National Republican., 1883-09-05
What Ono Sees and Hears in Trip from
Aspinwall to Panama.
Forty-Seven Miles by Rail in a Matter
OF Four Hours.
The Queer Little Towns and the Quserr People One
Sees Along the Route.
The Panama Canal and the People Who
Arc Building IL.
SDecidi Letter.


the other at in the afternoon, and each
train occupies four hours in making the trip.
We we're to leave By the early train, so
few minutes before we entered the cars.
They were clean, and looked like those at
home, except that the seats were covered with
mating, and there were no windows, only
blinds to exclude the rain and dust. We
started punctually, and in few moments
were slowly passing the French buildings at
the mouth of Fox river, which is at the west
ern end Of Aspinwall.
They have filled in quite large tract Of
ground here and are enlarging it all the
while, and on this ground they have built
quite number of neat houses for their em-
ployss. The sides are generally of wood
painted gray and the roofs of corrugated iron
painted red. Near the car track they were
putting mp fine bronze statue Of Columbus
with an Indian maiden, which statue was
presented by the ex-empress Eugenie to tho
town, and which has stood in various
places in the vicinity at different times. Then
there were seve raj workshops, and in one of
them they were very busy putting together
machinery that had been sent out in pieces.
We could see three dredges hard ct work
deepening and widening the river, which they
intend to use for some distance. Crossing
the river, we soon lost sight of it behind
Monkey hill.
Monkey hill is the .cemetry OF Aspinwall
1t is quite high, steep, and there are some
trees upon II. few graves are fenced about
and seemingly cared for, but most Of them were
marked by adilapidated wooden cross. and ap-
peared as IL the unfortunates had died Of
some malignant disease and their friends
,hurrying them out Of the way had forgotten
them. 1t was desolate and even seemed to
lack the luxuriant tropical growth that now
began to greet us on both sides of the way.
m yVaQ a tra N "a
from the tall towering trees to the low lilies
in the bitches, except, perhaps the white
spider lily, of which had seen few in Flor
ida. There were wild bananas and cocaonuts,
tall palms with long punches of bright red
palms, oil nuts, tamarind trees with many
scarlet blossoms that showed clearly against
the small pointed CLASSY leaves, strange ferns,
and numerous other beautiful growths that
could not find out the names of. The whole
made o dense jungle, and about and around
fitted hundreds Of butterflies, the most strik-
ing Of which were as large as my hand and of
bright metallic blue.
l was astonished to find the train stopping
at different stations, as had never read or
heard Of there being any before, 80 took down
tho names of some, and give them for tho edi-
,fcation of those who are as ignorant as I
was. They are Chagres Puolo, Buena Vista,
and Rio Grande Superieure. They were all
composed of o few we'll built buildings be-
longing to the French, Q nice house for the
station master. and q lot Of native huts scat
tered about promiscuously. These huts were
made OF poles stuck In the ground and cross
poles tied to them at the top with strips of
raw hide, and these top poles supported
heavy matched roof made of cane and banana
leaves. The sides were covered with split
cane, sometimes woven like basket work.
and this was tied on with strings of any kind. 4
Very few of them boosted of more than one
hut thnr Ilxr xln,- ~f
small children playing around the fire, and
numbers Of their elders outside watching the
train. In these gatherings the men wore
breeohes, the women voluminous trailing
calico skirts and chemise made of coarse cur
tain lace. The children generally wore
nothing.
The resident French superintendent of the
canal was on the train, and enjoyed very
much talking with him, as we'll as the noise
of the train would allow, about his work
Instead of being as some might suppose a
ponderous elderly gentleman, he was TALL
slight and may perhaps have seen forty years,
but he did not look it. His light brown hair
was still unstreaked with gray, and he had
lost none of his inherent French politeness
during two years residence in O compara-
tive wilderness. Their route is not only all
planned and surveyed but cleared of under
growth-no small task-and they have begun
leveling the highest places that they must
cross on the divide. They are dredging in
Fox river, already having o depth of thirty
feet on the bar, which is all they wish. They
have 5000 men at work, mostly negroes
They pay $50 head for them landed at Colon
(as he and all Frenchmen call AspinwalD in
addition to which they receive 81 day
wages
All necessary buildings, such as quarters
and hospitals, are finished, and whenever it
is possible they are placed on an eminence or
slope. They have been very fortunate 80 far,
only losing ON an average one man day.
Five died the day before at Colon of fever,
and when the wind blew down the Chagres
river he said it was very deadly. If no epi
demic should occur he hoped next year to
have something to show for the immense sums
expended. but he would not venture an opin-
ion as to when the gigantic task would be ac-
compished. He was very warmly dresSsd,
although the day was sultry and said that he
found 1t necessary to dress warmly and lead
very regular life, abstaining from all alco-
holic drink. He said the overseers at the
interior posts were too apt TO drink to forget
and make the time pass, but that that meant
death.
The deepest cutting is to be 397 feet, and
near this they are constructing u large reser-
viOr to receive the overflow of the Chagres
and prevent freshet in the rainy season.
We were told that in 1873 the railway had
thirty miles of track under water, and o
heavy iron bridge was lifted and turned
hrOunu Dy UnlS same river. IL was apparently
a much dreaded stream, but now was quietly
rolling along we'll within ITS banks, the water
very muddy, and its surface was frequently
dotted with dugouts and other native boats,
The canal follows the line of the railway
closely until IL nears Panama, when it turns
slightly to the eastward and comes out at a |
place called Ancon.
We looked under the ties of the railway
for the lrishmen that are said to lie one un- |
der each tie, but they were not visible We |
saw frequent wrecks of cars, however, and |
were informed that We were fortunate TO get |
over without running OFF the track, as IL was |
q frequent occurrence, but seldom resulted in |
the injury of any one as they go SO slowly.
AS We neared Panama l looked out |
anxiously to get my first view of the Pacific |
ocean, and finally saw It, brilliant with sun.
shine and looking exactly like the dear old |
familiar Atlantic.
Arrived at Panama, we made at once, with |
American impetuosity, for the ticket Office of
the Pacific Steam Navigation company, and |
there were met by o solemn old Spaniard, who |
was very polite, but whom you could not
hurry, and 1t took him just one hour to mako |
out three tickets. When they were done they |
were very pretty, but he had consumed much |
of our time, SO we went at once &C. dinner TO |
the hotel, and had very fair repast, served |
In q miserable, dark, dirty dining room. Then
we We're told We must go and look after our
luggage, or we might lose some OF IL, so we
got into the little omnibus drawn by two