New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-11

categoricaly to deny it, The appointment of off,
| Gals has been under the Civil Service law ever
since the summer of 1904 and political influence has
played no part whatever in the selection of the
! persons appointed to places the isthnaus. The
chef engineer. by special exception of the Presi-
cent mas himself exercised complete discretion In
/ the selection of his engineering force, while the
/ clerical force has been obtained purely by Civil
! Service law methods There has been great diff
Guilty In securing under the Civil Service law meth
/ DDS men for out of door work the sthmus-skled
mechanics track layers, carpenters and others
i but certainly the defects in their qualifications
which have been found TO exist have never been
! due 70 the exercise of political influence The
/ physicians in the sanitary department have gem
! orally been transferred from the medical
corps, the navy medical corps the medical corps
! OF the United States Marine Hospital Service, and
| they have proved to be brave. earnest and most
! efficient
NO INCoMPETENCY AND NEGLECT
come now to the charges of misconduct or
acts evidencing incompetency and neglect in the
officials in charge of the work. There is charge
of delay by red tape in the construction of build
ngs on the isthmus This is shown to be untrue
by the statement Of the chief engineer. who Is
more familiar with the facts than any one else
possibly be- 1t is charged that grievous
error was made in the placing of large hotel
at Corozal, within three miles of Panama that
it was placed in a swamp and "a hog wallow. and
that because of its unhealthy site 1t is wholly I'M
occupied. With respect to this testify per
upon high ground, and that the drainage ABOUT II
is good. The former swamp of which complaint Is
made considerable distance away from the
hotel and has been well drained, Mr.. Stevens
testihes Mr.. Stevens adds that he knows the
hotel be full. 1t is quite possible that IN the
middle of the day the hotel appeared empty, pc
cause those who occupy it are the employees OF the
commission, whose work is generally in Panama
and who leave it in the morning and return 10 1t III
the evening.
II is alleged on the authority of an, engineer
whom the writer of the article consulted. that the
dredges in the Culebra Cut were not working 10 Z"
per cent of their promised capacity. and that one
of them had capsized because Of the slipping Vi
the earth from under it. This I presume may be
taken as an indication that the writer OF the ar
tcIe abundant his opportunities for ooser'a-
ton were, did not visit the Culebra Cut because IL
he had done so he would have known that tnere
are dredges within long distance of the Culeora
Cut and that the instruments there being used are
steam shovels. OF course, an error by winch ono
calls a steam shovel dredge is not sgnihcaht III
a Iayman who processes to know nothing OF en-
( gineering or of construction work but When tne
layman processes to pass nice engineering ques-
lions and to state that all engineering dlmcuiues
in the construction of the canal have Vansheo' vi
that deliberately formed plans of competent en-
gineers are outrageously amateur, as the writer Va
this article does not hesitate to do 1t wouio seem
unfortunate for him not to be able to tell the olI-
ference between a steam shovel and oreose'
The answer to the charge is that the excavation
vyh IS being
cmstances in which 1t is expected that the shoVes
shall be used to their utmost capacity. Tney are
being used in the construction of roads at d1fereiit
levels up to the place where the real excavation Is
to be begun Mr. Steyenss answer upon this point
is full and satisfactory.
SEWER SYSTEM OF PANAMA.
FINALLY. criticism is made of the sewer system OF
Panama and the question is asked why any sewer
was built at all. 1t may be that there are some
cities so situated that sewer systems are not 10 De
attempted though in every city OF any pI'sies'
that 7 know such a system is deemed 10 De pest
The CITY Of Panama is quite high enough above the
sea TO give sufficient fall for a gravity sewer
and the tidal ebh and flow of twenty feet is quite
strong enough to carry the sewage out 10 sea anu
hevcnd the risk of injury to health. Inc sewer
system was entered upon because the treaty re
nured the government of the United States TO col
Loot and disnose OF sewage in Panama 1t was de-
signed by an engineer of large experience IN sewers
appointed by Chief Engineer Wallace; the oeSsI
was approved by Mr.. Wallace ana SUBSEQUENTLY,
after protest was made against It, the design was
o,,o-oinad b1, Chief Engineer Stevens and was ap-
nroved bv him The statement that the water mas
backed up in and that II has failed 10 olscliS1 &C
the proper functions of the sewer Ch1et fhsiieI
stevens saws is not And this is the answer
TO the charge
II is next charged that quarantine officials c'n-
strue the law enforce it as far as possible "
interfere with commerce. This Is utterly u,i
fo,nded The Isthrnus of Panama is being rapioiS
freed from danger of yellow fever and otner Gun
+oo5ous diseases by an effort unprecedented III tue
history of the world. It IS surrounded on 60
eide b, disease breeding ports, from "hlch Eeio"
So cholera smallpox, diphtheria ard nupohc
1,ua could he introduced 1t is of the hlshes' I'M
rtonce therefore if the work which is done upon
the sthmus is to remain permanent lnaI te 80
orttne should be strictly enforced On the o'iie
- nth resnect TO yellow fever and many OF tte
- diseases the inhabitants of the tsthn1us re
ar5 themselves as immune and therefore ia
,,ro1lv resent the strictness OF the qusli '
i+ such diseases, while they are greaCy
10 mod over importation of bubonic plague nc
.; that gives rise to the charge which the "rl.el
- ,ha article. so eagerly embraces ana irahe9 ms
own. ,.,-.r+ health
Sc nrA;udieed against old negro woman re-
tod her n pour out her rain water TINS Is pre-
oabl,, on the authority of the old woman.
1o,,h+ the necessity answering a charge RESINS
- ,,ob airosv evidence. 1t is quite certain thal
the water which for any reason she might o
ouired to pour out was water promotiis tue g. -
ti If ynosoutoes-the deadliest foes of man on the
isthmus. .----eedfcsI
Aooin /, is charged that the American ineolcai
chief ordered instruments purchased In America
which Panama official wished 10 purchase III -,
,, az a cheaper rate. 1t is sufficient to say, WIN
reference to this charge. that the cofnnlssioiI
al the officials are directed in the purchase Vi
- Not they shall purchase where the market
=; boonee+ h,,t that as they Americans ana
&C 4bav are more familiar with American markets. |
than elsewhere, and that as transportation Iloiii
America is easier than from elsewhere II Is aui.e
reasona BILE that the great bulk OF purchases siou
be made in America
AGAIN an exploded SANDER against the coInhlssioIi
that under its authority boatload Of black women
were imported from Martinique for immoral Pur-
noses is repeated by the writer of the arucie
When the statement was made on the floor OF ihe