davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-18
HOSPITALS AND TREATMENT
Men Who Become Ill Are Most Care
fully Taken Care of

inspected the large hospitals at
Ancon and Colon, which are excellent
examples, of what tropical hospitals
should be. also inspected the re-
ceiving hospitals in various settle
ments. I went through number of
the wards in which the colored men
are treated. q number of those in
which the white men are treated
Americans and Spaniards. Both white
men and black men are treated ex-
actly alike, and their treatment is as
good as that which could be obtained
in our first-class hospitals at home All
the patients that I saw. with one or
two exceptions. We're laborers or 9th
er employers on the canal works and
railways. most of them being colored
men os the ordinary laborer stamp
Not only are the men carefully cared
for whenever they apply for care, but
so far IS practicable = watch Is kept
to see that if they need it they are
sent to the hospitals, whether they
desire to go or not. From no respon-
sible source did any Complaint come
to RE as TO the management of the
hospital service, although occasional
N very ignorant West India negro
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-18
FOOD rs VERY SATISFACTORY
It Affords no Cause for Complaint
Grumblers are Found Always

I came to the conclusion that.
speaking generally, there was no
warrant for complaint about the
food. Daubtless it grows monotonous
after while. Any man accustomed to
handling large masses Of men knows
that some Of them even though other
wise very good men, are sure to
grumble about something and usually
about there food. Schoolboys, college
boys and boarders in boarding houses
make similar complaints: so do SOL
dfers and sailors. On this very trip.
on one of the warships, seaman
came to complain to the second watch
officer about the quality OF the cocoa
at the seaman's mess, saying that 1t
was not sweet enough: it was point
ed out to him that there was sugar
on the table and he could always put
1t in. to which he responded that that
was the cooks business and not his!
think that the complaint as to the
food ON the Isthmus has but little
more foundation than that Of the sail
or in question. Moreover, / was Civ
en- to understand that one real cause
Of complaint. was that at the govern
! ment hotels no liquor is served, and
some Of the drinking men, therefore
refused to go to them. The number
Of men using the government hotels
| is steadily Increasing.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-18
T PIP

so on and so on. Many of them have
brought down their wives and fan1i-
lies; and the children when not In
school are running about and behav-
ing precisely as the American small
boy and girl behave at home. The
bachelors among the employees live.
sometimes In small separate houses.
sometimes In large houses; quarters
being furnished free to all the men,
married and unmarried. Usually the
bachelors sleep two in a room. as they
would 40 in this country. found
few cases where three were in room +
and l was told of, although did NOT
see, large rooms In, which four were
sleeping for X is not possible In what
is really q vast system of construction
camps always to provide In advance
as ample house room as the comn,is-
sion Intend later to give. In one
case, where the house was an CID
French house With a leak in the roof,
| did not, think the accommodations
We're good. But in every other Gaze
among the scores ps houses ! entered
at random, the accommodations were
good; every room was neat and clean.
usually having books. magazines and
small ornaments; and in short Just
SUCH room as u self respecting
craftsman would be glad to live in at
home. The quarters for the married
people were even better. Doubtless
there must be here and there mar.
rid couple, who, with or without rea-
son, are not contented with their
| house on the isthmus, but / never
happened to strike such couple.
The wives of the steam shovel men,
! engineers, machinists and carpenters
into whose houses I went, all with
| one accord EXPRESSED t.-eir pleasure
in their home life and surroundings.
Indeed do not think they could have
done otherwise. The houses them
| selves We're Observation-Disclosures sit
ting room, piazza and bedrooms be-
ing all that could be do4..ed. In eva
cry house which / happened to enter
the mistress of the home was evident :
ly good American housewife and
helpmeet, who had given to the home
life that touch OF attractiveness
which, OF course, the bachelor quar-
tiers neither had nor could have.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-18
FIRST DAYS VISIT ASHORE
Is Formally Welcomed BY the Presi-
dent of Panama RepubI;c

