Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-12-17
Sea1s Special Message to Congress Giving Re-
suits Of His Observations in Canal Zone--
Replies to Critics and Makes
Recommendations.

for ahe good al steady msn ~ course
e~"natmas "a the cork. Vet amsanamh.
cities In PAaaHs - per eent VI tbs
streets that are % BE- paved 1T all are
already paved wsth nm excellent hFagk
pavement laid In AsAyy concrete. a fea
u the streets ssisg stlii In process Of
pavsng, The sewer and water services
I'm she etsg arc If the nos modern hy-
| Efanse type saEas af the swTAter haE-
ing just bern Completed.
and ia H. 10 regards Colon h most 81
the very bitter complaint has been
made. Colon h built on = low coral
island. covered al moF or less shallow
depths with vegetable accumulat t4ans
or maid. which affords sustenanee and
strength 10 manF varieties Of low.
iyafag tropical naaata 0ne-haif Of the
surface Of abe asaR nd In covered with
water at high tide. the average height
af the land tseing ~ feet above Low
TIDE Th@ slight umdulasInns furnaSh
.halIsw natural Tes'Fyoira Or fresh
NatsT breeding places tor every xaris-
" af mosquito, and the ground tends
20 . lowest I'm ahe middle when the
was made e. Hi iha Iow sraand' sssasf
I'm the streets ar On the building mltex,
w That the entire surface was prac.
Nj : qua E'".s", mh.s O." u"as
streets were eFaaislv tmnrupesI bs an.
snK especially had mud holes with soft
rock ~ other material In September.
1905, . systematic mort was begun 10
formulate q general plan for th" prop
sr sanitation of the eias. In Febf uary
last temporary relief measures we've
taken. while In July the prosecution ~
the work "as hessan in good earn~st
The results are already Visible In the
seweFtng, dfatBing. g~utterinE and paw.
Ing Of the streets, Some four months
will b. Required before the work ~
sewerage ana street Improvement viii
- 4.aNrk-kzA EEdf gAa
made il very marked. Dltches have
been dug Through tho town, connecting
the salt water cd both sides. aud lnt0
these the ponds. which have served as
breeding places far the mosquitoes, arr,
drained. These bitches have answered
their purpose. fnr they are pr0ira hIy
the chief eause of the astonishing
dimlnHtlen NJ mosquitoes. Mere ditchr@
Of the kind are heihg constructed
Colon Water Supply.
II was not practicable. with the
t"rce at thr commissions disposal and
Ia view Of the need that tho fare,
should b+ used In the larger tow ~
" r"n 'na, t" ~ ,nla work before
then laid In tn" town and water was
Furnished I" III" people early In Marrh
from a temporary reservoir. This
reser.u,r proved 10 he OF Insufficient
capacity h"tnFe tho n of the dry
season and the shortage was made up
by hauling water over III" Panama
railroad. 81 that there was al all times
an ample SUPPLY of the very hes,
water sln"r that tins" the new reser.
practically completed. ] visited This
reservoir II Ia "A lake oter u mite
long and half q mile broad II now
carries some 100000, 600 gallons "f
first -riass wateF forward herewith
u n%h"tograrh az this lake. Together
with certain other photographs Of
what saw while I was on the 18th.
mus Nothing hut a cataciysm viii
dry season /" haul water for the use
" Caion and Cristobai.
Colon pavements.
rode through the streets OF Colon,
seeing them at the height Of the rainy
season, after iva days of atmost an
"xampl"d h"wnpour. when they wcr"
AT their very worst. Taken IA. IA
had, aF had as Pennsylvania uN"nu"
In Washington before Grants admin
istrati"n FTnrt street Is HlrcadY IN
Thoroughly s~atlsfactory shape. how
ever Somr of the side streets are
also IN g""i condition IN "th"r~ the
{ hang In tho streets II %rnpttily going
on. Through three fouFthN of I'll"
II ~ now possible tn walk. even
during IN. period Of tremendous rain.
ia low shoes without wetting onr'~
feet, owing To the rapidity with witch
the surta"" water Is carried away IN
IN" dltrheS In tn" remaining one
fourth nf tn" streets the mtit ts Very
deep about rs deep as IN the nIdinatN
ett""t at a inw.tying prairte river town
Of the sam" ~iEr In the United States
during "atlN NFFing. All men I" whom !
Spok" were - unit IN saying that th"
conditions ~ tho Colon streets wCTs
The most Superficial animation ar
the low rt't%~ the progress thHt has
been mad. and ~ being made In ma
cahamiziuR ia" streets. Complaint was
mnh" I" M hN an entirely reputable
man aS t" tht character of SOM" OF
~" mate tbni uNrd for repairing Ger
tain streets nm Investigation the com
rlaint proved veil founded, hut II also
hpf,ea red that the use or the material
~ pu, ~ti"n lad bern abandoned. th"
commission afI.r having tried 1t In an"
nj tM" ~ti,,t Is tlnding 1t not aprr",
pratt
1hr result of the investigations Of
''''t II" ""~,,'tNhrn investigated most
ut ttt "tH-I hnusRt complaints made Z"
nv Ihrt - where the complaints
wee '"t mt'ir wautonlS or malicious
10y ''m"Ht always proved "n, ~
''ttt" In appreciate III" fact that
''h," was n"' "ssarY in th" ti"ttl"n
mi ""mpi"ll"n Of this titanic" wo'k IN
: t'"hI, Wilderness. II II lnl,"~~th'"
W. "''"h some mistakes ih bttlIh'NA ~
H"tnt canal through Jungle "N"rr'i
h''t'"ih}n@ and xwamp~. while at thr
N'nt" ms" sHhltating troti" "'tl"% th'!
Tor the feeding and general
=, tF" -; from ii. 400 to 30.ono W"rkttS
. a. ""tntiHnts brought I" mr.. ''f'"r
- '''nf'' t'Ht provision In earning '"r
N'titt NJ t}t' |HhtFprS. or az fAitul' ~
"A."I u" rANfments Of colon. ar AZ
las, ~" 4" supply water, or az fattnF'
t. I'm Il ''ntru sidewalks for the u~'
81 tbs lsh'rrrs in the rainy season
''' 'n'' >'ts'tfon proved almost ""h
''' = : tf'"" =" t~ due m"'"'t =" IT,"
n:f'f 'c4h:' ~ Of the onnt ~t'in /" ct"
'''r, i.iug 81 oEce.
Unjust Criticism.
Fare and forethouGht have been ever
riS'ri nv III" nmHtissian. and nothing has
r"t's't"d nt"t" credit upon Them van
il''ii refusal either To go att'ah too itNf
az I" ne deferred by the fear oI crtttt'sli'
lt'si.i hnt g"}NE ahead fast enough ~ -
C'tr'f''tS to note the fact that mAh> "f
%'tittrtsr ih",n Tor precisely nli"'site r"A-
s"oS. son'e complaining bitterly that the
work is not in a more advanced condt-
'i''h. Whti. thr others complain that II mas
h"sn rushed witt, sHch haste that there
has lD'rn Insufficient preparation FOR tl"'
ny glen" aud comfort Of the employees.
As \ matter af fact neither Cfitirisih "
Just II autld have been inltsIsSttie 10
&" uttt ktr than the commission mas
gone, itF such ~auickfess wohld may"
meant lnsHhf' lent preparation On the
other hand 10 refuse Ia do anything hh.
I'll every possible future contingency ma"
warranteh delay t.Ia The righ, course t"
follow was pxaesty the course which has