Gilpin observer., 1906-11-22
LEAVES PANAMA
PRESIDENT FINISHES HIS TOUR
OF INSPECTION.
TALKS WITH THE employees

Says He is Pleased With the Condition
Of Affairs s-PersonaIly Examines
Houses Of Laborers-Sees Phe-
nomenaI Rainfall lis Returning
Via Porto Rico.
Colon.-President Roosevelt reached
Cristobal at 3:15 Saturday afternoon
and personally inspected the houses
Of canal employees, the camps of labor
ers, the docks and other points of in
terest. The presidential party took
breakfast at Mount Hope, where there
is large reservoir supplying water to
Cristobal and Colon.
When he reached the station at
Colon the President went up stairs in
the Panama railroad offices whence he
reviewed the Cristobal fire brigade,
which turned on simultaneously twen-
ty-one streams of water from hy-
drantS.
After the exhibition, President
Roosevelt mounted horse and, ac-
companied by Chief Engineer Stevens
and other canal officials and secret SER
vice men, galloped over the entire
town.
Most Of the Presidents time at Girls
tobal was devoted to an inspection
of the quarters of the laborers. He
talked with some of them and made
note Of their complaints, which were
chiefly on the scarcity Of West Indian
food. The President promised that
improvements, such as the erection of
baths and kitchens and the paving of
streets, would be made. When at the
commissary President Roosevelt said
he saw no reason why the canal
should not be able to sell West Indian
provisions at the same price as was
being charged by outsiders.
In the evening reception and ball
was given on pier No. IL, at Cristobal,
in honor of President Roosevelt and
his party by the employees of the COM
mission.
President Roosevelt had conference
with the heads of the various canal de-
partments and went aboard his train
at Tvoli to begin the homeward jour
ney. AS the train passed Camp FL
liott the marines were lined up for re-
view and the band played "The Star
Spangled Banner" At Gaton President
and Mrs. Roosevelt disembarked and
climbed the hill where the big dam
and locks will be located. The men of
the camp cheered the President, who
made short speech.
President Roosevelt said he was glad
to have seen the canal under such un-
favorable conditions, as he now could
appreciate the magnitude of the OBJ
stacles to be overcome. With one ex-
ception, he said, he found all COM
plants made to him to be unjustified.
He was pleased with the condition of
affairs and the system as now estab-
lished in the zone.
Asked If he would return to the
isthmus, he said he surely would,
whenever 1t was necessary, and he
was delighted with the hearty well
come the people Of Panama had given
him.
During the past six days the rainfall
has been exceptionally heavy. Friday
the rain gauges at Cristobal regis
tered four and one-half inches for
twenty-four hours and at one time one
inch fell in fifteen minutes. The
Chagres and Rio Grande rivers flooded
many portions of the zone, causing sew
eral landslides. The landslide at Pa
raiso took with it over fifty yards of
the main track OF the railroad and
wrecked locomotive and freight train.
The President Saturday night en-
barked on the flagship for the north.
He expects to arrive at Ponce, Porto
Rico. Wednesday. After landing there
he will cross the island in an automo-
bile and will embark at San Juan
Thursday for Hampton Roads.