The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-12-17

was formerly one OF the most unsani-
tary places on the isthmus, probably
the most unsanitary- There was q
march with a pond in the midd4e-
Doctor Gorgas had both the marsh and
pond drained and the brush cleared off,
so that now, when went over the
ground. it appeared like smooth
meadow intersected by drainage ditch
es The breeding places and shelter
ing spots of the dangerous mosquitoes
mad been completely destroyed. me
result is that CorOzal for the last six
months llike La BOca. which formerly
also had very unsanitary record)
shows one of the best sick rates in the
zone, having less than / per cent a.
week admitted to the hospital. At
Corozal there is big hotel filled with
emDloves Of the Isthmian canal com
mission. some of them with their wives
and families. Yet this healthy and at
tractive spot was stigmatized as hog
wallow'' by one of the least scrupuIous
and most foolish of the professional
scandal mcngers who from time to
time have written about the commits
sion's work.
improvements in Panama and Colon.
The sanitation work in the cities OF
Panama and Colon has been just as I'M
portant as in the zone ITSELF and IN
many respects much more difficult; be
cause it was necessary to deal with the
already existing population, when nat
urally had scant sympathy with revo-
lutionary changes. the value OF when
they were for a long time not able TO
perceive In Colon the population con-
sists largely of cOlored laborers VINO,
having come over from the West In
dies to work on the canal, abandon the
work and either take to the brush or
lie idle in Colon itself; thus peOpllng
Colon with the least desirable among
the imported labOrers, for the good and
steady men Of course continue at the
work Yet astonishing progress mas
been made in both cities IN PahaI1la
so per cent Of the streets that are to be
paved at all are already paved with an
excellent brick pavement laid in heavy
concrete a few Of the streets being still
in process of paving. The sewer and
water services in the city are of the
most modern hygienic type, some of the
service having just been completed
In Colon the conditions are peculiar,
and it is as regards Colon that most
of the very bitter complaint has been
made Colon is built on a low coral
island, covered at more or less shallow
DEPTHS with vegeta BILE accumula tions or
mold. which affords sustenance and
strength to many varieties of low-lying
tropical plants One half of the sur
face of the island is covered with water
at high tide. the average height Of the
land being 115 feet above low tide The
slight undulations furnish shallow, nat
ural reservoirs or fresh water breeding
places for every variety of mosquito,
and the ground tends to be lowest in
the middle. When the town was origi-
naIly built no attempt was made to fill
the low ground. either in the streets or
on the building sites, 50 that the en-
tire surface was practically a quag
mire; when the quagnire became i'm
passable certain OF the streets were
crudely improved by filling especially
bad mud holes with soft rock or other
material In September 1905, syste-
matte effort was begun to formulate a
general plan fer the proper sanitation
Of the city; in February last temporary
relief measures were taken, while in
July the prosecution of the work was
begun in good earnest. The results are
already visible in the sewering, drain
ing, guttering and paving of the streets
Some four months viii be required be
fore the ork Of sewerage and street
Improvement will be completed, but the
progress already made is very marked.
bitches have been dug through the
town, connecting the salt water on both
sides, and into these the ponds. which
have served as breeding places for the
mosquitoes. are drained. These bitches
have answered their purpose. for they
are .nrobahly the chief cause of the as