The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-01-30
he CAN'T AGREE
WITH B|GELOW
Gov. MagOon Declares Workmen
Well Cared for OH the
Isthmus.
SANITARY MEASURE
BRINGING RESULTS
Men Are Well Housed i'm Build
ings With Water-Tight
Floors.

NEW YORK. Jan. 29-Gov Charles E
Magoon of the Panama Canal Zone who
arrived here from Colon yesterday on his
way to Washington. met 4. p. Shonts.
chairman OF the Canal commission at the
Waldorf-Astorla last night Iatcr he
talked with reporters and It developed
that his view and Poutney Bigelows of
conditions in the Canal Zone. as expressed
by Mr. Bigcow in a recent published ar
ticle. differ widely. He said
Bigelow's Visit Brief
Mr. Bigelows visit was very brief He
reached Colon at 10 o'clock In the morn
ing on Thanksgiving day, caught train
that landed him In Panama City at 4
o'clock. remained there an hour and a
half and returned 10 Colon. He left the
| lsthmus the next day ut 2;l0 o'clock.
| understand that he spoke OF the manner
| In which the work was going forward and
| spoke Of seeirg laborers at work. AS
| matter of fact he was at Panama on
| holiday. when one worked. so in that
| respect he is mistaken.
Governor Looks Healthy.
II was appointed In April" continued
| the Governor. and went down there I'm
! May. This is the first time l have been
back AS to whether the country Is
| healthy, | suppose my own appearance
| might afford some Indication"
Mr.. Magoon smiled as he said this. He
Is more than six feet in height and
| weighs more than 200 pounds. He has
fne tropical tan and Is the picture OF
| health.
Fever Driven Out.
The only illness l have had down
] there" he continued. was a rather bad
attack OF malaria shortly after reaching
the Isthmus. There was an epidemic of
| yellow fever when / arrived. but 1t was
| suppressed The measures adopted TO
| combat 1t by the sanltarians have driven
| It out l believe.
Malaria on the Isthmus is very bad.
1t is n common disease and, of course.
immunity is not acquired. 1t is not so
severe. however. as the malaria which
such as Michigan and Illinois, when they
| were first opened up.
War on Mosquitoes.
"The steogmyia as the yellow fever
| breeding mosquitoes are named, develop in
| habitations and are attacked In the towns
| by fumigation. The anopheles, the mala-
| ia-breeding mosquitoes. are propagated In
! the swamps and are attacked with great
SUCCESS by draining. great deal OF oil
| is also used II Is our ultimate object to
| drain q strip half mile wide clear across
| the Isthmus TO reduce the propagation to
| a minimum"
LaboIers at Work.
Gov, Magoon said that there are now
| about 10 0cO iaborers engaged in the canal
! work, md 10000 other employees. In re-
|
| OF the lsthman police. the Governor sald:
II have no hesitation In saying that
| there is not house of public gambling
| or of ill-rcpute in the canal zone. There
| has not been any such, nor VIII there be
Truth About the Women.
The stories concerning the 80 Marti-
nIque women now in the zone are dlscred-
| tied by the conduct of the women them-
| selves. They have been watched by the
| police all the time since their arrival
/ E,NF h,a M M &c mr. M mn
| plants about them. or the whole num-
ber 16O are living with men whom thee
declare to be their husbands. They arc
attending to their ordinary household du-
ties. as would women of their own class
| in any peaceful community, Tho ma
Jority OF the remaining 30 are employed
as domestic servants In the households oi
residents of the canal district Some o.
them are In the employ of clergymen.
Explains Importaticns.
Gov. Mngoon was asked about the re-
ported importation into Panama at the
expense of the United States Government
of silver candelabra and other fine house
nNings,
The Panama railroad commissaries
import and sell such things as they de-
sire to handle" he said. They arc not
bought with Government money at all.
There Is no doubt they did import 1000
suit cases II anything Is needed In that
country to pack things In, II is a suit
Gaze People wear collars, cuffs and neck
ties there as elsewhere, and they are to
be bought. as are perfumes and the like.
How Men Are Housed.
Regarding the work on the canal |
can only say that IL speaks for itself.
That is outside my province The men
are all busy They are paid from IL TO
26 cents an hour. silver. The men ar"
housed In cleanly barracks with 500 Gu
bic feet OF breathing space for each,
From twenty-five TO thirty negroes ere
housed in ono building. More white men
are allowed in a single building, but the
buildings are larger, They sleep In sani-
tary cots some of them are double-deck-
ers The floors in the new buildings are
ali water-tight most OF them being OF &C.
mcnt,
"It was necessary TO reclean the old
huIidings used by the French They were
nrst repaired Many new barracks are
going up all the time. and il Will not be
long before the old ones Will be aoan-
doned