The Sentinel=record., 1914-08-16

 OF THE CANAL
RUSHING PREPARATIONS TO DE PEND BIG PANAMA DITCH
 AGAINST ALL NATIONS.
Work of Rendering the Approaches lmpreanable is Being Pushed Rap idly to Completion.

That the United States is taking no chances of having the big ditch in | Panama unguarded in the event Of any trouble with any other nation, but is rushing the work on the fortiii- cations, which, when completed, will prove a powerful factor in the de- fense of this great engineering pro | ject, was the statement Of Fritz J. | Lewis of New Orleans, who is so | jonrning in this city and who for the past eight years he'd various re- sponsible positions in the service of the United States government in building the Panama canal.
 Mir. Lewis is well known in engl- neering circles of the country. He comes of a distinguished New Orleans | family, being the grandson of J. $. Lewis, mayor of that city in '54 and 56. He went to Panama in 1906 as construction and mechanical engineer and has superintended the construc- | ton of practically all the great steam shoyeis nsed in making the "big ditch" possible. His last duty was supervising the construction of the great locks of the canal. Mir Lewis called at the Business Mems League and told the official there something about the big canal that Uncle Sam has built.
 "I left Panama when the rumor of war in Europe first started and | noticed that the government was then increasing its force of Een who were working on the fortifica tions of the canal, and any one who | teils you that the canal won't be wei fortified don't know what they are talking about. 1t Is nothing for the government to place 1000 to 2.000 men on work of this nature and 1t will be rushed to an early completion, fo II do not believe this government intends to take any chances where the canal is concerned. They had brought the great 14-inch guns there and were placing them when I left.
 "The treatment the men received from the United States government is above criticism. and you don't hear them kicking, either. The govern ment gives to every man a house, wood, coal, ice and water. Ones garbage is also collected every day, and when it comes to sanitation, (he system of the government cannot be surpassed. Let any one report that a mosquito is in ones house and in very short time there is a govern ment man in the house looking for the insect, and he gets it, too The houses are all screened and every thing possible is done for ones com fort.
 There are two other things the government takes decided notice of They are saloons and gambling. There is not a saloon along the canal and Uncle Sam won't tolerate gam biing in any form. Every now and then the boys working on the canal will get together for a quiet game but these are soon found out and raids follow.
 Like a number of others con tracted q touch of malaria, so I came to Hot Springs to take the baths. This is my initial visit I had heard of the wonderful benefit one receives from bathing in the noted hot waters here, so decided to try it, and yester- day l was agreeably surprised to meet on Central avenue a man | had known in Panama. He was in pretty had shape when he left there, al crippled up and could hardly get along without assistance, but when l saw him he was feeling fine and praised the baths. Several of the men in Panama have come to Hot Springs for the baths and every one of them returned boosting for the waters of the hot springs
 Mir. Lewis stated that while along the route of the canal the lid" may be on, the same situation does not ap- ply in Panama proper, for there. he says, things are run wide open, sa- looms being operated and gambling houses running.
 Even the Panama government is interested in a lottery down there. e." he declared.
 Mr. Lewis will remain here tor about a month, after which he, his wife and son will go to Los Angeles. where he anticipates going into busi. ness.