The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-03-15
A Trip to the Tropics.

10 the Editor: Looking from
the shils the wharf ut Colon
appears very much like any wharf
at II city in our Southern States. Moth
ing foreign about it, crowds of good ma
tured negroes, Il few white men III lights
suits and straw hats-think Of 1T and
SILVER. for this is January-amd IN the
background Il train of cars, each marked
T.. Il. X. banana Railroad.)
After the usual delay caused by the
pullings and tightening OF ropes, the
placing of the gang-way,and the round of
handshaking with people whom we have
sat opposite at the table and whom we
will probably never meet again, we hut
~ down to the wharf and our heads
feel half dizzy because we feel something
under cur feet which, doesn't shake. y
policeman-half negro, half SpanIard
and thco other half, 50 to speak, Indian
calls for our keys and gives our baggage
Il politely formal examination. The
keys are returned and We pass ON and
enter Il coach, or cab, or whatever YOU
may choose to call it drawn by Il tough
little pony, and away we 80 through
streets ordered by strange trees, behind
VIII h rise funny little bOuses-sOme of
them sadly in need of paint for the salt
air is deStructlve-and at last we reach
tue beach, pass the Washington hotel
and stop before Il house, with two tiers
Of porchcs, over which floats the stars
and stripes and above whose dOor the
American eagle is framed. What a de-
lightful situation. CocOanut palms all a
round us, near by an open square with Il
monument to the memory of -~ASpinwall
and the other American founders Of
Colon. In front of the house the break
crS come rolling. and fOaming. and thun-
doring in to within twenty feet of the
door. This, they say. is the best season
of the year, the dry season-Colon's
summer-and a strong breeze is rush
ing in from the sea and will continue to
do so for the next six months without
interruption day or night. Flowers arc
in bloom wherever they are given Il
chance, but with exception of the buz-
yards there seems to be little bird life.
What a languid feeling is already be
ginning to creep over us. The air is hot.
though the breeze disguises the fact. An
hours stay in Colon begins to rob one
of his energy. 1t is not a place for
hustling. i'll the New York sense Of the
slang term.
Colon, (which is the Spanish word for
Columbus) is a strictly American town
in some ways. Its leading citizens are
Americans and it is owned. body and
soul one might almost say. by the Pan
anna Railroad Company which has its
head office in New York. The land was
partly built by the company and is al
together owned by it. Nearly every per-
son Of consequence in the town is in the
employ of the The negroes all
work for the company. The railroad
company even owns the ships which
bring us here and which. we devoutly
pray, will carry us home again safe and
sound. If we escape the yellow fever, the
cllagreS fever, the tarantulas. the mos
qultes and the other bugbears of this
much malisned Isthmus.
Colon is the Atlantic terminus Of the
Panama Railroad and also of the famous
Or, if YOU prefer, the infamous-Pan-
anna Canal. 1t is situated on the low
island of ManZanillo close. to the main
land. and IS elevated about six feet above
the sea level. The height of the tide here
IS less than q foot and Il half. while at
Panama the difference in the sea level
at hlgn and low tides is over twenty five
feet. Colon has Il population of five or
SIX thousand, mostly Jamaicans-nearly
all of whom are negroes with more or
less white blood.
Next door to where | live is the Eng
lish church, a beautiful stone edifice,
cruciform in shape. The church has
4 peal of bells and Il vested choir. The
rector and most of the congregation are
JamaIcans. though some of the Ameri-
cans are regular attendants. \ prayer
lr used ut each service for the Queen.
the resident of the United States and
the President of Colombia.
Strange, is it not, that though so far
away there is much here to make US
feel 1T home. 1t is indeed difficult 10
realize that VIC are not actually in tho
United States. HE language of the
town is English. My neighbors are from
\ lrginia. Maryland. North Carolina-all
active. high toned young men. Ny spc-
Ga chum is a South Carolinian. In
short, American interests and American
influence give life to the Isthmus.
GEO. ii. MURPHY.