The Daily Missoulian., 1914-09-06

asked to go to Panama Mr. Stevens
first task was the reconstruction of
| the Panama railroad system, and one
OF the sentences of his first report on
this work has become famous among
railroad men: "A collision has its
good points as well as bad ones--it
Indicates that something is moving on
the railroad The veterans OF the
zone declare that it was Stevens who
made extra Inducements to attract
workmen to the zone, and that the
high salaries paid at present are due
to him. He became known as the
Chief" and to this day the men who
We're with him in Panama in those
days which tried mems souls speak
OF him with sincere affection. Mr.
Stevens remained on the isthmus un-
til April /, 1907, when his resignation.
sent in some time before, went into ef-
feet. President Roosevelt then de-
elared that it was useless to attempt
to build the canal with new chief
engineer every year, and that no more
civilian engineers would be placed in
charge II shall turn it over to the
army" were the presidents words, ana
on February 2s, 1907. the third 18th
mian canal commission was appointed
and that body assumed it's duties on
April 1, 1907, and consisted OF:
. Army Takes Charge.
Colonel George W. Coethals, chair
man; Jackson Smith, Colonel w. T..
sibert. u. S. A.; Colonel d. u. Gaillard,
u. .. A.; Colonel w. G. Gorgas, civil
Engineer Fl. II. Rousseau and ]. c. S.
Blackburn. ~
The commission remains the same
at present with the exception of Mr..
blackburn, whose place was taken by
Maurice II. Thatcher, who was In turn
succeeded by Richard Il. Metcalfe.
Jackson Smith was succeeded by Col.
III. +. Hodges, u. s. A., on July 16,
1908. Colonel Goethals receives q sal
ary of $4,000 a year, and each of the
other members is paid $4,000. Joseph
Bucklin Bishop has been secretary to
the commission since 1905.
Colonel Gorgas. M&
Colonel w. G. Gorgas came upon
the. scene early in the game, for he
accompanied the first canal commits
sion to the isthmus on March 20,
1904. at the request OF President
Roosevelt. Colonel Gorgas is known
as the man who pulled the teeth OF
the tropics and made the canal a liv-
able place for white man. Indeed,
II is very doubtful ~ to whether
or not the canal could have been builI
by Americans without the aid OF this
distinguished physician. On June 2,
1904. Colonel Gorgas was appointed
chief sanitary officer and he at once
began q campaign against disease un-
like any other ever undertaken, and
one which has changed a country
once q hot bed OF the most dreaded
tropical nalady into a winter resort
for tourists. Under his regime yellow
fever was banished to such an extent
that there has not been case of this
disease in the canal zone since 1905
that Is. a case contracted In Panama.
Malaria. too, is Il thing Ut the past for
the breeding place OF the malaria mos
quito has been destroyed. In 1907,
Colonel Gorgas became a member OF
the canal commi6sion--a position
which he still holds. The entire san
itation. has ben under his care and by
the time the canal Ia finally completed
the cost OF this work will have
amounted to about $4,000, ,0o0.s "They
have changed everything in Panama
but the climate" is the cry Of the
average canal workman, and this is
true. and for this reason unless the
rules laid down by Doctor Gorgas are
carried out to the letter his work Is
In vain. Eternal vigilance is the
price of health on the Zone. Quinine.
has been the chief medicine in the
fight against malaria, and over fifteen
thousand pounds Of this drug has been