The Dickinson press., 1909-04-24
ALWAYS good to meet . man or woman
from home when it's one Of. the kind

up trip made at midday when labor was
suspended for the two hours incoming,
hence for the time being. we missed the
horde of mud trains, the steam shOvels
in action. and things like that, but on
every hand en- route was evidence Of
something doing and yet 10 be done.
We stopped at the site of Gatum
dam. and. as the crowd sauntered over
the ground, rubbering and mystified,
l climbed to the third balcony of the
Administrator building where I found a
young American from Indiana who had
been in Porto Rico fourteen years, now
employed on canal work, and he pointed
out to me the site of the locks. the
points of high land between which the
dam would be built, the depression in
the embankment which had caused so
much talk: explained that the high
tower-like. steel structures on wheels.
in the immediate vicinity were travel
ing cranes for handling the concrete for
dam construction. With my eyes and
ears, I observed much knowledge in q
few minutes. aud l thanked God on the
ereat Improvement He had made in the
human rae in line of intelligence and
industry when he invented the avefaee
American. @
We hurried back to the train and soon
after unl0aded about the center of Culebra
Cut and. from MI view point. could see
something of what had been excuvated
by the French. and so very much more
by the Americans. Steam shovels dotted
the landscape of the cut, also railroad
tracks, and q disturbed condition of
soil as far as M could e {.
We hurried away again, getting q
confused idea of the work and its mag
nitude as we proceeded to Panama.
AS we entered the terminal at
Panama. President Taft's special train
pulling out and his smile radiated
from the rear platform of his special
car toward the crowded cars of U
train. We lunched at the Hotel Tivoli,
q large government hotel located at
AncOn, adjacent to Panama on the Gulf
or Bay of Panama.
After lunch we wanted a carriage
to view the old town. The rates were
given in silver and seemed exhorbitant.
l finally engaged a carriage with rubber
tires and a well-fed horse al drivers
terms-$1. so for an hour for myself and
wife. 1t made DR.. Darrow's feet sore
10 ride in a carriage and the doctor
balk ed and, as Mrs. barrow went with
us the driver wanted to double his price
but would not stand s.. 90 but offered
him So. 90. The driver said ''Gold?"
and l said. ''Yes, gold" '.AI rieht!'
and away we trotted in luxury. Then 1
had an inspiration. The driver had been
figuring in silver all the time. hence 1
had been insisting on paying him fifty
cents more than he asked. When Mrs.
Darrow wanted to pay her share Of the
carriage hire l insisted that l could afford
to pay for my WI education.
One gains the impression from view
ing the old town that it has had q pros
porous past. The walls of one old
church in particular, weather beaten.
with vedetation sproutine from its
inches. was impressive. The town in
General. like other decadent towns.
lacked General quality. but it's narrow
streets and general aspect as most in
terestine.
The greatest work done on the Isthmus
by the Americans has been the sanitary
work in making the % habitable. At
Panama I wal told that all cellars in
the city had been cemented to exclud de
rats. A war of determination is oon-
stantly waged on rats to prevent bubonic
plague. The determination of the nos
quito to prevent spread of malaria and
yellow fever germs has had marvellous
results. Cutters are sprinkled with crude
oil, and. where you find a depression in
the highway where water has lodged,
there you will find crude oil at it's edges.
All stagnant water is thus treated.
Water barrels are kept covered.
Swamps have been drained or filled.
Grass is kept cut and vegetation re-
moved. One is not allowed to throw
away a banana peel on the streets.
Garbage boxes are placed at intervals
for all refuse. A wholesome water
supply is maintained for the zone as
we'll as good sewerage. Where drainage
and filling is not possible the sprinkling
of crude oil does the discriminating and
prevents breeding of insects.
The death rate for white men has
been reduced to is. "a per thousand out
of q force of II, O58. Among the blacks
the death rate is 19. 48 per thousand out
of q force of 80, 999. When one con-
siders the gathering of such an army
from its many sources and placing 1t
amid stran9e environment with home
sickness end various other sources of
depression. this work of the doctors is
marvellous in its industry and intelli-
gence. With all the faith attainable
even Christian Science could have done
no better.
The maintenance of health and con-
sequent energy fundamentally insures
the success of the gigantic enterprise.
gives one abundant faith in ones
countrymen. belittles the croakers. and
ones brain becomes active with a stu
dents desire for facts and further detail.
That Roosevelt embarrassed many of us
in legitimate business during his
official career many Of us believe sim
cerely. and have mourned in con-
sequence. But from the time the
Oredon journeyed from the Pacific to
the Atlantic during the Spanish wal
and it took such a time. though quickly
done. from that time the canal was q
military necessity to this country and it
became so much in evidence that Roose-
welt surely grasped it and gave the project
such a push that the momentum gained
in the work under Theodore's admins
tration was sufficient to send it on to
completion.
One cannot realize the magnit ude of
n