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PRESIDENT
tt'r "
2-, -v
Sedk Special Message to Congress Giving Re
alts oiF His Observations in Canal Zone- i
Rep its to
The following is the text of President
Roosevelt's special message to congress
en the subject of the Panama canal:
To the Senate-and -House of Representa-
Uvea:,
In the month of November I visited the
Isthmus of Panama, going over the
Canal Zone with considerable care: and
also visited the cities of Panama and
Colon, which are not in the zone or
Under the United States Hag, but as to
which , the United,, States government,
through Its agents, exercises control for
certain sanitary purposes. I chose the
nth of November for my visit partly
because It is the rainest month of the
'ear. the moffth in which the work goes
orward at the greatest disadvantage,
and one of the two, months which the
SMdlcat department of the French 'Canal
company found most unhealthy.
vouowing the introduction to me mca-
tbe president gives a resume ui mi
programme during the days he was on
tae isthmus, and men says:
At the outset, I wish to pay tribute
to the amount of work done by the
French Canal company under very diln
eult circumstances. Many of the buiid
tags they put up were excellent and
are still In use. though, naturally, the
houses are now getting out of repair and
are being used as dwellings only until
ether Ileuses can be built, and much of
the work they did in the Culebra cut.
and some of the work they did in dis
ainff has been of direct and real benefit.
This country has never made a better
Investment than the 140.000.000 which it
paid to the French company for work
and betterments. Including especially the
Panama railroad. .
An Inspection on the ground at the
height of the rainy season served to con
vince me of the wisdom of congress in
refusing to adopt cither a high-level or
a .sea-level canal. There seems to be a
universal agreement among all people
competent to judge that the Panama
route, the one actually chosen. Is mueli
superior to both the Nicaragua and
Darlen routes.
Preliminary Work Being Done.
The wisdom of the canal management
has been shown in nothing more clearly
than In the way in which the founda
tions of the work have been laid! To
have yielded to the natural Impatience
ef ill-informed outsiders and begun all
kinds of experiments in work prior to a
thorough sanitation of the Isthmus, and
to a fairly satisfactory working out of
the problem of getting and keeping a
aumcient ianor supply, wouia nave oeen
disastrous. Tho various preliminary
measures had to be taken first; and
these could not be taken so as to allow
as to begin the real work of construc
tion prior to January 1 of the present
year. It then became necessary to have
the type of the canal decided, and the
only delay has been the necessary delay
until the 29th day of June, the date
when Xhe congress definitely and wisely
settled that we should have an K-foot
level canal. Immediately after that the
work began in hard earliest and has
been continued witit increasing vigor
ever since; and It will continue so to
progress In the future. When the con
tracts are let "the conditions will be such
as to insure a constantly increasing
amount of performance.
Successful Sanitation.
The urst great problem to be solved,
upon the solution of which the success of
the rest of the work depended, was the
problem of sanitation. This was from
the outset under the direction of Dr.
W. C Gorgas, who is to be made a full
member of the commission. It must be
remembered that bis work was not mere
sanitation as the term is understood in
our ordinary municipal work. Through
out the zone and in the two cities of
Panama and Colon, in addition to the
sanitation work proper, he has had to
do all the work .that the Marine hospital
service does as regards the nation, that
the health department officers do in the
various states and cities, and that-Col.
.Waring did In New York when he
cleaned Its streets. The results have
been astounding. The isthmus bad been
a byword for deadly unhealthfulness.
Now. after two years of our occupation
the conditions as regards sickness and
the death rate compare favorably with
reasonably healthy --localities in the
United States. Especial care has been
devoted to minimizing the risk due to the
presence of those species of mosquitoes
which have been found to propagate
malarial and yellow fevers, in all the
Vttlements. the little temporary towns
4 cities composed of the white and black
empk?yes. which grow up here and
there in the tropic Jungle as the needs
wf the ws& dictate, the utmost care is
, exercised to kw?P the conditions healthy.
"Everywhere are to be sn the drainage
ditches which hi removing" ib water
have removed ihe breeding piaceS Of thfi
sBOMuite., cile the whole Jungle is
Tt away for a considerable space around
the habitations, thus destroying the
places In which the mosquitoes take shel
ter. These drainage ditches and clearings
are In evidence In every settlement, and.
together with" the Invariable presence of
mosquito screens around the piazzas, and
f mosquito doors to the houses, not to
peak of the careful fumigation thu has
cone oa In all Infected houses, doubtless
explain the extraordinary absence of
mosquitoes. As a matter of fact, but
a single mosquito, and this not of the
dangerous species, was seen by any
member of our party during my three
days ea the Isthmus. Equal care is
taken by the Inspectors of the health de
partment to secure cleanliness in the
houses and proper hygienic conditions of
every kind. I Inspected between 20 and
Sft water-closets, both those used by the
white employes and those used by the
colored, laborers. In almost every case I
found the conditions perfect. In but one
case did I, find them really-bad. In this
case, affecting a settlement of unmar
ried white employes. I found them very
bad indeed, but the buildings were all
Inherited from the French company aad
were being used temporarily while other
buildings were In the course of construc
tion: and right near the defective water
closet a aew and excellent, closet with a
good sewer pipe was In process of con
struction and nearly finished. Neverthe
less this did not excuse the fact that the
bad condition had been allowed to pre
vail. Temporary accommodations, even
ir only such as soldiers use when camped
la the field, should have been provided.
