Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-17

the rapdity with which the surface water
is carried away in the bitches. In the re-
naming one-fourth of the streets the mud
is very deep-about as deep as in the ordi-
nary street of a low-lying prairie river
town of the same size in the United States
during early spring. All men to Whom L
spoke were unit in saying that the condi-
lions of the Colon streets were 100 per cent
better than a year ago. The most super
fetal examination of the town shows the
progress that has been made and is being
made in macadamiZing the streets. Com
plant made to me by entirely rep
utable man as to the character of some OF
the material used for repairing certain
streets. On investigation the complaint
proved we'll founded, but it also appeared
that the use of the material in question had
been abandoned, the commission after hav-
ing tried it in one or two streets finding 1t
not appropriate.
Complaints Not Well Founded.
The result of the investigation of this
honest complaint was typical of what
Cured when l investigated most of the
other honest complaints made to me. That
is, where the complaints were not made
wantonly maliciously, they almost al
ways proved due to failure to appreciate
the fact that time was necessary in the
creation ard completion of this Titanic
work in a tropic wilderness. 1t Is impoS-
sible to avoid some mistakes in building a
giant canal through Jungle-covered noun
tains and swamps, while at the same time
SanltdtInS trOpic cllleS, ana pToNluinS 1OI
the feeding and general care of from TWEEN
ty to thirty thousand workers. The com
plants brought to me, either of insufficient
provision in caring for some of the Ia
bOrers. or of failure to finish the pave
ments of Colon. or of failure to supply
water, of failure to build wooden SIDE
walks for the use of the laborers in the
rainy season. investigation proved, al
most without exception, to be due merely
to the utter inability of the commission to
do everything at once.
For instance, it was imperative that
Panama. which had the highest death rate
and where the chance of yellow fever
epidemic was strongest should be cared for
first yet most of the complaints as to the
delay in taking care of Colon were due to
the inability or unwillnsness to appreciate
this simple fact. Again, as the thousands
of labOrers are brought over and housed,
it is not always pccsible at the outset to
supply wooden walks and bath houses,
because other more vital necessities have to
be met; and in consequence. while most of
the settlements have good bath houses
and. to a large extent at least, wooden
walks there are plenty of settlements
where wooden walks have not Yet been
laid down, and l visited one where the
bath houses have not been provided. But
in this very settlement the frames of the
| bath houses already up. and in every
| case the utmost effort is being made to
provide the wooden walks. OF course, in
| some of the newest camps tents are used
| pending the building of house,. Where
| possible, I thipk detached houses would
| be preferable to the Semidetached houses
| now in general use.
Unjust Criticism.
| Care and forethought have been exercised
| by the commission. and nothing has re-
| fected more credit upon them than their
refusal either to go ahead 100 fast or 10 be
| deferred by the fear of criticism from not
| going ahead fast enough. 1t is curious to
| note the fact that many of the most severe
,.-;r nfc how fD
| precisely opposite reasons, some complain
| ing bitterly that the work is not in more
| advap ed condition, while the others COM
plair. that it has been rushed with such
| haste that there has been insufficient prep
| aration for the hygiene and comfort of the
I employees. AS matter of fact, neither criti-
| cism is just. 1t would have been impos-
i sible to go quicker than the commission
has gone. for such quickness would have
| meant insufficient preparation. On the
other hand to refuse to do anything until
| every possible future contingency had been
met would have caused wholly unwarranted
| delay The right course 10 follow ex-
actly the course which has been followed.
| Every reasonable preparation was made in
advance, the hygienic conditions in especial
| being made nearly perfect as possible,
| while on the other hand there has been no
| timid refusal to push forward the work be-
| cause of inability to anticipate every pos
| sible emergency, for, of course, many de-
| fleets can only be shown by the working of
| the system in actual practice
| In addition to attending to the health of
the employees 1t is of course necessary to
| provide for policing the zone. This is done
by police force which at present numbers
| over 800 men, under Capt. Stanton. About
one-fifth of the men are white and the
others black. In different places l ques-
| toned some twenty or thirty of these men,
| taking them at random. They were fine
set, physically and in discipline. With one
exception all the white men l questioned
had served in the American army, usually
4. in the Philippines, and belonged to the best