Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-03-12

were not more than fifty people In II
when visited 1t the middle OF this
morning, and the rain came down In
streams from the holes IN its roof OF
corrugated iron. The Panama railroad
seems to own the town. Its tracks run
through the main street. and outside of
them at the east of the city II is almost
impossible to go to any place without
travelling over the rusting and rotting
debris OF cars, dredpes and other ma
chimes which were brought here at
cost OF millions and found to be worth
less, or were soon allowed to become
so. There Is n part of the town known
as the French Quarter. This is on
neck of land which was built out to
form brealtwater Mt the eastern
mouth of the canal. The most ex
pensive houses were erected here, the
wood being brought from the United
States. Ferdinand do Lesseps had one
of the houses, which cost, II Is said,
about 100000, and his son another al
most equally expensive. Soon after
landed l hired II carriage of highway
robber in the shape of Il Jamaica coach
man, and drove out to see these houses.
They have never been occupied but for
very short periods and they are now
dilapidated. The road to them Is
through beautiful grove of palms,
and the settlement itself Is about as
near paradise In It's beautiful green as
any place upon this earth. The sea
washes 1t ON either side and q cool
breeze almost always blows.
SOME THINGS ABOUT THE PoPU-
LATION.
The people here are one of the queer
mixtures that you sometimes find on
the outposts of civilization, where for
some reason or other money is to be
made. The wharf at which we landed
made me think of the docks of New
Orleans. Nne-tenths of the people on
IL were mulattoes or negroes, and most
of them spoke English with cockney
accent. The other tenth were Span
inrds. who looked like Creoles. Tho
negroes were from the English island
OF Jamaica. They have come here to
work on the canal. and seem to be
about the only people who can stand
the miasmatic climate. ] found Il lot
of such people at market stand on the
beach and photographed one of them
as she was coming toward me with n
bunch of bananas on her head. Then
there are n lot OF Chinese here. They
run all sorts of stores. act as money
changers and do / am told the largest
part OF the mercantile business Of the
isthmus.
WHERE THE CEMETERIES
THRIVE.
Among the chief business of the 18TH
mus are those which have to do with
the cemeteries and hospitals. ] have
been told here again and again that |
ought to visit the hospitals and the
great cemetery on Monkey Hill. Pana-
ma has fine hospitals and cemeteries,
and all along the line of the railroad
you viii find. am told, populous grave
yards i have never seen a Chinese
cemetery before outside of China, but
the lsthmus has them and the graves
are many. There have been too many
Chinese deaths in fact to allow the bones
being carried hack "A China MANY Of
the Americans who are now employed
on the railroad have been here for
years, and some of them say the eli
mate agrees with them. Nearly every
one | have so far met, however, tells
me he has had siege of yellow fever
and there is little doubt but that the
isthmus has a score of Americans UNI
der ground TO every one who is now
living upon 1t.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.