Orders to this effect were Issued. I ap
pend the report of Dr. Gorgas on the In
cident. I was struck, however, by the
fact that In this Instance, as In almost
every other where a complaint was made
which proved to have any Justification
whatever. It appeareo. ui swps iuw -.-ready
been taken to remedy the evil
complained ef. and that the trouble was
ssalaly due to the extreme difficulty, and
ften impssslbnity. of providing In every
lace far the- constant Increase to the
numbers of employes. Generally the pro
vision Is made in advance, but it is not
ootlhki that this should always be the
ease: when It Is not there ensues a
aerlod of time during which the condi
tions are unsatisfactory, until a remedy
can be provided; but I never found -a
case where the remedy was not being
provided as speedily as possible.
Improvements in Cities.
The sanitation work in the cities of
Panama and Colon has been Just as
Important as In the zone itself, and in
essay respects much more -difficult, be
cause It was necessary to deal with
the already existing population, .which
naturally had scant sympathy with
revolutionary changes, the value of
which they were for a long time not
able to perceive. In Colon the popula
tion consists largely of colored labor
ers who. having come over from the
ves Indies to work on the canal,
abandon the work and either take to
the bruBhor lie idle In Colon Itself:
thus peopling Colon with the least de
ClraMe among the imported laborers.
HE FOOLED THE HOLDUP MEN.
Victim Dumps His Money Into
MaUaex and Thus Saves It.
A vTeat aad asan had aa experience
taceaUy that shade his hair stand oa
'jut aad had It act bee for hie snick
wH am devistac a aMaas of setting oat
at the azascaHy It slight have coat aim
f, says thr Dulnth Naws-iTwnne.
of a Meat
ON
and Makes
for the good and steady men of course
continue at the work. Yet astonish
ing progress has been made id 'both
cities. In Panama, 90 per cent of the
streets that are to be paved at all are
already paved with an excellent brick
pavement laid in heavy concrete, a few
of the streets being still In process of
paving. The sewer and water services
iu the city are of the most, modern hy
gienic type, some of the service hav
ing just been completed.
In Colon the conditions are peculiar,
and it is as regards Colon that most of
the very bitter complaint has been
made. Colon is built on a low' coral
island, covered at more or less shallow
depths with vegetable accumulations
or mold, which affords sustenance and
strength to many varieties "of low
lyiner tropical plants. One-half of "the
surface of the island is covered with
water at high tide, the average height I
PRESIDENT ON A
fro atroofrspfc, eopyrlffct, by Osssr rsdtrwta, H. T,
At Pedro Miguel, Culebra Cut, President Roosevelt was photographed
seated on one of tho immense steam shovels used in the work of excavating.
of the land being 1 feet above low
tide. The slight undulations furnish
shallow, natural reservoirs or' fresh
water breeding places for every varie
ty of mosquito, and the ground tends
to be lowest in the middle. When the
town was originally built no attempt
was made to fill the low ground, either
in the streets or on the building sites,
so that the entire surface was prac
ticallv n aiiststnlr: whn th- auasr
mirc became Impassable certain of the
streets were rrudelv Improved bv fill
ing especially bad mud boles with soft
rock or other material. 'In September.
190Sj a systematic effort was begun to
fSrmulatl a general piariror"tlire prop
er sanitation of the city; in February
last temporary relief measures were
taken, while In July the prosecution of
the work was begun in good earnest.
The results are already visible In the
sewering, draining, guttering and pav
ing of the streets. Some four months
will be required before the work of
sewerage and street Improvement will
be completed, but the progress already
made is very marked. Ditches have
been dug through the town, connecting
the salt water on both sides, and into
these the ponds, which have served as
breeding places for the mosquitoes.- are
-:"in?i. These ditches have answered
their purpose, tor tney are prooaoiy
ihe chief cause of the astonishing
diminution of mosquitoes. More ditches
of the kind are being constructed.
Colon Water Supply.
It was not practicable, with the
force at the commission's disposal, and
in view of the need that the force
should be used in the larger town of
Panama, to begin this work before
early last winter. Water mains were
then laid in the town and water was
furnished to the people early in March
from a temporary reservoir. This
reservoir proved to be of Insufficient
capacity before the end of the dry
season and the shortage was made up
by hauling water over the Panama
railroad, so that there was at all times
sn nrnni sunnly of the very best
water. 'Since that time the new reser
voir bSck of Mount Hope has been
practically completed. I visited this
reservoir. It la a, lake over a mile
long and half a mile broad. It now
carries some 500.000.600 gallons of
first-class water. I forward herewith
a photograph of this lake, together
with certain other photographs of
what I saw while I was on the Isth
mus. Nothing but a cataclysm will
hereafter render It necessary In the
dry season to haul water for the use
of Colon and Cristobal. '
Colon Pavements.
