Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-05-04

| Atrate, Wnlcn Salleu IrOn SOlOn idS
week, brought approximately 1,00(
negro laborers, and took away nearly
500 negroes who had given up work.
ing on the isthmus as a bad job
Others would go. they tell me, but
they cannot get enough money to-
gether for their return passage. Mr.
Parker, the agent Of the Royal Mai
Steamship Line at Colon, told me to-
day that he estimated the departures
Of negro laborers during the past few
months would aggregate fifty pei
cent of the arrivals. OF course the
fifty per cent that remain will ulti-
mately bring the number Of laborers
up to the amount required, but 1t is
true that they are leaving the 18TH
mus in goodly numbers, a condition
which has been denied repeatedly.
Returning to the question Of sani-
tatlon, I made a visit to Christobal
That portion Of the town occupied
by the officials Of the canal commits
sion and the railroad. resembles a
dainty corner in some fanciful fairy
land. 1t seems hardly real. Pretty
little houses here and there. with
dear little porches and hammocks
and lounging chairs, and all the pro-
verbal comforts Of home. OF course
Christobal is a delightful place-for
them. However, disregarded the
gilded way. and followed the back
streets to Fox river. Again we have
that remarkable contrast, that tran
sition, that evolution from the SUBJ
lime to the slime.
Originally, Colon was on the island
Of Manzanillo, but the Panama rail-
road, which, you must remember now
belongs to Uncle Sam, found 1t nec-
essary to build a right Of way, and
road bed from the mainland. This
stretch of swamp was known as
Fox river, though why such pretty
animal should have its name attach
ed to such filthy place, am at loss
to know. No sooner had the road
bed been completed than the shylock
landlords obtained leases from the
Panama railroad, and proceeded to
build low, rambling and rickety
shacks out over the swamp. How
thoughtful Of the landlords, you will
say, or perchance, how considerate
and commendable Of the Panama
railroad. But that Is neither here
nor there.
Goes Into q Hovel.
ventured into one Of these novels.
1t was eight rooms, each about ten
feet square. its pine boards stranger
both to plane and paint. They were
accessible by a wavering porch built
Of piece of boxes and other wooden
refuse. The house was supported on
piles driven into the vile-smelling
swamp. Back Of the hovel was an
outhouse, used in common by the
tenants, and the odors emanating
therefrom were sickening. In the
soft muck of the swamp a thousand
land crabs were wiggling as IL even
they were distressed in such envi-
ronment. Two or three little chill
dren balanced themselves on the
edge Of the unprotected porch to
prevent falling headlong into the
swamp. A stray dog looked In upon
the scene, shook his head and wan
dered away And yet these rooms
are renting at the rate Of $40 silver
per month, or $40 gold per month for
the entire miserable shack Of eight
rooms. Forty dollars gold per month
will procure an excellent residence
in any American city, with the allur-
ing attribute of "all modern improve
ments," and no such swamp as this
within 1000 miles. Another wave Of
that administrative hand would
sweep these novels into firewood and
would house the negro tenants on
the nearby healthful hills.
With the smell Of this place still
clinging to my clothes (and 1t will
cling to my memory for many, many
moGns), 1 sought out the health OFF,
Ger In charge, DR.. Sumner Coolidge.
He was leaning back comfortably In
Dig arm chair, In the administra-
ton building, facing the pretty coral
studded beach, where the Atlantic
for centuries had kissed the sands
with the silver tongues that break
from it's flowing tides. An ideal
spot, and the health office was most
healthful. The sea breeze was re-
freshing after the heavily-laden zeph-
yrs from Fox river.
Odors Not Unhealthful
DR.. Coolidge listened while I un-
folded my sad story. Then he smil-
ed:
"An offensive odor is not neces-
sarily unhealthful," he said. "Of
course, If you or had to live there" "
he continued, while the cold chills
chased themselves up and down my
back even at the thought, 1--WE might
eventually lose our appetites, and In
this way be more prone to disease.
But the negroes-why. they have
been there ever since the Americans
purchased the canal zone, and the
death rate Is no greater than in any
other portion of Christobal or Colon.
Besides. these negroes are used to
living In that manner at home"
Now, to be scientific, we must d.
agnose this statement Of DR.. Coolidge.
There is something seriously wrong
with 1t. In the first place, DR.. Coo
lidge is a sanitary expert, and he
ought to know concerning the health
fulness or unhealthfulness Of vile
smelling swamp, filled with offal,
decayed negotiations and tiny land
crabs. However, / am inclined to
the belief that DR.. Coolidge meant
that the smells Of Fox river were not
unhealthful to those who live a suf-
ficient distance away. At Columbus
Point, for instance, where is located
the administration buildings and the
homes of the government clerks.
Would you care to go on record
a. saying that Fox river is an ideal
residence site?" I asked the health
officer.
He admitted that the site was not
Ideal"
'.Then why does not the health de-
partment condemn the houses and
move the people to the hills?" 1 per-
sisted. why do you permit the Uni
ted States government to continue to
lA7r