On Thursday morning we landed at
about half past seven and went slowly
over the line of the Panama railway,
lending with an expedition in a 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 I
Inspected the Ancon hospital. going
through various wards both for white
patients and for coJored patients. /
/, inspected portions Of the constabulary
Gone polfce), examining the men In
dfvfdually. / also examined certain of
the schools and saw the school chill
drep, both white and eolored, speak,
ing with certain of the teachers In
the afternoon of this day was for
nally received in Panama by Presi-
dent Amador, who, together with the
government and all the people of Pan
anna, treated me with the most con-
siderate courtesy, for which I here
by extend my most earnest thanks /
was driven through Panama and in a
public Square was formally received
and welcomed by the president and
other members of the government;
and In the evening T attended dinner
given by the president, and a recep-
ton, which was also a government
function. I also drove through the
STREETS of Panama for the purpose OF
observing what had been done We
slept at the Hotel Tivoli, at Ancon,
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-18
ally chosen, is much superior to both
the Nicaragua and Darien routes.
PRELIMINARY WORK DONE.
Thorough Foundations for the Work
Have Been Laid by Management

The wisdom of the canal manage
ment has been shown in nothing more
clearly than In the way in which the
foundations OF the work have been
laid. To have yielded to the natural
Impotence of ill-informed outsiders
and begun all kinds OF experiments
in work prior to thorough sanitation
of the Isthmus, and to fairly salts
factory working out of the problem
OF getting and keeping a sufficient
labor supply, would have been disas-
trous. The various preliminary meas
ures had to be taken first; and these
could not be taken SO as to allow
us to begin the real work Of construc-
ton prior to January 1 of the pres
ent year. 1t then became necessary
to have the type Of the canal decid-
ed, and the only delay has been the
necessary delay until the 18th day
of June. the date when the congress
definitely and wisely settled that we
should have an S5-foot level canal.
Immediately after that the work be-
gan in hard earnest and has been
continued with increasing vigor ever
since; and it will continue SO to
progress in the future. When the
contracts are let the conditions will
be such as to insure a constantly in
| creasing amount of performance.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-18
PRESIDENT REPORTS ON
HIS JOURNEY TO PANAMA
s - !" - - :
which is on hill directly outside of
the city of Panama. but in the zone.
EARLY START THE SECOND DAY
Spends His Time Inspecting the Gull
ebra Cut Where Heavy Work Is Done

On Friday morning we left the no.
tel at Z o'clock and spent the entire
day going through 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), both car
rying 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. l visited many of the
different villages, inspecting thor
oughly many different buildings-the
local receiving hospitals, the houses
In which the unmarried white work.
men live, those in which the unmar-
ried colored workmen live; also the
quarters Of the white married en-
ployes and Of the married colored en-
ployes; as well as the commissary
stores, the bath houses, the water
closets. the cook sheds for the colored
laborers, and the government can
teens, or hotels, at which most of
the white employees take their meals.
I went through the machine shops
During the day talked with scores of
different n--superintendents and
heads of departments, divisions, and
bureaus; steam shovel men, machin-
lists, conductors, engineers, clerks,
wives of the American employees,
1 health officers, colored laborers, coll
! ored attendants, and managers OF
the commfssary stores where food is
sold TO the colored laborers; wives OF
the eolored employees who are mar
RED. In the evening, I had an in
terview with the British consul, MI
Mallet, gentleman who for many
years has we'll and honorably repre-
scented the British government on the
lsthmus of Panama and who has g
peculiar relation to our work because
the bulk of the colored laborers come
from the British West indies 1 also
saw the French consul, Mr. Gey, 6
gentleman of equally long service an6
honorable record / saw the lieuten-
1 ants, the chief executive and admin
listrative officers, under the engineer.
Ing and sanitary departments I also
saw and had long talks with two de.
putations-=one of the machinists ant
lone representing the railway men of the
dirt misunderstanding to what they hat
to say as to the rate Of pay and vari
GUS other matters and going over, a.
much in detail as possible, all the diff
ferent questions they brought up. A.
to some matters 1 was able to NEE
their wishes; as to others, I felt tina
what they requested could not bt
J. done consistently with my duty to tn,
? United States government as whole
as to yet others reserved judgment.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-18
COMPLAINTS ARE UNFoUNDEn
Sometimes Made Because OF Failure to
Realize Time Is Needed

