Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-25
FEVER DRIVEN OUT
CHAIRMAN sHoNTs TELLS OF
PROGRESS ON IsTHMUs.
An Forces Concentrated ON Sanitary
Work-Some "Dirt
Flying"

KANSAS CITY. MO, Janoary 25.-"we
hsve driven yellow fever from the fsthmus.
That is the supreme achievement. For
fourteen months there has not been a
single case. The isthmus is today as safe
9 place to visit as most other parts Of the
world and much safer than many parts
OF the United States, SO far as danger from
disease Is concerned. Observance of SAM
tary laws and regulations is-ecmpuasor,t
and Is rigidly enforced We have a hos
pitai system which is surpassed by none in
the world" $50,
ihis statement was made by Theodore p.
Shonts, chairman Of the :" fsthriifan canal
commission, last night before the Knife and
rork Ciub IN the course Of an address deal
ing with the Panama waterway.
~ Mr. Snonts explained at the outset that
tne work on the isthmus under his regime
nad peen preliminary in character In the
devised. H"u " NC
All forces of labor were concen,r.,sa
upon sanitary work, the CONSTRUCTION Of
quarters. which involved the building OF
towns, the double, tracking of the Panama
ranroad. the erection of dumping grounds
along the canal route
Ihese policies he said. had been In ,oper-
atlon Tor nearly year and a half and
the preparatory work has been practically
IN mind that this creative work has been
carried on 1000 miles from the nearest base
OF supplies. Continuing, he said:
Where the Money Has Gone.
I'm this preliminary work we have spent
down to January l, 1907 about So. 600 900
Or this amount about s45O0,OO0 has been
expended In government and sanitation;
ABOUT $1.OOO.OO0 in construction of quarters
ana other buildings, docks, wharves, rail-
way engagements, waterworks and sewers
"a tne zone. and in engineering work;
s 20 eu xl2,Oo0O0O in.permanent plant; over
$4.5OO,OOO in miscellaneous material ana
supplies and over" 81 .5OO60O In the con-
struction of sewers and waterworks.
Inc enorts of the commission to provide
some method by which employees might OBJ
tain meals at a reasonable rate have heen
entirely successful" said the speaker.
Hotels and mess houses were established
along the line Of the canal. and at present
the commission maintains fourteen of these
places for the benefit of white employes
All employees are afforded opportunity tn
OBTAIN an abundant supply Of wholesome
fOod cooked and uncooked at reasona BILE
prices: In the mess houses meals are fur
nished to the higher grades of employees at
80 cents each. and the common laborers can
| obtain meals at 10 cents each.
West Indian Labor.
I'm regard. to the common laborers from
no price for food can be low enough to
| induce them to eat sufficient quantity to
keep them in good. physical condition We
offered them cooked food at 10 cents per
! meal, and the uncooked ingredients of the
meals at a price reduced by the cost of
cooking and service. Both plans resulted
Enthusiastically.
Beginning with the 18th of the present
month NC are paying them fixed wage, in
Guiding three cooked meals a day. Two
Important gains are expected from this pol
ley II their physical condition is improved
because CT nourishing food, Chief Engineer
Stevens believes their efficiency as workers
will be inciq ased. and DR.. Gorgas believes
that their pcwer to withstand disease will
be perrcptibly niagnifed.'' '-"
Sewers Ia Panama e.r
Th4 speaker said that twenty of the thir-
ty-five mics of the double track Of the
Iananaa ,cinoad Is finished and the other
fifteen miles two-thrds finished. Work of
constructing big forwarding and terminal
yard; ami wharves is virtually completed.
While all this work has been going on the
city of Pan4AaAehas heens ssonverted into
the lest severed city in Central America.
Something has been done in the direction
of making the dirt fly said Mr.. Shonts.
During the fiscal year ended with June
last ! J0I .toO cubic yards were taken from
tie canal prism. against 742,OOO yards re-
moved daring the previous year. In Sep
temb.r, 1906. the total excavation was 291,-
4J0 cubic yards, and in October, 1906, 1t
was .,2GOaI cubic yards. Altogether the
surface in the Culebra cut has been
brought down sixty-five feet below the level
left by the French