Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-01-25

comparison, hope, to any other under the
sun.
THE STREET Is CROWDED WITH NEGREssEs,
bold. Haunting, saucy creatures, many Of them
in bedraggled dresses OF white lace or embroid-
cry or gorgeous in the cast-of fnery Of former
mistresses. their kinky locks half covered with
bright handkerchiefs, coquettishly knotted
into n double bow sort of turban set far back
on the head. so as lot to interfere with the ex-
aggerated bang like miniature brush heap,
which every one of them affects. There are
turbans of old rose and royal purple, hello
trope, pink. pale blue. sulphur. crimson, &c ::
there are dlsky ''ladies, ragged. dirty and re-
pulsiye beyond degree, and others not more
attractive, than whom Solomon i'll all his glory
was never so arrayed. in latest Partisan styles
with magnificent silk shawls knotted around
their shoulders and diamonds glittering on
fists that look like well-smoked hams
There was a time when this large element
of the population became extremely dam
gerous. and that Immediately after
the collapse of the canal scheme. when thou
sands of negroes we're suddenly thrown out of
employment and famine stared them in the
face. Those from the English islands. however,
we're cared for by the government, being sup
piled with rations every day, and finally money
was furnished to pay the passage home of all
those who wished to go. In spite Of their
poverty the happy-go-lucky children of Ham
seem perfectly contented, singing, laughing
and dancing the careless hours away, with no
thought for the morrow.
TIE ROOFS OF AsPINwALL
are mostly tiled. the upper half OF each house
projecting far out over the sidewalk, with avn
ing-shaded verandas above. large share of
the home life goes OH in these verandas Some
contain bird cages, flowers blooming in boxes,
children rompIng, women sewing and maids
pursuing their household vacations in full view
of the street. Other yerandas are piled with
tubs, pots and refuse of all sorts. In some Of
them washinSs are going on and the clothes
tapping in the breeze; or ironing is in progress,
and shirts and chemlses spread cut to air-all
these making aqueer study OF the main street
of Asplnwall.
PRINCIPAL BUILDINGS.
There is a console municipal or town hail. a
big iron narkethoUse. a calabOOse, a tolerable
theater and an amateur dramatic company.
Electric lights illuminate many private resi-
dences as well as the streets and public build
ings. There are four churches Cor rather
church organizations, none Of them i'll Il flourish
ing condition., viz, Roman Catholic. Episcopal,
Methodist aud Jewish. A paper called the
LStbnutS is published three times a week, in the
three languages most spoken in this modern
Babel. There are secret societies without
number-Masons. Odd Fellows, Ancient Order
of Foresters. Knights OF Pythias. &c. There are
halt dozen or more hotels, and the shops,
saloons. restaurants. &c. are all turned out
Of doors during the day on account of
the excessive heat. On the payements, outside
the eating and drinking places, are little round
tables surrounded by chairs. and noticed with
amusement that on each table is appropriately
painted fight OF swallows. Beggars, of
course. abound, and disease, deformity, vice
and 18th In every form. Leprosy is not I'M
common. The doctor OF our party, who went
to the pos. office TO purchase stamps. declares
that he WAS obliged to receive them direct from
the scaly hand of leper.
A CHARMING DRIVE
One must not miss a drive all around the
sland via the Passes Coral or Coral Prone
made, as the beach road is called. Part of this
Paseo lies close upon the tropical forest, whose
exuberant vegetation springs out of the dense
and pestilential swamp which surrounds Aspin-
wal on three sides. Then there are occasional
long stretches of ocean, with beautiful she'll
strewn beach; glimpses of the hills that form
the dividing ridge between the two oceans, and
swamps shat show a series OF small islands be-
tween Manzanillo and the main land.
ENTRANCE TO THE CANAL.
OF course We must see the entrance to the
celebrated canal. upon which work was COM
menced just nine years ago. We find it on the
main land, behind the island on which Aspin-
wall Is situated; but the latter has been built
out IN this direction that if the great ditch were
ever completed Colon would be its eastern
terminus, IN the same way that Suez is the Red
acres OF warehouses and workshops and cottages
for the laborers and residences for the officers
now mostly deserted, all made of wood; unlike
those OF the railway Company, whose great
buildings are mostly constructed of brick and
iron, the better to resist the rayages of the
tropical insects and the rapid disintegration of
wood IN this damp climate.
WHOLESALE ROBBERY.
The most astonishing stories are rife con-
corning the methods of robbery practiced by
the canal company's officials. Everybody
stoIc-except, perhaps, the father of the whole
scheme, VI. Ferdinand de Lesseps, who is now
in his eighty-fifth year. But he must have
been blind as a bat-culpably blind-not to
have had more intimate knowledge of the
methods OF his managers in squanderIng the
peoples money. His son. VI. Herbert de Les
seps, Is SAID 10 have gotten away with at least
SzO,OOC,UO0. Contracts were let by the direc-
tors at three times the necessary cost and the
margin divided between themselves and the
contractors. Inspectors of the company in
their daily statements OF the quantity OF earth
removed, reported double and treble the
amount actually eXcavated, and received pay
therefor; while the same cargo of supplies
would be receipted and paid for several times
over. The great town of Paris was built from
the proceeds OF canal bonds, which were given
to VI Eifel on a contract for excayatlng-a
work which he never performed.
Think OF it. The proceeds of three hundred
ana nifty millions OF dollars in bonds the hard
earned savings of the thrifty poor of France.
sunk III this great, useless mud hole. never half
completed, and which is rapidly caving in at
the sides and filling up the cuts already made
The confidence oil the French people has re-
celved too rude a shock TO be ever re stored: but
even If a new company could be formed tomor-
row. with unlimited capital at command. 1t is
doubtful If they could take the gigantic failure
as 1t stands today and bring it to a successful
completion before the American canal across
Nicaragua will be finished.
IN THE WET SEASON.
During the six months wet season the rain
iall hereabouts averages ten feet; and in a
single shower six inches of water frequently
falls; the Chagres river having the uncontrol-
liable range of depth OF from two feet to forty
feet. All along the line of the abandoned cut
ungs are hundreds of mighty dredges and en-
glnes. mostly OF American make; thousands of
cranes and cars and large amount of railway
rolling stock-rusting and siuking deeper and
deeper into the mud. Such of the dredges,
cars, &c, as are not buried in the gravel
washed down upon them by the recent rains.
are Just now being dressed in brand new coats
OF red and black paint-makng ready for the
French commissioners, who are expected here
soon to inspect the work and report to the
/ government as to the ACCESSIBILITY or forming a
new company TO complete the project.
THE DE kTY RATE