The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-03-27
ANSLEY TALKS
Of PANAMA
Ex-Justice of the Peace of
Indiana Harbor Discusses
His Trip South.
DITCH A GIANT TASK
Sanitary Conditions Make Greatest
Impression on Mind of
the Traveller.

AnSley returned to his home at Indiana
Harbor yesterday morning directly
from his trip through Panama and was
brimming with observations of the
canal digging that he had witnessed.
Having given the subject careful at
tention before he went there and hav-
ing been favored by good fortune to
fall in with a lot of good fellows, some
of them government officials. his visit
there was even more profitable than he
expected.
The fact that Judge Ansley is prob
ably the only man "at home who has
been an eye witness to the canal oper-
ations, and that he went there as
non-partisan and unbiased student,
lends his impressions an added interest.
He c1assifes his observations under
the heads of climate, sanitation, food,
labor, work accomplished and spirit
in which it is carried on. Speaking
Of his trip he said:
we sailed from New Orleans on one
of the United Fruit steamers and on
the boat 1 became acquainted with one
of Edisons men, who was going there
on a mission for his chief We arrived
at Colon, one of the principal cities,
in due time and here 1 made my head
quarters. In Colon l also met num-
Der of government men, and together
we went the route. which is nearly
40 miles, from end to end.
Too Hot For White Man.
Everybody of course, wants to know
about the climate down there, but it
Is really the sanitary conditions that
draw your first attention. The cli-
mate is too hot for a white man to
last in for a number of years at hard
labor If I knew of a young man
heart whole and fancy free I would
advise him to go there and spend a
year. 1t is pleasant in the shade, as
there is always a little breeze and the
nights grow chilly occasionally. The
sun however. is extremely hot and the
frequent showers add much to the un-
pleasantness.
But the sanitary conditions, to them
I take off my hat. 1 only wish we had
them here in Indiana Harbor. They
were established by the American gov
ernment, its agents having made a
deal with the government of Panama,
which provides for the making of i'm
provements at the expense of the
/ United States, these expenses to be
deducted from the price of the canal
trip. The improvements included the
raising of the streets, putting in sew
ers and cement floors, fumigating the
houses regularly. etc.
/ Personally, 1 Jared well enough on
the food, as I stayed in one of the
| best hotels in Panama, but in general
1t leaves much to wish for. On ac-
count OF the frequent rains the Pana-
maians are unable to raise enough
wholesome vegetables and none of the
ship routes are direct enough to take
fresh supplies there.
The 10000 people employed on the
digging are taken care of in mess
houses. OF these the 10000 whites are
the greatest sufferers. In fact, the
negroes hired by the government are
satisfied with almost anything. These
fellows are a study. They are lazi
ness personifed. We found them t,
be ten times lazier than the proverbia
southern negro. They get about si7
cents a day and some of them do no
earn that much. The government
takes care of them in mess houses an,
in the sleeping quarters, and on tn
whole they are well satisfied.
Americans Do Brain Work.
The 10000 Americans there are tn
ones that do the brain work, much O
which is labor, too. They are the one
that run the big steam shovels AM
have the different lines of work il
hand They are well paid, too, SOM
of the average engineers getting a.
high as S175 a month and liberal over
time. They are entitled 10 this 70
they do the real work. They are
patriotic sort of fellows and many o
them. though dissatisfied with the con
ditions there, stay nevertheless for TIL
sake of doing something and sacrific
ing something for their country. No
body complains. If one is not satisffe
} he will keep il TO himself and quietl.
make his departure, as knockers" ar
not very we'll liked.
Thus far those who have the worl
!. in hand have only begun. and althoug
millions of dollars have already bee
spent I would say that the Unite
States government has received il
? moneys worth. for the Undertaking i
!, a gigantic one. Furthermore. the un
: dertaking is yet too new and the eye
of the world are too much centered o
} 1t to permit any grating or boodlin
I at this time But from now on the
figure that the real work will begiI
Eighty large engines arrived lately an
with them about 100000 gondolas.
: "One hundred large steam shovel
are at work on the big ditch. as the
call the canal and of these each
! able to scoop five tons at dra'
either earth or rock
! 1GO TOn-Charge Set on At Once.
When we arrived they showed as
lplace where 100 tons of powder ha