The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-18
VISITED THE ISTHMUS At
THE MOST ADVERSE TIME
Makes Some recommendations, But
On the Whole Finds Satisfactory
Progress Is Being Made
With the Work.

practically all of the time OF the Senate.
The reading was delayed in the House
by the fact that 1t was suspension day,
The messages were in relation to the
public laws and the navy personnel bill
and a recounting of the Presidents visit
to inspect the Panama canal. The latter
message attracted great interest because
it was deliberately illustrated, showing
the work on the great water way in It's
various stages. 1t was in the form of
very interesting story of the President
visit. As it was read the senators fol-
lowed it closely from handsomely bound
copies which had been laid on their
desks.
To the Senate and House of Representa-
tives:
In the month of November | visited the
isthmus of Panama, going over the canal
zone with considerable care; and also
visited the cities of Panama and Colon,
Which are not in the zone or under the
United States flag but as to which the
United States government, thru its
agents, exercises control for certain SAN
itary purposes.
The United States steamship Louisiana,
on which | was, anchored off Colon about
2:30 on Wednesday afternoon, November
ii. l came aboard her, after my stay on
Shore at about $3.50 on Saturday evening,
November H. On Wednesday afternoon
Panama and his suite, and saw members
of the canal commission and various
other gentlemen, perfecting the arrange
nent for my visit, SO that every hour
that l was ashore could be employed to
advantage. l was three days ashore-not
a sufficient length of time to allow of an
exhaustive investigation of the minutiae
of the work of any single department,
still less to pass judgment on the engi-
neering problems, but enough to enable
me to get clear idea of the salient feat
ures of the great work and of the pro-
gress that has been made as regards the
sanitation of the zone, Colon and Pana-
ma, the caring for and housing of the
employees, and the actual digging of the
CANAL The zone is narrow strip of
land, and it can be inspected much as
one can inspect fifty or sixty or sixty
miles of a great railroad, at the point
where it runs thru mountains or over
comes other natural obstacles.
| chose the month of November for
my visit partly because 1t is the rainiest
month of the year, the month in which
the work goes forward at the greatest
disadvantage, and one of the two months
which the medical department of the
French Canal company found most un-
healthy.
Immediately after anchoring on the aft
erpoon of Wednesday there was violent
storm of wind and rain. From that time
we ulu NOT again see tne sun uflIll SdIuf-
day morning, the rain continuing almost
steadily, but varying from a fine drzzle
to a torrential downpour. During that
time in fifteen minutes at Cristobal 1.05
inches of rain fell; from to a. M, No.
MEMBER 16, 3.2 inches fell; for the TWEEN
tyfour hours ending noon, November 16,
46S inches fell, and for the six days end
ing noon, November Is, 1924 inches fell.
The Charges rose in flood to a greater
height than it had attained during the
last fifteen years. tearing out the track
in ono place. 1t would have been impos-
sihle to see the work going on under more
unfavorable weather conditions. On Sat-
urday November II, the sun shone now
! and then for a few minutes. altho the day
was generally overcast and there were
heavy showers at intervals.
First Day Ashore.
On Thursday morning we landed at
about 7:30 and went slowly over the line
of the Panama railway, ending with an
expedition in tug at the Pacific entrance
OF the canal out to the islands where the
dredging for the canal will cease We
took our dinner at one of the eating
houses furnished by the commission for
the use of the government employes-no
warning of our coming being given. | in
spected the Ancon hospital, going thru
various wards both for white patients and
for colored patients | inspected portions
lining the men individually | also exam
ined certain of the schools and saw the
school children, both white and colored,
sEeaking with certain of the teachers. In
the afternoon of this day l was formally
received in Panama by President Anna
dor, who, together with the government
and all the people of Panama, treated me
with the most considerable courtesy, for
which l hereby extend my most earnest
franks. was driven thru Panama and in
public square was formally received and
welcomed by the President and other
members of the government: and in the
evening | attended dinner given by the
President, and a reception, which was
also government function. | also drove
thru the streets of Panama for the pur-
pose of observing what had been DONE
We slept at the Hotel Tivoli at Ancon
which is on hill directly outside of the
city OF Panama, but in the zone.
Second Day.
On Friday morning we left tho hotel at
o clock and spent the entire day going
thru the Culebra cut-the spot in which
most work will have to be done in any
event We watched the different steam
shovels working; we saw the drilling and
blasting; we saw many of the dirt trains
(of the two different types used) botn
carrying the earth away from the steam
shovels and depositing it on the dumps
some of the dumps being run out in the
jungle merely to get rid of the earth,
while in other cases they are being used
for double tracking the railway, and in
preparing to build the great dams.
visited many of the different villages. in
specting thoroly many different building
the local receiving hospitals, the houses
In which the unmarried white workmen
live, those in which the unmarried colored
workmen live; also the quarters of the
white married employees and the married
colored employees; as well as the commits
sary stores, the bath houses, the water
closts, the cook sheds for the colored
laborers. and the government canteens,
or hotels, at which most of the white en-
ployes take their meals l went thru
the machine shops During the day /
talked with scores of different men-super-
intendents and heads OF departments,
divisions, and bureaus; steam-shovel men,
machinists, conductors, engineers, clerks,
wives of the American employees, health
officers, colored laborers, colored attend
ants, and managers of the commissary
stores where food is sold to the colored
p laborers; wives of the colored employees
who are married. In the evening 1 had
an interview with the British consul Mir.
Mallet, a gentleman who for many years
has well and honorably represented the
British government on the Isthnus OF
Panama and who has peculiar relation