Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-12-09

auaou-,t7of .aaaa- A., Isl y. sus
company here, IT presen.s the idea iu tan.
gible form. Thst some such strataosm mus,
be employed toconvince the American people
that
THIS GREAT EsrEgPR1sE
has passed without the s,s;on Of snscu,st;or
and derision, is eyidencsd by the tone of the
journals OF the United lstes which have
P1rsned the policy q Ignoring the whole
SGneme efcePt as 'abject Tor ridIcule
Aen pan rranc'seo, / must confess
canal project was skillfulIv advsr,;ssd
stock-jobbing couspiracyfo he c,r.;sd a,,t On
an enormous scale. Thu opin;or ,zss Formed
after the perusal of An,rican new.naners
Since l came here my opinion has been
radically changed, and Il struck me verv
forcibiy that the press could do The limited
States no greater harm tkan h. concasi;r,a
the danger it will be Subjected ~ when ths
Panama canal is compleisd and nnde- tbe
control of foreign nations. n NAV he ssLed
what has the canal COMPANY done IN deservs
public confidence? This question NAV he
briefly answered as follow:
l. Its protector built The 81, canal a fesi
deemed impossible BY macy com tent epgi.
neers.
2. 1t has bought for 81, 100 900 The P,na.
ma railroad (which cost 5000 600 aud in
feur years of operation earned more than
that amountl aud has paid che half the pur-
chase money.
8. 1t has imported 5000 lsborer. 70 whom
wages OF from 81 TO 81 80 pr diem is being
regularly paid.
4. Ii has built hospitals, churches botals
and towns for the Accommodation Of lis
workmeu.
3. 1t has entered into CONTRACTS involvino
many millions of dollars. Several Of these
contracts have already been fulfilled.
g. 1t has spent hundreds Of thousands OF
dollars In tools, machinery, etc.
z. 1t has spent millions Of dslfars in pre-
liminary work.
s. 1t has commenced work on he canal.
CHANGES IN TEN YRAks.
However, 1 started off with a notion nj
giving your readers a descript;on Of the
present aspect of the Isthmiau minis az in
terest as contrasted with theif appearance
ten years sgo, when / first came this way.
l arrived in Colon on the 23d instant rim
Panama. l came on the z O'Clock morning
train, and nothing surprised me 50 much as
the evidence Of prosperity along the route.
Ten years ago the same train dashed through
q Jungle of tropical trees which oyerhunp the
cars, and tall reeds ratified harmlessly against
the windows as we passed. Beyond, nothing
could be seen bat the twisted tree trunks
with their traceries of vines, and all about
them fitted gorgeously plumed bird aroused
into momentsry activity by the noise of the
painting engine. To-day one passes through
or by plantation after plantation, Wherein
tropical fruits are raised in Abundance, and
on every side may be seen the cosy homes of
the busy planters.
AS ONE EEARs COLON
evidences of progress and business activity
are seen on every hand, and when The long
train whirls over the dyke connecting the
city with the mainlsnd, The noises Of com.
merclal enterprise give the place the sound
ing significance Of metropolis. Colon owes
its origin 10 the growth of trade across tn {
isthmus. As in the case of many large
American cities its site is bad and was only
settled upon because the facilities Tor anchor
ing large sea vessels was best thereabouts.
The town is situated upon low, marsby is
land called by the natives MapzaniIls, by
the foreigners Navy Island. /, contains
about ZOO acres of land. Before the build
ing OF the Panama railroad, Puerto Bello
and Ch3gres were the only towns of import
snce at The eastern eide of the isthmus The
Incorporators of me rsiIrosd-John Lloyd
stephens, the arcb@ologis', Henry Chauncey
and William H. Asplnwall-frst selected
fuerto Bello as its eastern terminus but
GEORGE Law, an enterprising specuIaior,
jumped in ahead of them and bought up ali
the land adjscent, refusing 10 sell 10 the
company except for an exorbit ant price
Chsgres was next thought of as The termi-
nus, and while plans were being made two
large steamers bound for that port we're
driven by contrary and bsffliug winds TO
n MI 4 i
shelter we're lound. The bay Ras Compare
lively unknown 10 Europeans, and the rail
road company secured from the Colombian
government grant of the whole Hand. The
RAILROAD CONCESSION
vas originally granted in 1850, and in 1859
ne railroad was completed for operation.
