ton Reply 10 slanderers and Libellers,
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1.-THE Presidents
message review ing his trip to the Isthmus
of Panama in November was transmitted
to Congress to-day.
The President. in describing his visit,
ssy that he was ashore in Panama three
days--not a sufficient length OF time to
allow of an exhaustive investigation OF
hi minutie Of the work of any single de-
partment. still less to pass judgment on the
engineering problems, but enough to enable
me To get a clear ideao of the salient features
OF the work and of the progress that has
been made" The President said he chose
the month OF November for his visit because
u was the rainiest month of the year, the
month in which the work goes forward at
tho greatest disadvantage"
The President in giving an itinerary OF
his, visit says that from twelve TO eighteen
urs q day was spent in seeing what there
VA Ito be seen. Continuing he says;
THE MESSAGE.
...h y outset | wish to pay a tribute to
A.. .mon It of work lone by the French
r.rsl comn my undo Y very difficult cir-
.,ms,ancea Stany of the buildings they
-, an wers excellent and are still in use,
s-.-h naturally the, houses are now
rettina out of repair a nd are being used
p dveI,;nos only until { cher houses can be
t,,,lt and much Of tn = " ork they did in the
sS.l.hr. c,t and son W of the work they
IA an d;oginc has be, VI of direct and real
hans6+ This country has never made a
ha,ter investment tina u the $io,OOO,OW
wh;ch II Maid TO the FRI inch company for
-oyE and betterments, in, Luding especially
the Panama Railroad.
An inspection on the grou nd at the height
=, the rainy season served TO convince me
~ the wisdom Of Congress in refusing to
adoot either a high level or a sea level canal.
rhsra seems TO be a universal agreement
among all people competeDS to Judge That
the Panama route the one actua lily chosen
!. rnpoh superior 10 both the Nicaragua
and Darien routes.
PRELIMINARY WORK BEING DONE.
The wisdom Of the canal manage
ment has been shown in nothing more
clearly than in the way IN v'hlch the
~foundations of the work ave oeen
laid, To have yielded to the ms fural I'M
patience OF i'll infor med outsiders and
all kinds Of experiments In work FGlor 10 q
Thorough sanitation of the Isthmusl ana 10 a
fairly satisfactory working out OF uhe PROD
lem of getting and keeping a sonlclent LABOR
supply would have been disastrous lheVa-
rious preliminary measures had TO De taken
FIRST. and these could not be taken SO as
10 allow us to begin the real OK OF con-
strlction prior TO January l OF the present
wear. IL then became necessary 70 nave
the type of the canal decided, and toe only
DELAY has been the necessary delay unth
the 10Th day OF June, the date when heHon
eress definitely and wisely settled mat we
should have an SS-foot level canal. I'M
rnedistely after that the work began IN nara
earnest and has been continued with IN
creasing vigor ever since, and IL VIII CON
tinue so to progress in the future. When
the contracts are let the conditions VIII DO
such as 10 insure a constantly increasing
amount Of performance.
SUCCESSFUL SANITATION.
The first great problem to be solved
unon the solution of which the success
81 the rest of the work depended, was the
problem of sanitation. This was from the
.utset under the direction of DIR. w. G. Cor
Gas. who is to be made a full member OF the
commission IL the law as to the COM
h ~position of the commission remains I'M
changed. It must be remembered that
his work was not mere sanitation as the term
Ia understood in our ordinary municipal
work. Throughout the Zone and in the two
cities of Panama and Colon, in addition
TO the sanitation work proper, he has had
10 do all the work that the Marine Hospital
Service does as regards the nation, that the
health department officers do in the various
States and cities and that Col. Waring did
In New York when he cleaned its streets
Tn. results nave been astounding. The
Isfhmus had been a byword for deadly
unhealthfulness. Now, after two years
Of our occupation, the conditions as regards
siokness and the death rate compare favor
ably with reasonably healthy localities
ia the United States. Especial care has
been devoted to minimizing the risk due to
the presence Of those species of mosquitoes
which have been found to propagate
malarial and yellow fevers. In all the
settlements, the little temporary own
or cities composed OF the white and BLACK
employees, which grow up here and there In
the tropic jungle as the neeos Oh Ine worh
dictate, the utmost care is exercised to keep
the conditions healthy. Everywhere are
10 be seen the drainage bitches which In
removing the water nave removed the
breeding places OF the mosquitoes, while
the whole jungle is cut away for a consid-
srable SPACE around the habitations, thus de-
stroyins the places in which the mosquitoes
a shelter. These drainage bitches and
clearinos are in evidence in every settle
mept. Uad, together with the invariable
presence OF mosquito screens u the
4 piazzss and of mosquito doors to the
houses, not to speak OF the careful fumi-
cation that has gone on in all infected
houses, doubtless explain the ~extraordi-
nary absence OF mosquitoes. As a matter
OF fact but a single mosquito, and this not
Of the dangerous 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 department
to secure cleanliness in the houses and
proper hygienic conditions Of every kind,
HosPITALs AND THEIR TREATMENT.
+ inspected the large hospitals at Ancon
and Colon, which are excellent examples
."L"