, 1913-08-13
MIR. ROSRNBERG'S LECTURE.
ST. Thomas Bulletin, 8th Au0.

hall OF the Grand Hotel to an appreciative
audience numbering about two hundred and
fifty persons, mostly Of the upper and mid
die class.
A very interesting lecture indeed it proved
to be, lasting nearly two hours; and the
speaker illustrated many of his points by
drawings on q blackboard, the one about
the gates Of the locks being remarkably clear
and informative.
He described very lucidly the important
features, beginning with the American town
Of Cristobal belonging to the Canal zone,
where the American administrative buildings
are. The Quartermaster Department Stores
are in this town, whence the wants of So O0
persons are supplied. There is u stock there
of "a, 800, 900 There are Coal supplies,
Bakeries, Ice manufacturing plants, Lauu-
dries, Coffee r~onsters, etc.
Continuing he mentioned the breakwater
extending to Tore Point, constructed for
che protection of that adjunct of the canal
the deepening of the sea miles from the land.
This breakwater he explained was to p~e-
vent the channel at the bottom of the sea
getting full of mud again.
He described the Gatun dam (Which Col.
Goethals told HIM was entirely satisfactory,
the MiraAores and Pedro Miguel locks, and
dWelt for some time on the artificial lake
created to receive the waters of the Chargers
River-which river was one of the unsur-
mountable obstacles against an entire sea-
level canal.
The first two years work on the canal we're
taken up in sanitary arrangements, the ami
hilation of the Mosquito pest, and the mala-
dies that followed in it's wake.
In 1906 there were ], 100 deaths in a DO
pulation of 26, 500. The percentage was Alb.
OF "a population Of 5O,893 in 1912 there
were 467 deaths the percentage was there
fore 9.18.
The CHS es of malaria treated in the Hospi-
tal was 6.83M in 1906, and only 0.92M in
1912. These figures refer to all the labour-
ers.
Some of the points illustrative of the mag
nitude of the work are these
Each of the twelve locks contains more
material than the largest Pyramid-CEeops.
5000, 600 bbls. cement have been used in
the construction of this gigantic work-and
these placed end to end would reach from
this island to the Azores.
The speaker was lavish in his praise of Col.
Goethals and Col. Gorgas, the former the
chief administrator of the works.
Col. Goethals sits every Sunday morning
10 near complaints ana feQfeSS wrongs, ana
il approachable by any of the $4,000 labour-
ers.
Where, asked the speaker transported with
delight. has this been seen since the Judges
sat at the gates dispensing justice?
The lecturer was OF opinion that on &C.
count OF the important changes in trade
routes the Caribbean Sea from being a dead
sea would witness a change as great as that
which had taken place in the Mediterranean
since the opening of the Suez Canal.
He Thoughts the geographical position of
our island was such. that we must reap very
great benefits it zoe aSere prepared.
Not only should we be prepared for the
handling Of ships and their cargoes, but we
should endeavour to start manufactures f i.
why could We not have Cigar factories, Fur
niture factories, Works for roasting Coffee
etc. We DauSt endeavour to produce
The lecturer was not introduced to the
audience, perhaps because he is already so
we'll known nor at the conclusion of the
lecture was the usual vote of thanks passed
the audience being spellbound.
We take this medium to publicly thank
Mr.. Journalist Rosenberg for the treat afford
ed the public, and to express the hope that
we may have the pleasure of hearing him
again at some future date.-COm.