, 1890-10-09
THE PORT OF COLON.
A Noted City on the Isthmus
of Panama.
ITS SECOND BIG CONFEDERATION
The Infiammable Charact ter of the
Buildings-Character of the
Inhabitants.

The recent fire in Colon will rem
der of interest the following, pub
lished in the New York Mail and
Express, of "a recent date:
This is not the first time that the
city of Colon-Aspinwall has been
threatened with entire destruction
by fire. Toward the end of March,
1855, the rebel prestan, who was en-
gagged in the unsuccessful revolution
of the first half of that year against
the constitutional government of
Colombia, succeeded, despite the ut
most which the American govern
ment could do ut the time to help
the loyal troops, in setting fire to this
town and destroyingthe greater part
of it. Ii was alterward rebuilt, but
the only solid structures are the rail-
way and canal Office buildings.
Nothing else would withstand the
flames at all. ... ...
Colon was founded by the railway
company in 1880, and the island was
coded to the company permanently
in 1852. The town was then called
Aspinwall. The harbor is one of
the best on the Atlantic coast, and
the city has become an important
center of railway and steamship
and telegraph lines, and is now like
Panama, partly lighted by electri-
city.
The railway wharf, forty feet wide,
extends out for 900 feet upon u
coral reef. The city has been made
measurabiy healthy by drainage,
and, rs a port of transit, il holds its
own in importance, despite the rival
developments of other places of that
region.
The town OF Colon IL situated ON
the island of Manzanilla, opposite
the proposed terminus of the Pan
anna canal, and was formerly known
as Aspinwall. 1t contains about
5000 inhabitants, including negro
laborers, and railroad and steam
ship employees, most of whom are
Americans. Colon was greatly
helped by the Panama Canal COM
pany, and since the failure to build
the canal the place presents in some
parts II deserted appearance. The
city itself occupies small strip on
the westerly side of the island, the
greater portion of which is swamp
land, from which, at the close OF
the rainy season, malarial and other
unhealthy odors arise and produce
the sometimes fatal Chagres fever.
At the beginning of the, dry season
the trade winds are felt, and, these
soon carry off the miasma arising
from the swamps, and In the last
three or four years there has been
no actual epidemic in. the place. !.
The houses, especially those occu-
pied by foreign residents, are mostly
wooden structures, one story in
height, and surrounded by wide
verandas or corridors. Though
there are few native flowers, except
orchids, the grounds about the
dwellings, particularly In the French
quar ter, are often adorned with i'm
ported potted plants, among them
being a few Jamaica roses, which
however, do not thrive we'll in this
climate. Large and stately cocoa
and plnntain trees afford grateful
shade along the streets. ~ N'rff fF'ft
There arc two aristocratic portions
of the city, one known rs the ''Rail.
road Quarters" on the beach.
where commodious houses are
erected for the superintendent and
more important officials of the Pan
anna railroad; the other, on the on.
posite. side of the town, is named
after Christopher Colombo, and Is
occupied by French residents, of
whom there area large number.
Along the water front are seen,
interspersed anong the native
shops, few Chinese stores where
small purchases can be made. This
fact renders the Celcstials obnoxious
To the natives since the lowest coin
is 10 cents, and the Chinese are said
to be destroying the regular retail