Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-01-24
CANAL ZONE NOW IN
HEALTHY CONDITION
Chairman shonls Talks on Panama
Before Kansas cNy Knife
and Fork Club.
ABSOLUTELY NO YELLOW FEVER There
Tells Of the Thriving Towns Which
Have Been Built since the Work
of Digging the Big Ditch Was
sesun--How the Thousands of
Employees are Housed.

KANSAS CITY, MO-, Jan. 23-The
annual dinner of the knife and
Fork club was held last night and
Following its usual custom of the
club had man of national renown
for the principal speaker Tonigh,
1t was Hon. Theodore Shonts, the
chairman of the lsthmian Canal Com
mission, who responded to the lead.
Ing toast. Mr.. Shont's subject was
the Panama canal and during his
hours address he said among other
things:
In giving you an account OF
what has been done during the
creative period, ask you to bear
in mind constantly that we were
workins 1000 miles from a base
of supplies, in a country that was
literally destitute of everything we
needed. Every foot of lumber, every
bit Of machinery. every tool, every
nall, every pound of paint, every
skilled mechanic. every railway tie
and rail, every locomotive, fiat car,
dump car, every piece of furniture,
every bit of plumbing material, and
virtually every ounce of food had
to be brought 1000 miles. We HAD
to build towns and villages under
these conditions, ard to reconstruct
and enlarge a decrepit single-track
railway, fully quarter of cen
fury behind the times, making 1t q
thoroughly equipped modern double
track system, with up-to-date loco
motives. cars of all varieties termi-
nal and other yards, and with up-to-
date men for it's operation. We
had to build docks adequate for
the demands of an enormous traffic,
and tit them with modern appliances
for the prompt handling OF cargoes.
Every piece of machinery, every
locomotive and car, every crane for
the docks had to be set up in this
country. taken apart and transport
ed 1000 miles by sea, and then set
up again before they could be put
into use To do this work great
modern machine shops had to be
erected and equipped with appliances
and men.
sa,5oo,ooo for Sanitation.
IN this preliminary worl, we have
spent about $27.OOO,ooo. OF this
amount about $a.5ooooo have been
expended in government and SAM.
tation; nearly 100000 in construc.
lion of quarters and other buildings
docks, wharyes. railway enlarge.
ihent, waterworks and sewers in the
zone, and In engineering work; over
Slo,QoO,oOo in permanent plant: over
$S'5oo,0oO in miscellaneous material
and supplies; and over s1,5OO,OOO In
me construction OF sewers and wa.
terworks and street paving and i'm.
proVements in Panama and Colon.
The last named will he refunded
ultimately to the government.
No Yellow Fever There.
we have driven yellow fever per.
mauently from the Isthmus. That
is the supreme achievement. For
fourteen months there has not been
single case Of tis terror of the
Tropics The stegomyia MOSQUITO,
of which the extreme period of life
Is three months, and which is the
bearer of the yeilow-feyer germs. as
been thrown out of business, for 1t
has nothing to carry. 1t. is as
harmless to health as the ordinary
ny. The only way by which yellow
lever can return - the Isthmus is
b being brought in frou. the outside,
and against this rigid quarantine
Is maintained. So far as general
health conditions are concerned
can give you no stronger evidence
OF their favorable character than by
stating the fact that among about
5000 white Americans, including
women and children, on the Isthmus
there was for three months in the
rainy season of last year-August,
September and October--not a single
death from disease. @
The Isthmus is today as safe q
place to visit as most other parts
of the world, and much safer thar
many parts of the United Stat g
80 far us danger from disease is
roncerned. Observance of sanitary
laws and regulations Is compulsory