Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-15

after the destruction OF the old town,
and still shows abundant evidences of it's
Castilian origin. There are ancient casas
of Moorish architecture, as sedate, drowsy and
heavily picturesque as any in Grenada or old
CASTLE. central courts inclosed within their
enormously thick walls, iron-barred easements,
with folding doors of solid wood in lieu of
windows and awning shaded corridors and
verandas. while sandwiched between them are
young American hotels stores, saloons, barber
shops and boarding houses Haunting gaudy
signs in red and gold inscribed Free Lunch
Every Day." Ten Cents a Shave" Boston
Baked Beans and Clam Chowder," &c.
For two hundred years the sleepy old place
had never an inn-not until the California gold
fever of '47-49 brought thousands of travellers
this way, and then they sprang up by the score
Now the number of hotels is reduced to two or
three OF the better class and as many more of
inferior grade, ranging in price from % to
%. so per diem.
Though surrounded on three sides by the
sea Panama is
WALLED LIKE FEUDAL CITY,
because the experience of its founders with the
buccaneers had been 80 disastrous that they ne
elected no means of defense for the new CAPT.
tai. The wall which is now partially destroyed
and overgrown by bushes, was originally from
twenty to forty feet high, with moat and bas-
lions on Its land face. battements and towers
at frequent intervals and mounted with many
pieces of cannon. In the early days it was an
etectual safeguard against ordinary attack
but would be of little use against modern mu-
nltlons of warfare. The builders, who had
lately lost all at the hands of pirates, spent so
much money in the construction of this wall
that at last the Spanish king wrote to inquire
whether the walls of his expensive colony were
being made of silver or Of gold
The Indian word Panama signifies plenty of
fish and had been bestowed upon the locality
long before the arrival of the Spaniards. For
more than two centuries, until the compare
lively recent period of the overthrow of the
Spanish domination, this one of the most
opulent cities i'll the new world, the KEY to the
Pacific and the great distributing center be-
tween Europe and the rich countries of South
ern America. When the treasure galleons came
sailing into it's harbor from Lima and Val
paraiso laden with the wealth of conquered
nations Ito be sent on mule-back across the
isthmus to Porto Bello, where the fleet waited
to convey 1t to SPAIN, the old town blossomed
out at its best. Then its harbor WAS crowded
with ships from many lands and its streets with
wealthy merchant Castilian grandees, gorge
ously uniformed officers of the army and the
government-the flower and chivalry of New
Spain" while balls. bull fights gaming and ex-
ceSses of ali kinds were the order of the hour
But there have been checks to Panamas
prosperity. not least among them being several
CONGREGATIONS and innumcrable visitatons OF
pestllence. Before the year 1856 the town was
twice almost totally destroyed by fire. and
from that year to 1861 its population seldom eX-
ceeded 5000. The vast floating population
that swept through during the feverish days of
~ could hardly be counted TO Pan mas credit
With the completion of the isthmian railway
a second era of permanent prosperity began.
ana now Its population may safely be reckoned
at %. 900.
Like all Spanish-American cities, its central
feature is all extensive plaza, with fountain
and flowers, surrounded by the most important
cdlhces OF church and state. Straight through
the middle of 1t runs La Gale de las Monjas or
STREET OF THE NUNS"
which sacrilegious Yankees now call Main
street. The palace" OF the bishop faces
Panalna's plaza and the Cabildo. or govern
ment house. where all the business of the
municipality is conducted. A big American
hotel occupies one side of it and directly OBJ
pOslte beyond the flowers and the fountain i,
the great cathedral whose twin towers are said
to be the tallest on the continent, SO tall that
they Indicate to vessels far out at sea the en-
trance to the bay and port.
The famous sanctuary Is almost fac smile
of the grand cathedral in the City of Mexico
being built of stone and succeed adobe at
least 200 feet long by $50 feet deep, with floor
Of square red bricks and roof supported by four
rows of massive columns Inside there are the
burning Candles &c, but outside there is
marked difference its towers being set with
lnnumerable round plaques of glass that gilt
ter III the sunshine like SO many kohinoors
while standing along its facade, each in his
niche,is u row Of colossal saints, all painted dark
green.
There are half dozen or more other
churches, of course all Roman Catholic and
most of them ante-dating the present cen
fury. The theater. an enormous structure. &C.
cupies
AN OLD CONVENT,
within whose quiet cloisters during two hun
dred years black-robed nuns lived in privation
and prayer. Verify this is an age of contrasts!
Three years ago it was opened for its present
lmitable performances.
Among other prominent buildings may be
mentioned the magnificent headquarters of the
detunct canal company and the governors pail
ace. which commands II charming view of the
bay and its green lsiands. The educational i'll
situations OF the city comprise several schools
conducted by the nuns; the Colejo Espcranza
Hope college,, for girls, directed and taught
by teachers from the United States; the Colejio
del Isthmo, for boys, and two or three private
schools of lower grade. The most important
newspapers published in Panama are the Ga
ceta Utcidt. the government organ: the sta, aud
Herald. issued daily IN Spanish, French and
English. With two weekly editions, and the
tfuOHtSu, n spanish Sitct.
Unfortunately for Panama there is no
system OF public water works, though all
aqueduct has long been talked of. The inhablt-
ants are still supplied i'll the same manner az
were their ancestors generations ago, by car
riers going from house to house.
The BUSINESS OF WATER CARRIER
descends from father to son and yields a COM
Portable living, the only capital required being
a donkey and two wooden kegs. When fully
equipped the donkey has keg of water slung
Oh each side of him, with nosegay or bunch
Of fresh grass stuck in the top of each keg
while the owner sits aft, SO near the .ail that
one marves how the poor little beast can keen
its footing under pressure uneven,y dis
tributed No wonder the city has been burned
many times! Besides the great conhagra-
tons in its earlier history it has been partially
destroyed by fire no less than seven times
within the last seventy years. In 1880 it also
suffered severe shock OF earthquake.
The pleasure-lOving Panamaians are not
without their
REcBEATIoSs AND AMUsEMENTs.
One OF the finest military bands in the two
Americas plays in the Plaza Major two even
ings Of every week and ON Sunday afternoons,
when all the people turn out TO hear Then
there Is the Boredas, popular drive and
promenade where ocean breezes may be en-
joyed and the Savannah. a few miles out of
town, where during the dry season the nabobs
affect the delights Of country life.
1t 10 the fashion among all classes to prone
made upon the ramparts near the sunset nour
especially on that part called the Esplanade.
where the old wall has been widened into "a
boulevard. Besides the unrivaled ocean view
on one side, II overlooSs, on the other. a level
space containing the arsenal barracks and city