Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-03-26

mat or all the foreigners, Americans
stand the climate best. English next
theh French. and then Italians
ACROSS THE IsTHMus BY RAIL
ROAD.
:, Ihe ride across the isthmus is a de-
ilghtful one. The country after van
pass me few miles Of lowland on tho
Atlantic side rises into many 1ynndnd
hills. and the distant views make Vol,
thlnk OF the forest covered rolling lands
OF the United States rather than OF the
tropics There are few palm trees.
though you now and then pass "A
puhahh plantation. You go by Villages
OF matched huts and the buildings of
the canal people are everywhere 10 he
seen. Tho road runs very smoothly
ana the track is well kept II is a five
FOOT gauge equipped with lgnum vitae
YES and ilfty-six pound rails. These
YES are about the only ones, except
IRON, which will withstand the attncl,
OF the wood-eating ants which arc
round here They are from trees so
small that "a tree seldom furnishes more
than on" Tie. ana the wood Is so hard
mat spikes cannot be driven into II.
Holes have to be- bored for every holt.
and this extra work makes the ties cx-
pensiNe. Each one costs about $3.50 in
silver, Tn" telegraph poles are Of iron.
All of the rolling stock comes from the
United States. Tho superintendent
private observation car. in which wn
rode, was made in Wilmington and
some of the locomotives came from
Philadelphia. Tho frst-class cars have
wicker seats lil" those of some Of our
smoking cars. The socond-class are
built like long street cars. with the
seats running lengthwise under the
windows. rode for some time secend
class to SEQ the people. Half of the
passengers We're Jamaica negroes one
third was made up Of Chinese and the
rest were natives COlomhlnns. The
Chinese were the best dressed OF tho
lot. and the nentest As the American
conductor came in | asked him as to
ms health, and was told that he had
been travelling over the road for seven
years and had not been sick day.
THE WAGES OF THE RAILROAD
MEN.
All wages Of Americans are paid in
gold. and those Of the common labor
ers in silver. Engineers get sl57 n
month, conductors sl4S month and
telegraph operators from s75 to 800
The brakemen are natives, and they
receive sl.15 a day In silver. Common
lahorers get from 30 to 20 cents day.
and most of those who work on the
tracks are Jamaica negroes. They put
In ten hours day beginning at a. m.
and working until IL. Most of them
VI ilb liitli lllsl meal OF tOUee ana
bread to the track and eat 1t there.
At eleven they stop for breakfast.
which is usually made up of rice and
bit of dried meat, and at go To work
again and work until c, when they go
home for dinner.
AN AMERICAN POET ON THE
IsTHMuS.
Most of the Americans here are we'll
educated men, and many Of them have
Travelled all over North and South
America. Some have literary ability,
and ] have been much Interested In II
little volume of poems by an American
named Gilbert. Here is one which will
he appreciated by any man who has
spent much time in the tropics. 1t de-
scribes the isthmus and might be en-
titled
THE LAND OF PERPETUAL.
THIRST.
Where the longitude's mean and the
latitude's low,
Where the hot winds OF suner perpet-
uaiIy bolw,
Where the mercury chokes the Their
mometer's throat
And the dust is as thick as the hair
on goat;
Where ones mouth Is dry as mummy
accurst.
There lleth the land OF perpetual
thirst.
The following is more glowing by far
Continued on page eleven.)