Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-01-21

doctors keep their eyes on the children.
As result there is no smallpox In Porto
Rico, and very few cases OF variolold.
The Water supply.
\ AZ the time we took charge the water
supply was bad almost everywhere. The
streams were used as public sewers and
| the people took their drinking water from
them. In all Of the cities found wells
not far from the cesspools. and the
doctors estimated that 50ooo houses had
cisterns whose water was polluted IN that
way. The custom Of burying the dead
was another source OF disease. The
cemeteries were crowded and great piles
OF skulls and other human bones were
found in some Of them. Uncle Sam has
caused new cemeteries 20 be opened. and
he has established in remote districts
many new ones. where free burial is
given to the poor
Porto Rico has now It's own health de-
partment. with an advisory board, con-
ssting Of health supervisor, q physician,
a druggist, a lawyer and civil engineer.
great deal is being done to wipe out
tuberculosis and the general condition Of
the people is 100 per cent better than II
has been before.
Automobile Roads for Porto Rico.
Next to the hookworm one OF the big
sest things Uncle Sam has done In Porto
Rico has been in the good roads move
ment He has started the work, and the
people have furnished the money TO do
the business. s.-.
There is no part Of the United States
which has such road development as
has had Porto Rico since We took hold.
At that time the island had 10 miles Of
good highways. These were built by the
Spaniards and mainly for military pur-
poses. They consisted Of one long road
across the mountains from the Caribbean
sea to the Atlantic and some branch
roads running here and there. These
military roads were as good as any drive
ways in the United States. They were
as smooth as the floor, without pebbles
or ruts, and they wound their way In
easy slopes over the mountains. In some
places they hung to the sides OF the hills
and In others they made lnnumersbie
horseshoe curves so that you could see
inc TDdu dbONC anu ptioN 1Vhs NNNN
over that road In 1880 and l was told II
had cost about s2sooo a mile.
Today you will find roads like that con-
Meeting the chief parts Of Porto Rico.
and you can go In an automobile all over
the island. The roads have cost only
$1,000 a mile and they are now spending
about 500 per mile per annum to Keep
them in order. The aggregate length OF
the macadam roads Is such that II they
were placed end 20 end they would reach
from New York almost to Chicago, and
that would be better automobile road
than II Il were composed Of strips from |
the best roads OF New England.
In addition to this wagon roads have
been made in the mountains connecting !
with these automobile highways and new
traik have been cut so that transports-
tion is everywhere possible.
A great deal OF the business Of the
country is now done By automobiles There
are more than 40 In use and more are
added every day. There were something l
Ike a hundred new ones last year. There
are regular lines OF freight and passenger
motor cars between the chief cities. and
regular automobile buses run over the
military road from San Juan to Ponce. As
il is now, one can leave San Juan after
breakfast in the morning and be at Ponce,
On the southern side OF the island. for
lunch. II used to hustle one to get there
In two days.
The New steam Roads
When was in Porto Rico, at the close
Of the war. there vas only one steam
This was made up Of short
strips running from san Juan around to
Ponce. with numerous breaks. It was
part Of a system that had been planned
10 belt the island. but only bits Of which
had been built
Since we have taken hold this road has
been improved and extended. The breaks
have been filled. and the steam cars now
-un clear along the northern and west
I'm ends of the island from San Juan to
Ponce. and from there TO the port OF
iusyams. This completes four-fifths OF
he circuit Of the island. and. in add
ion. there are many short line railroads
Ehieh supply the sugar plantations. AL
fery little more track would give roads
through all the coast lands OF Porto Rico
In Is9f tba ear sArrfca 80. -nfm.rt- ]