Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-09-23

The native population dumped all
garbage and matter usually consigned
to sewers into the streets. These
streets were mudholes. which. with
the admixture Of refuse. made condi-
ton inconceivably dirty and naturally
unhealthfuI. The Americans made
reservoir In the mountains dozen
miles away for the water supply OF
Panama. dug sewers and forced the
native houses to connect with them
and then paved the streets with brick.
A system Of garbage collection was or
ganized. and the city was cleared OF all
rubbish. Today the tourist sees some
evidence OF sloyenly living. but condi-
lions generally are surprisingly smart.
The second part Of the program-kill-
ing the mosquitoes-was, accomplished
principally by the use Of crude oil.
Every stagnant pool of water and
mos. of the running streams-except
riyers-were treated with oil. and the
rank grass and tropical growths were
kept cut by hundreds Of scythe men.
AS further war measure all houses
were screened. the amount spent on
this item alone amounting to a sum
between $75O.OO0 and $1,OO0,OOo.
Having cleaned up within. rigid
quarantine regulations were made to
keep out persons who might be brought
in diseased condition from other
ports. Vaccination Of every person
who enters the canal zone Is compul-
sorry unless good scar can be shown.
In 1905 a shipload Of natives from
Martinique, imported to work on the
canal, refused to land because they
thought vaccination was plan to
brand them so they could never re-
turn to their home. They were forced
out at the point Of the bayonet and
yaccinated.
It was before these plans had been
matured that the first and only cpl
demic Of yellow fever occurred In the
canal zone. In April. 1905, an en-
ployee in the administration building
in Panama became sick with the fever
and from then on to September the
canal zone was in the throes Of fear
that was featured by the wholesale
departure Of employees. The news
papers gave the epidemic wide and
oftentimes erroneous publicity. with
the consequence that the government
had to pay for the fear Of the isthmus
thus created in greatly increased sal
aries and gratuities to secure Ameri-
can employees.
BY October. 1905. Colonel Gorgas had
mastered the epidemic. and. although
isolated cases have occurred since. yel-
low fever was permanently banished
as the bugbear Of Panama. From
July I. 1904. to Nov. 1. 1905. forty
four employees succumbed to this dis
ease. While the epidemic ragged from
April to September. 1905. there We're
thirty-seven deaths among employees.
mainly among Americans. with whom
| the epidemic started.
There was siege with smallpox
and the plague. but they. too. were
eradicated In so far as epidemics are
concerned, and malaria, pneumonia
! and tuberculosis remain as the most
| frequent attributed causes OF death.
ouinine has been bought by the ton
| for the canal zone dispensaries and
hospitals. In 1908 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
| hill. Just outside OF Panama. The
Americans renovated :hese and added
to them until the pres MT vast facilities
came into form. They sometimes have
more than 1900 patterns. A large asy-
Ium for the insane also Is maintained.
Hospital cars are attached to the pas
| senger trains to bring In patients 70
the Ancon and Colon hospitals each
day. In every town or settlement
there IL a dispensary with physician
In charge and a sanitary officer to In
spect conditions Of living. There are
about twenty-four employees out OF
every 1000 constantly sick.
For the canal zone. Panama and
Colon, In 1905 the death rate was 1894
per 1000. In 1911 1t was 21.46, or cut
down more than one-half. In 1905 the