The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1908-10-16
HOW MEN ARE FED and
CARED FOR AT PANAMA.

supply for the O,000 people living
in the Canal Zone. A train of Is
cars, eight for cold storage and five
for other supplies, loaded with food /
stuffs and ice leaves Cristebal every !
morning at 1870 O'Clock and de-
livers supplies at points along the
line, arriving at Panama at $40
and East La Boca at 9: 30. O'Clock.
In addition eight other cars loa ded /
with supplies are sent by other
trains during the day, making a !
total OF Il cars leaving the depot
daily. All cold storage articles are
wrapped in the cold storage rooms
and delivered in the original pack
ages to the Commission hospitals,
hotels, mess kitchens, local COM
missaries, and families in the Zone
Wagons maintained by the Quarter
masters Department meet the train
at all stations and deliver the sup
plies. During the month OF June,
1908, the cold storage plant shipped
including ice, 5000, 2S3 pounds of
supplies wrapped in 1903 pack
ages, an average of over1 800 day.
Cold storage supplies are brought to
the Isthmus from the States by
vessels of the Panama Railroad
Steamship Company, the Unit
ed Fruit Company anil the Royal
Mail Steam Packet Company, and
/ deliveries are made at Cristobal and
Colon about ten times a month.
A commissary department was
established on the 1sthmus in 1894
by the Panama Railroad Company
to supply groceries to the heads of
its departments only. In 1896 the
stock of goods was increased and
commissary privileges were extend
cd to all employees of the railroad,
all steamship lines, warships of any
nationality, diplomatic ard consult
ar officers living on the Isthmus and
the officials of the French Canal
Company. The commissary depart i.
ment has been operated by the
Panama Railroad Company ever
since it was established, except be
tween February ID and June l, 1905
when it was operated by the Isthmi-
an Canal Commission. On July Is
1908, the commissary department
was placed in charge of the subsist-
ence department Of the Isthmian
Canal Commission, to be operated
on account of the Panama Railroad
Company.
From May 4, 1901, the date of
American occupation, to August 2,
1908. only employees on the gold
rolls of the Commission and of the
railroad company and their families
could purchase goods from the com /
missary. On the latter date the
privilege was extended to all en-
ployees Of the Commission and of
the Panama Railroad Company,
and on January 81, 1907, to the
employees of the United States de-
partmet of state living on the 18th |
mus. All purchases are paid for
with coupons from commissary
books and no cash is received. !
Cold employees are allowed to
draw books not to exceed Is per
cent of their salary, and silver
employees lot to exceed SIS Der
month. /
The cold storage and allied plants
are located at Cristobal near Pier II.
They include the ice plant, bakery,
ice cream factory, coffee roasting
oven, laundey, printing and power
plant. There are Al gold and 3lS
silver employees in the combined
plants.
The cold storage plant is in
building II: feet by 1871 feet aud
three stories high. The ground
floor, occupying 1862 square feet,
has six rooms and two working
corrlndors containing 1861 cubic
feet of refrigerated space kept at
temperature varying from s to 45
degrees Farenheight. The space on
the second floor has just been equip
ped with the Lindey system OF dry