The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-22

mination to render the Iethmus rabitable
before beginning tc dig rather than
bring workmen there to die.
AT hs instance and under direction
% Col. Gorgas the work of cleaning up
the 1sthmus began. Panama. Colon and
the towns, villages and labor camps In
the Canal Zone were fumigated over and
over again. They were fumigated house
by house and later villages and towns
at time. Thlrty-five hundred men
worked increasingly at this task. and as
result yellow fever was extirpated In
less than four months. after which It
never returned.
The success of this sanitary accom-
plishment Is best shown by q COMPARE
son of the death rate under the French
regime and later under the commission
headed by Mr.. Shonts. In August, 1889,
the second year of French occupancy,
with force of nineteen hundred men,
the death rate was liz a thousand. In
August, 1905. with a force of $4,000
men, there were only eight deaths, or
two-thirds OF a man a'thousand.
The establishment of a hospital sys-
tenn, including large hospitals at Colon
and Panama and a number of smaller
! hospitals along the line of the Canal
was another of Mr.. Shonts's accom-
plishments.
u
sage to Congress- lauded this work and
said OF the accomplishments of the
Shonts regime: The results have been
astounding. The conditions as regards
sickness and the death rate compare
favorably with reasonably healthy To-
celities in the United States.''
Another feature Of his canal work was
the conversion of the City Of Panama
which had been without pavement, sew
To- l~.N.x
the best watered and the best severed
| city in Central America.
| This was accomplished largely by the
| construction of a great reservoir and
| the installation Of an up to date FIRE de-
partment which on two occasions saved
the city from destruction.
| Another great reservoir was con-
structed at Colon, with a capacity of
50S,000.000 gallons. The main street of
Colon was paved and the surfaces of
the other streets raised During all of
this work observance of the sanitary
laws was rigidly enforced. Whenever
an employee of the commission was dis
covered with too high a temperature he
| was compelled to go to the hospital
whether he wanted to or not.
| For the triumph of science over dis
ease on the Isthmus Mr.. Shonts gave
full credit to Col Gorgas; nevertheless
i WiluOut HIS OWN buppOTI ana inc re-
| sources that he was able to put at the
disposal of that army officer the effort
to clean the place UP would have been
a failure. 1t was his determination to
make the place healthful at all costs
that really brought the Improvement
about
| Traction Snarls Solved.
| 1t was his remarkable success with
| the problem on the Isthmus that caused
| Mr.. Shonts to be picked by Thomas f.
Ryan and other traction heads in New
York for the task OF unravelling the
snarls in the transit systems and de-
veloplng the present elaborate system OF
Interborough subways.
Again Paul Morton played an i'm
portant part in Mr.. Shonts's life drama.
Mr.. Morton was then president of the
| Equitable Life Assurance Society, and
after a conference with the traction
heads he went to Washington to see
the head OF the Canal Commission.
''They want you up in New York.
he said.
i "who wants me?" asked Shonts.
| THE men who control the New Yorh
traction interests"
What do they want me to do?"
There is desperate TRACTION prob
lem up there" Mr.. Morton told him. III
Is the biggest transportation proposition
in the world. 1t Is a mans job, and the
traction owners want somebody bis
enough to coordinate the whole situa.
ton"
IT can't touch 1t now" Mr.. Shont.
declared; 81 haven't finished the work
started to do In Panama. Besides,
would not undertake the New York posi-
ton unless / were given absolute au
thority."
"It is because you demanded auto
cratic power in Panama that they wan
, you" Mr.. Morton replied. ''The trac
ton people in New York have beei
watching the things you have don
A. down there"
Mr.. Shonts was firm in his refusal :"
, promised to stay with the canal until tn
work was being carried forward In al
departments under full Roadway" h
said, $50 / don't see how I can 60 UP t
, New York.
, well wait for you," was Mr.. Nor
, tons promise; and wait the traction
heads did until Mr.. Shonts was full,
satisfied that work on the canal ha
, been launched so well, that the intricat
: system had been so perfectly organized
, the pestilence so completely overcom
that 1t was perfectly safe for him t
quilt THE Job and entrust its continuanc
to other able hands.
q
the interviewing companies controllin
the bulk OF the city's traction lines at
salary Of 100000 per year. He was a.
ready a man of wealth. however, havin
|. made his fortune in his earlier ranwa,
enterprises. .....
In undertaking this task Mr.. Shont
again frankly admitted that he was EN-
barking upon a strange course. Il kno'
nothing about the New York transports
ton system" he said TO an Interviews
when get there and get chance I
look things over I'll be able to talk.
Although his experience with steam rail
!, roads had been broad, he had never bee
: connected with a city railway system 1
, any capacity whatever. The tractio
|, heads took him on his demonstrate
ability as an executive, Anancier and en-
4 gineer.
4 Studies Problems First.
Mr.. Shonts set out at first to stud
his new Job. He went down into tn
I subway. where 100000 people were fight
I ing to ride on q railroad built to accom-
a modate 400, 900. He explored the under
ground lines, after which he travelle
a all over the routes OF the elevated an
surface lines. He also put a corps o
a his own Investigators to work to loo
the proposition over and report to hlr
2 on the immediate and future needs c
a the system.
h Mr.. Shonts faced criticism and rid
Guile from those who expected immediat
/ | tangible results The first few month
were very trying indeed, with the publ
| cla rnorinR for better accommodation