I rode through the streets of Colon,
seeing them at the height of the rainy
season, after two days of almost un
exampled downpour, when they were
at their very worst. Taken as a
whole they were undoubtedly very
bad: as bad as Pennsylvania avenue
in Washington berore Grants admin
istration. Front street Is already in
thoroughly satisfactory shape, how
ever. Some of the aide , streets are
also In good condition. In others the
change In the streets is rapidly-going
on. Through three-fourths of the
town it Is now possible to walk, even
during the period of tremendous rain.
in low shoes ' without wetting one's
feet, owing to the rapidity with which
the surface water is carried away in
the ditches. In the remaining one
fourth -of the streets the mud Is very
deep about as deep as in the ordinary
street of a low-lying prairie river town
of the same size in the United States
during early spring. All men to whom I
spoke were a unit In saying that the
conditions of the Colon streets were
10 per cent better than a year ago.
The most superficial examination of
the town shows the progress that has
been made and is being made In ma-rr.i-i-i...
!-. Ktreets. Comnlaint was
made to me by a. entirely reputable
man as to the character of some of
the material used for repairing cer
tain streets. On Investigation the com
plaint proved well founded, but It also
Eppeared that the use of the material
in question had been abandoned., the
commission after having tried it in one
or
two streets nnuios " .-
PIThe" result of the investigation of
tog with a consideraDie anwuav
money la his ixsMeasioa. fortunately
the. greater part of which was to cur-
reacy.
He got off a car amite a eKiam -
la the West ead aad turaed off a side
.nni tita hasne. whea ha ao-
QUvCi iwsae-an. M
Uced that he was heiag followed hy
two sasplcloas looking mea. vieic.
a aash ha palled aa earetope oat of
his pocket, aaareased It to -u-seu.
it, pat the cwreacy mw
PANAMA
4
lhli Vnnt jtnmntalnt WM tvnlel of
what occurred .when I investigated most
of the' other honest complaints made to
me. That is. where- the complaints
were not made wantonly or malicious
ly, they almost alwdys proved due to
failure to appreciate the fact that
time was necessary in the creation
and 'completion of this titanic work in
a tropic wilderness. It is impossible
to avoid some mistakes. in building a
giant canal through jungle-covered
mountains and swamps, while at the
same time sanitating tropic .cities, and
providing for the feeding and general
care of from 20.000 to 30.080 workers.'
The complaints brought to me. either
of insufficient provision in caring-for
some of the laborers, or of failure to
finish the pavements of Colon, or of
failure to supply water, or' of 'failure
to build wooden sidewalks for the use
of the laborers in the rainy season,
on investigation proved, almost with
out Avcpntlnn. tn tx due merlv to the
utter inability of. the commission to do
everything at once.
Unjust Criticism.
Care and forethought have been exer
cised by the commission, and nothing has
reflected more credit upon them than
their refusal either to go ahead too fast
or to be deterred by the fear of criticism
from not going ahead fast enough. It Is
curious to note the' fact that many of"
the most severe critics of the commission
criticise them for precisely opposite rea
sons, some complaining bitterly that the
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I, copyright, by Uaderwooa CuSirwioi. . T.
Photograph of the President and
Tivoli hotel at Colon taken during the
chief, executive.
work Is not In a more advanced condi
tion, while the others complain that It has
been rushed with such haste that there
lias been insufficient preparation for the
hygiene and comfort of the employes.
As a matter of fact neither criticism is
Just. It would have been impossible to
go quicker than the commission has
gone, for such quickness would have
meant Insufficient- preparation, On the
other hand, to refuse to do anything un
ttr every possible future contingency had
been met would have caused wholly un
warranted delay. The right course to
follow was exactly the course which has
been followed Every reasonable prepara
tion was made in advance, the hygienic
conditions In especial being made as
nearly perfect as possible; while on the
other hand there has been no timid re
fusal to push forward the work because
of Inability to anticipate every possible
emergency, for. of course, many defects
can only be shown by the working of the
system In actual practice.
In addition to attending, to the health
of the employes. It Is of course neces-'
sary to -provide 'Tor policing tne zone.
This Is done- by a police force which at
present numbers over 200 men. under
CapC Shanton. About one-fifth of the
men are white and the others black.
In different places I. questioned some 20
or 30 of these men, taking them at ran
dom. They were aflne-set, i physically
and In discipline. With one. exception all
the white men I questioned had served
in the American army, usually in the
and dropped, it Ja" the mail box. Then
he started on- a; brisk walk. .
Snddealy there came a'" command
from heated him. - - - '
"Hands up!" r
Up weat his hands aad the robbers
went through his pockets. ;Hejamiled
grimly as the holdups secured 'only a
few dollars to silver, aad he thought
with pleasure of the money he had
put to the man -box to Uncle Sam's
care. The robbers jveat.away
plaining of Us ssaahl aamoaat they
cared, aad the treasurer weat
?
.to tho
tvne of American
Without ex-
ception the black ' peiteemea whom I
questioned had served either in the Brit
ish army or tn tho Jamaica or Barbados
pouce. They were evidently contented,
and were doing their -work welL Where
possible the policemen are used tp con
trol people of their own color, but la
any -emergency no hesitation is felt- la
using them indiscriminately. . ...
