New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-11
TRUTH ABOUT PANAMA.
MR.. TAFT GIVES IT.
Mi,chieUous and Sensational Charges
Fully Refuted.
from The Tribune Bureau.

TFrom The Tribune Burssu.l
Washington. Jan 1O.-Secretary IaIt Ia FepiS
To a communication from the PRESIDENT mas pre-
uered letter. which has been sent TO congress-
snnihTating numerous mischievous ana sehsa-
ttonsl charges against the administrator OF III
fairs i'm the canal zone recently maze py Foui'-
nev Bge!ow in The Independent oeTeIaiS
Taft seizes the opportunity to tell the "hole
truth about Panama, clinching the accuracy OF
his statements by irrefutable evidence ana CLOS
ing with the following statement
When the actual facts are compared with the the
statements in this article, 1t gives rise 70 uouot
what the real explanation of the article IS
whether 1t was written from such Mdh'olt va m
motive as actuates pure sensation MOI nlons o Oi
whether II arises from the exaggerated ecCetL ~
,ricitv of mind which furnishes both an excuse
and an explanation
Amended TO Secretary Taft's letter is a COM
rrebensive memorandum from Chief Engineer
stevens in which it is shown that as prepara-
fio1 for writing this article Mr.. Bigelow spent
precisely t1venty-eight hours on the isthmus, IN
which time he consulted two witnesses susceptl-
rle of Identification and number of apparently
dsgr.ntled negroes, whose names he does not
give and does not appear even TO have ascer-
tained.
In addition 10 the statement of Mr. Stevens
there are numerous documents appended 10 the
oughly substantiate his assertions
SECRETARY TAFTss LETTER
The letter Of Secretary Taft is in part fol-
lows:
War Department.
Washington. January 8, 1906.
The President:
Sir: have reai the article to which you refer
in your letter Of the 6th inst.
The charges against the canal commission and
those responsible for its action may be divided into
classes
The first is that relating to Colon. alleging that
the conditions in that city unsanitary as TO
indicate great neglect in providing for the health
Of the employees Of the commission, in that the
site Of the city has not been properly drained.
that sanitary regulations not enforced, that
the is wholly Indifferent to the matter
Of food supply 10 the Inhabitants that there is nO
water supply in Colon. although officially promised
by the Secretary Of War for December i that rents
in Colon are exorbitant and that while all this
neglect exists. ridiculous provisions. indicating
midsummer madness the part OF the officials,
are made for the benefit OF the laborers. such as
stretching al awning a quarter a mile d
gutter TO protect the laborers from the tropical
sun
BY great good fortune Mr.. John f Stevens, the
ehief engineer Of the canal commission, is now
IN Washington for the purpose Of aiding the COM
mission in its work OF preparing recommended
tons for the type of the canal. He is personally
oognzant Of the facts with respect to every local
condition described by the writer Of the article.
Nj Stevens says and every one knows who has
been on the ground. that the problem of draining
Colon is one Of extreme difficulty. owing the
!act that i is situated island surrounded
Dy The sea on one side and by a fresh water swamp
oh Inc other: that the land is low that the
average Is not more than one and half feet
above sea level
All admit that the best method of treating Colon
h EIs
swamp is so extended to make this impossible of
completion until the work OF excavation at Culebra
1no along the way is far under way 1t is doubtful
Rhether the mouth the canal Will be where De
AsSeps established it. If it is moved. as il is now
proposed by some Of the plans 10 move it, mile
" more in westerly direction the mouth Of the
1.ihoi River. there will be necessity for city
a Colon- Colon is a much healthier city than
FanaIna IN spite of the unpleasant appearance of
'ne swamp water in OF the outlying streets
arg at the doors Of the houses in these streets.
uncertainty TO the plans of improving Colon
Hds rendered mpracticable any radical destruction
VI uAsanitary buildings. most OF which on
sHus owned BY the railroad company and leased
0n snort terms TO middlemen. Meantime. the
sanitary conditions IN Panama required much
more urgent treatment than those at Colon. The
ieatn rate at Panama since our taking charge Of
me health of the isthmus is from 3 per cent to
IS 1-S per cent greater than in Colon The commits
sion thought itself fully justified. therefore. in
establishing a water system and sewer system in
Panama first
The gutter, which was stretched the awning
quarter Of mile in length, described by the
writer Of the article, was a part of the drainage
system under construction. The writer says that
INC awning for the purpose Of protecting Ia
9ereTs from the sun and ridicules the device mid
GUNNER madness. The awning is described in the
annual report of the sanitary department. Had
ne writer made inquiry OF any official responsible
'or the awning he would have learned, I do
frona reading the annual report OF the chief sani-
'ary officer for October last that the awning was
Stretched the gutter 10 enable the laborers 10
Eork in storms and also 10 protect the fresh con-
e9ete from the heavy fau of rain, which before
h@ awning was used had destroyed the soft
terial and prevented its setting in proper form.
But it was apparently part of the purpose of
the writer to obtain the evidence of officials who
knew.
Governor Magoon reports by cable OF January 8.
1866 that streets are IN splendid condition in Colon
that since October H. 1905. two principal length
wise streets and three cross streets have been
raised and rebuilt that two lengthwise streets
three cross streets have been ditched and graded
and ready for top dressing; that le43 cubic yards
Of gravel have been used date: that 5.o41 feet
O. concrete cutters have been built: that the work
Of raising ana rebuilding all streets in the unpaved
Portion of the toxn will be completed by the end
Of the Dry season in April: that one block OF the
drainage canal bisecting the town has been con-