The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-12-21

strength to many varieties Of Lowry
ing tropical plants. One-half CT th*
surface Of the island Is covered wIth
water at high tide. the average aeisdi
Of the land being / i-2 feet above lnN
tide. The slight ~uniulations furnish
shallow. natural reservoirs o. fresh
water breeding places for every v~ari.ty
Of mosquito. and the ground ten = -
be lowest in the middle. When the tJwh
was originally built no attempt WIS
made 10 fill the low ground. either IN
the streets Or On building sites. so thg'
the entire surface was pracCcaly n
quagmire. when the Quag:n!le became
impossible certain OF the streets were
crudely improved by filling especially
bad mud holes with soft rock or otls
material. In September, 1905. u sy>-
teuatic effort was begun TO formulate
a general plan for the proper s1niya-
ton Of the city, in February last teT-
porary relief measures were taken.
while in July the prosecution OF the
work WAS begun in good earnest The
results are already visible n the sewer
ing, draining, ~=utt%Iiug and paving OF
the streets. some four months vii!
be required before the work of sewer
age and street improvement will be
completed. but the progress already
made is very marked. bitches Lave
been dug thru the OWL connecting the
salt water on both sides, and into these
the ponds. which have served rs breed
ing places for the mosquitoes, are
drained. These bitches have answered
their purpose. Tor they are probably
the chief cause of the astonishing Gl-
minutiOn in the number OF mosquitoes
More bitches Ct the kind are being oon-
structed.
COLON WATER SUPPLY.
Ii was not practicable, with the
force at the commissions disposal. ana
in view Of the need that the 1o,cr
should be used in the larger town OF
Panama. to begin this work before
i early last winter. Water mains We're
then laid in the town and water fur
nished 10 the people early in March
from a temporary reservoir. This res
aryoir proved to be Of insufficient
capacity before the end Of the dry sea
son and the shortage was made up by
hauling water Owe the Panama rail-
| road, so that there was at all times
an ample supply of the very best
water. Since that time the new rese--
sCll Ddth vi -AiouI!l iItt' hAS D-''
: practically completed. | visited 'his
reservoir. 1t is q lake over a mile long
and half a mile broad. 1t now carries
some 500, 000, 600 gallons OF first-class
water. ] forward herewith a photo
graph CT this lake, together with GER
tain other photographs OF what | saw
while | was on the Isthmus. Nothing
but Il cataclysm will hereafter render
- ~ W tho ri tv SaoSnn IN hpr13
water for the use Of Colon and Cr.s-
tObal.
One of the most amusing (as we'll as
dishonesty attacks made upon the COM
mission was in connection with This
reservoir. The writer in question uSU-
ally confined himself to vague general
m~endacdty; but in this case he specifi-
callv stated that there was no water in
the vicinity fit for a reservoir Il drank
it. and 1t was excellent), and that this
particular reservoir would never hold
water anyway. Accompanying this
message as I have said above, as a pho
tograph OF the reservoir AS | myself
saw it, and as it has been in existence
ever since the article in question Wa,
published. With typical American
humor, the engineering corps still at
work at the reservoir have chr.steae3
a large boat which is now used on the
reservoir by the name of the individual,
! who thus denied the possibility of the
reservoirs existence.
COLON PAYMENTS.
| rode thru the streets OF Colon, see
ing them at the height of the rainy sea
son. after two days Of almost unex-
ampled downpour. when they were AT
their very worst. Taken as a whole
they were undoubtedly very bad; as
bad as Pennsylvania avenue in Wash
ingtOn before Grants administration
Front street is already in thOroly sat
isfactory shape however. Some Of Lh2
side streets are also In good condition.
In Others the change in the streets is
rapidly going on. Thru th~ree-fourths
of the town it is now possible to walk,
even during the period Of tremendous
rain, in low shoes without wettine
ones feet, owing to h rapidity with
which the surface water is carried
away In the bitches. In the remaining
one-fourth of the streets the mud Is
very deep-about as deep a in -he
ordinary street Of a low-lying prairie
river town of the same size in thl
United States during early spring. AL
men to whom L spoke were a unit IN
saying that the conditions OF the Cnio1
streets were 100 per cent. better than
a year ago. The los superficial exam
inatiOn Of the town shows the prOgrcS.
that has been made and is being madf
in macadanriZing the streets. Com
plant was made 10 me by an entirely
reputable man as to the c~haracte- 81
some of the material used for repT!ne
certain streets. On investigation tn
complaint proved well founded, bill !
also appeared that the use Of the mate
rial in question had been abandoned
the commission after having tried II ir
one or two streets finding II not ap
%propriate.
COMPLAINTS NOT WELL FOUNDED
The result Of the investigation Of
: this honest complaint was typical o
What or~,,-ra5 WHEN investigate p