Show THE Its Present cl on and PANAMA PANAMA A CANAL CANA L ter Plans for the toe Future Speech of P P. P Shunts Shorn Chairman of or Iho Ihn l Canal Commission Before the Co Commercial Club v t ol lit Chicago o Saturday NU NI lu ht January 2 20 Mr President and Gentlemen men of or the Commercial Club It has been suggested to mo by one of your our members rs who is Ss n a valued friend of mine that I can cnn not do better better better bet bet- ter In speaking to you OU this evening about the Panama canal Anal than to tell you you you- on First The amount of work dO done by hy the French Frendl 0 p I Second The amount of or work donby don done b by the Americans AmerIcans- since the French Frenc I abandoned the task and Third 1 What hat the actual conditions on the isthmus are to today With your our permission lon I will follow fol tol- low Jow this outline The French were pre altogether about I twelve years e rs on the isthmus about ten years of which were devoted to the active f work of construction on During that t period they the spent over 2 O- O nn and 1 accomplished 1 a total ex excavation excavation ex- ex of about cubic yards It is iR generally believed heHe that a R large e portion port of this mone money was misappropriated misappropriated mis mis- appropriated and a great deal of it was squandered undoubtedly In the purchase of useless less machinery As the thC grf greater ater part of or the excavation on way was for tor a sea-level sea canal much of it will willbe he be of ot no value nine In the construction of or a alock alock alock lock canal Roughly speaking however however how how- ever It ma be bc said that may one-half one the excavation on was In the backbone of the divide nn and 1 was wa u useful work A sub substantial substantial sub sub- part of the excavated material was wn fro sn depo deposited along llong the proposed line Jno of canal that it will have hae to be moved again In the present work because be- be because because be be- I cause the canal we are arc constructing will ho bo more than twice the width of oC that proposed ed b by the French Frenc 1 Their I sea level Ivel plan contemplated a a. canal 55 72 feet wide and feet deep th their lr subsequent lock plan was for tor a canal 98 feet fet wide nn and 1 feet fet deep The canal we are constructing construct will have through the great cut a bottom width of ft feet and mel a d depth o of 45 feet fet For two-thirds two of or Its entire length it will have a n width exceeding f 00 feet foet If 1 the French Frt had finished either Ither one of ot the canals cont contemplated by hy th them m it would now be so made made- j quate quale to the demands of exiting existing shipping shipping shipping ship ship- ping that It would he be closed to navigation nay navi S gallon gation and m 1 bj be be- beIn In process I of recon truc- truc t St lion Into a canal of or double width an and 1 depth As A. I the Fr French loft left the grea great r at cut the distance tance across from the highest high high- highest est point on each ach side was about 75 feet When our canal canol Is I completed this distance lI will be bl about 1000 1001 f feet foet t rho Tho a additional 50 fE feet feel ct must bo taken from the tho slopes on either side for ot their entire distance and what whatever vr the French placed d there thre or elsewhere l ewh rc within the lines of or our canal ennal prism m will rill have to bo ho r h d. d I French Made nee Preparations The French ha had 1 on the he isthmus when the they gave possession to the Americans about 2000 OO buildings mostly mostly most mst ly Iy hou houses es for the tom rome excell excellent ex ex- cell nt hospitals and some ome storehouses 3 I and machine shops Many 01 an of then theE I bull buildings were capable of repair and have been put Into service They Thy left lefta a n vast quantity of or machinery all of or It twenty or twenty five years e rs out of date and virtually worthless Their locomotives U es and rolling stock Mock for the rail railway war as well as ns the rails t of f the rood road were wre also out of or date ton too JI light ht for modern us use and Ul utilized ll cd only because because be- be cn cause cause RO no others were av available c. They Thc had constructed only uch such docks and wharves as were wera absolutely necessary for the discharge of material and mac machinery shipped from abroad 1 and they had no terminal or switching snitching yards ards on the railway worthy o of the I name t A Aside from erecting fine hospitals they had done nothing for the preservation pres pre preservation of h health alth Modern methods method of ot preventing pre disease ea were unknown h In I It t their time lime Yellow fever was believed to be he due duo to a n. poison polson cr ever present to which a n cert certain ln proportion of newcomers newcomers new new- comers omers e especially p Europeans and Am Americans were expected 1 to succumb 3 as the they had always done The disease was wa l belle believed 1 to be contagious an and 1 to tobe tobe tobe be transmitted 1 b by personal contact Malaria was believed to be caused b ba by bya a mla miasma ma exhaled front from the tho soil soli or b by S. S S decaying vegetation and to be spread by hy newly upturned earth Nothing was done In the direction of supplying