The Planters' banner. [volume] (Franklin, Attakapas Co., Lou.) 1849-1872, 1853-04-14
s E L E G T E d
. From Diekens's Household Words.l
Crossing the ISthmUs 5f Panama.
-~-4--->~-->.o-~~~~.~

On October the End, 1852, the packet
Sierra Nevada arrived from New York
at Aspinwail. the newly-erected Ameri-
can city Of the Is,hmus, with about
two hundred passengerssbound for San
Francisco. Aspinwall, 4 name given
to this infant settlement in honor of
one of the principal directors of this
line of steamers, consists of forty or
fifty wooden houses run up al trifing
expense in the midst of dense tropical
vegetation, springing out of a low
marshv swamp. It is situated about
six miles east Of the old city of Cha
gres and west of Portobello, in about
the most unhealthy spot on the coast !;
and here the Atlantic terminus of the
railway is established.
The republic of New Granada, to
which this country belongs, disputes
the right of these Amerieans-and per.
haps justly SOLO name any place in
their territory without the consent of
their President and Congress; conse-
tqueetlg, they have given this town the
name of "Colon after the great dis
.coverer OF their conntry. and refuse TO
acknowledge any document in which
the Rew town is called by any other
name.
A motley crowd of passengers landed
from the Sierra Nevada, and crowded
10 the railway ears. on the morning of
the 2nd Of OctobeE Here was the.
owner Of Californian saw mill with
his wife, sister. and six children--there
"a learned jadge; in other spots might
be seen crowd of rough lumber men
lfrom the pine forests of Maine, going
to seek their fortunes in the far west:
New York tradesmen and merchants
,going TO see friends, or to attend to
some business in San Francisco; broken
dowa soldiers from the Mexican war
going on no business at all; an engin-
.esr with his old father, septuagena-
rian, and large family; parry of Eng
fishmen engaged to work silver mine
IN ahe mountains of the Sierra Nevada;
a young German with a daguerreotype
OF his. lady-lese, bound TO the "dig-
gings TO make d fortune previous 10
his marriage with many others, all
busting To and fro on the platform un-
der ! burning sun, aud iostling each
ether most uBceremonionsly.
Ae length all was ready, the whistle
sopnded, the cars started, and away We
went, plunging each minute deeper
and deeper into the thick pestileulial
forest whose rank vegetation rises
from black unwholesome morass.-
Lofty trees, whose age may be counted
by centuries, creepers OF every de-
seEiption, flowers of all hues, palms,
plantains, and every kind Of tropical
plant, crowd here one upon another in
Ghe thickest confusion, and asathey
wither and die away, others spring up
while the decaying matter sends up a
fevef, which cleared of, hy scores md
scores, the unhappy workrnen of that
fatal railroad. At high noon our desti-
nAti0a was reached, at the spot sshere
The fatIway a pfesent ends, ona the |
banks Of The Chagres liver, where a |
Iigtle siIlage has risen up of fivsor six
huts, called Barbacoas. The railroad
fsofn Aspinwall to Barbacoas is twenty
i've miles ID length, consisting of only |
! sinNls line, and reached this point
about suo months ago; in about nine
months more, il will have worked its
svsy along the banks OF the Rio Cha
gres Ohispos osand Grande, to Panama.
Al Barbaeaas we were surrounded
b . hcst Of NEST tFneniept looking In-
dams, the owners u boats; and after |