The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-03-12
GREAT UNDERTAKING.

The building OF the Panama canal In
wolves an outlay Of money and energy
that few. even of those who have visit
ed the scene Of operation. can appre
ciate. A visitor TO the canal zone di
| scribes the gigantic and scientific
scale on which everything Is done.
All told. the government has $40.
/ 25O.000 Invested In buildings on the
isthmus, and this isn't counting the
buildings turned over by the French
The work on the buildings is one
phase of the Panama canal construc
tion that is practically completed
Most OF the force OF carpenters origi
nally engaged on this work have left
the isthmus for good.
Altogether the government now
owns 1888 buildings on the isthmus
The French turned over more than
1000 buildings. and many of these are
being used. The French buildings
were of good material and good work
manshlp and needed only TO be re-
paired and modernized by the addition
Of sanitary plumbing and screens.
Most of these old French buildings
had to be located by maps. They
were oyergrown and hidden by ten
years growth of tropical Vegetation
Every now and then, even at this late
period. the canal engineers come upon
French building whose existence
wasn't even suspected.
1t wasn't many months ago that they
discovered an entire French village
hidden away in the jungle. 1t con-
sisted of set of married mems quar-
ters; twenty-five barracks and mess
halls and a machine shop. nearly all
of which are now being used
The government buildings on the
isthmus aren't insured, and to protect
them fire department consisting OF
forty-nine paid flremen and more than
200 volunteers has been organized.
The grounds about many of the old
er or more important buildings on the
isthmus already bear evidences of the
work OF the experimental gardens
conducted by the canal commission.
The entrance to the Hotel Tivoi at
Ancon, for instance, is beautifully laid
out with tropical plants.
In these experimental gardens 1t
has been shown that the Nicaraguan
strawberries may be cultivated on the
isthmus with good results, that as
paragus, California navel and Florida
oranges, figs. Java and Malay plums,
Muscatine grapes, cucumbers, sweet
potatoes. beans, spinach and tomatoes
may be grown successfully In fact.
the experiments in these gardens have
gone far enough to attract the atten-
ton of men with brains who are be-
ginning to consider the possibility Of
money making In the years 10 come
by selling supplies to the great yes.
sells that will pass in and out of the
canal
The work Of the sanitary depart
ment on the isthmus is an old story,
but just as an example of the organi.
zation of the department and what 1t
is doing read this:
Several months ago the malaria rate
at Corozal took sudden jump. This
alone was enough to convince the san
itary inspectors that the malaria mos.
quitoes had found a new breeding
place. The chief inspector called for
help, and several men were sent to
assist him on what was really a mos
quito hunt.
The inspectors worked for some
time without success, covering every
foot of the district where the mos
quitoes might breed.
Finally one of the inspectors start.
ed house TO house hunt for adult
anopheles. and from the building
where he had the best luck ne struck
out early in the morning when the
grass was wet and the skeetcrs were
flying low.
From the building the inspector ac-
utally followed the mosquito trail, al
ways turning to the point where he
found the greatest number The trail
led him on 4 zigzag course finally to
salt marsh ESQ yards from the build
ing Now, mosquitoes won't breed in
salt marsh. but the inspector, true
to the scent" followed right on into