The sun., 1919-09-21
THEO. P. SHONTS DIES
HAD LONG BEEN ILL.
Continued from First Pogo.

Continued from First Page.
idea that when you learn the conditions
under which I am willing to become
chairman of the Isthmian Canal Com
mission you may withdraw your offer.
With a body composed of so many diff
ferent members with diversified duties
that are likely to conflict on occasion,
there ID bound to be friction so long
as responsibility is divided. I should
not care to accept the Craftsmanship
Of this commission. therefore, unless 1t
Il understood that / am to have abso-
Lutte authority as to both men and
measures In the work of the construction
of-the canal-subject to your approval.
OF course"
President Roosevelt's response was to
open the doors of the chamber in which
they were conversing, invite several
newspaper men who were waiting to
see him to enter, and to say. Gentle
men, allow me to introduce to you the
chairman Of the Isthmian Commission.
who Is to have absolute control of the
construction of the Panama Canal"
With his wide acquaintance among
railroad men Mr.. Shonts was able to
pick to aid him in his task a wealth
Of talent and genius. Because Of the
men that ne picked the second canal
commission became known as the
Railroad Mems Commission"
One of the greatest results Of the
Shonts rule at Panama was the elimi-
nation of yellow fever and the cutting
of the death rate, in which he was aided
by Col william c. Gorgas, later Sur
geon- General Of the United States Army.
Although throughout the length and
breadth oAthe United States the cry was
going up to "set the dirt flying" Mr..
Shonts firmly believed that before set
ting the dirt flying he should make the
Isthmus habitable to the persons who
were to work there.
No hero OF Greek mythology ever
faced a more perplexing task. There
| were no systems of waterworks. OF
| sewerage or of drainage on the entire
| Isthmus at the time. The people de-
| pended for their water largely upon
unprotected cisterns filled during the
\ rainy season and on barrels supplied
from nearby streams, all of which were
breeding places for mosquitoes. In de-
scribing conditions as he found them
Mr.. Shonts wrote: The filth Of ages
had accumulated around the dwellings
and In the streets. undistur'bed except
when washed away by torrential storms.
Pools of stagnant water had existed for
sect breeding swamps lay undrained ad-
| jacent to the cities and many of the
towns"
Health Considered First.
Mr.. shonts declared that ito make
the dirt fy't under such conditions would
be criminal as well as uneconomic. De-
! spite criticism he adhered to the deter
mination to render the Isthmus habitable
| before beginning to dig rather than
bring workmen there to die.
| At his instance and under direction
OF Col. Gorgas the work Of cleaning VI
the Isthmus 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 a time. Thirty-five hundred men
worked increasingly at this task, and as
result yellow fever was extirpated In
less than four months, after which i;
| never returned.
The success OF this sanitary accom-
plishment is best shown by a compai-
! son Of the death rate under the French
regime and later under the commission
headed by Mr.. Shonts. In August, 1882
the second year of French occupancy
with a force OF nineteen hundred men,
the death rate was 112 a thousand. In
| August. 1905, with a force of 1900
men, there were only eight deaths, or
two-thirds OF a man aNthousand.
The establishment of a hospital sys-
| tenn. including large hospitals at Color
| and Panama and a number of smaller
hospitals along the line OF the Canal
was another of Mr.. Shonts's accom-
plishments.
| President Roosevelt In a special mes
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
fayorablY with reasonably healthy To-
calities in the United States
Another feature Of his canal work was
the conversion of the City OF Panama
which had been without pavement, sew
ers or water supply, into the best paved
the best watered and the best severed
city in Central America.
This was accomplished largely by the
| construction of 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. 900 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 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
without his own support and the re-
sources that he was able to put at the
disposal of that army officer the efror;
to clean the place up would have been
failure It was his determination "a
make the place healthful at all costs
that really brought the improvement
| about.
Traction snarIs solved.
II 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
snaqls In the transit systems and de-
veloping the present elaborate system OF
PETERBOROUGH subways.
Again Paul. Morton played an inn
portant part in Mr.. shonts's life drama.
| Mr.. Morton was then president Of the
Equitable Life Assurance Society, and
after 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.
"Who wants me-" asked Shonts.
THE men who control the New York
| traction interastg