Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1850-01-31

lU0GCGI IIUu u ". WdLSI A1du; INC
former fox eman IN she E1G enoan
Office, to one of the Editors.
PANAMA, Dec. 10Th l849.
Agreeable to the promise which made you
when lett home, thought it might be well to
write from this place. We left New York on
Tuesday afternoon, and arrived at Havana the
next Monday morning. Slaid over there one
day. and started in the Falcon Tuesday morn
ing and anchored off Chagrrs the next Sunday,
the 25th, at o'clock, P. NJ. The rext day we
landed. The small steamer "Orus" took us
off ;--Chagres has no lalb Dor, and it is dam
gerous place for large vessels to enter. Our
boat anchored two or three miles from land.
Chagres is miserable hole.-n buildings but
few hus of The natives. There were two
stantics called Hotels, where they asked $3.50
per day for board. There are the remains 70
an old Spanish fort on the hill on the East bank
of Chagres river, which commanded the en-
trance of that river from the ocean, There
were many brass pieces laying about the fort,
but it is not now used at all. In rude pasture
near the woods, saw monument Of wood sa-
cred to the memory of James .MonScre!Ge, Mate
on board the "Crescent City," who was killed
April 29th, 1649 by the accidental discharge of
a cannon on board the smp.--Age 33.
On the 2S,h Nov, we took boats and started
on our long dreaded tour of crossing the 18TH
mus We paid $40 each for transportation to
Cruces, 66 miles. The day you were having
your Thanksgiving in Vermont, was making
my way slowly up a dark muddy river, with
nothing but woods on the banks, and plenty of
crockodlles, snakes, lizards and monkeys in and
about the river, and the sun beating down at
about 100 deg. Chagres river is 30 or 40 rods
ascend, and the current lrows stronger. There
were three natives propeing the boat was in,
and two in the one the remainder of our cnrIl-
pany was in. The natives cut up many of their
tricks upon those they contract with to boat
them up to Cruces Some have been known to
take their boats and start back to Chagres III the
night, when the passengers were asleep on shore.
When we contracted for two boats for our COM
pany, Carter and myself crossed the river and
took our man TO the Alcalde, and had it put in
writing, and took his receipt for the money.
They dare not do any different from what they
agree before the Alcaldc. We lad no difficult
ty with our boatman After tugging up the
river for three days, on the lst of Dec, Britain,
Carter and myself stopped at Gorgona, 10 miles
from Cruces, and started the Gorgoaa land route,
which they represented to be better than the
Cruces road; because there had been no rain
for some days. We hired our baggage carried.
for it was all we wanted to do to carry ourselves.
1t cost us $3.50 each to get our baggage car
ried, and we had but very little compared with
others. saw no three men on the whole route
that had so little as we had. 1t is very strange
that men, in face of information which every
one gives TO the public that crosses the Ishmus,
will lumber themselves down with trunks and
bags from 300 to 600 and 1000 pounds. 1t costs
10 cents per pound to transport from Cruces or
Gorgona to Panama. L5ige amounts of bag
gage are left on the road, and much more spoil
ed Men aIe so eager to get across that they
leave their baggage behind in charge of the ma
tives, and ten chances TO one if they ever see it
again. saw two or three trunks, a number of
bays &c, laying by the road ide,-one of the
mules was dying, and the other could but Just
stand, and no one near them. We kept in sight
of our baggage all the way. There were about
fifteen men IN our company. We had to help
our mules up a number of times on the road
1t rained in torrents the first day, and made it
horrible travelling the rest of the journey. We
wadcd streams waist Deep and when the mud
was not deep it was slippery. We found Ran
ches' inhabited by the natives, where we got
shelter for the nights, and COFFEE occasionally
the same as we found coming up the river in
our boats. We took provision enough to last us
through. On Monday the Sd of Dec about II
" o'clock, A. NJ, we came in sight Of Panama
ne and if ever man was glad to see the end Of
the rs journey it WAS myself. The weather was
lIfy ~aot all the journey as our July weather We
the aNspod the Journey well ! all from Montpe
Tier aNd vicinity have been well since we Iefl
ON "o'ne' We get plenty to eat and drink in Pan.
ana, and have to pay tor it, too, Board is iron
To- % to $40 per week. The water is bad here
and it is broughta full mile on mules backs II
large earthern jars.
IN Another thing,-I wish to caution people
coming to California this way, to provide them
he se'Ves WIN through tickets" before they leave
he home' The idea that vckets can be purchased
al agent al Panama, ia all humbug. The
mo tSclhc Steamship Company sell all their ticket
the :" New York and New Orleon,, for $50 Oh
''er0se' and $500 cabin passengers. specula
eS o,, .' " "',s ~ have made money by buying up tick
'aS b0ro "' SNy,- -Steerage tickets for steamer
g.. 1oO Sou 'of NOm 300 to 400 dollars, and cabir
'ish ~. % ,Oo and CIV dollars within the last two
ak c.Iaa urge hu''Ners come on here under the
ub a'Se Impression that Mqve are plenty of oppos
ton steamers Gamers here; bus ,hey find ,hernseIve
MA wofuly mistaken. At presrt ,l,ers @ are s,ilio.
nal vessels enough to take of ' III ,hn. roma;,
her here now but they cau't carry ys 70 San Fr0n
to cisco IN less than two and halt or Soo ,aoo,hs
eDt and ask you $9GO at that Such !. ,b" ~e 'O"'Ds
of things here. Demeritt, Eoisdeu IT, "' o-uV ~
ter and myself are going out,O the British vi" VI.
- ,biol oo lie tho