Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1910-03-30
pensation of laborers and other sill


kitchens. An immense cold storage
and ice plant at Colon makes about
80 tons of ice per days, which sells
at 40 cents per hundred, and daily
ships along the line about 100 tons
of meats, vegetables, etc. The bak-
cry, laundry and ice cream plants
are also fine large modern institu-
tions, $50 gallons of ice cream being
sold each day, at 25 cents per quart
The general purchasing officer in
Washington makes all purchases of
material in the United States as re-
quitioned, fills all vacancies in the
gold roll" etc.
Perhaps the greatest difficulty
that has been met and successfully
COPIED with in the entire canal pro-
ject is the matter of sanitation, for
without a nearly perfect system, it
would have been practically impos-
sible to have made satisfactory pro-
gress. The canal zone when the
Americans took charge was practic-
ally in the same state as in the six
teenth century,. The dense tropical
jungle, the eight months steady
rain, when it rains every day from
April to December, the extreme
humidity of the atmosphere, the
yellow fever which ragged and Great
ed untold havoc, the malaria, and
the many other disadvantages to be
COPIED with, made the problem
serious one. To Col. Gorgas, the
worlds authority on sanitation, is
due the credit for this wonderful
and heroic work. He has removed
the cloud which rested over the
lsthmus from its unsanitary and
unhealthful condition, and made it
possible for Americans to work
there in health and happiness, per-
forming a service of inestimable
value toward the construction of
the canal. There have been 1874
cases of yellow fever among the
employees and "a deaths only and
not case known since 1905. The
same is true of malaria. In 1904,
three-fourths of the zone population
were infected with malaria, and i'm
the early days of the canal con-
struction 80 per cent of the en-
ployes were treated in the hospitals
each year for malaria.
The eradication of yellow fever
has been brought about by the dis
covery, first, that the germs of the
disease are transmitted by parti-
cular breed of mosquito, second,
that the mosquito will not leave its
breeding place further than 800
feet; third, that it breeds in stag
nant water. Then followed the dis
covery of the fact that by spraying
the swamps, ponds and stagnant
water with crude oil the mosquito
would not breed there, and this Is
one of the secrets of the success of
the Panama Canal. Throughout the
entire zone men are employed to
spray the ponds and swamps with
oil, and the result is that one
scarcely ever sees mosquito. Sec
rotary Bishop told us of two young
physicians who gave their lives that
no inh no
from Panama, an act as heroic as
may be found in history. In order
to prove that the mosquito carries
the germ, they barred their arms and
allowed themselves to be bitten, be-
ing practically certain that this
meant death, but it proved to the
world that yellow fever and malaria
can be eliminated. Over 1, 200 men
are employed in the Department of
Sanitation, and the expenditures
are now about 100000 per an
mum. The total expenses of this
department will reach 100000, 200,
or about per cent of the total cost
of the canal. A fine system of
waterworks, sewerage, drainage,
etc. has been installed, and sanitary
conditions on the canal zone are
superior to many American cities.
The main hospitals are at Ancon
and Colon, dividing the canal zone
In territory. Both are splendidly
equipped, with the most modern
appliances. AncOn hospital has
about 1900 beds, including $50 for
insane, and Colon hospital 400 beds.
Ancon hospital was established by
the French in 1888, and in 1889
over 5000 deaths had occurred at
the hospital, 1900 of them from
yellow fever. Employees receive
medical attention without charge,
there being regular scale for
members of families or for special
service. On Taboga Island, in Pana-
ma bay. 10 miles from shore, is
sanitarium for convalescents, and
there is also leper colony with 81