The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-12-21
Chairman Shonts Says That Pre-
liminary Work Has Been
Completed.
THE NEGRO UNSATISFACTORY
Splendid Sanitation on Isthmus,
and Death Rate Smaller Than
in New York.

s4Di's tnc reports 70 the commission OF
She Governor Of the canal zone and Of
soHn T.. Stevens. chief engineer.
chairman ShOnts said in pat.
curing the year the first stage OF canal
WORK, that Of preparation. has virtually
pren past, and the commission finds itself
AZ position 10 enter upon the second stage.
, e..,.e OF actual construction OF lock
.-. .ol .tt an elevation OF elghu-hye feet
autnorlzed by Congress IN June last.
'i these two stages. the first was at
once the more difficult and the more i'm
poItAht- IT not done thoroughly and In
telusenty in every part. the actual work
on construction would Doe handicapped
from the start. IL was necessary. as In
t.-e launching Of any great enterprise. %
create an organization with which 10
~ ~ IL was necessary also 20 make the
letulnus' 10y thorough sanitation. a
heatnful place I'm which 10 work. 10 pro-
vide suitable quarters and food for en-
ployes, TO construct prop.r terminal
yards and railway tracks and intermedi-
ale yards for the handling Of the vast
quantities Of materials and supplies. %
nlst"u 2 system y railway tricks through
49,. LIi-, 20 put the various levels lu the
cut ~ proper condition for the installation
bIu i~rauon ~ the maximum number
o. steam shoveis. % purchase and as
canal; 20 " TX out all engineering prob
Ieilsi 70 perfect a government and create
system az accounts 8n-a 20 forrnufat
a preliminary plan for carrying forward
tne work Ia each department
Sanitation.
THE work o. sanitation throughout the
canal zone has been continued with great
energy during the year The NEST eorf-
Gus problem that confronted the health
department when 81 was organized two
E-ars aEo WIS the elimination of yellow
frFer. which had been an important fac
trr IL the failure 81 the French company.
anu was regarded as ONE. OF the most
Igrinid bic obstacles 70 American success.
Inis obstacle has been completely re-
moved Although there has never been
=" large "A number Of non-ifumunes on the
isthmus as during the past year there
HHH q
e.the or yellow fever during that period.
Inc last case IN Panama was on Novprn-
- H. -, Ihere y as single case Ia
lion on May IT, 1876 which was Off
cialiy declared 70 b. yellow fever but
TO medical authorities were not clear
that THIS q aEn0sis was correct II did
not result ia n. spread OF the Infection
The istlmus Is now completely free
o. li.iA use' are an achicNs ment watch
q magistrates the high efficiency OF the
L'l-tn department In combating other
g seases %. department has been scarce
~ Jess successful. The average daily sick
Iate ain"ns employees az The commission
during the ten months from January Z
1-p' 90 october 81 1906 Yves twcnty-eight
per thousand. which j. no higher than
IuEnt b. expected 90 an equal body ~
lab9rerers engaged in construction work
u any part az the world. During the same
1890 Ne 'fttN ftttf among "a" whites
Wa about seventeen ard half per thou
sand. ana among tle ID cks nearly hftv-
Irfe per thousand In lis report for
oetooer 1906. the CHIEF sanitary officer
IL IS rather a remarkable fact that
among The 5000 Americans on tho 18TH
CURED On the past three months Take
Goo people in New York city selected
a. random. and estimating thoir death
lhle on what occurred iu New York City
last year. they would have had about
thirty deaths from disease. OF course
this IS more or less accidental. but
mink r. pretty good proof that the con-
di-ions are not go unfavorabie 10 Ameri-
cans wncn u Us possible for = body OF
g., PEE, Including some 1.o women
ana cnllDr-n. G. spend three months with
out single death from disease
Care Of Employees.
Great progress has been made during
the past year in providing for the welfare
and comfort ~ the EMPLOYEES tn. COM
mission now has sufficient buildings 70
provide quarters f0r all it's bachelor en-
IloNcs. Ihes. buildings are screened. and
pr"Nleea almost universally with running
water ana with modern plumbing. and
arc comfortably furnished. In addition ~
these buildings. t31 separate houses and
thirteen larger buildings have been con-
structed t'r married quarters providing
accomm dati--s for 11- families There
are SUI many married men however. FOR
:, !. nom no quarters are available, but upon
u" COMP ~ the houses now au-
thorized these Will Doe provided for. There
are now ai pr Nimately 800 American
women ana cnlldren on the isthmus.
The efforts Of the commission during
the year o. provide some method bv
when employees might obtain meals at
Cessful. Hotels and mess-hcuscs were es-
taDllsned along the line OF the canal and
AT present the commission maintains
fourteen or Z csc places for the benefit
OF white employees. These hotels OF mess
houses were not opened originally bv the
commission as q permanent Arrangement
Dut as q substitute until an experiment
could De made as TO wha-her il was bet
Ter 20 operate them directly or under
contract The result has been generally
satisfactory. During the first few months
"a loss Of over Sac was shown bur al
the end Of the fiscal year, or June 30 1905
4 total net gan FOR the entire period OF
operation OF over 5000 was shown It is
not intended. however. to make any profit
Whatever but that every cent that is
s4htn IN snaH be given back TO the en-
lioyes IN the form of the best food that
il Is possible To obtain for the money
or IN reduction Of price to el,faloves v-,en
Improvement In the quality of food and
N'''-i ''0'eI oL service is unattainaoie.
Recreation.
The commission has made soma nro-
Bress In It's efforts to provide means ~
amusement and recreation for it's en-
Pioyes, but not go much as would have
been the case had il not been for tbo
continued stress OF work OF MOI ,,i+I
Importance. Although the commission in
November. 1903. authorized the construc-
ton or clubhouses at a cost NOT to ii,
ceed S1ovO each. tt has not been found
possible as yet to erect many new build-
ings under this authority. but Il buldinr
has been set aside at Cristobal for the
process Of construction Culeblri. E,no-
pire. Gorgona and Cristobal Two of
these, at Culebra and Empire will be
ready for early in 1907 Tho fonr
structures are alike in design. They pro
vide a front building of two stories CON
nected with rear building Of one story
The front building. which will be 1873 feet
by 45 feet, viii contain social parior
n cardroom, a billiard ana a writing
room on the first floor and an assembly
hall 81 feet by q feet. free from any
columns 10 break the dancing space. on
the second floor Tho rear buildins
which will be 100 feet by % feet will
contain double bowling alleys 100 feet
long. a gymnasium 81 feet long. shower
baths, and over a hundred single lockers
Force Employed.
In November. 1906. the commissions
employees numbered approximately 1900
and In November. 1906 the number was
practically the same. OF these 1852
We're under the department Of cOnstruc-
tion and engineering; 1929 under the d.
\ ali ,f al .