The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1906-12-21

q the land being ~ feet above low
tide, The slight nndulationa furnish
shallow. natural reservoirs or fresh
water breeding places for every varie-
" OF MOSQUITO, and the ground tends
to DO lowest In the middle, When the
town was originally, huilt no attempt
In the streets or on the building sites.
70 that he ontire surface was prac-
f'nallv g nta cnire. when ttaa unaR-
mire became impossible certain OF the
streets were nrudclv improved bv hll-
Ing especially bad mud holes with soft
rock or other material, In September.
1905, a systematic effort was begun to
formulate a general pan for the prop
or sanitation OF the city In February
last temporary relief measures were
taken, while In July the prosecution OF
the work was begun In good earnest.
The results are already visible In the
sewtrlng. draining, guttering and paw
Ing. Of the streets, Some four months
Will be required before the work Of
sewerage and street Improvement will
be completed, but the progress already
made is very marked. bitches have
been dug through the town, connecting
the salt water on both sides, and into
these the ponds, which have served az
breeding places Tor the mosquitoes, are
drained, These bitches have answered
their purpose, for they are probably
the chief cause OF the astonishing
~difninution OF mosquitoes, More bitches
of the kind are being constructed.
Colon Water Supply.
II was not practicable, with tho
force ut tho commissions disposal and
IN view of the need that the force
should be used IN the larger town Of
\, pa ys TO begin this work before
then laid IN tho town and water was
furnished to tho people early In March
from . temporary reservoir. This
reservoir proved to be OF insufficient
season and the shortage was made up
by, hauling water over the Panama
railroad. SO that there was at all times
an ample supply OF the very best
water, Since that time the new rescr-
practically completed. II visited this
reservoir. II liz n lake over a mile
long and half a mile broad. 1t now
carries some 100000, 900 gallons Of
arst,class wStcr, forward herewith
with certain ether photographs Of
what / saw while | was ON the 18TH
mus. Nothing but "a ~cataclysm Will
hereafter render II necessary in the
dry season TO haul water for the use
OF Colon and Cristobal,
Colon Pavements.
I rode through the streets of Colon
6SFtHb AUtfN Nv tHH NtlBnt OF tue rainy
after W days of almost un-
~downpour. when they were
at their very worst. Taken as a
they were undoubtedly very
bad; AZ bad as Pennsylvania avenue
in Washington before Grants admin
istratlon. Front street Is already ins
thoroughly satisfactory shape, how.
ever. Some of the side streets arc
also in good condition, In others the
change In the streets is rapidly going
on. Through thr~ee-fourths Of the
town It Ia now possible To walk. ever,
during the period OF tremendous rain.
in low shoes without wetting ones
feet, owing to the #rapIdity with which
tho surface water Ia carried away IN
the bitches. In the remaining q
OF the streets the mud IL very
deep-about as deep as In the ordinary
OF n low-lying prairie river town
OF the same size In the United states
early spring. All men to whom I
spoke were 9 unit in saying that the
of the Colon streets were
100 per cent better than q year X
The most superficial examination ~
the town shows the progress TINT has
been made and is being made In ma
the streets, Complaint was
made to me by an entirely reputable
as to the character OF some of
material used for repairing cer-
tain streets. On Investigation the com
paint proved well founded. but ii also
appeared that the use OF the material
In question had been abandoned, the
commission after having tried IL In one
OF. two streets finding IL not appro-