Inasmuch as so many both of tho white
and colored employes have brought their
families with them, schools have been
established, the school service being un
der Mr. O'Connor. For the white pupite
white American teachers are employed .
for the colored pupils there are also some
white American teachers, one Spanish
teacher, and one colored American teach
er, most of them being colored teachers
from Jamaica. Barbados and St. Lucia.
The schoolrooms were good, and It was
a pleasant thing to see the-pride that the
teachers were taking In their work and
their pupiU
Care ef Employes.
Next in importance to the problem of
sanitation, and indeed now of equal im
portance, is the problem of securing and
caring for the mechanics, laborers and
other employes who actually do the work
on the canal and the railroad. This great
task has been under the control of Mr.
'Jackson Smith, and on the whole has
been well done. At present there are
some .6.000 white employes and some
19,000 colored employes on the isthmus.
I went over the different places where
the different kinds of employes were
working! I think l.saw representatives
of every type both at their work and in
their homes: and I conversed with prob
ably a. couple of hundred of them all
told, choosing them at random' from
every 'class and Including those who came
especially. to.present.,.certain grievances
olmost invariably expressed far greater
content and satisfaction with the con
ditions than did those who, called, to
make, complaint.'
Nearly 6.000 of the white employes had
come from the United .States. No man
can see these young, vigorous men
energetically doing their duty without
a thrill of pride, la them as Americans.
They represent on. the .average a high
class. Doubtless to congress the wages
paid them will eem high., but as a mat
ter ef fact the, only -general complaint
which I found had any real basis among
the complaints made to me upon the
isthmus was thatowipg to the peculiar
surroundings, the cost of living, and the
distance from home, the wages were
really not as high as they should be. In
fact, almost every man I spoke to felt
that he . ought to be receiving- more
money a view, however, which the aver
age" man who stays at home in the
United States probably, likewise holds
as regards himself. I append figures of
the wages paid, so that the congress can
Judge the matter for Itself. Later I shall
confer on the subject with certain repre
sentative labor men here In the United
States, as well as going, over with Mr.
Stevens, the comparative wages paid on
the zone and at home: and I may then
communicate my findings to the canal
committees of the two-houses.
Chinese -and Other Labor.
Of the 19.000 or 20.000 day laborers
employed on the. canal a few hundred
are Spaniards. These do excellent
work. Their foreman told me that
they- did twice, as .well as the West
Indian laborers. They keep healthy
and no difficulty, is experienced with
them in any way. Some Italian labor
ers are also employed In connection
with the" drilling. "As might be ex
pected, with labor as high priced as
at present in the United States. It has
not so far proved practicable to get
any ordinary laborers frpm the United
States. The American wage-workers
on 'the isthmus are the highly paid
skilled mechanics vof .the - types men
tioned previously. A steady effort Is
being made to secure Italians, and es
pecially to procure more Spaniards,
because of the very satisfactory re
sults that have come from their em
frtoyraent and their numbers will be
ncreased as far as possible. It has
not proved possible: 'however, to Kct
them In anything like the numbers
needed for the vorli, and from present
appearances W shall in the main have
to rely, for the ordinary unskilled
work, partly upon colored laborers
from the West Indies, partly upon
4"fc.t aca Ink. T MAalnlw miwlifr A
be Unnecessary to point out that the
Mrs. Roosevelt and party leaving the
recent inspection of the canal by the
American workingman In the United
States has no concern whatever in the
question as to. whether the rough work
on the isthmus, which is performed by
aliens in any event, is done by aliens
from one country with a black skin
or by aliens from another country
with a yellow skin. Our business is
to dig the canal a efficiently and as
quickly as possible; provided always
that nothing is done that is 'inhumane
to any laborers, and nothing that In
terferes with the wages of or lowers
the standard of living of our own
workmen. Having in view this prin
ciple. I have arranged to trv several
thousand Chinese laborers. This is de
sirable both because we must try to
find out what laborers are most effi
cient, and. furthermore, because we
should not leave ourselves at the
mercy of any one type of foreign
labor. At present the great bulk of
the unskilled labor on the isthmus is
done by West India negroes, chiefly
from Jamaica. Barbados, and .the other
Rnglish possessions. One of the gov
ernors of ' the lands in question has
hown an unfriedly disposition to our
work and has .thrown obstacles in the
way of our getting the labor needed;
and l l hlhlv ttn1iralt1e give
any outsiders' the impression, however
ill founded, that they are indispensa
ble and can dictate terms to us.
The West India laborers are fairly,
but only fairly, satisfactory. Some of
the men do very well indeed: the bet
Next day the letter containing the
money was delivered safely to his of
fice. Poor Mother!
"I saw the doctor at your house
this morning," said Naybor.
"Yes." replied Fopley. "that boy of
mine climbed out oa the back roof
when we told him not to"
"And feU off and broke his"
"Nary a fall: bat my wife tried to
whip him for it, and now she's a
aenroas aad physical wreck."
Philippines, -and.
ter class. 'who- ajro.-soberf a d as f
men. as skilled mechanics, as police
men, are good men: and maay of tho
nnttaary 4v hner; are also SjSOd.
Work ef Cerwctloa.
