Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1906-12-20

of getting and keeping sufficient la
Der supply, would have been dis
astrous.
The Sanitary Situation
Sanitary conditions at the zone
are reviewed at considerable length
and in concluding the subject Mr.
Roosevelt declares: "at present the
health showing on the isthmus Is
remarkably good-so much better
than In most sections of the United
States that | do not believe that 1t
can possibly continue at quite its
present average Thus, early in the
present year band of several hun
dred Spaniards were brought as la
borers, and additions to their num-
Der have been made from time TO
time; yet since their arrival in
February last but one Of those Span
iards thus brought over to work on
the canal has died of disease, and
he Of typhoid fever. In October
there were 80 deaths Of every kind
among the employees. There We're
then on the rolls $500 whites, seven
eighths OF them being Americans.
OF these whites but two died of dis
ease, and as It happened neither man
was an American. or the 5000
white Americans, including some
/ 200 women and children, not a
single death has occurred in the past
three months, whereas in an aver
age city I'm the United States the
number of deaths for a similar mum
Der Of people in that time would have
been about thirty from disease. In
October, Of the 10000 negroes on
the roll sc died from disease; pneu-
monia being the most destructive dis
ease, and malaria fever coming sec
opd Even among the colored en-
ployees It will be seen that the death
rate Is not high"
AS to PouItney BigeIow.
Poultney Bigelow who wrote OF af,
fairs at the zone in a recent maya
zine article comes in for a little at
tention in the following: "One OF
the most amusing as we'll as dishon.
est, attacks made upon the commits
sion was in connection with this
reservoir. The writer in question
usually confined himself to vague
general mendacity; but in this case
he specifically stated that there was
no water in the vicinity fit for a
reservoir q drank 1t, and 1t was ex-
cellenD, and that this particular
reservoir would never hold water
anyway, Accompanying this mes
sage, as | have said above, Is u
photograph of the reservoir as | my
self saw II, and as II has been in
existence ever since the article in
question was published. With typi
cal American humor, the engineering
corps still at work at the reservoir
have christened n large boat which
Ia now used on the reservoir by tho
name of the individual who thus
denied the possibility of the reser-
yolr's existence
Care of Employees.
Next In Importance to the problem
of sanitation. and indeed now of
equal importance, Is the problem OF
securing and caring for the me-
chancis laborors. and other employees
who actually do the work on the
canal and the railroad This great
task has been under the control of
Jackson Smith and on the whole has
been we'll done. At present there
are some 5000 white employees ana
some 10000 colored employees on tch
lsthmus Nearly 5000 of the white
employees had come from the United
states, No one can see these young
vigorous men energetically doing
their duty without a thrill of pride
In them as Americans. They rep
resent on the average Il high class.
Doubtless to congress the wages paid
them will seem high, but as a mat
ter of fact the only general COM
plant which had any real basis
among the complaints made to me
upon the isthmus was that, owing to
the peculiar surroundings, the cost
Of living, and the distance from home
the wages were really not as high rs
they should be.
Food Supplies.
The housewives purchase their sup
plies directly or through their hus.
bands, from the commissary stores OF
the commission. All agree that tn,
supplies were excellent, and all but
two stated that there was no com
plant to be made; these two com
planned that the prices were eXces
siye ms compared to the prices In
the states. ON investigation this
complaint was well founded The
married men ate at home. The un
married men sometimes ate at pri
waite boarding houses. or private
, messos, but more often, Judging by III,
} answers of those questioned at the
1 COVE rnmcnt Canteens or hotels where