The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1855-02-24
The Panama Railroad.


Aslatic commerce. The company deserve
great credit Tor the energy with which they
have pushed the road to completion. We
hnd some interesting facts connected with
this subject in letter from Panama to the
New York Times. After reading few para
graphs from 1t, the people of this country
VIII more fully appreciate the great difficulty
of the undertaking. We copy from the let
ter:
Having just returned from q thorough
examination OF the route the Of Panama rail
road, Its construction and workings, &c, |
find that the road SO far as finished is built
OF the very best material, and in the most
substantial manner. Tho mason work of the
culverts and bridges across the innumerabIc
streams that cross the line of the road. is
built of hewn stone Of the best quality.
The enterprising company to whom this
road belongs has had every difficulty and
disadvantage to contend against; the un
healthiness of the climate, the difficulty Of
procuring laborers, and of procuring materi
ais for the construction of the road, are
among q few of the difficulties they have
had 10 contend against The timber used
for the purposes of the road had to be trans
ported, every foot of it, from the United
States and Carthagena; all the houses built
tor the use of the company, which comprise
larg' number-the laborers having large
and commodious frame boarding houses built
at stated intervals upon the line of the road
were all transported from the United
States. The ties or sleepers for the road
were brought from Carhagena, and are of
wood called lignum vita, and cost bv the
time they were laid dow. ready for the rails
~. 90 each. There is not foot of timber
on the whC,e line of the road that could BE-
made available for constructing the road
All the provisions for the use Of the labor
ers and attaches of the company are also
brought from the United States
The first seven miles of the road, after
leaving Aspinwali, run through an almos.
impenetrable swamp, the water being from
one to three feet deep the whole distance-
The soil at the bottom is composed of blue
mud, soft and miry. Spiles we're driven
down the whole distance, and frame work
built upon the same to the height of twelve
feet, which was sunk down to a level of the
road, and then ballasted or filled up with stone
and gravel, which makes the road very sub
stantial and solid. The road then takes its
course along the bank Of the Chagres river.
and crosses that stream at Barbacoa bv "a
fine and substantial bridge, which will com
pare favorably with any work of similar
nature in the United States"
The Aspinwall Courier thus describes the
incidents connected with the completion OF
the road, and the first appearance of the To-
Comotive with its train of cars at Panama
" For weeks it has appeared doubtful wheth-
er it would be possible to complete this con-
neCtion before the end of January but not
that there have been several
obstacles, either Of which seemed almost in
superabl ithstanding that it has
rained every day, and almost necessarily
during several weeks-thc connection was
made, and the cars went over the track tao
whole distance from Asp;nwall to Panama,
on the 29th of January.
Goa the arrival of the train near Panama
it was met by large proportion of the ma
tive population, who were anxious 20 behold
the lire-eating steed with his train of car
riagcs. On the approach Of the train they
seemed stupefied with amazement; but when
the engineer opened his whistle, their
wonder was changed to fcar-and some of
the women and children were so entirely
bewildered and Mortified that they started for
the woods screaming at every Jump. The
impression upon the entire population, on.
the appearance Of the train at thai city, was
Of the most exciting character, and after the
first paroxysm Of wonder was over, the peo.
pie crowded about the train so close as