The result Of the investigation of
this honest complaint was typical Of
what occurred when / investigated
most of the other honest complaints
made to me. That is. where the COM
plants were not made wantonly or
maliciously, they almost always prov
ed due to failure to appreciate the
fact that time was necessary in the
creation anu completion of this Titan
ic work in tropic wilderness. It is
Impossible to avoid some mistakes in
building a giant canal through jungle-
covered mountains and swamps, while
at the same time sanitating tropic cit :
les, and providing for the feeding and
general care of from twenty to thirty
thousand workers. The complaints
brought to me, either Of insufficient
borers, or of failure to finish the
pavements of Colon, or Of failure to
supply water, or of failure to build
wooden sidewalks for the use of the
laborers In the rainy season, on inves-
tfgation proved, almost without ex :
ception, to be due merely to the utter
inability Of the commission to do
everything at once.
For instance, 1t was imperative that
Panama, which had the highest death
rate and where the chance of a yell
low fever epidemic was strongest
should be cared for first; yet most OF
the complaints as to the delay In TAX
ing care Of Colon were due to the IN
ability or unwiHingness to appreciate
this simple fact. Again, as the thou
sands Of laborers are brought over
and housed, 1t is not always possible
at the outset to supply wooden walks
and bath houses. because other more
vital necessities have to be met; ant
in consequence. while most of the set.
Elements have good bath houses, and
to a large extent at least, wooder
walks, there are plenty OF settlement.
where wooden walks have not yet beer
laid down, and visited one where
the beth houses have. not beer
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-18
CARE OF ALL THE EMPLOYEES
President Inspects Their Quarters and
Talks With All Classes

Next in Importance to the problem
of sanitation, and indeed now Of equal
Importance IS the problem of secur-
ing and caring for the mechanics, la
borers and other employees who actu-
ally do the work on the canal and the
railroad. This great task has been
under the control of Jackson Smith,
and on the whole has been well done.
At presen there are some 6, 600 white
employees and some 10 900 colored
employees on the fsthmus. l went
over the different places when the
different kinds Of employees We're
working; think / saw representa-
tives Of every type both at their work
and in their homes: and conversed
with probably couple of hundred OF
them all told. choosing them at ram
dom from every class and including
those who came especially to present
certain grievances. found that those
who did not come specifically to pre-
sent grievances almost invariably ex-
pressed far greater content and salts
faction with the conditions than did
those who called to make complaint.
Nearly s 900 Of the white employees
had come from the United States. No
man can see these young vigorous men
energetically doing their duty without
thrill Of pride in them as Ameri
cans. They represent on the average
a. high class. Doubtless to congress
the wages paid them will seem high ,
! but as a matter Of fact the only gen
eral complaint which found had any
real basis among the complaints made
! to me upon the isthmus was that,
| owing to the peculiar surroundings
| the cost Of living, and the distance
from home, the wages were really
not as high as they should be. II
fact. almost every man spoke t.
felt that he ought to be receiving more
money! view however, which the
average man who stays at home II
the United States probably likewise
holds as regards himself. I append
/ figures Of the wages paid, so that the
congress can judge the matter for 1t,
self. Later shall confer on the sub
ject with certain representative labo
men here in the United States, as vel
as going over with Mr. Stevens, tn,
comparative wages paid on the zon
and at home; and may then com
municate my findings to the cana
committees Of the two houses.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-18
IMPROVEMENTS AT TERMINALS
Panama ana Colon Show Astonishing
Progress Toward the Better

