Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1906-12-18
BY Associated Press.


day and their reading took practically
all the time of the senate. The reading
was delayed in the house by the fact
that it was suspension day. The mes
sages were in relation to the public
land laws and the navy personnel bill
and recounting of the presidents visit
to Panama. The latter message at
tracted great interest because it was
deliberately illustrated showing the
great waterway in it's various stages.
1t was in the form of a very interesting
story of the presidents visit. AS it
was read the senators followed it close
" from handsomely bound copies which
had been laid upon their desks.
1t was as follows:
To the Senate and House of Repre-
seutatives;
In the month of November 1 visited
the Isthmus 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 it's agents, exercises control
for certain sanitary purposes.
The United States steamship Louis
lana, on which | was, anchored off
Colon about 2:3O on Wednesday after
noon, November ID. ] came aboard
her, after my stay on shore, at about
$3.50 on Saturday evening, November
il. on Wednesday afternoon and even
ing [ received the president of Panama
and his suite. and saw members of the
canal commission and various other
gentlemen, perfecting the arrangement
for my visit, so that every hour that /
was ashore could be employed to adj
vantage. / was three days ashore
not a sufficient length of time to allow
of an exhaustive investigation of the
minutiae of the work of any single de-
partment, still less to pass judgment
on the engineering problems, but
enough to enable me to get a clear
idea of the salient features of the great
work and of the progress that has been
made as regards the sanitation of the
zone, Colon and Panama, the caring for
and housing of the employees, and the
actual digging of the canal. The zone
is a narrow strip of land, and it can
be inspected much as one can inspect
fifty or sixty miles of great railroad,
mountains or overcomes other natural
obstacles.
| chose the month of November for
my visit partly because it is the rain
lest 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 depart
ment of the French canal commission
found most unhealthy.
Immediately after anchoring on the
afternoon of Wednesday there was a
violent storm of wind and rain. From
that time we did not again see the sun
until Saturday morning. the rain con-
tinuing almost steadily, but varying
from a fine drizzle 70 a torrenttial
downpour. During that time in fif-
teen minutes at Cristobal LOS inches of
rain fell; from to a. M, November
&c. $50 inches fell; for the twenty-four
hours ending noon, November 16, 4.6S
inches fell, and for the six days ending
noon, November 16. 1924 inches fell.
The Chagres rose in flood to a greater
height than it had attained during the
last fifteen years, tearing out the track
in one place. 1t would have been i'm
possible to see the work going on UNI
der more unfavorable weather condi-
tions. On Saturday, November II, the
sun shone now and then for few
minutes, although the day was gener-
ally overcast and there were heavy
showers at intervals.
First Day Ashore
On Thursday morning we landed at
about 1880 and went slowly over the
line of the Panama railway, ending
with an expedition in a tug at the Pa
cifc entrance of the canal out to the
islands where the dredging for the
canal will cease. We took our dinner
at one of the eating houses furnished
by the commission for the use of the
government employes-no warning of
our coming being given. | inspected
the Ancon hospital, going through
various wards both for white patients
and for colored patients. | inspected
portions of the constabulary Zone po-
lice), examining the men Individually
! also examined certain of the schools
and saw the school children, both white
and colored, speaking with certain of
the teachers. In the afternoon of this
day l was formally received in Pan
anna by President Amador who, to-
Sether with the government and all
the people of Panama, treated me with
the most considerable courtesy, for
which hereby extend my most earnest
thanks. I was driven through Pana-
ma and in public square was for
mally received and welcomed by the
president and other members of the
government; and in the evening | at
tended dinner given by the president,
and reception, which was also a gov
eminent function. / also drove through
the streets of Panama for the purpose
OF observing what had been done. We
slept at the Hotel Tivoli at Ancon
which is on hill directly outside of
the city of Panama, but in the zone.
Second Day
On Friday morning we left the hotel
at Z O'Clock and spent the entire day
going through the Culebra cut-the
spot In which most work will have to
be done i'm any event. We watched
the different steam shovels working;
we saw the drilling and blasting; we
saw many of the dirt trains (of the
two different types used, both carrying
the earth away from the steam shovels
and depositing 1t on the dumps-some
of the dumps being run out i'm the
jungle merely to get rid of the earth
While i'm other cases they are being
used for double tracking the railway
and in preparing to build the great
dams. l visited many OF the different
villages, inspecting thoroughly many
different buildings-the local receivine