The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1913-09-12

gnnizct. and the city was cleared of all
rubbish Today the tourist sees some
evidence Of Sioveny living. but cUndi-
tons generally are surprisingly smart
The second part Of the program kill
ing the mosqutoes-w accomplished
principally by the use of crude oil.
Every stagnant pool Of water and
most of the running strcams-eXcept
rivers were treated with oil. and the
rank grass and tropical growths were
kept cut by hundreds of Scythe men.
As Il further war measure all houses
were screened. the amount spent on
this item alone amounting to a sum
between $750,0OO and 100000.
Having cleaned up within. rigid
quarantine regulations were made to
keep ont persons who might he brought
in Il diseased condition from other
ports. Vaccination Of every person
who enters the canal zone is cOmpul
sorry unless good scar can be shown.
In 1908 a ShipIOAd Of natives from
Martinique, imported to work on the
canal. refused to land because they
thought vaccination was Il plan to
brand them so they could never re
turn to their home. They were forced
out ut the point of the bayonet and
vaccinated.
1t was before these plans had been
matured that the first and only cpl
demic of yellow fever occurred in the
canal zone In April, 1908. an en-
ployce in the administration building
in Panama became sick with the fever
and from then on to September the
canal zone was in the thrOeS of a fear
that WAS featured by the wholesale
departure of employees. The news
papers gave the epidemic wide and
oftentimes erroneous publicity. with
the consequence that the government
had to pay for the fear of the isthmus
thus created in greatly increased sal
aries and gratuities to secure Ameri-
can employees.
BY October. 1908. Colonel Gorgas had
mastered the epidemic. and. although
isolated cases have occurred since, yell
low fever was permanently banished
rs the hugbear of Panama. From
| July !. 1904. to Nov. /. 1905, forty
four employees succumbed to this dis
ease. While the epidemic ragged from
| April to September 1905. there We're
| tnlrtN-SeVCn deaths among employees
| mainly among Americans, with whom
! the epidemic started.
There WIS siege with smallpox
and the plague. but they, too. were
eradicuted in so far rs epidemics are
concerned, and malaria, pneumonia
, and tuberculosis remain us the most
, freuuent attributed causes of death.
Ouinine has been bought by the ton
for the canal zone di$pcnSarieS ana
hospitals. In 1905 each employee aV-
eraged about IN 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 these and added
to them until the present vast facilities
came into form. They sometimes have
more than l.2GO patients. A large aSy
Ium for the insane also is maintained
Hospital cars are attached to the pas
senger trains to bring in patients t
the Ancon and Colon hospitals eacl
day. IN every town or settlement
there is Il diSpensary with physician
in charge and sanitary officer to in
spect conditions of living There are
about twentyfour employees out Of
every 1000 constantly sick.
For the canal zone. Panama anC
Colon, in 1908 the death rate was 1919.
per 1000. In 1911 it was 2l.46, or Gu
down more than one-half In 1906 tn
death rate among the Americans iron
disease was $50, and in 1911 it wa
2.S2. In 1908 and 1910 there We're NOR
Americans killed in accidents or die
from violence than died from disease.
= 1t necessarily follows from an engt
vast quantities of explosives are han
died. where there is Il considerable
railroad mileage and other haZardOu
, features of construction, that the deaf
. rate from accidents would be large.
Every month since the American OF
cupation began in May, 1904, there ha
been an average of ten employees xii
ed or have died from external cause:
The total to July /, 1912, was 900, an
by the time the canal is completed
barring unusual catastrophes. tn
y deaths from this cause will be aroun
LOO. Under the head of violence al
!. included deaths by drowning. suicid
!. dynamite explosions, railroad accident
\. burns. lightning and accidental tral
n matism of various kinds.
Dynamite Explosion In CuIebra.
e Scores of deaths have resulted fro
It the practice of the native employee
e in using the railroad tracks as publ
It highways. There have been bad e
a lsions and wrecks with fatalities, al
dynamite has claimed about One-ten
y of the victims of external violence
s the handling of 25.259 tons Of dyn
d mite. or 5O,5l7G5O pounds. to July
Y 1912, the following principal acciden
4, have occurred:
May ~. 1908. in ChagrcS divisio
II two killed; premature explosion
d twtuty-Siy tons. caused by lightning
Sc Oct s. nos. at Empire. in the Gu
il Ira cut. five killed and eight injur,
4. premature explosion
ly Oct, 10, 1908. at Mindi. seven Kill
a and tentiniured. premature eXplosi,
N dredging in Atlantic entrance.
Of Dec u, 1908, at Bias obispo, prem
le ture explosion of twenty two tons