The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-05-15
Especial Correspondence OF the GLOBE.
LETTER FROM PANAMA.
Aspinwall- Panama Railroad Buildings
Jamaica Negroes-Sabbath School-Found-
ers' Washington House-statue
of Columbus-The Climate
AsrlNwALL, ApriI 20, ISl

AsrlNwALT, April 20, 1875.
Having resided in this beautiful locality
for more than week, and having during
that length of time had good opportunities
to see something of the condition and habits
of the natives, | propose in this communi-
cation to lay before your readers SEINE things
which perhaps may interest them. OF AS
pinwall itself, there is bu: little that can be
said in its praise. 1t consists of two streets
running north and south, with some six or
eight running east and west, the latter ones
running back from the docks and finally
ending in the jungle that is found not more
than an eighth of a mile from the beach.
With the exception of the buildings be-
longing to the Panama railroad company,
which in one sense might be said to own
the town, and few occupied by different
consuls and agents of lines of steamers ter
minating here, the buildings are miserably
poor, consisting principally of old tumble.
down, shakY buildings, that altogether are
not worth setting match to. On Front
street is found row of two-story brick
buildings which are quite creditable, and
person arriving on any Of the lines of
steamers and viewing them from the
dock, is generally surprised at the sight he
sees, but when once on terra TRINA and the
traveller has a chance to look behind these,
that reflection soon leaves the mind.
IL AR n mn
The first objects that are seen from the
decks of the boats as they are coming up
the bay are the buildings owned by the
Panama railroad company. They are To-
Gated on a point of land running out into
the bay, the situation being the finest on
the island. The houses are all two stories
high, painted white, with wide yerandahs
and green blinds for each one. They were
erected by the company when they had an
eye to the comfort of their employees. The
most noticeable one of all is the church, a
handsome gothic structure originally cost
ing $50, 900. 1t is built Of granite taken
from the quaIries of the company, distant
some twenty miles from this station. The
roof is OF iron, the floor is tiled with mar
BILE and slate, and its seating capacity is
about six hundred. The company have a
Rector at this point, and under his minis
trations quite II society has been formed,
consisting principally of Jamaica negroes
and during three Sabbaths that | have at
tended there, not over twenty white per-
sons have been present at any of
the services. 1t was my fortune last Sab
bath to attend Sabbath school there, at
which time about one hundred attended.
JAMAICA NEGRO WOMEN.
The majority of these were women and
girls, although the male sex was quite we'll
represented. The array of fashion and
colors that were displayed by the females,
was alarming in the extreme. During the
week they can be met on the street most
sloyenly attired, the dress if they have one
on, looking as though it had been stran-
ger 10 soap and water for months, the feet
will be bare, and on the head Gas they are
not afraid of getting tanned will be moth
ing save turban on which they rest the
bundles and tubs which they always carry
on top of the head, but when Sunday
comes all this is changed and they appear
in all the colors of the rain how and quite
frequently these colors will be doubled.
They will have on pair of very high
heeled shoes, and the more colors that
enters into their make the better they are
and from the top will be dangling fancy
strings, tipped with tassels, and as the
dresses are all cut short in front probably
for the sake of displaying the shoes, one
maiden who "wore tassels on her boots.