7 2 



The National Geographic Magazine 



The Culebra Cut 



Neither Colon nor Panama has either a 

 system of water supply or a sewer sys- 

 tem. The water used in Panama for 

 potable purposes is brought into the city 

 in casks mounted on wheels and drawn 

 by mules from some more or less polluted 

 source outside of but near the city, or 

 caught in cisterns from the rain water 

 flowing from roofs during the wet sea- 

 son, or in some other crude and usually 

 unsanitary way. 



There are a few drains in the city of 

 Panama, constructed immediately uuder 

 the surface of the streets, with little or 

 no regard to grades. The water or sew- 

 age and decaying matter collecting in 

 the low portions of these drains and re- 

 maining there under the high temper- 

 ature of the climate make them far worse 



than no drains at all. The lack of care 

 and proper disposal of household and 

 other refuse creates the most unsanitary 

 conditions imaginable. These observa- 

 tions may be emphasized for the smaller 

 towns and villages between Colon and 

 Panama. As a consequence, yellow fever 

 is probably always present, and at times 

 assumes epidemic form. Malarial fevers 

 and other similar diseases are also 

 continually present under aggravated 

 forms. These conditions, however, are 

 completely remediable by means well 

 known and available at the present time. 

 The entire Isthmus can be placed in a 

 completely sanitary condition so that its 

 healthf ulness shall be assured by resort- 

 ing to methods and means which have 

 now become practically standard in the 



