The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-01-31
Letter from Mr. Robt. McCombs.

Corozal, Canal Zone,
Isthmus of Panama
June Is, 1905.
MI. w. w. Bradley,
Abbeville, S. c.,
Dear Sir and Friend-Please enter
nv name on your list as a subscriber
TO the Press and Banner, and l will
send you q remittance for same in q
few DAYS. Since I have arrived on the
Isthmus I have not seen q copy OF
either the Press and Bann or Medium
and therefore don't know much about
what Is going on at home. After hav-
ing read the County papers almost
every week since l can remember, 1t
makes'a fellow out of the world when,
thew don't show up in the mails.
It takes from 10 to IL days for mail
to reach us from the States, the quick
est route for the Press and Banner 70
come would be via N. Y, for II it were
to come via New Orleans, it would lie
in New Orleans until 1t would be q
week old, as the Steamers leave New
Orleans every Wednesday.
/ have had one slight attack OF Ma
laria 81, ce I have been On the Isthmus
but at present I am enjoying good
health. =,
live at Corozal q small town about
two and one-half miles from the city
of Panama, but work in the city. The
Commission has quarters for the en-
ploy ees at Corozal, we go and come on
the rail road.
There is some Yellow Jack In the
Hospital but generally the health OF
the Americans is verv good. ,
The rainy season is on and we do not
suffer from the heat. The nights are
very pleasant indeed, with the excep-
ton of the mosquitoes and they are
not near SO bad as when I first came
on the Isthmas, as the Sanitary de-
partment is doing every thing possible
to exterminate them. If we don't have
an epidemic I think in another year
this will be a safe place for a fellow 10
live as the Commission is doing every
thing possible for the welfare OF the
employers.
There are 4 orr thousand men en-
ployed by the Commission, but few OF
Them are doing any actual work on
The Canal, as there is 80 mnch prellml:
nary work to be done before the Canal
work q commence.
There is at present a single track K,
R. from Colon to Panama which trav-
els the route of the Canal, this is soon
to be q double track, the work OF put
ting in another track has already
commenced.
There are several large hotels going
IN along the line some of which are
already occupied, besides houses for
men of families are going up as last az
possible.
The Waterworks and Sewer depart.
ment il at present putting in water
works and a sewerage system in Pana'
ma, the water supply comes from the
Rio Grande River about 10 miles from
Panama, we expect to have the water
on in Panama by July 4th. and the
Sewerage System will be finished IN
Panama in about three months.
Ancom Hospital is situated on the
outskirts of Panama, there are about
So nurses, all American women.
The attention given to patients IL
first Glass; the hospital has a capacity
of 700.
When I first came down here there
W as quite a yellow fever scare and fol
awhile men were going back IS fast az
the boats could accommodate them,
but the scare has blown yer and the
excitement is not so great. -.
If conditions remain the same l Will
stay until Dec. when I will be entitl-
ed TO a six weeks leave on full pay.
Don't take offence at this long letter
I thought possibly you might like to
know what I am doing. Give my
best regards to Renwick.
Yours truly, y
r. S. McCombs.