pure water or providing sewerage The Thea Themen m men a an nt were poorly housed hou ed and 3 fed f 1 and the mortality among them wasso was wasso s o appalling that thal it spread throughout the tho world the belief that the Isthmus of Panama was WIS the pest hole of th the earth a earth a veritable hell of or disease and und death When the United States State purchased from the Fr French company its rights privileges nn and 1 property it paid 1 the sum of or J for them This was not a R poor bargain as Is sometimes sometimes some some- times popularly supposed ed It It was area a rea reasonable estimate of the value of ol the th property of the Panama Canal company The offer to sell at that price came carne from the French company itself lf and amI was not suggested by an any official of the United States For two years the Isthmian Canal commission had tried trl el to get from the French company company com n pany a specific statement lH of the tOl amount it was willing to accept for its property but could not Finally when It became evident that 11 the United 1 States State was wa going to have ho u canal of oC its own either at Panama or at nt some ome other point on th the Isthmus the French Drench company concluded to sell for tor As AH this was far ar h In excess I of the value of or their unfinished I work that proposition was not nol favorably favor 1 I ably received and the hou house e of representatives es s promptly passed a bill hill forthe for fort forthe I t the construction of a canal In Nica Ica I Undo Uncle Sam Saiu Wanted This bill passe passed 1 the house houle b by such fluch an o overwhelming majority that It was rodent evident vl to the French company and to the world at ut large Jarge th that at t the government gov gov- was in lit earnest in Its Intention intention tion to build a canal o of Its own As thu tho amount of commerce In prospect cl was not for tor two canals It looked 1 as US though the French company would woul have ha to aban abandon their canal at nt Panama if Ir the United States Stales built one alon alongside sl of It at Nicaragua The company company company com com- pany became alarmed 1 and an 1 fearing thelo the the- lo loss of all ull their property the they offered of offered of- of ff to sell for This I amount was the estimated 1 value to the United Slates of the French work vork the Isthmian Canal com- com r as fiR made by In 1901 It consisted of or the following items viz viz- the 1 J. J The Tho excavation dono by b y French companies valued at nt a about bout 7 nil all I 2 The Panama railroad nearly the stock of or which was owne owned 1 by the French company compan an and 1 valued at about 1 records drawings and 3 The maps about which were valued 1 at nt 4 The buildings storehouses hospitals hos ho hospitals equipment and everything even thing S valued 1 at nt which were of that thol nature shout about I 1 have han dc crl described t to n 3 you what shat the situation was when th the American came nm Into possession po sc What hat haw have we done since that date late I shall not tr f wear weary you OU with the df details of what was done clone but btu shall sketch for or you vr very briefly the results result a as they exist exis tr-da tr today We e have ha In the first t place made the Isthmus as safe afe a n place to work in and live In so far as danger from disease leaRe l eaRe Is concerned a as any an other tropical country and even safer lter t than n man many parts of th the United States Stamp Out Yellow Fever Fo We 0 have ha definitely settled 1 tho the question question ques ques- tion a as to the origin and tran transmission of yellow fever and have entirely stamped out that dreaded disease on the isthmus There has been no authentic case there thre for fourteen months month As the life fo of the has b been n demon demonstrated to be only three months it Is s Impossible that nn any loaded mosquito of this character character character char char- acter Is I there It is i therefore Impossible impossible Imo Im Im- possible o to have haw a r recurrence of y yel yellow yellow yel- yel J- J low fever except b by importation from abroad 1 To guard against lt this we maintain a mo most t rigid quarantine service Tho The entire scientific world worl now recognizes re recognizes recognizes re- re cognizes the correctness of the moso mosquito mos mos- quito quilo th theory ol a. a as to yellow rev fever r The theor that malaria I Is theory conveyed only b by 3 means of another species of or mos mos- mO mosquito quito julto Is Iq not yet so o generally received 1 We Ve are demonstrating however th the correctness of this theory an and 1 believe that In a few months month we wo will be able able I to submit such proof to the scientific i I world as a. will establish It as ns conclusively as has been done In regard 1 t to fever We Ye have already shown show that Just In proportion as ns we destroy the thu malaria bearing mosquito to that tha extent does the prevalence of malaria decrease Wo We 0 now examine the blood o of all nil West Vest Indian negroes as they ther therland land and find 1 that 98 per pr cent have hav malaria In their systems When we web b began gan to compel th these e new nw arrivals arrival to te sleep b behind wire screens R and to keep them out of the reach