OCR Text |
Show PANAMA AND COLOMBIA. When the United States of Colombia was organized organ-ized some two score years ago, nine states were included in-cluded in the federation; and the old Spanish viceroy vice-roy of New Granada was absorbed. But the state of Panama only jdined conditionally, reserving the right to withdraw when it pleased. Its chief value Is that the Isthmus there narrows down to only a few miles, where the railroad ciosses, to forty-nine forty-nine mile's. It would be vastly more valuable could about Ave miles of its length suddenly drop about seventy fathoms below sea level, as did the great pier of Lisbon in the memorable earthquake. As a whole it is a dense tropical forest, the lower portions being swamps, the upper sharp mountains. moun-tains. It is as unhealthy as the west coast of Africa under the equator, and the harbor of Panama is so generally calm that "in the days of forty-nine," ships that called there for water and fruit, were often longer in making the voyage up to San Francisco from that-port than other sail ships were from New York around the Horn to San Francisco. Alter working out of the haroor ships often lay becalmed thirty-five days before any breeze came to their help. The state of Panama has a population of something over 200,000, one-fourth of whom are centered in the city of Panama. As a whole, they are as vile a race as ever existed. Probably 95 per cent of them are mongrels, except where in the fastnesses of the forest and jungles the uncivilized Indians are a reasonbly pure stock of savages. In the old days the railroad fare across the Isthmus was $25.00, of which it was said 20 per cent was paid to the government, or rather to a little band of thieves who were the "government," and a like percentage was paid on the freight transported. This was quite an item, for the Pacific Mail steamers often carried 1,000 B passengers on a single channel ship and four B ship loads crossed monthly. Then there was a B regular British line from England to the west H coast of South America via that route, and ships M cf all nations touched at Aspinwall for the trade M of that port and old Panama at the west terminus B of the road. The thieves who collected the reve- M nue were not thrifty. They at once placed It in BH circulation through gambling and chlcken-Hghting. M In those days it was comical to see tho Priests M the mother church had excommunicated the whole crowd it was comical to see those Priests hurry M through tho Sunday service, then rush for their H homes, and in a few minutes reappear still in their H priestly robes, each with a game chicken under H his robe on the way to the cock-pit. The forests H and jungles are almost impenetrable, for besides H the dense growth of trees, there are running and H climbing vines which entangle the whole region H like a million barb-wire fences. Still, there are H few more delightful rides than one over the Pan- H ama railroad. It is through as rich a growth of H tropical trees and shrubs and gany colored climb- H ing vines as can be found anywhere, and the birds B take on their plumage all the colors of the fore:t. B But the people, alas! Children go naked up to B three years of age, and after that clothing is only B gradually put on. It was because of the revenues B from the road that Colombia wanted Panama in B the confederation, it is only because of the ex- B pected payment for a right of way that she do- B sires to retain the state. The sympathy wasted B on the mongrels should be withheld for our own country. Six thousand Jaborers died of fever be- B fore the first twenty miles of road was completed M out of Aspinwall, and when inexperienced people M unaccustomed to a tropical climate cross there, t B they take their lives in their hands to make the ' I M attempt. As to the Colombians farther south in M the high table lands, where the soil is wonderful , M in fertility, the climate healthy and there is such M varieties of minerals, including gold, silver and H precious gems, as perhaps can be found nowhere else, the people there are almost as vile as on the Isthmus. In a country that might be convert- H ed into almost a paradise, the people simply raise JH a little corn, and that, with tho marvelous fruits H j j Hfll; I 1 1 which are Indigenous and the bands of wild cattle H , I 1 i which roam everywhere, makes their food. H , I 1 1 The women work a little in a rude way, the Hi : ! j i men are neither fit to live nor to die. |