Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-12-15
ON THE ISTRMuS.
SAILIsG BY GULF AND SEA IN
THE TROPICS.
The Gulf, Bay and City of Panama
Past and Present-Country
and Commerce.

Especial Correspondence of the REcoRD-UHIoN.l I
CITY OF PANAMA, December 8, 1888.
By consulting map Of Central Amer
lea you viii see that the Gulf of Nicoya
(of which Punta Arenas is the port, is on
the western shore of Costa Rica, tucked
up snugly under the wing of projecting
reef, and southwark, sailing over some
leagues of tossing sea, is Panama.
The voyager along these western coasts
feels in the depths of his soul, or rather
his stomach, that the name Pacific has
been misapplied. Especially is thi, true
if he comes down from San Francisco in
one of the many small coasters (as has be-
come quite the fashion of late), and most
welcome relief is experienced when the
long rolling, nausea-provoking pillows of
the open sea give place TO the little white
capped hillocks of breezy Nicoya And
the view is equally gratifying to eyes
wearied with the sight of water water
everywhere" On the right of the small
gulf, standing as a watch-tower guarding
the entrance, is the grim volcano Herran-
dura, with the dun-colored Islands of Cano
sleeping in its shadow; while on the !, It
Cape Blanco-the eastern pier of this
great gateway-glimmers in The mist, and
as the morning vapors melt away, loftier
mountains come into view, further up the
gulf.
Nearing the coast, clusters of small
islands suddenly appear, as if just arisen
from the deep-all fat, barren, brown and
scrubby; but whose foundations are laid in
coral and pearl. The wind, blowing from
shoreward, grows perceptibly warmer, and
the sea, now thronged with life, throhs and
whispers beneath the keel. All manner Of
craft literally cover the water, and from q
forest of Aagstafs droop the colors of all
countries. There are French flags, German
flags, English, Spanish and Russian flags
the dear, familiar Stars and Stripes anC
the Union Jack, floating gaily beside those
of the several republics and confederation;
of Central and South America
Most of the larger vessels have awnings
stretched from stem to stern to protec
their timbers from the blistering sun o
of smaller boats-scows, RATS, bungoes
ships and shore, laden with freight. Nicoy;
has an inner and an outer harbor, and il
the latter all vessels must anchor which
draw more than seven feet of water-fully
three miles from the landing-place.
The inner harbor, formed by the main
land and sandy promontory, over which
the town of PueLta Arenas is scattered, il
accessible only to small schooners, coastine
sloops aud piraguas. The outer harbor i
safe, capacious and easy of access, and in i
merchant vessels are obliged to break thei
cargoes and send them ashore on scows o.
'eighters," tedious and wasteful opera
tion, entailing risk as well as expense.
1t is generally high noon, when tn,
heat is fiercest and the tropic coast look
least inviting, before you arrive at tn,
landing-or as near 10 it as ships cal
come. Across the intervening league o
bounding billow you may be conveyed a
best suits your purse or pleasure. Passag'
on a scow, raft or blngo, with emigrants
Indians or whatever indiscriminate com
pany may happen to crowd it, will cos
you only medis (six cents) with tn,
chance of a social shower-bath (probabl,
needed by most of the passengers) from
the first salty wave. A piragua {" bird "
with just room enough for the boatmal
and two passengers, cannot be hired 70
less than a dollar; and in either case
should the tide be low, the last fifty yard
of the journey must be made on the bacl
of a hare-legged native over a stretch c
Shiny mud. l can testify, from sad expe
rience, that those few yards are more try
ing to nerve and Yankee "grit " than
voyage around the world would be unde
ordinary circumstances. The Costa Ri
cans are a puny race, far inferior physi
cally to the sturdy Anglo-Saxon, and thei
limbs are alarmingly shaky when put t
the test of l40 pounds of female avoirdu
pois, with probably twenty pounds NOR
of gripsack, cloak, shawl and other para
phernalia-all of which for fearful fiv
minutes trembled in the balance above
bed (soft enough, to be sure) of knee-deeE
greenish slime.
From Puenta Arenas TO Panama City
a pleasant sail OF from three to FIVE day!
according to the caprices of wind an
weather This great Isthmus, the hvphe
of the New World, really belongs to Sout
America, being owned and controlled b
what is now known as the United States
Colombia. But though South America
in laws and customs, it is of far more in
portance to the northern portion of on
hemisphere than 10 the southern, and
now chiefly monopolized by North Amer
lean interests.
While Northern school-children ar
being taught great deal about LaplanC
China, Madagascar, and even the interio
of the Dark Continent-how many of ou
educators are aware that more than forty
eight millions of civilized people live i
the Spanish-American States immediatel
adjoining our own? How many of ou
wisest statesmen know that the annua
commerce of those Southern neighbor
amounts to over seven hundred millions c
dollars, which goes steaming and sailin
past Northern ports on the way to Eng
land, France, Spain and Germany, almoS
entirely ignoring the United States, who's
lawmakers are too busy airing their wi:
dom on tariff and trade, and legislatin
for creeks and crossroads, to pay attentio
to this momentous question? Can any
body explain why the various peoples
the Western hemisphere should seem t
have no interests in COMMON, but shoul
carry their choicest productions across tn
sea
A marked improvement in the way
common interests seems to have take
place dming the last ten years, Mexic
now has American steamships on bot
oceans, American newspapers, railroad.
machinery of all kinds, and more Ameri
can money than her own invested in he
mines. Nicaragua has made treaty c
the greatest consequence with the Unite,
States, and is soon to achieve an American
inter-oceanic canal, and though NJ de Les
seps is yet digging his ditch across Col
ombia, the Americans have had railroa
in Panama for more than thirty years.
Looking on the map again you will oh
serve that the isthmus is shaped like Al
arch, curving from east TO west for abou
800 miles varying in breadth from thirt
to seventy niles, presenting its conve.
c:In 70 The Carrihear, Snn urhila L. COZ,