The sanitation work in the cities
OF Panama and Colon has been just
as important as IN the zone itself,
and In many respects much more
difficult; because Il was necessary to
deal with the already existing popu-
lation, which naturally had scant
sympathy with revolutionary changes.
the value of which they were for
long time not able to perceive. In
Colon the population consists largely
of coIored laborers who, having come
over from, the West Indies to work on
the canal abandon the work and either
take to the brush or lie idle in Colon
itself; thus peopHng Colon with the
least desirable among the imported
laborers, for the good and steady men
of course continue at the work. Yet
astonishing progress has been made in
both cities. In Panama per cent Of
the streets that are to be paved at all
are already paved with an excellent
brick pavement laid in heavy con-
crete, a few of the streets being still
in process of paving. The sewer and
water services in the city are of the
! most modern hygienic type, some of
/ the service having just been com
p1eted.
in Colon the conditions are pecul-
| lar, and it Is as regards Colon that
| most of the very bitter complaint has
been made. Colon is built on d low
coral island, covered at more or less
| shallow depths with vegetable accu-
! mutations or mold, which affords
sustenance and strength to many var
ieties Of ow-lying tropical plants.
| One half Of the surface Of the island
| is covered with water at high tide,
| the average height of the land be-
! ing liz feet above low tide. The
| slight undulations furnish shallow
natural reservoirs or freslawater
breeding places for every variety of
mosquito, sand the ground tends TO
be lowest in the middle. When the
town was originally built no attempt
/ was made TO fill the low ground, eftI1-
| err in the streets or on the building
sites, 30 that the entire surface was
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-18
HEALTH SHOWING is GOOD
There Has Been Steady Decline in
the Death Rate in the Zone

Just at present the health showing
on the isthmus Is remarkably good
so much better than ~, most sections
of the United States that / do not be-
lieve that 1t can possibly continue at
quite its present average. Thus, ear
ly in the present year a band of sew
eral hundred Spariards We're brought
to the isthmus asPlaborers, and add
lions to their number have been made
from time to time;. yet since their ar
rival in February last but one Of those
Spaniards thus brought over to work
onathe canal has died of disease, and
he. of typhoid fever Two others were
and one by dynamite explosion.
There has been for the last six months
a well-nigh steady decline In the
death rate for the population of the
zone. this being largely due to the
| decrease in deaths from pneumonia,
which has been the most fatal dis
ease on the isthmus. In October there
among the employees of the isthmus.
There were then on the rolls $500
| whites, seven Fights of them being
| Americans. OF these whites but two
| died from disease, pneumonia being
| neither man was an American. OF
| the 6, 900 white Americans Including
| some 1, 200 women and children, not
| d SlIlS le QtdlIl llStS OSSui pSu AZ SitS
| past three months, whereas In an
average city in the United States the
number of deaths for a similar mum :
| Der of people in that time would have
been about thirty from disease. This
very remarkable showing can not OF
| course permanently obtain, but 1T GER
| tainly goes to prove that If good care
Is taken the isthmus is not particu-
larly unhealthy place. In October
of the 10, 900 negroes on the roll SO
died from disease, pneumonia being
the most destructive disease, and ma :
larial fever coming second. The diff
ficulty of exercising a thorough super
vision over the colored laborers is OF
course greater than is the case among
4 the whites, and they are also less
competent to take care of themselves,
4 which accounts for the fact that theil
/ death rate is so much higher thar
that of the whites, in spite of the fact
that they have been used to similar
climatic conditions. Even among the
colored employees It will be seen thai
the death rate is not high.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-18
) FOOD suPPLIEs-oNE MEAL
Bill Of Fare is Given to Show What
the Men Have to Eat

