The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-01-30
YELLOW MEN WILL
HAVE TO DIG CANAL
Little Brown Men VIII Also Aid
in Constructing Isthmian
Waterway.
WEATHER TOO HOT FOR
AMERICANS TO WORK
South Americans Too Lazy,
Hence Far East VIII Have
to Furnish Labor.

After a stay OF nine months in Panama
as n quarUermastcrs clerk in the service
OF the Government, w. p. Simpson ar
rived In Salt Lake Sunday and is regis
tered at the Kenyon hotel He has just
been transferred from duty In the canal
zone TO Fort Douglas. and Will begin his
duties at the post in few days Simpson
is native OF Augusta, Ga, but has spent
but llttle time there in recent years. nav
Ing made four trips around the world In
the service or the Government lie saw
service In China during the Boxer upris-
Ing and In tho Philippine Islands in the
early stages Of the insurrecJion there.
Talks on Panama Canal.
Dir. Simpson departed from Panama
about fifteen days ago and came 10 Utah
by way OF Now York and Washington,
The Tribune, Sunday, Mr. Simpson de-
tailed conditions In the canal zone. He
said. In part.
But little actual digging on the canal
is being done at this time. only sufficient
amount to keep the machinery In perfect
working order Since John Il. Stevens.
CHIEF engineer of the work, took charge
OF things in the canal zone there has been
great Improvement In the condition OF
affairs, and when the actual operations
are started they Will be pushed with
vim. Mr.. Stevens has thoroughly sys-
tematized operations and is getting every
thing into proper shape.
Praises Engineer Stevens.
Engineer Stevens is the right man for
the work of digging the canal, His eng-
ncerlng and executive ability impreSses
every one, from day lnborer to the high
est officials Of the canal commission He
Is, however, unfortunate in having many
oil the minor offices filled by Incompetent
people M Stevens is experimenting with
various types OF machinery with a View
10 procuring and adopting the most prac-
ticable for the work He Is getting great
s. h1t @
viii begin in two or three months. or as
soon as Congress appropriates the neces-
sary money Tor the project.
Labor Hard to Get.
1t is estimated by people In tho canal
zone that it Will require from fifteen TO
twenty years To connect the two oceans.
1he question OF securing labor Is the scri-
Gus problem that is confronting Engineer
stevens. He cannot use JaInaicans nor
Martiniques. South Americans will not
work, and American laborers cannot en-
dure the hot sun, 1t is the general opin-
lon that the Government will have TO rely
upon Chinese cool!c labor TO perform the
work. While l do not favor the letting
down OF the exclusion bars, | think IL
would prove eXpedient for the Govern
ment to lift the exclusion act in connec-
tion with the canal zone. until such a
time as the work can be finished
Systematizing Work.
Il stated that Engineer Stevens is sys-
tematizing the work IN the canal zone
He has about 1000 men employed now in
building clean and healthy living quarters
and in the sanitary work John + wal
lace, the predecessor OF Mr.. Stevens, neg
lected TO pay any attention to the SAINT
tAry conditions Of the living quarters OF
the men. and this caused great dissats-
faction among the workmen Further, he
had uttlc or no system. and II was neces>
sary for Engineer Stevens 10 again do
the work that Mr.. Wallace performed
prior TO his departure from the canal
2cne. The neglect OF Mr. Wallace to at
fTst provide habitable and sanitary living
quarters resulted In most unhealthful con-
olOonS. Ihe Japanese Government sent
Tour representatives 10 the canal zone for
The purpose OF investigating whether OF
not II would be wise to permit japanese
10 work in the canal zone. They returned
nome and reported the insanitary condi-
tion OF al1airs, and for that reason there
are ieW japanese in the zone. Chinese
and japanese are, think. the only work
men that Will be able TO carry on the
work In the hot sun
Sanitary Condition Excellent
The sanitary conditions in the canal
zone at present, however are excellent
which is due to the work OF Col Gorgae
the medical expert of the army on yellow
fever, the man who cleaned up Havana
Cuba. He has offered reward of $50 for
every case OF yellow fever that is reported
10 the authorities. but in the last month
and half no new outbreak OF the plague
has been discovered, in fact the disease
does not prevail at all in the zone at this
tlrne, not even among the Europeans Nv
ing there, n thing that has never been
Known TO exist before on the Isthmus In
my opinion, the mosquito Is the medium
by which the disease Is spread
Describes the Change.
When l nrst went to the Isthmus nine
months ago. IL was utterly impossible for
n person TO sit out In the parks or plazas
without being eaten alive. Col Gorgas
has so well performed his work that al
present a person can sit outdoors any
where without being annoyed by the mos
quitoes. In fact they rare birds Col.
Gorgas has accomplished this great result
by house-to-housc fumigation and COM
pulsory cleanliness. II the natives do not
clean their houses, the sanitary force OF
the Government Will take possession of
the premises and clean them. The natives
seem inclined to rather live In a filthy hut
IMAM clean palace. 1T is the hardest
task OF Col. Gorgas to make them realize
which they have experienced The only
dlsease that Is prevailing at present In
inc canal zone is malaria, and that Is not
In the least alarming. BY taking ordinary
precautions a person can avoid any kind
OF illness. During the nine months spent
IN the zone | did not have five minutes
can go down there with absolute ImpIIn.
ity; there need not be the slightest fear of
contracting disease. II a little care is used
Building Storage Plants.
The only objection TO living in the
canal zone AT present lies in tho food
plants. which IL was thought would 6c
built at Colon and Panama more than ak
months ago, have not been completed and
as a result the men thcrc arc compelled
TO I've on canned goods The work on tho
big cold storage plants. however is being
pushed as rapidly as possible and when
put into operation the various camps and
towns along the line OF the railroad Will
be supplied with fresh meats. vegetables
etc. daily and thus living there will be
much more worth while
Gives French Credit
THE French people have mover received
any great credit Tor the work they did to-
ward building the canal. primarily be.
cause OF the scandals laying bare the
Bratt that developed. They d!d about one
third of the canal about fifteen miles and
all that II VIII be necessary to do to make
this part navigable Is some dredging ono
can see lying on either bank OF the sec
ton of the canal dug by the French poo-
pic millions and millions of dollars worth
or the nnest type Of machinery on which
wheel was never turned II is rustine
away and liz now worthless. The United
States engineers cndcavored to make use
OF some Of the French dump cars, put IN
was found that deterioration had mndc
the apparatus useless