The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1906-12-29
|STHMIAN CANAL
REPORT OF COMMISSION FOR YEAR
IS MADE PUBLIC.
Declares Itself to Be in Position
Now to Enter Upon Actual
Construction Work-Sanitation
Said to Be Excellent---Spanish
Labor Proves Superior.

OOE EOVeS superior.
Washington, Dec. 22.-The report
OF the isthmian canal commission for
the year ending December l. 1905.
has been made public.
The report states that during the
year the first stage Of canal work. that
OF preparation, has virtually been
passed, and the commission finds itself
in position to enter upon the second
stage, that Of actual construction of
a lock canal at an elevation of IS feet.
authorized by congress in June last.
The work Of sanitation throughout
the canal zone has been continued with
great energy during the year. The
most serious problem that confronted
the health department when it was
organized two years ago was the elimi-
nation of yellow fever, which had
been an important factor in the failure
OF the French company and was re-
garded as one of the most formidab BILE
obstacles to American success.
The isthmus is now completely free
OF the disease, an achievement which
demonstrates the high efficiency of
the health department.. In combat
ting other diseases the health depart
ment has been scarcely less successful.
Care of Employees
Great progress has been. made dur.
ing the past year in providing for the
welfare and comfort of the employees
The commission now has sufficient
buildings to provide quarters for all
the bachelor employees. There are
still many married men, however, for
whom no quarters are available, but
upon the completion of the houses
now authorized these will be provided
for. There are now approximately
1900 American women and children
on the isthmus.
The efforts of the commission dur
ing the year to provide some method
by which employees might obtain
meals at reasonable rate have been
entirely successful.
progress in it's efforts to provide means
of amusement and recreation for it's
employees, but not so much as would
have been the case had it not been for
the continued stress of work of more
vital Importance.
Personnel
The force employed on the isthmus
on November /, 1905. was as follows:
In November, 1906, the commissions
employees numbered approximately
II, 900, and in November, 1905, the
number was practically the same. OF
these 12,6i2 were under the depart
ment of construction and engineering,
1, I29 under the division of material
and supplies, 2, s9l under the depart
ment of government and sanitation,
and 1877 in the auditing and disburs-
ing offices.
OF the 1900 men, about s,70O
were on the gold rolls, virtually all
white Americans, and $4,000 on the
silver rolls, mainly aliens. This num-
Der does not include 1000 people en-
ployed on the Panama railroad.
Another years experience with ne
gro La borers from nearby tropical is
lands and countries has convinced the
commission of the impossibility of do
ing satisfactory work with them. The
majority of them work just long
enough to get money to supply their
actual bodily necessities, with the
result that while the commission is
quartering and caring for about Is, 600
men the daily effective force is many
thousands less.
The experiment with laborers fro
Northern Spain has proved very Salts
factory. Their efficiency is not only
more than double that of the negroes,
but they stand the climate much bet
ter. Since the frst of January there
have been about 900 of these at work
on the canal, and of this number not
one has died from disease.
Engineering Work
The engineering work Of the year
has been almost entirely preparatory.
Owing to the delay in the decision as
to the type OF canal, it was impracti-
cable to locate permanent and well-ar-
ranged dumping grounds for the dis
posal of waste material. The general
plan of the work which has been done
in the Culebra cut has been in putting
the various levels in proper condition
for the installation of the maximum
number Of steam shovels, and the con-
struction of system of railways on
o..ob Iovol and a double track at the
bottom. connecting with yards estab-
.lished along the line of the Panama
railroad. While no special effort has
been made to get out yardage, yxet
during the fiscal year the amount OF
material excavated from the canal
prism was /, 500, 600 cubic yards. as
against 742, 900 cubic yards the prev
ious fiscal year.
Uniform Classification of Freight
Chicago, Dec. 26 An effort IS &c
<1a 70 nh