Bat thousands of those who are
brought over under contract (at par
expense) go off into the Jungle to live,
or loaf arouad Colon, or work so bad-
Iv ftr th flat ttir nr fmir daVO
as to cause a serious dlmlnutlonof
the amount of labor performed oa Fri
day and Saturday of each week. X
questioned many of these Jamaica,
laborers as to the conditions of their
work and what If any, chaaces. they
wished. I received many complaints
from them, .but as regards' most of
these complaints they themselves con
tradicted one another. In all cases
where the complaint was as to their
treatment by aay Individual It proved
on examination that this Individual
was himself a West India man of color,
either a policeman, a storekeeper, or
an assistant storekeeper. Doubtless
there must be many complaints against
Americans:, but those to whom I spoke
did not happen to make any such com
plaint to me.
The work Is now going on with a
vigor and efficiency pleasant to wit
ness. The. three big .problems of the
canal are the La Boca dams, the Gatua
dam. and the Culebra cut. The Cule
bra cut must be made, anyhow; but
of course changes as to the dams, or
at least as to the locks adjacent to
the dams, may still occur. The La
Boca dams offer no particular prob
lem, the bottom material being so
good that there is a practical certain
ty, not merely as to what can be
achieved, but as to the time of achieve
ment. The Gatun dam offers the most
serious problem -which we have to
solve; and yet the ablest men on the
isthmus believe that this problem is
certain of solution along the lines
proposed; although, of course. It ne
cessitates great toll, energy, and In
telligence, and although equally, of
course, there will be some little risk
In connection with the work. The risk
arises from the fact that some of the
material near the bottom Is not so
good as could be desired. If the huge
earth dam now contemnlated is thrown
across from one foothill to the other
we win nave what is practically a
low. broad, mountain ridge behind
which will rise the inland lake. This
artificial mountain will probably show
less seepage, that is. will have greater
restraining capacity than the average
natural mountain range. The exact lo
cality of the locks at this dam as at
the other dams Is now being de
termined. In April next Secretary
Taft. with three of the ablest engin
eers of the country Messrs. Noble.
Stearns and Ripley will visit the
isthmus, and the three engineers will
make the final and conclusive exami
nations as to the exact site for each
lock. Meanwhile the work is going
ahead without a break.
The Culebra cut does not offer such
great risks; that is. the damage liable- to
occur from occasional land slips will not
represent what may be called major dis
asters. The work will merely call for in
telligence, perseverance, and executive
capacity. It Is. however, the work upon
which most labor will have to be spent.
The dams will be composed of the earth
taken out of the cut and very possibly
the building of the locks and dams will
take even longer than the cutting in
Culebra itself.
In Culebra Cut.
The main work Is now being done In
the Culebra cut. It was striking and
impressive to see the huge steam shovels
in full play, the dumping trains carrying
away the rock and earth they dislodged.
The Implements of French excavating
machinery, which often stand a little
way from the line of work, though of ex
cellent construction, look like the veriest
toys when compared with these new
steam shovels. Just as the French dump
ing cars seem like toy cars when com
pared with the long trains of huge cars,
dumped by steam plows, which are now
in use. This represents the enormous
advance that has been made in machin
ery during the past quarter of a cen
tury. No doubt a quarter of a century
hence this new machinery, of which we
are now so proud, will similarly seem out
of date, but it is certainly serving Its
purpose well now. The old French cars
had to be entirely discarded. We still
have In use a few of the more modern,
but not most modern, cars, which bold
but 12 yards of earth. They can be em
ployed on certain lines with sharp
curves. But the recent -cars hold from
25 to 30 yards apiece, and instead of the
old clumsy methods of unloading them,
a steam plow is drawn from end to end
of the' whole vestlbuled train, thus im
mensely economizing labor. In the rainy
reason the steam shovels can do but
little In dirt, but they work steadily in
rock and In the harder ground. There
were some 23 at work during the time I
was on the isthmus, and their tremendous
power and efficiency were most impres
sive. New Records for Excavation.
As soon as-the type of canal was de
cided this work began in good earnest.
The rainy season will shortly be over and
then there will be an immense increase in
the amount taken out; but even during
the last three montiis, in the rainy sea
son, steady progress is shown by the
figures: In August. 242.000 cubic yards;
In September. 2V1.0U0 cubic yards, and in
October. 323.UO0 cubic yards. In October
new records were established for the
output of individual shovels as well us
for the tonnage haul of individual loco
motives. I hope to see the growth of a
healthy spirit of emulation between the
different shovel and locomotive crews.
Just such a spirit as lias grown on our
battle ships between the different gun
crews in matters of marksmanship.
Passing through the cut the amount of
new work can be seen ut a glance. In
one place the entire side of a hill ha1
been taken out recently by 27 tons of
dynamite, which were exploded at one
blast. At another place I was given a
presidential salute of 21 charges of dyna
mite. On the top notch or the Culebra
cut the prism is now as wide as it will
be; all told, the canal bed at this point
has now been sunk ubout 200 feet below
what it originally was. It will have to
be sunk about 130 feet farther. Through
out the cut the drilling, blasting, shovel
ing and hauling are going on with con
stantly increasing energy, the iiuge
shovels being pressed up. us if they were
mountain howitzers, into tiie most un
likely looking places, where they eat
their way Into the hillsides.
Railway Improvements.
