Durango semi-weekly herald., 1907-02-18

CT ihih<hs
yards have been created on both
oceans. The rolling stock and equip
ment have been increased by 1S4 To-
comotives, 2,460 cars, sixty-three
steam shovels, twenty-three earth
spreaders, twenty-five rapid unloaders.
seven dredges. seventeen steel barges.
two tugs, ten cranes and one pile
driver
The harbors have been dredged and
new wharves have been built with the
most modern machinery, SO that the
largest ships can come up TO them
and be unloaded with great speed.
1t is possible to unload the cargo OF
vessel every five days.
The City of Panama has been paved.
severed and supplied with an abund-
ance of fresh water. Two years ago
IL had neither payements nor water
Today it is the best paved. best wa
tered and the best severed city be-
tween the United States and Chile
and the Argentine Republic.
Colon has been paved with vitrified
brick and crushed rock. and has been
made as healthful as its low condi-
ton will permit T
Colon has been given a reservoir
containing sos, 600, 900 gallons of fresh
water.
Yellow fever has been driven per
manently from the isthmus. That.
Mr.. Shonts thinks. is the supreme
achievement. For fourteen months
there has not been single case
among the 10000 employees.
The mosquito pest is being rapidly
exterminated.
The canal zone is as healthful as
New York city. During the most un-
healthful period of the year 1906, in
the rainy season, August September
and October, there was not one death
from disease among the 5000 white
Americans, including 1900 women and
children.
Five towns have been built. one OF
them having a population of 5000 in
habitants. with every modern i'm
proyement. 1t stands where year
and a half ago there was an impene
trable jungle.
In each of these towns the club
houses, recreation buildings, Libraries
buildings available for religious serv
Ices, mess halls where the employees
Of the government may take theii
meals at cost prices, comfortable bar
racks in which they sleep and com
Portable houses for the accommodation
OF families.
The greatest construction plant evel
known has been created at a cost Of
$12,000,000. Every piece of machin
cry every locomotive and car, every
labor-savipg contrivanoe had to be Sc
up and tested in this country, ther
taken apart, transported 1000 mile.
by sea and set up again before Il
could be put to use. To do this vas
machine-shops had to be erected
equipped with all forms of modern ap
pliances and several thousand ma
chinists employed. Every foot of lum
ber. every tool, every nall ever!
pound of paint, every bit of plumbing
material. every piece Of furniture ant
almost every article that is in use OF
the isthmus by those who are diggin,
the canal had to be transported 200,
miles.
Nearly every ounce of food con
sumed in the canal zone during thes,
TWO years has been carried from the
United States in refrigerator steamer!
and distributed along the line of tn,
canal daily from refrigerator cars. Ii
the messhouse meals are furnished ts
the higher grade of employs at 81
cents each, and recently the govern
ment has taken, as sanitary precau
tion to board the common laborers
and is furnishing them three hot meal.
OF nourishing food per day at 10 cents
meal. Chief Engineer Stevens be
lieves that this will increase theil
efficiency, and DIR. Gorgas is confident
that 1t will increase their power tc
Withstand disease.
Up to January 81, 1907, s32 900 OoC
had been spent; $4,5OO,OOO in santa
ton and the establishment of a gov
ernment; $7.OO00OO in the construc
ton of quarters and other buildings
railways. docks, wharves, waterworks
etc; s12,ooO.OOO in permanent machin
cry and construction plant; $4,000 .OOC
i'll material and supplies, and $1,000.
900 in sewers, waterworks, paving and
other improvements in Panama and
Colon, which will be ultimately re.
funded to the government.
/ The ouray Camp Bird statement for