Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1906-12-22
THE WORK is BEING PUSHED
Perfection of Sanitary Conditions
in Canal Zone Has Taken
Much Time.
He Found But Little Ground for Com.
plants and Refutes Statements of
Critics-caIIs Some Writers "SIan-
derers and Liars" = Approves of
Type and Route of Canal.

The following is the text of President
Roosevelts special message to congress
on the suAdSet of the Panama canal:
TO -tTe Senate and House of Representa-
t.Ves
In the month OF November I visited the
1sthmus, Of Panama, going over the
Canal Zone with considerable care; and
also visited the cities of Panama and
Colon, which are not in the zone or
under the United States flag. but as to
which the United States government
through its agents, exercises control for
certain sanitary purposes. / chose the
salonth of November for my visit partly
because It is the rainest month of the
year the month in which the work goes
forward at the greatest disadvantage
and one of the two months which the
medical department of the French Canal
company found most unhealthy
Following the Introduction to the mes
sage the president gives a resume of his
programme during the days he was on
the isthmus, and then says:
AT the outset | wish to pay tribute
70 the amount of work done by the
French Canal company under very diff
cult circumstances. Many of the build
ings they put up were excellent and
are still in use, though, naturally, tho
houses are now getting out of repair and
are being used as dwellings only until
other houses can be built, and much of
the work they did in the CuleL.a cut
and some Of the work they did i'm dig
ging has been of direct and real benefit
This country has never made a better
Investment than the $0,000,O00 which it
paid TO the French company for work
\ and betterments. including especially the
J Panama railroad
An inspection on the ground at the
height of the rainy season served TO con-
vince me of the wisdom of congress i'm
refusing to adopt either a high-level or
sea-level canal. There seems to be
competent TO Judge that the Panama
route. the one actually chosen, Is much
superior to both the Nicaragua and
Darien routes.
Preliminary Work Being Done.
The wisdom of the canal management
has been shown in nothing more clearly
than IN the way in which the founda-
ions OF the work have been laid To
nave welded 10 the naGral impotence
Hays,I-.for me-. % Slt siderSI-sfild begun all
Kinds of experiments in work prior to a
thorougn sanitation of the isthmus, and
TO fairly satisfactory working out of
the problem OF getting and keeping q
sufilcient labor supply, would have been
measures had to be taken first: and
these could not be taken so as to allow
us to begin the real work of construc-
tlon prior TO January l of the present
year 1t then became necessary to have
the type OF the canal decided and the
only delay has been the necessary delay
when the congress definitely and wisely
settled that we should have an S5-foot
level canal Immediately after that the
been continued with increasing yigor
ever since; and it will continue so to
progress in the future. When the con-
tracts are let the conditions will be such
as to insure a constantly increasing
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
me outset under the direction of DR..
wv {, Gorgas, who is to be made a full
MEMBER or the commission. 1t must be
remembered that his work was not mere
san sanitation l,9i as the term is understood in
our ordinary municipal work Through
OUT the zone and in the two cities of
Panama and Colon, in addition to the
sanitation nii ION work proper, he has had to
90 an the work that the Marine hospital
service does as regards the nation, that
the health department officers do in the
TMapi9us states and cities, and that Col.
:Waring did in New York when he
Cleaned It's streets. The results have
been astounding. The isthmus had been
a Dyword for deadly unhealthfulness.
the conditions as regards sickness and
Tue ueath rate compare favorably with
reasonably healthy localities in the
United States. Especial care has been
devoted TO minimizing the risk due to the
presence OF those species OF mosquitoes
1 milier nave ave, been found to propagate
settlements, the little temporary towns
or cltes composed of the white and black
S ghl1pao$es, which. grow up here and
tHe.s IN the tropic jungle as the needs
OF tse woNsI dictate the utmost care is
exercised to keep the conditions healthy.
everywhere are to be seen the drainage
nave removed the breeding places of the
mosquitoes, while the whole jungle is
f tbe away way FOR considerable space around
Sne haoltatlons, thus destroying the
places in whichkthe mosquitoes take shell
Ter. These draiRsge bitches and clearings
are IN evidence In every settlement, and,
loeether with the invariable presence of
mosquito screens around the piazzas. and
or mosquito doors to the houses not TO
speak OF the careful fumigation that has
gone on In all infected houses, doubtless
explain the extraordinary absence of
MOSQUITOES AS matter of fact but
single mosquito, and this not Of the
member OF our party during my three
Gays on the isthmus. Equal care is
taken by the inspectors of the health de-
Partment to secure cleanliness i'm the
houses and proper hygienic conditions of
every kind. i inspected between 20 and
90 water-closets, both those used by the
Wnlte employees and those used by the
Ssoiored laborers: In almost every case 1
FOUND the conditions perfect. In but one
case did l find them really bad. In this
case, affecting settlement of unmar-
ried white employees, / found them very
pad indeed, but the buildings were ali
inherited from the French company and
buildings were in the course OF construc-
ton; aud right near the defective water
closet new and excellent closet with a
good sewer pipe was in process OF con-
struction and nearly finished. Neverthe-
Es this did not excuse the fact that the
go condition had been allowed to pre-
rsl. temporary accommodations, even
" only such as soldiers use when camped
yn the Held, should have been provided.
Oroers to this effect were issued. APP
peno the report of DR.. Gorgas on the in
cIoent; 1 was struck. however. by the
Lact mat In this instance, as I'm almost
every other where a complaint was made
wnleh proved to have any justification
Wnstever II appeared that steps had al