The housewives purchase their sup
plies directly, or through their hus-
bands, from the commissary stores Of
the commission. All to whom / spoke
agreed that the supplies We're excel
lent, and all but two stated that there
was no complaint to be made; these
two complained that the prices were
| excessive as compared to the prices
in the states. On investigation / did
not feel that this complaint was we'll
| founded. The married men ate at
home. The unmarried men some-
times ate at private boarding houses.
| or private rnesses, but more often,
| Judging by the answers of those
whom 1 Questioned, at the govern
ment canteens or hotels where the
| meal costs 80 cents to each employee.
This 30-cent meal struck me as be-
| ing as good meal as we get in the
| United States at the ordinary hotel
/ IN which 50-cent meal is provided.
| Three-fourtils OF the men whom +
questioned stated that the meals fur
nished at these government hotels
4 were good, the remaining one-fourth
that they were not good. myself
4 took dinner at the La Boca govern
ment hotel, no warning whatever
having been given of my coming.
l There were two rooms, as generally
in these hotels. In one the employees
were allowed to dine without their
coats, while in the other they had to
/ put them on. The 30-eent meal In.
4 cluded soup, native beef (Which was
/ good , mashed potatoes, peas, beets,
chilli con carne, plum pudding, tea.
coffee-each man having as much of
each dish as he desired. On the ta-
BILE there was a bottle of liquid quiz
1 nine tonic, which two thirds of the
guests, as I was informed, used ev-5
cry day. There were neat tablecloths
4 and napkins. The men, who were
4 taking the meal at or about the same
time, included railroad men, ma
chinists, shipwrights and members
! of the office force. The rooms were
clean, comfortable, and airy, with
mosquito screens around the outer
piazza I was informed by some Of
!, those present that this hotel, and
also the other similar hotels, were
| every Saturday night turned into
clubhouses where the American Of
f1cials; the schoolteachers, and var
, ious employees, appeared, bringing
their wives. there being dancing and
singing. There was a piano in the
room which was informed was
used for the music on these occasions.
newspaper correspondents who had
been on the Isthmus several days in =
formed me that 1t was precisely like
, the meals they had been getting else
! where at other Government hotels
. One of the employees was q cousin Of
one of the secret-service men who
. was with me, and he stated that the
meals had always been good, but
that after time he grew tired Of
!. them because they seemed so much
alike.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-18
D1M1Nur1oN OF MOSQUITOES
Thorough Disinfecting Has Accom-
plislied This Remarkable Result

In Panama and Colon the death
rate has also been greatly reduced,
this being directly due to the vigor-
Gus work of the special brigade OF
employees who have been inspecting
houses where the stegomyfa mosquito
is to be found and destroying its
larvae and breeding places, and do
ing similar work in discriminating the
malarial mosquitoes-in short, in per-
forming all kinds Of hygienic Tabor.
A little over year ago all kinds Of
mosquitoes, including the two fatal
species, were numerous about the
Culebra cut. In this cut during last
October every room of every house
was carefully examined, and only
two mosquitoes, neither OF them 9f
the two fatal species, were found :.
Unfaltering energy in inspection and
in. disinfecting and in the work OF
draining and Of clearing brush are
responsible for the change. APP
pend DR.. Gorgas's report on the
health conditions: also letter from
Surgeon General Rixey to DR.. Cor
gas. The surgeon general reported
Ito me that the hygienic conditions on
| the isthnus were about as good as i,
| for instance, those in the Norfolk
| navy yard.
Corozal some four miles from La
I Boca, was formerly one of the most
| unsanitary places on the isthmus
probably the most u11sanitary. There
was marsh with a pond in the mid
die. Dr. Gorgas had both the marsh
| and pond drained and the brush
cleared off. SO that now. when
went over the ground, it appeared
like a. smooth meadow intersected by
drainage bitches. The breeding places
and sheltering spots of the dangerous
mosquitoes had been completely de-
| stroyed. The result is that Coroza
for the last six months Cike La Boca,
which formerly also had very UNI
sanitary record, shows one of the
| best sick rates in the zone. having
less than one per cent a week admit
| ted to the hospital. At Corozal there
is a big hotel filed with employees o.
| the Isthmian Canal commission, some
| of them with their wives end fami-
lies. Yet this healthy an, attractive
| spot was stigmatized as 2 hog wal.
| low by one OF the least scrupulou!
and most foolish of the professional
scandal riongers who from time t,
/ time have written about the commits
/ siOn'S work