Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1899-03-25
BY CHARLES ADAMS.

! NNNT ensued depress'
~ ing period, when
for several years nothing whatever was
done, and millions of dollars worth OF
expensive machinery lay exposed to
wind and weather, and to thieves who
carried OIL immense quantities of plum
der.
I At length an attempt was made to
stay these losses. Paintere were en-
! ployed to coat the eXcavators, dredges,
cranes, dragues, locomotives and other
machines WI. waterproof paints. a.a
guar(s We: : a. T., -G..:. tGs Ia u
works.
Among the guards were young
American whose name is given as Ed
mond Harris, Hollander named Van
Week, from Rotterdam, and one
Michael Doohey, an Irishman. Their
business was to care for the marine
dredges in the "Boca, or western end
of the canal trench, near the harbor of
Panama. A small steam-launch was
provided in which they made their
rounds, and on holidays they some
times used this boat for excursions to
other points on the bay. The most in
teresting of these jaunts, and one at
tended by curious adventure, was to
the ruins of Panama Viejo (Old Pan
anal, six or eight miles south of the
modern city.
Old Panama, the city first built by
the Spaniards when Mt the zenith of
their New World prosperity, was
taken, pundered and burned by tho
buccaueer Morgan in 1871. For CEN
fury it had been the richest city of the
Western Hemisphere, containing at
one time fully seventy thousand in
habitants, and being called from its
position, The Gate of the New
World" Hither were brought the
spoils Of Peru, by Pizarro, and gold
and silver in vast quantities from the
newly opened mines. A well-paved
highway connected it with Puerto
Bello, Oh the Atlantic side of the
isthmus.
OF Old Panama nothing now remains
except the crumbling walls of the
churches and palaces, overgrown by
vines, in the midst of dense tropical
forest. One lofty tower alone rises
above the tree-tops, that of the Church
Of st. Amastasius.
Steaming in here at high tide, our
three adventurers entered bayou, or
creek mouth, leading beneath stone
bridge, the arch of which is still stand
ing, to o land-locked lagoon which
once formed the city's haven for small
craft.
Here they left the launch, and first
crossing the old stone bridge, visited
the church-tower. Then they wan
dered curous!y about the site of the
old town. The place is now wholly
overgrown with jungle, and to move
about or to follow the lines of the old
streets it is necessary that a mache-
tero. or man working with machete,
should go in advance and literally
cleave ont path. Pablo, the half
breed fireman of the launch, under
took this task, but was soon covered
by garrapatus, or wood-ticks. While
he was clearing himself of them, Mike
Doohey took up the machete and cut
a path for several hundred yards, over
cid walls aad viae-grovn masonry,
when to his disco II iture e sIddsr.7
discovered large hooded viper cling
ing to his boot. The reptile had stuck
its fangs into the leather, but fortu-
nately had not been able to bite
through it,
This was too much for the Irish
man.
81 wish yez JOY Of your walk, gentle
men," said he. "For mesilf, I shall
lave We the snakes and the bugs, and
go back to the launch and shmoko me
pipe!
He left them abruptly, and Pablo
resumed the machete, all keeping G
sharp eye out for snakes. They had
gone on but few yards when q tre-
mendous yell from Mike caused them
to turn.
"Vell Wonder what next shall be
de matter vid de Irishmans!" exclaimed
Van Week.
Harris went hastily back. Mike!
Mike" he shouted. whats the mat
ter? Where are you?"
At first he got no reply, but heard
a strange gurgling, smashing sound,
as Of water, that seemed to come from
the earth nearby. Then came a
muffled cry of "Help! Help!"
Harris then caught sight of hole
in the thick verdure and vines of the
path over which they had just come,
and approaching, found that Mike
had fallen down the deep shaft of an
old Spanish we'll. With Van Week 3
aid, Harris quickly pulled away the
vines and gained better idea of the
dimensions of the hole. 1t was six or
seven feet across; they had walked
unsuspectingly along the very brink
of it.
us the water deep, Mike? Can you
get foothold, to keep your head out?'
Harris shouted down to him.
Little enough" cried Mike. "Sure
it's deep as the say and cowld as the
gravel
Harris had surveyors tapeline in
his pocket. He threw the reel end
down, holding fast to the other.
"Catch hold Of that" he cried.
easy! Don't break it. 1t will help
you to keep yOur head above water till
we can get line from the launch. +"
He sent Pablo off at run to fetch the
lr".
Some minutes elapsed before it
could be brought, and meantime Mike
had to support as little of his weight
SIS Gossible by the tape which Harris