Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1869-01-23

.. Correspondence Of the Akrsn Beacon.
The Isthmus-Its Curiosities.

We left New York In the Steamer
Arizo11id Oct. 3Ist, and in nino days
came to anchor by the docks of Aspin-
wall, the eastern terminus of the Panama
Il. X. This is Railroad town, built on
an Island, small lagoon separating il
from the main land, which is reached by
crossing an immense swamp, a distance
OF seven miles, through which tho II. X.
is built on piles. .s.l.....
Tho Panama Railroad is great mo-
nopoly. 1t pays an immense percentage,
the stock is worth $50 per cont. and
none in market. Although the natural
obstacles to be overcome in building il.
were not great--a few high mountains
aud difficult paSses-yet, in consequence
of having to transport all the material
so far and the uuhsaltbfulness of the eli
mate, it severely taxed Yankee enter
prise. 1t was completed at the sacrifice
Of many hundreds OF lives, first cf Irish
laborers, then Of Coolies imported from
China. 1t is said that the first seven
miles could be paved with the skulls of
its victims, and 4 human skeleton und,r
every tie. 1t was only by labor of the
natives, who were at length taught to
work, that it was completed. Its length
is 40 miles, and the fare is s25, over so
cents mile. This is what the Steam.
ship Company pay for every passenger; !;
and every pound Of baggage, over 100,
the amount allowed each passenger.
costs 10 cents pound All our bag
gage was carefully weighed, and the ex-
cess above the 100 pounds, il much or
little, was taxed the inevitable ten cents
costing some passengers IL, to Is dol
lars for an extra trunk. Hand baggage
went free, some carried large amount,
and so saving expense. 1t takes about
three hours 10 cross the lsthmas, the
cars being scarcely equal to the second
class cars on our railroads at home. But
the ride is a grand one, because of the
fine view we get of the country, and the
splendor of the tropical Vegetation. To
see 1t pays for'the whole trip. 1t was
in the midst of the rainy season, and the
foliage was III its glory--such variety
and SO wondc crful-such profusion Of
gay flowers, trailing vines and broad
leaVed ferns. The forest trees were coy-
eyed with runners reaching their high
est tops, and dipping to the ground A
profusion of morning glories covered the
lower trees and shrubs. The low lands
blossomed with lillies. Long legged
birds, Of white plumage-the crane spe-
cies-waded in the shadows The open
grounds were bcautified by long rows of
graceful palms and cocoa-nut tress, and
plantations of bananas and oranges, load
ed with fruit; and the occasional depots
were surrounded by gardens of Towering
trees and shrubs of the gayest cslors, SO
that the houses looked out of tho centre
of huge boquet Of roses. 1 saw in the
trees birds of the most brilliant plumage,
and back from the road the forests are
full of monkeys, aud wild cats, and ether
force animals, nono of which however
show themselves, to tho passing traveller,
the shrill whistle driving them into the
Along the road every now and then,
we passed through native village, some
of them quite ,populous. The houses
were made of poles set upright, and wo-
ven together, and some of them plastercd
with mud. The roofs were steep and
thatched with the long leaves of specie
of palm. Some of them were set up
two or three feet from the ground OIL
sticks to prevent the entrance of poison.
ing reptiles which here abound. As the
train passed the villages, the tawny ma
tives were all out OH exhibition, the wo-
men with their muslns with bare necks
arms and legs, the men with no gar
msnts apbOve the waist and the children
entirely naked, and numerous, exceeded
only by the number of dogs, pigs and
chickens, which, swarmed through the
village, and which seemed their compau-
ions and playmates. ............. ,..
AT every place where the cars stopped
the natives crowded around, vocifcrating
their wares, including not only every va
riety of fruit but wines, ginger root,
jerked beef, in strips, dried in the SUI,
which they sold by. the yard, tnd bo-
quets of brilliant flowers. Those people
were native GautaTalians of the lowest
class, ignorant, degraded, lazy-basking
in the sun, swinging in, their hammock
cradles, or sitting on their launches at
the doors of their cabins the live long
day-living on fruits, the abundance oi
which necessitates little labor, and the
hot climate dispeses to less-and envel
oped by maisinas which weuld prove
fatal to Foreigners Running through
swamps, up and down, ravines, along
the bases of high hills, and within view
of some quiet lofty mountain, we at
length passed the summit which divides
the two oceans and ran rapidly down
the grade that lands us in Panama, on
ths shores of the Pacific. We hailed
the waters of this peaceful sea with en-.
thpsiasnl; covering halttho globe, and
washing the shores of China and Japan,
Neither did it belle its nanic, for its DO
som was smooth as a mirror, placid as
the face of Innocence. ''''"' =
Panama is quaint Spanish city, sew
eral hundred years old, built of low
stone buildings, washed by the waters
of Panama Bay, which forms one of the
finest and most capagious harbors in !le
world. The town has passed through
many yicissitudes. 1t was anes sacked
by Morgan, the pirate, who took from it
an immense treasure, once Gen. Bolivar
! hon, ,hoedad n rvor, IL hills habinH Ro-