Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-01-06

mcntS above tne WAIST ana the chill
drcn entirely naked, and numerous
exceeded only by the number of dogs
pigs and chickens, which swarmeC
through the village, and which seem
cd their companions and playmates
AT every place where the cars stop
ped the natives crowded around, VO
ciferating their wares, including no
only every variety of fruit, but wines
ginger root, ierked beef in strips, dried
in the sun. which they sold by the
yard, and bouuets OF brilliant flowers
These people were native Gautama.
lians of the lowest class, ignorant, de-
graded, Iazy-basking in the sun,
swinging i'm their hammock cradles,
or sitting on their haun.hes at the
doors of their cabins the live long day
! living OH fruits, the abundance Oi
| which necessitates little labor, and
/ the hot climate disposes to less-and
I envelOped by miasmas which would
would prove fatal to foreigners. Run
| n.ng through swamps, up and down
TIvines. along the bases of hi h hills,
and within view of some quiet lofty
mountain, we at length passed the
summit which divides the two Dreams
and ran rapidly down the grade that
lands us in Panama, on the shores oil
ghe Pacific. We hailed the waters of
this peaceful sea with enthusiasm
covering half the globe, and washing
the shores of China and Japan. Neith-
er did it belle 1t Shame, for its bosom
Was smooth as mirror, placid as the
face of Innocence.
Panama is a quaint Spanish city,
several hundred years old, built OF low
stone buildings, washed by the waters
of Panama Bay, which forms one of
the finest and most capaciOus harborS
in the world. The town has passed
through many vicissitudes. 1t was
once sacked by Morgan, the pirate,
who took from it an immense treasure.
Once Gen. Bolivar bombarded it from
the hills behind. Being the chief
point of transit between the oceans,
and the great route by which the
SpaniardS for hundreds Of years trans
ported their treasures from Peru, it
has always been an important place,
and will long continue thus. The
travel through it is immense. Three
lines Of steamers radiate from it, and
the completion of the Pacific Railroad
" al nv FNAA.AbAN uAAAAAAAlSAA AAo III pa
ancc. The Bay is full of islands,
clothed in richest green, and fine comic
al hills rising out of the smooth waters,
in whose serene depths everything is
mirrorcd, so that our steamer seemed
floating on the skies of 4 far neither
wCrld. But around all this beauty,
death Teigns. Above, the air is iull of
poison, inducing that dreadful scourge,
.he Panama fever; and below, the de-
ceitful waters abound in sharks, who
actually make the sea boil in their
fierce contests for the Ofial thrown
overheard from the steamer. Several
steamers belOngingto to lines which pro-
ceed down the coast lie about us; the
haIbOr Is full of lighters and small
bOals, and cur steamer is literally sur
rounded with native dug-Outs, boat
made from n single tree. which are
loaded with every variety of fruit in
to these tropical climes.
The officers forbid the sale of fruit, and
beat off, with bTickbats and hunks Of
coal hurled without mercy, the half
naked natives, when they persist in
their wares. NOtwithstand-
ing all the vigilance, much is sold.
Potent is the mighty dollar; the mo-
ment the officer is gone, up comes the
cord from the natives boat, with 4
basket attached, into which you put
your silver. This being let down, you
draw up oranges, lines, pine-apples
and bananas, or whatever fruit you
like. Nothing but silver goes here
Your nickel they toss into the water,
and your scrip to the wind.
Four deaths have already occurred
ON hoard from Islnn1aa from fever and
the excessive use of fruit, and there Is
sickness. Disease runs
its course here with mighty strides.
Its grasp is terrible. \ few hours o.
pain and burning fever, then the. col
lapse, then a brief service over the
and the spotted corpse
plunges to the bottom of thesea. How
sad is a burial ut sea! l shall never
forget the wall of a mother over a beau
tiful little girl whom, at sunrise, they
consigned to the dark waters. a sud-
den plunge ana it was gone, to come
up no more till the sea shall give up
her dead.
Leaving Panama Bay, our route
takes us south, to within six and one
half degrees of the equator, so that we
have full experience of the torrid heat.
When there was no breeze it was Ter
ribly oppressive. The least eXeTtioE
threw you into a profuse perspiration.
and the thinest clothing was scarcely
l do not wonder at the
lazy listlessneSs of these tOrrid climes
Nature herself precludes eXertion 10y
spontaneous abundance of her fruits
for half an acre of untitled bannanas
will subsist a hundred men; and there
is no limit to the cocoa-nuts, plantains
and oranges, to he had for the pluck
ing. We made two stops between
Panama and san Francisco, at Acca-
pulcO. to coal the steamer, and at Man
zanillo, to discharge freight, which
goe- into the interior of Mexico. Both
of these places have beautiful harbors,
land locked, and surrounded by noun
tains. Coal at this point costs the
company SD per ton, having been
round Cape Horn. Nearly
all the way up the Pacific we keep III
full view of the coast, passing points
and head-lands ut less than a mile.
The whole coast is one continued
range of volcanic mountains, with
lofty cones shooting up, some of them
10000 feet. We saw one or two Vol
canoes i'm active operation, long
wreath of smoke extending windward
from their tops. These are the CHM
news through which the internal fires
have vent, the closing of which ne
cesSitates those terrible earthquakes
that so often desOlate these regions.
All our Northern mountains are COW
cred with forests and clothed in YER
dure but for hundreds and even thou
sauds of miles along the coast of Mex
leo and Lower California the hills,
mountains and shore is one unbrOkcn
waste and desOlatiOn-rough volcanic
rocks, fuTrowed by the storms of ages,
without one green thing to break the
wild monotOny of barrenness. The
idea of chaotic desolation, of utter and
inhospitabln barrenness, never so i'm
pressed my imagination aS 10y the
view of this burnt and hOrrid coast,
where no shrub, or spear of grass re-
Iieves thearid nakedness. Farmland,
they say, the valleys of Mexico bloom
with verdure; but here, along the
coast, the curse of Gods volcanic fires
has burned up all. The surges of the
Pacific dash against the shore, and
the wild sea gull mingles its scream
with the inhOspitable roar. No other
sound is heard. Now rs we approach
Upper California there are indications
of. a more hospitable cline. The
mountains are clothed in a sparse YER
dure, and clumps of evergreens indi-
cate a more genial soil.
Our whole trip has been a pleasant
one, abatiEg the sea-sickness at the
start, and the heavy pitching in the