The time OF the duration of this concession
vas forty-nIne years, and in 1867 the COM
osny occurred later concession for ninety
line years. This cost 81 100000 cash and
payments of $250,000 per annum. The
growth OF AspinwalI, or Colon, was not phe-
lomInal, but the town itself is phenomenal.
What lis future as the proposed terminus Of
he Panama canal will be only the future
nay reveal. With a popu alton q only
700 souls, and a miserable, equalidapp
'nce, 1t yet presents points OF interest I'M
qualed by any city Of its size in he World.
Inc huge dyke which connects it WITH the
marks it at once as a r,Iacs ii COM
nercIal Importance. Six remarkabIy fac
together with several SIN sllsr ones,
lext attract the attention from the gsnfral
ook OF hatness. These whsrves are cofered
win slate, lille or corrugated iron roois, in
rider to protect the millions of dollars' rQrth
II goods stored on them, pending traa<aip-
nent, from the nine months rains Of hat
autude. The teredo is bsffi I'd By pii1 Of
ron or OF wood, covered with copper.
PROMINENT BUILDINGS.
The stranger in the place will next /. AZ
Iaeted by the sheds, freight depols, pork-
hops, offices and hospital of the raiif61d
ompany, all we'll constrnc,ed, considefi1g
ne circumstances and surroundings. T1sse
are situated at the northern eut6f
he island and near Lighthouse Point Il
he Point the sea breaks In rollers over q
ons stretch OF submerged coral reef. md
ftords excellent surf bathing, which is TAKEN
advantage OF BY the whites esrly in lie
morning. The natives, il is believed. nersr
'athe, but live encased in prestine LAYERS Il
lirt, into which many strange animals nave
'ored and Ind nourisnment from the roois
I The suPerimposed vegetation. But Il b
ne southern end Of the island which O.
)lnt Tor work on the great canal. A Iorr
inc of piles stretches thence easterlv into Il,
Fzters OF the bay, and this line is continn-
tlon Of that bold bar across the isthn,nx
Fhlch indicates the bed OF the canal. a b.
Which must be projected far into the oce II,
order to float shlps. Some tugs and dreds.
re, made, believe, in San Francisc9. hove,
bout.
sQUALoR AND FILTH.
After including the $4,000 church bn;l,
y the railroad company for the enir;,n Il
are OF Its employees, he fine hospit. r.
emily erected by the canal COMPANY for ~,
DOLLY welfare of lis employees, several 80
fhces and probly less than two DOZEN mi.
ate residence, with those before mentio,,sd
ne houses Of Aspinwall need not be aeconn,s
kept as curiosities. Many of tbem A..
Miserable novels. The finest private res;.
ences are near Lighthouse Poin'. and. with
be exec ptIon OF those upon the main stree,
-caIle Prlncipal"), The town has almost h.
ppearAnce OF an Alaskan Indiau villaos
ne air Il feiid with the stencil of midi.
harged garbsge. In tue central d 1rtjon. q;
be town are several small lakes into which
hal and refuse is thrown, aud Eiaypsnr
ools abound. The houses are b1ilt nnon
oils in1pregnafed with norious mater Ia
bose with foundations are built 20 o,,t a
he shiny water. Yet, with all these viola-
ions OF ssnitsry precautions, and in a from
eai climate, the average number of deaths
only six a day. To accommodate thos.
ersors who have by death escaped from
IspinWal1 funeral train IL run every dax.
-artIng al o'clock p N. 10 Monkey HtIi.
ne burial ground, siiuaied few miles in
Ind. The collins must be ON hand promptly.