The most advanced methods, not only
In construction, but tn railroad manage
ment, have been applied in the zone,
with corresponding economies in time
and cost. This has been shown in the
handling of the tonnage from ships into
cars, and from cars into ships on the
Panama railroad, where, thanks largely
to the efficiency of General Manager
Bierd, the saving in time and cost, has
been noteworthy. My examination tend
ed to show that some of the departments
had (doubtless necessarily) become over
developed, and could now be reduced or
subordinated without impairment of effi
ciency and with a saving of cost. The
chairman of the commission. Mr. Shonts.
has all matters of tills kind constantly
in view, and is now reorganizing the gov
ernment of the zone, so as to make the
form of administration both more flexible
and less expensive, subordinating every
thing to direct efficiency with a view to
the work of the canal commission. From
time to time changes of this kind will un
doubtedly have to be made, for it must
k nmamhornl th.lt !n thi riant work
of construction, it is continually neces- j
sary to develop oeparimenis or Dureaus.
which are vital for the time being, but
which soon become useless: just as it will
be continually necessary to put up build
ings, and even to erect towns, which in
ten vears will once more give place to
jungle, or will then be at the bottom of
the great lakes at the ends of the canal.
Critics and Doubting Thomases.
It Is not only natural, but inevitable,
that a work as gigantic as this which
has been undertaken on the Isthmus
bhould arouse every species of hostility
and criticism. The conditions are so new
and so trying, and the work so vast, that
it would be absolutely out of the ques
tion that mistakes should not be mode.
Checks will occur. Unforeseen difficulties
will arise. From time to time seemingly
well-settled plans will have to be
Changed. At present 25.080 men are en
gaged on the task. After awhile the
number will be doubled. In such a mul
titude it is inevitable that there should
be here and there a scoundrel. Very
many of the poorer class of laborers lack
the mental development to protect them
selves against either the rascality of
others or their own folly, and it is not
possible for human wisdom to devise a
plan by which they can invariably be
Frogs March to Winter Quarters.
For the first time in years the resi
dents of northern Chester county to
day saw a frog parade. Fully 100
frogs of all ages, ranging from frogs
a score of years old to this spring's
youngsters, left the schoolhouse pond
In Warwick 'township this morning
and marched along the road to the
falls of French creek, where they took
ap their winter quarters.
Migrations of frogs to large bodies
are seldom seen, especially at this eea
soa of the year. It Is believed hy old
uestsctoau ip e pesse snasm hne bsesi
atrasstcrs suddsn& nut down a Tdmt so'
hardworli rtsaswansTsew and then her
oatiweake sc i Mm li There vrM now
sad This shnnmsmii lii laUn.
ls-shnrtrommas Is
nan; mere wm so
dents to delay the
or
at will a
nu.. ana, evi
of thorn will
extra demy or trouble,
discovered by sensation
tailed to timid folk of little faith, wttl
serve aa an ovenss for tho belief that
the whole work la betas; badly mssinsil
Experiments will continually be tried In
oousuur. in nygwne. in
in oreaging ana in
rock. Now and then aa mmHbmi wu
be a failure: and among- those who hoar
of it. a certain proportion of doubting
Thomases will at once believe that the
whole work la a failure. Doubtless hero
and there some minor rascality will be
uncovered: but as to this. I have to say
that' after the most painstaking Inquiry
I have been unable to find a single reput
able person who bad so much as heard
of any serious accusations affecting the
honesty of the commission or of any
responsible officer under It. I append a
letter dealing with the most serious
charge, that of the ownership of lots In
Colon; the charge was not advanced by
a reputable man. and is utterly base
less, it Is not too much to aay that tho
virl atmosphere of the commission
breathes honesty as it breathes efficiency
ana energy. Above all. the work baa
been kept absolutely clear of politics. I
SSTm neve? hcard ev suggestion of
spoils politics in connection with It.
..i.n!LYeJnveat,Knted every complaint.
FT001 to ne tor which there seemed
to be any shadow of foundation. In
lw.. .r Jhree cases. nU of which I
have Indicated in the course of this
message. I came to the conclusion that
! fe. was. foundation for the com
plaint, and that the methods of tho
commission in the respect complained
0f-2uW - bettered. In the other In
stances the complaints proved abso
lutely baselat v. in .., ttwm.
instances where they referred to mis
takes which the commission had al
ready found out and corrected.
Slanders and Libelers.
So much for honest criticism. There
remains aa Immense amount of aa
reckless slander. as has ever been pnb
lilshed. Where' the slanderers are of
foreign origin I have no concern with
them. Where they are Americans. I
feel for them the heartiest contempt
and indignation: because, in a spirit
of wanton dishonesty and malice,
they are trying to Interfere with aad
hamper the execution of. the greatest
work of the kind ever attempted, aad
are seeking to bring to naught the ef
forts of their countrymen to put to
the credit of America one of the giant
feats of the ages. The outrageous
accusations of these slanderers con
stitute a gross libel upon a body of
public servants who. for trained Intel
ligence, expert ability, high cbarac
tetr and devotion to duty, have never
been excelled anywhere. There Is not
a man among those directing the work
on the Isthmus who has obtained his
position on any other basis than merit
alone, and not one who has used his
position in any way for his own per
sonal or pecuniary advantage.
