Rocky Ford enterprise., 1906-11-23
LEAVES PANAMA
PRESIDENT FINISHES HIS TOUR
OF INSPECTION.
TALKS WITH THE EMPLOYEES

Says He 10 Pleased With the Condition
Of Affairs Personally Examines
Houses Of Laborsrs-sess Phs.
nomsnai Rainfall -is Returning
Via Porto Rico.
Coion.-President Roosevelt reached
cristobai at 3:l5 Saturday afternoon
and personally inspected the houses
OF canal employees. the camps OF labor
ers. the docks and other points OF in
terest. Tho presidential party took
breakfast at Mount Hope. where there
Is large reservoir supplying water to
Cristobai and Colon.
When he reached the station at
Colon the President went up stairs in
the Panama railroad Offices whence he
reviewed the Cristobal fire brigade.
which turned on simultaneously TWEEN
ty-one streams OF water from hy-
drants.
After the exhibition. President
Roosevelt mountsd a horse and. ac-
companied by ChIsf Engineer Stevens
and other canal officials and secret ser
vice men. salloped over the entire
town.
Most Of the Presidents time at Girls.
tobal was devoted to nm inspection
OF tho quarters OF the laborers. Hc
talked with some OF them and made
note OF their complaints. which We're
chiefly on the scarcity OF West Indian
food. The President promised tina,
improvements. such as tho erection OF
baths and kitchens and the paving OF
streets. would be made. When at the
commissary President Roosevelt said
h. saw no reason why the canal
should not be able to sell West Indian
provisions ut the same price as was
being charged by outsiders.
In the evening reception and ball
was given on pier No. IL. ut Cristobai.
In honor OF President Roosevelt and
his party by the employees OF the COM
mission.
President Roosevelt had conference
with tho heads OF the various canal de.
partmcn,s and went aboard his train
Mt Tiyoii to begin the homeward jour.
ncy. Az the train passed Camp FL.
lott the marines were lined up for re-
view and the band played "The Star
Spangicd Banner" At Gnton President
and Mrs. Roosevelt discmbarkcd and
climbed the hill where the big dam
and locks will be located. The men Of
tho camp chccrcd the President. who
made short speech.
President Roosevelt said he was glad
TO have seen the canal under such un.
favorable conditions. ms he now could
appreciate tho magnitude OF the OBJ.
s,acies to be overcome. With one cS.
ccption. he said. he found all com.
plants made to HIM to be unJustifcd.
lie was pleased with the condition OF
affairs and the system us now cstnb.
lishcd In the zone.
Asked II he would return to the
isthmus. he said he surely would.
whenever II was necessary. and he
was delighted with the hearty well
come the people Of Panama had given
him. .
During the past six days tho rainfall
has been exceptionally heavy. Friday
the rain gauges Mt Cristobal regis.
tered four and one.half inches for
twenty.four hours and Mt one time one
inch fell In fifteen minutes. The
Chagres and Rio Grnnde rivers flooded
many portions OF the zone. causing sew.
eral lnndsiides. The landslide Mt Pa.
raiso took with II over fifty yards OF
tho main track OF the railroad and
wrecked n locomotive and freight train.
The President Saturday night en-.
barked on the flagship for the north.
He expects to arrive Mt Ponce. Porto
Rico. Wednesday. After landing there
| he will cross the island In an automo-
bile and will embark at San Juan
Thursday for Hampton Roads.