Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-13

| hotel in the United States. The bill of fare
usually includes several kinds of meat.
some vegetables. fruit and perhaps Ice
cream pie. We have established cold
storage plants and put refrigerator cars on
the railroads, and we are doing all we can
to make the men comfortable.
Amusements.
How about amusements?"
I'VE have been very busy improving the
sanitary conditions and have not done as
much in that line as we should like to do.
Nevertheless we have established reading
rooms in the hotels at Corozal and Culebra
and equipped a brass band which has been
organized by the employees of Christobal.
The Americans are adapting themselves to
conditions there They are forming clubs
of various kinds, and. among other things,
International University Club, which is
lege men. The Masonic and other orders al
ready have branches there
About Health.
do you think you have stamped out the
yellow fever, Mr.. Shonts?' l asked.
I'VE have had no cases since last Novem-
Der. and the warfare on the mosquito seems
to have largely abolished her from the 18TH
mus Many of the men are growing care
less and fail to put down their mosquito
nets at night; and the fear of yellow fever
has for the time departed. Indeed, / was
surprised to ma so lew mosquitoes. lake
La Boca, where wharveS are. 1 had
occasion to stay there over night and slept
on one of the Pacific mail steamers without
mosquito netting or any other similar pro-
lection. During the evening l did not see a
mosquito. and it was only after going to bed
that heard one buZZing. 1 got up, turned
my light, and killed it, and then went
back to bed. The work done by the SANTA
ry commission in that respect is wonderful.
A year ago stopping at La Boca
would have been eaten up by mosquitoes.
Now there are not, / venture, on the ten
mile zone one-hundreth as many mosquitoes
as on any similar strip along the New Jer-
sey coast
as the malaria also disappearing?"
1--WE are decreasing the malaria" said the
chairman of the isthmian canal commits
sion, but there will always be more or less
Of that at Panama just as in many parts of
the United States. l would say, however,
that the health of our employees is extraor-
dinarily good. We have sick rate of only
twenty per thousand, and that is a better
showing than in New York city. DR.. Cor
gas reports that there are $50 beds vacant
in the hospitals and he is sanguine that he
can now control the health situation. Our
quarantine arrangements are good and we
shall do everything we can to keep out yell
low fever and other diseases. Indeed,
doubt if there is any place in the world so
carefully watched from health standpoint
as are our stations at Panama. When we
open new labor camp, the sanitary engi-
neers go ahead and lay it out. They attend
to begin until the dangers Of i'll health are
minimized."
Have you good water supply?"
Yes. Panama has it's own waterworks
with reservoir in the mountains of some
thing like S00OO0,0OO gallons. Empire has
a big reservoir, and so also have Gorgona
and Colon. Bas Obispo is supplied by
running stream The water has been ana
lyzed at all these places, and it is good
with the exception that it contains slight
percentage of vegetable matter. Nowith-
standing this at some places they are boil
ing the water"
Chief Engineer Stevens.
"Tell me something about the chief en-
gineer, Mr.. Stevens? Is he the right man
for his place."
1--WE think so,'' replied Mr.. Shonts. He is
man of extraordinary ability, great in
dustry and nfleXible integrity. He is as
straight as string. He has been dealing
with big undertakings and is accustomed to
handle large bodies of men. He under
stands how to organize his work and he
has selected able assistants. Indeed. it
seems to me that Uncle Sam could not have
gotten better man for the place"
An Eight-Year Job. ..-s
when are you going to finish the canal?
The chairman of the canal commission
smiled he replied:
THAT is a question which depends much
upon Congress, and also largely upon what
kind Of a canal is decided upon and how
the work is carried out to conclusion. If
lock canal, such as we have recommended,
shall be permanently decided upon we can
finish it and have some of the largest
steamers that float the ocean going through
1t within eight years 1 think Engineer
Stevens puts it at seven or seven and a
half, but 1 will say eight. These figures
are based upon our present calculations and
investigations. and we think them not far
from right
FRANK G. CARPENTER.