Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-02-22
ON THE ISTHMUS.
SpIENDOR OF THE SCENERY IN
 PANAMA.


 PANAMA. The South American Soldier-Custolms at the Cemetcries-"Coffns . to Let'-The Scant Costumes of Panama-The Costli- ness of Dying Exceeds That of Living.
 Special Correspondencel PANAMA, Jan. 17.-Nowhere on the civilized or uncivilized earth is there witnessed stranger sight than on the short journey across the Isthmus of Panama from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Its gorgeous and vast vegetation, it's waving palms and luxurious bananas, its tall grasses and brilliant flowers are rarely beautiful; but these one can see all over South America, in the neighbor- hood of the equator. It is the human conglomeration that is most unique and interesting. The Panama canal has brought to the isthmus working force of 15, 900 negroes from Jamaica, Africa and the small West India islands. After them have come an army of bushwhack- CTS, the very dregs of the earth, consist ing of French, English, Spanish, Turkish and Chinese men and women.
 The European managers, engineers and contractors brought their peculiar following, and the whole, with the native elements, makes upa cosmopolitan popu- lation, wonderful in its character, reck- lessness and general appearance. No ope is surprised at anything one hears or sees in this strange land, for the Turk, the African, the Mongolian, the Euro pean make up a heterogeneous tumble and do about as they please. Some wear one article of dress, some scarcely that. Many children are in a continual state of nakedness, and the diversity of costume suggests Joseph's coat.
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 The government demands that all men and women shall wear q trif1e more cov- ering than the traditional fig leaf, and when ship load of Africans from the south coast arrived in Colon year or two ago, cases of shirts and trousers were sent them before they were per mitted to land. When they reached town their appearance was striking, to say the least. Some had the trousers fastened around their necks, while the majority used the shirts as aprons and resembled large body of African ma- sons robed only in their regalia and attending colored brothers funeral.
 Poor wretches! Their fate was sad. When they were put to work it was found. strangely enough, that they could not stand the climate. They died like sheep, and after month of experiment. ing the living lot were sent back to Africa. About this time Chinese mer- ,l,o {,>% l,os,. I trunks painted brilliant green. The interested savages bought them with avidity and were rowed back to their ship proud in the possession of so many green boxes, which to their crude taste seemed beautiful. Their irksome clothes they threw away, but the trunks which might have held them they carried bravely back to the Dark Continent.
 One of the interesting features of the isthmus is the soldiers. They are a scrubby lot. The Colombian govern ment, which supports nearly 5000 of them, calls itself very strong in conse- quence and thinks it is fully prepared for war with any other South American republic. These soldiers wear uniform consisting of red brooches and blue frock coats, but very dirty, ill fitting and coarse. Occasionally soldier will wear shoes, but as rule they are barefooted. Their guns are as rusty as their clothes, and in marching they shamble along in a way that the most awkward of awk- ward squads in the north never dreamed of equaling. They are all little men, as are all the males of this country, and some of them are not older than 16 years. You can scarcely imagine anything more grotesque than their general appearance, and yet am told that in the riots and revolts which occasionally break out in these republics these men in miniature will fight like little devils. Multum ill parvo. Napoleon Bonaparte was but a tritie over five feet in height.
 If the Colombian soldier is an oddity the Panama policeman is marvel. He lounges about town, smokes cigarettes, walks into the saloons and sips native whisky by the hour while on duty, gambles in the Chinese houses and oc- casionally goes to sleep on the benches of the plaza. I should imagine the Pan anna poGceman's lot to be very happy one. He is paid eighty cents a day (equal to sixty cents of our money). The soldier gets one dollar day (about seventy cents of our money) and has to find himself. The poicelnan's appearance is even more disreputable than that of the soldier, which is saying very much. But there is a dingy, careless, go-as-you-please air to every government official, high or low, in Panama and on the isthmus, which shows woful lack of system, training and power.
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 All roads lead to Rome and all mule paths along the isthmus make for Pan- anna. There the motley masses gather on Sundays and feast days and enjoy the bull fights, the cock fights and the other innocent pleasures prevailing. They flock into the city day and night, spend their money fast and furiously, eat, drink and are merry, finally returning to their work, perhaps to live, perhaps to die. Life is held cheaply here, for death stalks grimly over the entire state.