Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-01-29
THE CANAL ZONE.
FREE FROM VICE.
Not a House Of Public Gambling
Or Of III Fame in it, Says
Gov. Magoon.
DISAGREES WITH Mr.. BIGELOW
Stories About Martinique Women Dis
credited by Their Conduct--Work
On Canal Progressing Very Wen.

New York, Jan. 29.--Gov Charles Il.
Magoon, of the Panama canal zone,
who arrived here from Colon yesterday
on his way to Washington, met T. y.
Shonts, chairman of the canal commits
sion, at the waldorf Astoria last night.
Later he talked with reporters and It
developed that his view and Poultney
Bigelow's of conditions in the canal
zone. as expressed by MIR. Bigelow in
4 recent published article differ wide
Is He said;
Mr.. Bigelow's visit was very brief
He reached Colon at 10 o'clock In the
morning on Thanksgiving day, caugh
a train that landed him In Panamat
City at 4 o'clock, remained there m
hour and a half and returned to Colon
He left the lsthmus the next day at
2:10 o'clock. understand that he spoke
OF the manner in which the work was
going forward. and spoke Of seeing la
borers at work. As a matter OF fact,
he was at Panama on a holiday, when
no one worked, so in that respect he Is
mistaken.
II was appointed in April continued
the governor, "and went down there in
May. This Is the first time 1 have been
back As to whether the country is
healthy, suppose nay cNn appearance
might afford some indication
Mr. Magoon smiled as he said this, He
is more than six feet In height ANA
tel ha 10 "A
a fine tropical tan and is the picture Of
health.
THE only Illness | have had down
there, he continued. was rather bad
attack OF malaria shortly after reaching
the isthmus. There was an epidemic
of yellow fever when | arrived but Il
was suppressed. The measures adopted
to combat by the sanitarians have driV-
en- IL out, ! believe.
Malaria on the lsthmus Is very bad.
II is a common disease. and. Of course.
immunity is not acquired. II is not so
severe, however, as the malaria which
developed IN some of the western
states. such as Michigan and Illinois
when they were first opened up,
The steogmyia, as the yellow fever
breeding mosquitoes are named, develop
in Indications and are attacked In the
towns by fumigation. The anopheles.
the malaria breeding mosquitoes are
propagated in the swamps and are at
tackled with great success by draining.
A great deal of oil Is also used. It is
our ultimate object to drain a strip
half a mile wide clear across the 18TH
mus to reduce the propagation TO
minimum"
Gov. Magoon said that there are now
about $1,000 laborers engaged in the
canal work. and 10000 other employees.
In reply to a question concerning the
efficiency OF the sthmian police, the
governor said:
II have no hesitation in saying that
there Is not "a house of public gambling
or of ill-fame in the canal zone. There
have not been any such nor will there
be.
THE stories concerning the ESQ Mar
Unique women now In the zone are dis
credited 10y the conduct of the women
themselves They have been watched
by the police all the time since their
arrival. There have been no arrests
and complaints about them. OF the
whole number. 100 are living with men
whom they declare to be their hus-
bands, They are attending to their or
binary household duties. as would wo.
men of their own class in any peaceful
community, The majority Of the 70.
naming 100 are employed as domestic
servants In the households of residents
of the canal district. Some OF them
are i'm the employ OF clergymen."
Gov. Magoon was asked about the
reported importation into Panama at
the expense Of the United States gov
eminent OF silver candelabra and other
fine house fiNings.
"The Panama railroad commIssaries
import and sell such things as they
desire to handle" he said They arr
not bought with government money AT
all. There Is no doubt they did i'm.
port 1000 suit cases. II anything in
needed In that country to pack things
in. Il Is q suitcase. People wear col
lars, cuffs and neckties there as else
where and they are TO be bought. as are
perfumes ana the like.
Regarding the work on the canal I
can only say that It speaks for itself.
That is outside my province The men
are all busy. They are paid from IA 10
26 cents an hour silver. The men are |
housed In clearly barracks. with 800 |
cubic feet Of breathing space for each. |
From % 10 30 negroes are housed In |
one building. More white men are al
lowed In a single building, but the |
buildings are larger, They sleep I'm
sanitary cots some OF them are double |
deckers The floors I'm the new build. |
ings are all water-tight, most OF them |
being OF cement.
ut was necessary TO reclean the old |
buildings used by the French. They |
were first repaired. Many new bar
racks airs going up all the time, and Il |
will not be long before the old ones
,.gu 10 81 apdppad -