Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1908-11-30
ISTAMIAN COMMISSION WORN
Annual Report Shows Progress Being
Made on Canal.
SANITARY CONDITIONS ARE GOOD
Engineering Problems that Require
Careful Investigation Are En-
cOuntered Daily, Especially
in Lock Construction.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29.-The report of
the Isthmian Canal commission to the !
secretary of war reveals that many en-
gineering problems of moment are being
encountered daily in the work. General
conditions, however, are found favorable to
continue work and completion of the canal
in the manner planned. The report, which
is for. the year to June 80, says in part:
The work of this department is twofold;
It Is charged with general sanitary work
of the zone, as well as of the cities OF
Panama and Colon, which includes the col
lection OF garbage, the removal of night
streets. draining and filling swamps. cut
ting of grass and removal of vegetation,
minor minor repairs to screening and ditching and
the sick and the maintenance of the hos
pitals.
Policing of Quarters.
AS the work of construction expanded
the work of sanitation correspondingly in
creased by reason OF the establishment of
new settlements, During the year, on this
Santa Cruz and Porto Bello was added and
that at San Pablo and Matachin was in
creased. The general health conditions are
indicative of the success obtained,
General health conditions depend upon
proper policing of quarters, securing and
maintaining wholesome water supply and
good sewerage, as well as such sanitary
work is outlined above. The present
quartermaster's department is charged with
the care Of quarters and the general polic-
ing; the engineering department is charged
with water supply and sewerage, and the
sanitation department maintains a tiling
gang and ditching gang. The quartermas-
| ter's department must maintain gangs for
! policing and grass cutting in connec-
/ ton herewith in the same territory
that the sanitation department has its force
/ OF laborers on sanitary work; either de-
partment is fully equipped to do the work
! OF the other. Although the end In each
case is the same-the general bettering OF
/ health conditions-the objects sought are to
! .s.N
| work is undertaken to reduce the breeding
places OF malaria and yellow fever mos
| quitoes. After careful consideration It was
| concluded that economy would result, fric-
ton be removed and responsibility defi-
nitely fixed IT, In addition to the work Of
policing and grass cutting in the vicinity
I of quarters the quartermaster's depart
ment gangs were charged with the collec-
| tion of garbage the removal of night soil
and the cutting of grass and brush for the
sanitation department. and II the tiling and
| drainage were carried ON by the construc-
tion forces OF the engineering department.
| With the approval and consent of the chief
sanitary officer the transfer of these du-
ties will be made effective September /,
and in order that no Impairment of sani-
tary conditions may result the quarter
masters department Is to perform such
grass and brush cutting as may be desig-
mated by the various sanitary inspectors,
and the division engineers are TO drain
such areas as the chief sanitary officer
may prescribe in accordance with plans
and upon data furnished by him.
Health shows improvement.
II, with the shifting character OF the pop
ulation, the death and sick rate can be
taken a criterion for general health
conditions they have been considerably
improved. for with an average of 1901
names on the pay rolls the death rate per
thousand was 1882, less than half that OF
the previous year. For the white force.
taken at an average of l2,05S given by the
pay rolls, the rate was 1874 per thousand,
and with a force Of blacks averaged at
q, ,999 the death rate was 1913 per thousand,
less than half that of the previous year.
The large decrease in the death rate among
the blacks is attributed TO better SANTA
ton. but primarily, according to the state
ment OF the doctors, TO the better food,
enabling them to offer greater resistance
10 disease.
At the beginning OF the year li39 pa
tinets remained In the hospitals and during