Plan to Build by Contract.
After most careful consideration we
have decided to let out most of the
work by contract. If we can come to
satisfactory terms with the contract
ors. The whole work is of a kind
suited to the peculiar genius of our
people: and our people have devel
oped the type of contractor best fitted
to grapple with it. It Is of course
much better to do the work in large
part by contract than to do it all by
the government, provided it is pos
sible on the one band to secure to the
contractor a sufficient remnueratlon
to make It worth while for respon
sible contractors of the best kind to
undertake the work: and provided on
the other hand it can be done on terms
which will not give an-excessive profit
to the contractor at the expense of
the government. After much con
sideration the plan already promul
gated by the secretary of war waa
adopted. This plan In its essential
features was drafted after careful
and 'thorough study and consideration,
by the chief engineer. Mr. Stevens,
who. while in the employment of Mr.
Hill, thepresident of the Great North
ern railroad, had personal experience
of this very type of contract. Mr.
Stevens then submitted the plan to
the chairman of the commission. Mr.
ShontH. who went carefully over It
with Mr. Rogers, the legal adviser of
the commission, to see that all legal
difficulties were met. He then submit
ted copies of the plan to both Secre
tary Taft and myself. Secretary Taft
submitted It to some of the best coun
sel at the New York bar. and after
wards I went 'over it very carefully
with Mr. Taft and Mr. Shonts. and we
laid the plan in its general features
before Mr. Root. My conclusion la
that it combines th maximum of ad
vantage with the minimum of disad
vantage. Vnder it a premium will be
put upon the speedy and economical
'construction of the canal, and a pen
alty imposed on delay and waste. The
plan as promulgate is tentative:
doubtless it will have to be changed
in some resppcts before we can come
to a satisfactory agreement with re
sponsible contractors perhnps even
after the bids . have been received:
and of course it is possible that we
can not come to a agreement. In which
case the government will do the work
itself. Meanwhile the work on the
isthmus is progressing steadily aad
without any let up.
Single Commissioner Desired.
A seven-headed commission Is of
course a clumsy executive Instrument.
We should have but one commission
er, with such heads of departments
and other officers under him ns we
may find necessarv. We should be
expresslv permitted to employ the
best engineers in the country as con
sulting engineers.
I accompany this parr with a map
showing snbstantinlly what the canal
will be like when it is finished. When
the Culebra cut has been made and
the dams built (If they are built as at
present "proposed) there will then be
at both the Pacific and Atlantic ends
of the cana! two great fresh-water
lakes, connected by a broad channel
running at the bottom of a ravine,
across the backbone of the Western
Hemisphere. Those best informed be
lieve that the work will be completed
in about eight years: but It Is never
safe to prophesv about such a work
as this, especially In the tropics.
Confident of Ultimate Success.
Of the success of the enterprise T
am as well convinced as one can be
of anv enterprise that is human. It
is a stupendous work upon which our
fellow countrymen are engaged down
there on the isthmus, and while we
should hold them to a strict accounta
bility for the way in whirh they per
form it. we should recognize, with
frank generosity, the epic nature or
the task upon which they are engaged
and its world-wide importance. They
are doing something which will re
doud Immeasurably to the credit of
America, which will benefit all the
world, and which will last for ages
to come. Under Sir. Shonts and Mr.
Stevens and Dr. Gorgas this work has
started with every omen of good for
tune They and their worthy associates,
from the highest to the lowest, are
entitled to the same credit that we
TcnnM sri'e to the p'ked men of
vptnHnn armv e hl onnnmt of
peace will, in its great and far-reach-
nz- fTeet .tnr i nmnn the verv
createst conquests, whether of peace
or of war. which have eyer been won
by. any of the peoples of mankind. A
badge is to be given to every Ameri
can citizen who for a speeded time
has taken part In this work; for par
ticipation in it will hereafter be held
to reflect honor upon the man par
ticipating just as it reflects honor upon
a soldier to have belonged to a mighty
Hrmy In a great war ror righteous
ness. .Our fellow countrymen on the
isthmus are working for our interest
and for the national renown In the
same spirit and with the same effi
ciency that the men of the army and
navy work in time of war. It be
hooves us in our turn to do all we
can to hold up their hands and to aid
them in every way to -bring their
KTeat work to a trlumpnant conclu
sion. THEODORK ROOSEVELT.
The White House. December 17. 1906.
residents that the frogs deserted the
pond, which has been their breeding
place for years, because the water Is
too low. PottBtown Correspondence
Philadelphia Press.
'In Bad Shape.
"I heard your aew stenographer
boastlag that he caa work the type
writer Uke lightning."
"That's about right. Whea he geta
through with the Job it looks very
much as If lightaiag had got Its work
la oa It."
rmeavation of tho eat'
ar tao muaaum off the dasma'aad leeks.
Kaea sac w. h iw a.
an thouah sirlnss an aaa
mean tha a nttl
Tot each, whoa
MAKES CARPI. IS UKC NEW.
