The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1906-12-22


that we should have an S5-foot level
canal. Immediately after that the
work began in hard earnest and has
been continued with increasing vlgor
ever since; and 1t will continue so 10
progress in the future. When the con-
tracts are let the conditions will be
such as TO insure constantly increas-
ing amount OF performance.
Successful Sanitation.
The first great problem TO be solved.
upon the solution OF which the success
OF the rest OF the work depended, was
the problem of sanitation. This was
from the outset under the direction OF
Or. w. C. Gorgas. who is to be made
full member OF the commission. 1t
must be remembered that his work
was not mere sanitation as the term
il understood in our ordinary munich
pal work Throughout the zone and In
the two cities Of Panama and Colon,
In addition to the sanitation work
proper. he has had to do all the work
that the marine hospital service does
as regards the nation. that the health
department officers do in the various
states and cities. and that Colonel
Warning did in New York when he
cleaned It's streets. The results have
been astounding The isthmus had
been byword for deadly unhealthful-
ness. Now. after two years OF our
occupation The conditions as regards
sickness and the death rate compare
fayorably with reasonably healthy To-
calities in the United States. Just at
present the health showing on the
isthmus ia remarkably good--so much
better than In most sections OF the
United States that I do not believe
that II can possibly continue at quite
it's present average. In October there
were ninety-nine deaths OF every kind
among the employees OF the isthmus.
There we're then on the rolls $500
whites. seven-eighths OF them being
Americans. or these whites but two
died OF disease. and as IL happened,
neither man was an American. OF the
5000 white Americans. including some
1900 women and children, not a single
death has occurred in the past three
months, whereas in an average city in
the United States the number OF
deaths for a similar number OF people
In that time would have been about
thirty from disease. In Panama and
Colon the death rate has also been
greatly reduced, this being directly
due TO the vigorous work OF the spe-
cial brigade of employees who have
been inspecting houses where the
stegomyia mosqnito is to be found and
destroying it's larvae and breeding
places, and doing similar work in ex-
terminating the malarial mosquitoes
in short, in performing all kinds OF
hygienic labor The sanitation work
in the cities OF Panama and Colon has
been Just as important as In tire zone
itself, and In many respects much
more difiicult: because II was neces-
sary to deal with the already existing
population. which naturally had scant
sympathy with revolutionary changes.
the value OF which they were for a
long time not able TO perceive. Yet
astonishing progress has been made
In both cities
Unjust Criticism.
Care AID forethought have been ex-
erciscd by the commission. and moth
ing has reflected more credit upon
them than their refusal either to so
ahead too fast or 60 be deferred by
the fear Of criticism from not going
ahead fast enough II Is curious 10
note the fact that many Of the most
severe critics OF the commission crit.
icIze Thorn for precisely opposite rea-
sons. some complaining bitterly that
the work Is not In a more advanced
condition. while The others complain
that IL has been rushed with such
haste that there has been insufficient
preparation for the hygiene and com
fort Of the employees. As a matter Of
fact. neither criticism Is just II would
have been impossible TO so quicker
than the commission has gone, for
such quckness would have meant in
sufficient preparation On the other
hand. 20 refuse to- do anything until
every possible future contingency had
been met would have caused wholly
unwarranted delay. The right course
TO follow was exactly the course which
has been followed. Every reasonable
preparation was made In advance. the
hygienic conditions In especial being
made az nearly perfect as possible;
while on the other hand there has
been no timid refusal to push forward
the work because OF inability 20 antici-
pate every possible emergency. for. OF
course. many defects can only be
shown by the working Of the system
In actual practice.
In addition TO attending 10 the
health OF the employees. IL Is or course
necessary 10 provide for policing the
zone This Is done by police force
which az present numbers over 200
men. under Captain Stanton. About
one-nfth OF the men are white and the
others black. Where possible the po
licemen are used TO control people OF