Omaha daily bee., 1906-12-18
PRESIDENT On The CANAL
fTeoal Message Of Chief Executive Tells
Of Observations on the Isthmus.
SANITARY CORPS HAS DONE GOOD WORK
President says There Are some
Honest Critics, but sIRnderers
Have Been at work
in Matter.
CONTINUED from Page onel

who is TO be made a full member OF the
commission, II the law as TO the compost
ton OF the commission remains unchanged.
1t must be remembered that his Work was
not mere sanitation as the term is under
stood in our ordinary municipal work.
Throughout the zone and I'm the two Giles
Of Panama and Colon, in addition to the
sanitation work proper he has had to do
all the work that the marine hospital serv-
Ice does as regards the nation, that the
health department officers do in the various
states and cities and that Colonel Waring
did in New YORK when he cleaned its
streets. The results have been astounding.
The isthmus has been by-word for deadly
unbealthfulness. Now after two years OF
our occupation the conditions as regards
sickness and the death rate compare favor
ably with reasonably healthy localities in
the United States.
inspected the large hospitals at Ancon
and Colon which are excellent examples
of what tropical hospitals should be.
also inspected the receiving hospitals in
various settlements. l went through
number Of the wards in which the colored
men are, treated, a number OF those IN
which the white men are treated-Amer-
leans and Spaniards Both white men and
black men are treated exactly alike, and
their treatment IL as good as that which
could be obtained in our first class hospitals
at home. All the patients that l saw, with
one or two exceptions were laborers or
other employees on the canal works and
railways most Of them being colored men
OF the ordinary laboror stamp. Not only
are the men carefully cared for when
ever they apply for care. but so far as prac-
ticable a watch is kept to see that If
very ignorant West India negro when he Is
they need It they are sent to the hospitals
whether they desire to go or not From
no responsible source did any complaint
come to me as to the Management Of the
hospital service, although occasionally a
very ignorant West India negro when he is
first brought into the hospital becomes
frightened by the ordinary hospital routine.
Just at present the health showing on the
isthmus Is remarkably good-so much bet
ter than in most sections of the United
States that l do not believe that it can
possibly continue at quite its present av-
erage. There has been for the last six
months a well-nigh steady decline in the
death rate for the population of the zone
this being largely due to the decrease in
deaths from pneumonia, which has been
the most fatal disease on the isthmus. In
October there were nnety-nine deaths of
every kind among the employees on the
isthmus. There were then on the rolls
$500 whites, seven-eghths OF them being
Americans. OF these white but two died
of disease, and as Il happened neither
man was an American OF the 5000 white
Americans, including some 1900 women and
children, not a single death has occurred
in the last three months, whereas in ar
average city in the United States the mum
Der OF deaths for similar number of peo-
pie in that time would have been abou
z thirty from disease. This very remarkable
showing cannot of course permanently OBJ
tain, but 1t certainly goes to prove that 4
good care is taken the isthmus is not g
particularly unhealthy place. In October
OF the 1900 negroes on the roll. eighty-sil
died from disease pneumonia being tn,
most destructive disease and malarial feve
coming second. The difficulty Of exercising
a thorough supervision over the coloreC
laborers is, Of course, greater than is tn,
case among the whites. and they are alst
less competent TO take care of themselves
which accounts for the fact that thei
6 death rate is so much higher than that o
the whites, in spite OF the fact that the,
e have been used to similar climatic condl
. tions. Even among the colored employee
9 1t will be seen that the death rates is no
high.
In Panama and Colon the death rate ha
also been greatly reduced, this being di
rectly due to the vigorous work of tn
special brigade of employees who have bee
inspecting houses where the stegomyi
mosquito is to be found and destroying It
larvae and breeding places, and doing siml
lar work in exterminatng the malaria
mosquitoes-in short, in performing a
kinds Of hyglenic labor. A little over
year ago all kinds of mosquitoes includin
the two fatal species, were numerous abou
the Culebra cut In this cut during las
October every room OF every house wa
carefully examined, and only two mos
quitoes neither Of them OF the fatal specie!
were found.
Corozal some four miles from La Bocs
was formerly one Of the most unsanitar
places on the isthmus. probably the mo,
unsanitary. There was a marsh with
pond in the middl,. Dr. Gorgas had bot
the marsh and pond drained and the brus
cleared on, so that now. when | went ov,
the ground, it appeared like a smoot
meadow intersected by drainage ditche
The breeding places and sheltering spo
OF the dangerous mosquitoes had been con
pletely destroyed. The result is that Coroz
for the last six months Oike La Boo
which formerly also had very unsauitar
record shows one Of the best sick rat
in the zone having less than / per cent
week admitted TO the hospital At Coroz
there is big hotel filled with employees
the Isthmlan Canal commission, some
them with their wives and families Y
this healthy and attractive spot was sti
matized as hog walow" by one Of ii
least serupulous and most foolish OF ii
professional scandalmongers who fro
time 70 time have written about the co,
missions work.
Colon Water supply
The sanitation work In the cities
Panama and Colon has been Just as [,
portant as In the zone itself. and in ma
respects much more difficult, vet astonis
ing progress has been made IN both citi,
In Panama 10 per cent Of the streets N
are to be paved at all are already nav
with an excellent brick avement laid
heavy concrete, few Of the streets bel
stili in process Of paving. The sewer a
water services in the city are Of the m,
modern hygienic type some OF the serv
having just been completed.
In Colon the conditions are peculiar. q
il is as regards Colon that most OF
very bitter complaint has been made. Co
is built on a low coral island. covered
more or less shallow depths with vegeta
accumulations or mold, which affords 8