.r
The feUewsae; abetted of-
has bees tbormsgbly tested
secured Irons' a sfofesskmal
First have the earpet cleaaed
ta the naaal way aad tacked dowa ea
taa Soar where It ie ta ressaJa perata
aeatly aad R la ready for the clean
la; process. Take ossi aad a halt
poaads of the best white laaadry seep.
oae-aalf a pound of white-oak bark,
three foartas of a passed of borax,
one-fourth of a poaadof faSeVa earth,
one-half a piat of good alcohol, one
half a plat of aampaia. oae-aalf aa
ounce of chloroform aad four galloas
of water, lie up the hark la a piece
of thin material aad boil la twe-gallons
of water for four hoars. Keep
boiling water at hand to replace that
ost by evaporation. Now remove the
oag. add the soap, shaved fine, the
borax aad the fuller's earth and let
simmer until all are dissolved. Then
add the other two gallons of water.
which should be boiling hot. and when
partly cool add the alcohol, ammonia
and chloroform. This quantity will
clean 30 yards of carpet.
To clean, dip out a cupful of the
preparation, pat it on the carpet,
spread it and scrub with an ordinary
bristle scrubbing brash. The spot
scrubbed will be covered with lather,
but the carpet will not he wet through.
When all the dirt has been removed,
scrape the lather up into a heap amL
take it up with a scraper, which can
he had of aay hoBse-faraishlng store.
or a shingle with a smooth edge will
aaswer very well. When the lather
has been removed go over the carpet
with a sponge wrung oat of cleaa
water and dry with a cloth.
SCIENCE OF DOMESTIC ECONOMY.
Ne
nr
KlMwVWfJfJC is "tvffftC IS w
Ie Made Happy.
Did you ever ask yourself the mean-,
lag of the term domestic economy?
-.Most likely you never did. Notwith
standing the growing popularity of;
this branch of study, there is no sub
ject the name and nature of which
Is so generally misunderstood.
Some young women think it mean
"cookery and laundry lessons:" others
thing "scraping and saving" would
more fitly define it. while dim ideas
of so-called menial 'duties and domes
tic drudgery float through the brains
of others.
But these are "small nibblings at
the outer bark" of the truth, which is
that domestic economy is a saving
knowledge, a knowledge which relates"
.to the intelligence and cultivated man
agement of everything connected with
the home.
It is the science of tho home, and
pre-eminently a woman's science.
It is the womanls work to make the
house into a home. Every woman,
ought to know how to do all things,
necessary to make a home happy,
says Woman's Life.
The husband earns the money, but
the principal part of it has to be,
spent by the wife. Hence it is very
important that all girls should learn
domestic economy. But please re
member that domestic economy is.
one of those things that cannot be
learned from books alone.
Boon to Sewing Women.
"The roost sensible invention that I,
know of." said the woman who makes
her own clothe, "is the little leather
thimble for the first finger of the left
hand. Every woman- who sews knows,
how soon that finger becomes disrep
utable and untidy because of the fre
quent needle prints which it gets.
The work is always held over that;
finger and the needle is constantly
taking off little slices of it or jabbing:
into it. At first it is sore, but soon
reaches the callous and unsightly
stage where the fiercest jab does nob
affect it. But it looks dreadful, and;
T know more than one woman -who
will not sew much because or it. fThey,
are proud of their hands and say they!
simply can't stand having a cha wed
up left forefinger. The leather thim
ble solves the difficulty, and I'm glad,
airships are not the only things that;
occupy the minds of inventive neo-
pie."
Chicken with Macaroni.
Cut chicken up as for a fricassee,
and dredge each piece with salt, pep
per and flour. Fry a few slices of salt
pork and brown the chicken in the fat.'
Then put ail into a stewpan. cover
with boiling water and simmer about
one hour, or until tender. Take up the
chicken, skim off the fat. and to the,
liquor add one rounding tablespoon,
each of butter and flour rubbed to-,
gether; also one teaspoon of salt. a.
saltsuoon of pepper, and one table
spoon of lemon juice.
Cook one-half cup of macaroni, eat
in small pieces, in salted water, until
tender: drain and add to the chicken
gravy; cook ten minutes and servo
with the chicken.
Cleaning a White Fur Rug.
I have a robe which has been
as a rug and -was very dirty, says a
writer in the Boston Globe. I suppose
you mean the white ones with quilted
lining. I put mine right into the wash
tub and put lots of soap powder into
.the water, also rubbed soap well Into
the fur. It has come out looking love
ly. I forgot to say that I first put itj
on the line and beat it well. Wash
early in the morning on a windy day
aad hang in the sun.
Patchy Wall Paper.
If a patch must be applied to wall
paper, let the new piece lie in strong
sunlight until the colors are faded ta
match those on the wall; then tear the
edges and the applied piece will not
be so conspicuous.
Rice Pudding with Currants.
Take half a pound of rice, half
pqund of currants. Wash the rice, tie
it in a cloth, allowing room for It to
swell, and put it into a saucepan of
cold water. Let it boil for aa boar;
then take it up, untie the cloth., stir
in the currants, and tie it up again
tolerably tight, and pot it back Into
the water for the remainder of taa
time. Boil. for another hoar, or rather
longer, and serve with sweet sauce.
For rice custards or puddtegs are
pared according to aay differeat Par
atola, sisjply add the carraata.
a
r"
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cw.-sc.a
tyrm?yi
a5! s.H ! i H raw - '4
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