Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1906-12-20

Washington, d. G. Dec. lo.-Presi'
dent Roosevelt transmitted to the
congress 4 special message concern
Ing the Panama canal yesterday In
which he places before those bodies
the results of his Observations dur
ing his recent trip, together with
suggestions and recommendations.
Fbe message is characteristic In its
Eranlness and deals with the subject
and reveals the Panama situation
! more clearly than anything that has
heretofore been written.
The trip was made in November
aad he was three days ashore, Nov
l4-16, and into that time he crowd
I'D much Of interest. 1t was not
sufficient length Of time to allow OF
an exhaustive Investigation of the
minutae Of the work Of any single de
Dartment, says the president still
Tess TO pass judgment on the en-
gineerlng problems, but enough to
enable me to get a clear idea OF the
salient features Of the great work
and Of the progress that has been
made as regards the sanitation OF
The Zone, colon and Panama, the
caring for and housing of the EN-.
Dloyees, and the actual digging OF
the canal. The zone IL a narrow
strip of land, and 1t can be inspected
much as one can inspect 30 or 90
miles OF a great railroad, at the point
whore IL runs through mountains or
Jyercomes other natural obstacles"
That the visit was made under
strenuous conditions may be judged
from the presidents report of the
T,aoond days events. He says:
CuIebra Cut.
On Friday morning we left the
hotel at z O'Clock and spent the en-.
tire day going through the Culebra
out--tho spot In which most work
will have TO he done IN any event
We watched the different steam
3hovels working. we saw the drilling
md blasting we saw many Of the
IIrt trains carrying the earth away
from the steam shovels and deposit
ing II on the dumps-some of the
Jumps being run out in the jungle
merely to get rid of the earth, while
10 other cases they are being used
FOR double tracking the railway, and
iu preparing 10 build the great dams
visited many Of the different vii.
lagos, inspecting thoroughly many
different buildings the local receiv-
Oug hospitals, the houses in which
the unmarried colored worItmen
live. also the quarters of tho white
married employees and Of the mar,
ried colored employees aa well as
the commis3nry stores, the bath
houses, the water-closots, the cook
.gheds for the colored laborers, and
tho government Canteens, or hotels,
at which most of the white employees
1alSe their meals, ! went through
the machine shops, During the day
/ talked with scores of different men
-superintendonts and heads of de.
partments. divisions, and bureaus;
atoam-shovel men, machlnists, con.
duotors engineers, clerks, wives OF
he American employees. health OH
GERS, colored laborors, colored at.
Hondants, and managers of the com
missary stores whore food IL sold to
The colored laborers; wives OF the
l,olored employees who are married
In the evening | had an interview
with the British consul Mr., Mallet
= gentleman who for many years has
well and honorably represented the
British government on the isthmus
and who has q peculiar relation &c
nur work because the bulk of the
1oiored lahorors come from the Brit
3sh West Indies. | also saw the
french consul, Mr. Coy, n gentle
man of equally long service and hon
rrable record. saw the lleuteuants
he chief executive and admntstra
i've officers under the engineering
md sanitary departments | ais,
saN aud had long talks with tw,
me representing the railway men .
he dirt trains listening 10 VIVA
Ha} had TO say us to the rate of pa,
sd various other matters and gotnl
over, as much in detail MS possible
al the different questions the
brought mp. As to some matters
was able to meet their wishes; as &
others, felt that what they IT
Quosted could not be done consist
entity with my duty TO the Unite
States government as a whole, as t
vet others | reserved Judgment"
Works Of Preparation.
OF tho preparatory work alread
done the president speaks In th
highest terms and declares that til
wisdom of the canal management hg
been shown in nothing more clear
chan In the way In which the found