Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1912-07-27
A LETTER FROM PANAMA.
George Pringle Gives Us the Prom
Used Letter Regarding Trip.
Panam. r. de F., July II, 1912.


We left San Francisco June 26tl
via the Southern Pacific; stayed II
Los Angeles six hours: went through
Arizona, New Mexico. Texas am
Louisiana to New Orleans. The Mis-
sissppi river was overflowing w
saw children playing in the iron
wards OF their homes i'll boat, am
in one back yard we saw a raft float
ing around with about hundred hem
and chickens on it. We came to {
wash-out on the main line and hat
to take a branch road. Talk about
the Copper Belt railroad being rough
it wasn't in it with this one. Had
to put the pillow on top of your head
to keep from knocking the end on;
of your bed. Took the boat from New
Orleans down the Mississippi river
l40 miles before getting into the Gut
Stream: then-Oh, you Ocean.
We passed close to Cuba and also
British Honduras. The first port we
landed at was Porto Rico Barrios IN
Guatemala. On leaving there we went
through the Caribbean Sea and then
made Port Lmon Stayed there one
dav and then sailed for Colon by Mic
aragua, Costa Rica, Boca del Toro,
arriving in Panama all O. \.
Panama is quite large city, most
of the inhabitants being colored PEG
pie. 1t is nothing to see the child
rem naked on the street. They seem
to be very orderly people. We Wis
tied a cemetery here where there IS
two hundred and thirty thou
sand French buried. who died of dit
ferent fevers. No win regard to the
D..,a C,,,1 | viii nn1eaynr RI GIVE
you few items:
The history of the Panama Canal
might be divided into three periods:
The first period is when III 1881. the
French occupied the lsthmus, only III
1880 to admit defeat and withdraw
They left behind them twelve miles OF
canal well planned and well construct
ed and of Workmanship that reflects
lasting credit upon the engineers:
They also left behind them record
of dishonesty and Encouragement on
the part of officials and an appalling
list of those who had died of fever
or who returned to France ruined in
health. Those many thousands OF
French men and women, largely peas
ants and small shopkeepers, who re-
NAMED at home. but who invested
their savings in the canal were also
ruined. in pocket The second period
was when about six years ago they
began work Those days were not
happy They were days OF expert
ment and errors. Those days and all
that pertains to them that was un-
fortunate have gone and the canal
now has passed into the third period,
which finds it virtually completed
After three men in turn had been
placed in charge and had resigned,
it was recognized that with change
of chief every five minutes the canal
never would be completed: and the re
sponsibility of carrying on the work
was unloaded upon the shoulders OF
the army. and one man was placed
in supreme command The next step
was to concilliate the rank and file,
at that time. of the men employed
on the Canal Zone. Ninety per cent
could be described only as temporary.
Not only did they refuse to remain
on the Isthmus, but on their return
to the United States they were telling
tales OF life on the canal OF nature
sufficiently horrible to prevent others
from seeking work there. To stop
this. those in command ceased try
ing to amuSe Congress by making the
dirt fly and proceeded to clean up the
Zone: to erect suitable quarters and
and organize commissary. The
men had been living in tents. shacks,
condemned railroad cars and the
workmen's huts of the French com
pany, which were incubators OF dis
ease They were eating in messeS
and had Chinese cooking for them.
There were thirty-hve deaths of canal
emloyees in one month from yellow
fever
Those days are now gone. 1t IS
the contrast with what existed sew
earal years ago that makes conditions
on the Zone today so marvellous.
When Colonel Gorgas and his assist
ants came to the Isthmus they found
the canal a sewer and Colon and Pan
Anna a pest house Today it is as
healthy as any SPOT in the United
States They established strict quar-
antine. wiped out the swamps. exter-
minated the mosquitoes. built reser
voirs for water, they constructed two
thousand buildings and remodelled
seventeen hundred more Those in
cluded hospitals. hotels and clubs.
and they organized a department.
store that every day feeds thirty-fivc
Thousand canal employees and their
families with any kind of food they
want and furnishes them everything
from overalls to invisible hairpins
They also recognized that no matter
how healthy man may be, II he Is
discontinued he is poor workman.
and for the entertainment of the EN-
ployeeS they called to their aid TIL
Y. NJ. c. A. This organization took
three months to study the conditions
existing on the Zone, and accepted
the responsibility of making life more
cheerful and more homc-like. 1t or
ganized clubs in which there are read
ing rooms. billiards, bowling alleys
etc II started baseball mines, dances
and other amusements.
All that is asked OF the employees
is that they make the dirt fly. Butcher
bills, house rent, tax collectors. are
not permitted to disturb him. He i.
carefully cherished and looked after
as the prizehghter or football player