rach of mos mos- during the hours that the mosquitoes mosquitoes mos mos- were active It H Immediately re resulted re- re suited 1 in a decrease E of malaria among the white To Illustrate further When hen th the J first nt installment of laborers from flom Spain arrived ed UH they came In the thc dry season elfOn and were allowed to live In un unscreened quarters quarter A con considerable per cent of them thern got malaria A later 1 Installment nt arriving during the rain rainy 01 of supposedly suppo edly unhealthy season ea on were placed d In screened cr ened quarters and only I In a i n vr very ery few of or them got malaria From the tho mOn moment nt all were hou housed pd behind screens the sick Ilc rate began tr to drop and the death dentin rate with It It Marine Marine- Remain I Still HUll another hel Illustration The regular regular regular regu regu- lar marine marinet garrison at Bas Obispo which has been on the Isthmus for foi nearly two years living In screened hou houses e has enjoyed good health with only a small percentage of malaria When hen however howl fear tear of or possible trouble at the time of the tae recent election election elec eke tion In Panama induced Induce 1 the government government govern o I ment to send several hundred ad additional add addi 1 marines to the I Isthmus for temporary duty this a additional 1 force forc was ns encamped in temporary tents not nol properly screened Although thC they were on the I Isthmus only five or six weeks practically tho the entire contingent conting conting- ent succumbed to malaria General health cori conditions h have he e so improved o under Doctor scientific methods for or tho the prevention of ot disease and the Uw effect has haR been so o remarkable among white employed asto as asto asto to cause us to revl revise e our om former fonder opinion as 08 to their ability to withstand the rigors of the climate We have had since the 1st o of March 1906 an average crage v r o of Spanish laborers borers on I Ithe the rolls roll and of or them only one ha has died from dl disease They The have ha malaria malaria ma ma- laria IorIo In about the same d- d degree cree as th the white Americans but not at all to the th th extent that the negroes have It and there has hn not been a 3 single case of yellow jellow n lIow fever among them Their general general general gen gen- eral condition is about a as good a as It Il was In n their homes homell In Spain and they the stand the climate ver very much better than the negroes During the th three and one half I months at the height o of the rainy 1 season ME-aSOn supposed to be the most sickly sickly sickly sick sick- ly among Americans American including IncludIng including ing 1200 women and children no death from disease During October among white while 0 of all nationalities there were but 2 deaths from disease as ns against SG SC deaths from disease p. p among th the ne ne- groes groe If the tho negro M had hac Josses possessed Cd t the he power flower to resl resist t disease n as effectually a as the white did there would woul 1 have b been en but C deaths dc In Instead of oC 86 among them Labor Clan cia He Re B ReIn U ll UIn ilIn il In I view of these thele statistics down to October U 31 31 and of the thc gradual decrease delrea de- de crease rea lrea e p In both sickness and death loath rates rater among all ull classes cs ot of we feel Justified In announcing to the world I olur r Ur belief beller that we are now In a position position position tion to Invite white while labor in any quantity quantity quan quan- lit from the th states to assist In m the con construction of the thc canal and at the I Ime them Immunity Im Im- ImI I same me time to promise e an from en disease o equal to that thal 4 which which the they would woul 1 enjoy in our southern southern south south- like conditions condition of oC ern rn states tates under employment In Inasmuch much as some of you ou gentlemen are contemplating making an early trip trill to the thC Isthmus I beg bg leave loa to sa t say that th personally 1 I have no more moru uneasiness uneasiness ness nes about going oln down there the than 1 I have about going to man many other parts part I of the United States As S an evidence e of my good faith I will say tay ay that 1 have taken talen Tn my family there fC f for r A Jl visit of oC several weeks during the close of or the rainy season on The They ho had 1 a thoroughly good time while there and mil returned to this climate without experiencing experIencing experiencing ex ex- th the least Injurious effect Never r In the hl history tory of the world has hasan an any government or 01 any corporation made maJe such comprehensive e an and 1 ex- ex arrangements for the health and comfort of its common laborers as ns has hall the government of the United States on the thc I isthmus and nowhere else on earth have the tho sanitary rules been so 0 rl rigidly I enforced with such successful result results In n addition to making the th Isthmus a a. healthy place In which to live 11 am and work orli we have accomplished d many oth other r and scarcely less difficult tasks We Ye have hac c established a system f of gov gov- for the preservation of law la lawand lawand and or order with the result that notwithstanding not not- v |