The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-07-01
VORKMEN FOR PANAMA
A STRICT MEDICAL EXAMINATION
- ar -AEh SENTs THERE.

Men Of Drinking Habits Ruled out-A
Lecture on Health Thrown Ih-sfany
Royers Headed for the Isthmus MOT
Much Illness There Now~-Condltious.
The rovers among skilled mechanics,
n unskilled ones, too, for that matter, ere
heading for Panama these days, but Il isn't
easy to get there, for the Isthmian Canal
Commission will employ only men who are
sound In health and who give evidence that
they are able to withstand the climate,
The canal commission has an employment
agent here, William q. Shea, an engineer. Of
4s1 Lexington avenue. When the oommis-
sion wants mechanics or laborers Of a certain
kind .ts secretary sends word to Mr.. Sheai
who ,advertises in various publications
and almost immediately he is flooded with
applications. ".'' a.,
Shea knows mechanics, and almost by
sight he can pick out the men he wants.
He Sits out the applicants and the likely
looking ones he sends down to DR.. Willis
Cummings In the ST.. Paul Building. The.
regulations OF the commission read;
Every male applicant for employment on
the 1sthmus Of Panama, residing in the
United States. will be required to furnish q
medical certificate executed by a reputable
physician"
For many years DR.. Cummings was q
surgeon running on steamships to Panama
and he knows the conditions down there
as we'll as any man in the city. He lie also
a specialist in kidney and intestinal trou-
bles.
On thing hat DR.. Cummings is constantly
Watching for Is the man Of drinking habits.
OF course every applicant comes to him
sober and every maj asserts that he Is not
a drinker, but 1t is rare that any drinker
gets passed Another thing that Ia watched
for Is indication Of intestinal troubles.
There Is practically no fever on the 18TH
mus now and the commission does not intend
to employ men who are susceptible to 1t.
A large p~ercentag &c Of the men are rejected
and 80 we'll has the work been done that few
Of those who nave been sent down ave
become III.
In addition to examining the men DR..
Cummings gives them a serious talk about
the use Of water on the Isthmus. There are
likely to be times when the workmen will
be distant from a pure water supply and DR..
Cummings has provided a pocket Alter Of
simple design for the men. 1t consists OF Q
small glass receptacle, shaped like a phial
WIN IuC pOIIOLi ouVs III fix Sidco q oih1i
amount OF absorbent cotton is placed.
tube about two feet long. The workman
puts his phial In the water and starts q
stream running through 1t on the siphon plan.
The absorbent cotton removes all dirt and
germs and the water comes out clear. The
filter can be put in operation in Jess than one
minute and the workman can be assured OF
good water from almost any stream.
II find a great many rovers among the
applicants" said DR.. Cummings the other
day. "They are all good mechanics. Shea
makes sure Of that. When / get through
with them they go back to him and are
sent Town without expense to them, Some
of the men who come here have been all
over the South Sea Islands. Many have been
in Africa and South America. ,
The reports Of sickness from the Isthmus
show that the death rate is now only about
20 to the 1 900, which is about the norma
rate in our large cities. The report for May.
I believe, was that there were only about
fifty men sick. and Of these only five were
whites" "
DR.. Cummings had an iron worker apply
for examination recently. The man was
under 80 and said he had o wife and two
children. Knowing the high wages that
are paid to these menhere, thee doctor asked
him why he wanted to 60 to a hot climate
and take risks. The man said: @
.You see. I belong to the union. Let me
tell you that I want to go away because OF
the labor troubles in this town. I have
figured up what I have made in the last
year: 1t amounted to just 81 a day.
can't live on that and care for my family
I want to get away from these lockouts and
strikes. I want to bring up my family
decently. I must have more money, and
IL I can get a steady job down at Panama
for seversf years that's the place for me-"