The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1906-12-17
President Sends Message to
Congress on Canal
WHAT HE SAW THERE
Work Accompiished--0nly One Mosquito
Health Good, Complaints Not Well
Founded--No Cause for Complaint
About Food--Build by Contract.

Washington, D. O., Dec 17~-Presi
dent Roosevelt transmitted to Congress
today a special message giving the
results Of his observations during his
recent inspection OF the Panama canal
work and his recommendations there
ON. The message was accompanied by
photographs taken on the isthmus and
by various official reports, mortality
tables, etc.
\ Beginning with his arrival at Colon
on the battleship Louisiana at 2:30
Ip. m. wednesday, Nov. IA. the presi-
dent says:
was three days ashore--,not suf
ficient length Of time to allow Of an
exhaustive investigation Of the NIL
nutiae Of the work of any single de-
lpartment, still less to pass Judgment ON
the engineering problems, but enough
to enable me to get 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 employees and the ac-
tual digging Of the canal. The zone Is
"a narrowtstrip Of land, and II can be
inspected much as one can inspect fifty
or sixty miles of great railroad at
the point where 1t runs through noun
tains
chose the month Of November for
my visit partly because it Is the rain
lest month Of the year. the month in
which the work goes forward at the
greatest disadvantage and one Of the
two months which the French Canal
company found most unhealthy.
Immediately after we anchored there
was a violent storm Of wind and rain.
From that time we did not again see
the sun until Saturday morning. II
would have been impossible to see the
work going on under more unfavorable
weather conditions
First Day Ashore.
On Thursday morning we landed Mt
about half past aud went slowly over
the line Of the Panama railway, end
ing with an expedition In 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 tho
government employees, no warning OF
our coming being given. inspected
the Aneon hospital, going through va
RIOTS wards both for white patients
and for colored patients. | inspected
portions of the zone police. examining
the men individually. also examined
certain Of the schools aud saw the
school children, both white and col
ored, speaking with certain OF the
teachers. In the afternoon Of this day
i was formally received in Panama by
President Amador. who. together with
the government and all the people of
Panama, treated me with the most
considerase courtesy, for which 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 l attended dinner
given by the president ana a reception,
which was also a government func-
tion. also drove through the streets
of Panama for the purpose Of observ-
ing what bad been done. We slept at
the Hotel Tiyoli at Ancon. which is
on hill directly outside Of the city
Of Panama, but in the zone.
Second nay.
On Friday morning we left the hotei
at o'clock ana spent the entire day
going through the CuIebra cut, tho
spot in which most work will have to
be done in any event. We watched
tho different steam shovels working
we saw the drilling and blasting; we
saw many OF the dirt trains (of the two
different types used, both carrying
the earth away from the steam show
els and depositing it on the dumps,
some Of the dumps being run out IA
the jungle merely to get rid OF the
earth, while III other cases they are be.
ing used for double tracking the rail-
way and in preparing to build the
great dams. visited many different
villages, inspecting thoroughly many
different buildings, the local receiving
hospitals, the houses in which the TN
married white worlSmen live, those In
which the unmarried colored work
men live; also the quarters of the
white married employees and of the
married colored employees as well as
the commissary stores, the bathhouses
the water closets, the cook sheds fol
the colored laborers and the govern
ment canteens o. hotels, at which
most OF the white employees take theii
meals. ! went through the machine
shops. | talked with scores Of men
Bnperintendents aud heads of depart
merts, diFlaions 4and bureaus, steam
shovel raen. machlnists, conductors, en-
Eineers. clerks. wives Of the American
employees. health officers. colored Ia
borers, colored attendants aud man
rort;n.toS ~, rrI,ird paoo