The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-18


honor and interest are safe in their
hands-are safe in your hands
In closing, all | have to say is this
You are doing a work the like of which
has not before been seen in the ages,
work that shall last thru the ages to
come, and l pledge you, as President CT
the United States. and speaking for the
people of the United States, every ounce
of support and help and assistance that
it is in my power to give you, so that
We together, you backed by the people
of the United States, may speedily bring
this grea test of works to a triumphant
conclusion.
Appendix 2.
Isthmian Canal Zone,
Department of Health,
Office of Chief Sanitary officer,
Ancon c. H., November %, 1906
Mr. William Loeb Secretary to the
President, White House. Washington,
D. c.
Dear sir-In accordance with the direc-
ton of President Roosevelt. | herewith
| forward report concerning the disposal of
night soil on the zone. The report COW
ers the territory from La Boca TO
Gatun, but does not include the cities OF
Colon and Panama. | had careful in-
speetion made on a fXt day of all the
closets in this territory. The reports of
inspectors are herewith appended and
| will explain themselves
! You will note that we have three
| methods of disposng of night soil: First,
wa ter-closets, which discharge into regu-
| lar sewerage systems; second, put closets
constructed according to a standard plan
and made fly proof third, bucket closets
Eventually the disposal of night soil VIII
he entirely by water. wherever we haVe
water supply and a sewerage SYSTEM
and this condition will exist nearly
| everywhere on the isthmus.
| We have two styles of water-closets-
/ the ordinary proclaim flush closet for
the white and married quarters and the
/ range closet for the laborers' barracks
! The range closet consists of trough
| capable of seating about seventeen men,
which is automa tically flushed sufhclent-
| ly often to keep it clean. You Will see
| that already a large majority OF the
white quarters and family quarters nave
| been supplied with waterclosets. PIT
| closets are used as a temporary means
of disposal Whever possible until water
and sewerage systems can be lnstalleu,
| and where for local reasons they were
| not Objectionable The pit closet is maze
| by digging an ordinary pit and placing
| over it a fly-proof closet Bueet Closets
| are used where for various reasons the
| other two systems cannot be used; Tor
! instance where the ground is of such
| character that the subsoil water is high
| and a pit would rapidly fill with water
| or where the pit closet would be especlai-
| " ineonvenient. The bucket closet Is
constructed by placing a galvanized IRON
| bucket in a ny-proof box arranged in
| convenient building. The bucket is emp
| tied and cleaned nightly.
| or course. with the ordinary machinery,
! and the very unreliable labor we have
| to deal with, and the shortage OF laoor
| that frequently exists, it is bound 10 oc-
| cur that now and then bucket Will not
be emptied, but this very rarely occurs.
| You will see from the report that on this
particular inspection not single bucket
| was found unempted to 1t does occur
| every now and then. The system, 1
think, is a very safe, good and sanitary
| system, and no sanitary harm Is caused
| from these occasional accidents.
| The system of emptying buckets is as
| follows: The area is divided up into sec
tions SO that two negro scavengers are
assigned from fifty to eighty buckets,
according to distance from point of dis
posal According to area every six scav-
engers have negro foreman who super
! vises them. These negro foremen are UNI
der white inspectors. Each white in
spector is required TO go about his dis
triet and inspect every closet once daily.
This white inspector makes a daily re-
port to the chief inspector of the district
regarding the condition of the pit and pail
closets. All pit and pail closets are
cleaned and wasn't daily
Upon our taking over the buildings from
the French, we found the bucket system
installed in the hospitals, the public build
ings, tand the better class of white
houses. In the barracks and other build
ings no provision was made for the dis
posal of night soil. The individuals were
expected to care for themselves in this
, respect and used the nelghboring jungle
for this purpose.
From my personal knowledge and fire.
quent inspections (for the past two years
] have been out at least twice week in
speeding this and other sanitary matters,
and eeyry time | go out | inspect some
closets ! am confident that the disposal
of night soil is well lookt after, and that
| the general conditions in this respect are
entirely sanitary. The conditions as found
according to the inclosed report. 1 think,
will bear me out In this statement.
In the particular case at house No. 81,
at Empire. where the President found the
/ muckets filled, upon investigation I find
that the buckets had not bee erhpted tine
previous night. The foreman stated that
they had been. lie acknowledged after
wards that he was lying. This building
contained twenty-four white employees and
had five buckets, which is an ample allow
| ance. In my recommendation, L have ad-
vlsed one bucket to ten men. This /
have found sufficient. There had never
been any complaint OF insanitary con-
dtions of this closet from anybody con-
cerned, either to the inspector or to any
one else in authority. The white fore
man in charge of the negro foreman in
this district and who has been in charge
of this district about three weeks, tells
me that this is the first time since he
has been in charge that this particular
closet had not been empted during the
| night. The President will remeber that
during the preceding night there had been
an unusual rainfall, such as had not oc-
cured on the isthmus before in several
years.
As the President ordered, six additional
buckets have already been installed. Sew
erage connections are being made, and
within few days water closets will be
/ nthls house. Very respectfully.
W. c. GORGAS,
Chief Sanitary Officer.
Appendix 8.
CPersonal)
Colon, September 10. ,9o5.
Mr. John +. Stevens, Vice President,AC
bra, Canal Zone:
Dear slr-Referring to and answering
your personal letter Of September 8, on