The Washington times., 1906-08-13
PANAMA PROBLEMS
IN RAINYSEASON
Amount Of EXcaVang Done
Thus Far Exceeding
ly Small
MALARIA FILLS BSPlTALS
Conditions Show Difficult Of Under
taking, But Chief Enginer Stevens
Not Discouraged

When President Roosevelt tgOes 10 the
canal zone next November le is likely
20 get some new impressius Of the
tremendous diniculties in le way OF
construction Of the isthmiaT vaterway.
II is seldom unbiased lt0ruatCn
reaches this country as tothe actual
state Of things on the canalzone Re
ports from there are either uiciaI. and
given r0seate tlnge or the are born
OF hostility 10 the canal and re blacker
than the facts warrant. Iaely, how
ever, Information. from impartial
sources as 20 just what is glng on IN
The canal zone. has been reaching
Washington and It is deciddly inter
ostiuE- This information deIcts So
bering view Of the situation here and.
while not disCOuraging as TO the ulti-
mate construction OF the caal, IL is
not calculated 10 promote unde optim-
ism or give rise TO the belicfthat this
Government has undertaken anything
else thansa gigantic. expensiv, and ex-
remely trying task
Little Dirt Flying Yet
There has been . Jet OF tax about
making the dirt dy." but tlz facts
are, as persons who have traveHed the
zone thoroughly this summer say. that
little has yet been done ia the way Of
digging. Much Improvement hg been
made on the Panama railroad. ,0nges-
tiOn of traffic has been relieved. the
grades Of the road are being lut in
g0od shape. and constant improvements
on the railroad line are being made.
Sanitation work on the zone has also
progressed raVOTUDIE. There have been
various improvements in Panama. "a
sewerage system and waterw0rks have
been put lu and the city well cleaned.
Colon is not py any means In "a salts
factory sanitary condition. bur improve
menIS there are planned and are being
pushed as rapidly as IS feasible Iel-
low fever seems 10 be stamped out COM
Pletely and the slight outbreak Of small
p0x that disturbed colon recently is
-ully under control
Wet Season Fills Hospitals.
When It comes. however. TO labor con-
dluous and the actual pushing OF WORK
on the canal itself, conditions are far
from satisfactory. This is admitted by
officials who nave lately been on the
isthmus. although they are unwilling 10
be quoted III The terms ln which they
talk privately, The rainy season is a
great obstacle TO the successful prose
cuti0n Of canal construction. The heavy
tropical rains not ez3y prevent the Gov
eminent from working the labOrers 10
their capacity, but the machinery can
not be made to operate with anything
Ike fuil efficiency. There are fcsry-siN
heavy steam sh1vels IN The Eul-brd sec
tiOn Of Jhe canal. where the sTeat bulk
or the excavation has to be done Al
present less than half, about twenty ln
fact of the shOvels are working,
The hospitals are 0verlo wing. and iL IS
said on good authority that there is al
most no hope of getting sanitary condl-
lions in the zone so improved as 70 PRE-
vent heavy ravaEes by malaria There
are great reaches jungle and swamp
that IL is hardly possible 10 clean OuI
and in the wet season the hot sun FORCES
earth that no amount Of precaution can
prevent being extremely unhealthy.
Seeking New Machinery.
There is reason TO believe Chief En-
glneer Stevens is seeking 10 discover
machinery that will be an improvement
In excavation over the big steam-shovels
now in use. 1t is entirely possible ma
chinery will be found that can he used
with fair effectiveness in the wet sea-
son. II so. it VIII he a great stride
forward. The Culehra cut excavation,
for a distance Of about twelve miles, IS
recognized as the big end OF the canal
Stevens sis making this conslderap piA
wider than the French had II. IL VIII
be 500 feet wide aI the bottom, ana, as
the sides slope - an angle OF about q
degrees. an Immense quantity or e2rta
has TO be removed