Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1913-10-14

| thirty deaths among employers,
mainly among Americans. with whom
the epidemic started.
There was a siege with smallpox
and the plague. but they. too. We're
eradicated in so far as epidemics are
| concerned. and malaria. pneumonia
and tuberculosis remain AS the most
frequent attributed causes Of death.
Quinine has been bought by the ton
for the canal zone dispensaries and
hospitals. In 1905 each employee av-
eraged about an ounce Of Quinine and
was advised to take three grains daily.
The French had left hospital build
| ings in Colon and ON the side Of AncOn
hin. lust outside OF Panama. The
Americans renovated these and added
to them until the present vast facilities
came into form. They sometimes have
more than 1000 patients. A large asy-
luu for the insane also is maintained.
Hospital cars are attached to the pas
senger trains to bring In patients to
the Ancon and Colon hospitals each
day. In every town or settlement
there is dispensary with physician
in charge and a sanitary officer. to in
spect conditions Of living. There are
about twsnty-four employees out of
every 1000 constantly sick.
20 For the canal zone. Panama and
Colon. in 1905 the death rate was 1924
per 1000. In 1911 it was alag or cut
down more than one-half. In 1905 the
death rate among the Americans from
disease was $50. and in, 1911 it was
2.S2. In 1908 and 1910 there were more
Americans killed in accidents or died
from violence than died from disease.
1t necessarily follows from an engi-
neering task Of this magnitude. where
vast quantities Of explosives are han.
died. where there Is considerable
railroad mileage and other. hazardous
features of construction. that the death
rate from accidents would be large.
Every month since the American oc-
cupation began in May. 1904. there has
been an average of ten employees kill
ed or have died from external causes
The total to July l. 1912. was 995. and
by the time the canal Is completed
barring unusual catastrOphes. the
deaths from this cause will be around
LOO. Under the head Of violence are
included deaths by drowning. suicide
dynamite explosions. railroad accidents
poisonings. homicides. electric shocks
burns. lightning and accidental trau
matism Of various kinds.
Dynamite Explosion In cuiebra.
Scores of deaths have resulted from
the practice Of the native employees
in using the railroad tracks as public
highways. There have been bad col
lisions and wrecks with fatalities. and
dynamite has claimed about one-tenth
Of the victims of external violence. In
the handling Of 25.259 tons Of dyna
mite. or 5O.517.65O pounds. to July l.
1912. the following principal accidents
have occurred:
May %. 1908. ia Chagres division
two killed: premature explosion OF
twentysix tons. caused by lightning.
Oct. 8. 1908. ut Empire in the Guile
bra cut. five killed and eight injured
premature explosion.
Oct. 10. 1908. at Mindi. seven killed
and ten injured. premature explosion
dredging in Atlantic entrance.
Dec. -. 1908. Mt Bas ObispO. prema.
ture explosion of twenty-five tons in
the Culebra cut. twenty six killed and
forty injured.
Jan. 10. 1909. at Paradise. two killed
ten injured. 49,
July %. 1909. on Panama railroad
four killed. nine injured.
Aug. 80. 1910. at Ancon quarry. four
killed.
July 10. 1911. at Ancon quarry. four
killed. two injured.
Forty deaths from dynamite explo.
sions are noted for the year 1903. the
largest number for any one year of
canal construction. and this does not
take into account several individual
fatalities. Chief Engineer Goethals Is
sued stringent regulations to govern
the handling Of the dynamite. but 1t
was In such common use that the EN-.
ployees naturally became careless. An
instance is afforded by two employees
who knocked an iron pipe against a
railroad track to dislodge some dyna-
mite. They were angels in less than
two seconds after the first blow. The
worst accident, at Bas Obispo. has not
been explained.
Most of the accidents have occurred
since the working force has been in
excess Of 10000 men. When the num-
Der killed outside the line of duty Is
subtracted from the total deaths by
violence it will be found that the &C.
tual building Of the canal has been at
tended by a normal percentage of such
Enthusiastically no larger than in
any private construction Of the same
character or approximating the same
magnitude. The largest number Of
deaths by violence among employees in
one year was in 1909. when 178 were
killed, and this was equaled again in
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