Wisconsin tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1847-1854, 1849-12-21
Especial Correspondence Of the Tribune
PANAMA. Nav GREEADA,
3gtb Of Nor 1919

possession Ifwhich before left home, would
certainly have enabled ne, TO have come here
At less expense, and far more comfortably -
should any ST our citizens enigrating to Cal
iforaia by 2hs route, choose to profit by it.
they win fnd the journey much more pleas
ana thaa | Have. 4 person sailing from New
York on any If the Steamers running to Cha
gres, # lie AXE passage in either Of the cab
ins VII. as .far as eating is concerned, live
well enougB, put should he be in the steeTage,
he viii be furnished vic;uals not fit for dog.
| speak Of this from nay own experience on
the SteameEs, Ohio and Falcon, and am told
By those WAC have come here on the others,
that tiley are ynuch the same. The first thing
20 be dome IS to secure through ticket; let
no ore lease the States without ticket for
the Pacific Steamers do not believe anything
they tell y7u ct the Offices Of the Atlantic
Steamers irs relation to 1t, rs they viii in all
probability lie as baseIy to you as they did TO
ne. and i.u#dreds Of others who are now
mere: lheig only object seems 10 be, to get
your money, and land You at Chagres, after
which, thcs 60 not care what fate you meet
not only tLs7 officers. but passengers direct
from this place, who ! saw n New-Y or1, told
me, and others. the most wiiid lies, thereby
inducing Us to come here without tickets,
where there IS no chance 10 get one under an
/ advance Of three to four hundred dollars. !
would earnestly say to all my friends, never
leave the States, without through ticket, but
rather stay at home than come without one
any one coming in the Storage should by all
means, before leaving New-I ork, have q box
filled with fresh bread, crackers, boiled ham.
dried meat, cheese, sugar, apples and lemons,
or whatever else he may prefer. Il will not
take much, as the greater part Of the voyage
! he wlIl BE sea sick and cannot eat anything
at all unless lie have something pretty good
let him also have some port wine. and if fond
Of tea, brjng at least two pounds, with tin
tea pot. get hot water from the cook and make
his own tsa; when he arrives at Chagres
he should have enough Of his provisions left
T 10 last Wsel, as lie viii be near that time
. in cross ing= Sc Isthmus, on which all the eat
abies are paUt and high; should tie be lover
cfcoiee, bring 1t along, as is very poor here,
and they d not know how to make it; after
! he arrives lni Panama, he can live well if he
has rlratyot money, board being at the no
tells @t,5o rer day, or 50 per week
+ TIE Caiiforaiaus generally 90 into messes
Of fr.m FIVE 20 twenty, hire a room at an ex-
Pensc "f Q dane each Ter day. then either keep
''bac.t, or Ijye at the eating houses, Of which
there are number, and can live pretty well
. for seventy-dze cents or dollar a day; bring
bat little baggage, out among ii have blankets
or bed, salt water soap, plate, cup, knife, fork
aad spoon, V hich are indispensable articles,
have them al in d small trunk, which must
be- gUJd one - stand lho trip. think the
India Rubber bags which most bring are hum
bugs a sn.ak trunk being much better. and
vii! cost but trihe more to get it across; al
most every one has either rifle or revolver.
but get sick Of them before they get here,
Won can buy them here cheaper than in New
York; | should bring no weapon but a good
bell knife, which is conveuieHtsfor various
uses. ] have been so particular for the rea-
son -ha1 lhc great mass Of those going to
California take passage in the steerage, and
suffer 6t not having a proper outfit. The day
before we arrived in Chagres the steward Of
the Ialeors told Us that we could get nothing
to eat Whise crossing the Isthmus, and to ac-
couHnodat& is, sold us cheese at fifty cents a
pourd, boiled ham, at 81 cents h., dried
tongues at dollar each, brandy at the rate Of
SO gallon, and cigars at five cents each =
when we got on shore, we could buy all
cheaper, and better brandy for four dollars
gallon, ard as good cigars SIX for five cents
There IS Quite an advantage to be taken Of the
currency he,e: eight dimes, or four twenty
cent pieces 20 for a dollar on the Isthmus and
here FIR anything except To pay for passage
10 san Francisco, which you must pay the
sam Us rnu would in the States; anything
larger than a twelve and a half cent piece
viii o. fgr two dimes. st home you will
get tcn di.aes for a dollar, all YOU paw out
here VIII rr eight dimes for dollar. except
as above, ahd You can again change ii into
American gold, by paying eighty-cight dimes
for an eagle, or, as they say here, eleven dol
lars for lea. Chagrcs is situated at the
mouth Of Tic river from which it takes lis
name, on allow level piece Of land; there are
about onG Hundred houses, nearly all (which
are ballt,by setting up corner posts, making
the sides o. canes or lumber set on end, and
thatched twsth cocoa or pIautain leaves. From
here, yor 20 up the river in canoes to Cruces,
a distance 5f Gtty-tour miles; there are plenty
Of canoes, and if not in too much Of hurry,
you can secure a passage in one of them for
from siNetd ten dollars. When hiroing ca
nee. prea,za small and narrow one, as they
arg tie fsst boats. The ChagTes river viii
average fogCrUccs about seventy-iiye yards
wide. Is very rapid and deep the water quite
muddy 1t the mouth, but continues to get
clearer a you ascend, and is good Palatab.e
-.Mat.r 10 l.IiHk. al.hough not very cool. !