The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1899-04-14
Strangely Found Pearls
BY Charles Adams

~ NC ACSSCpS uISO SIduu c1lOIO ~
excavate the Panama canal, there en-
sued depressing period when for sew
eral years nothing whatever was done,
and millions of dollars worth of expen-
Eve machinery lay exposed to wind and
weather, and to thieves who carried off
Immense quantities of plumber.
At length an attempt was made to
stay these losses. Painters were en-
ployed to coat the excavators, dredges,
cranes, dragues, locomotives and other
machines with waterproof paints, and
guards were sent to patrol the line of
works.
Among the guards were a 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 sometimes
used this boat for excursions to other
points on the bay. The most interest
ing of these jaunts, and one attended
by curious adventure, was to the ruins
of Panama Viejo (Old Panama), six or
eight miles south of the modern city.
Old Panama, the city first built by
the Spaniards when at the zenith of
their new world prosperity, was taken,
plundered and burned by the buccaneer
Morgan in 1871. For a century it had
been the richest city of the western
hemisphere, containing at one time
fully 10000 inhabitants, and being
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 Porto Be1lo,
on 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. Anastasius.
Steaming in here at high tide, our
three adventures entered a bayou, or
creek mouth, leading beneath a stone
bridge, the arch of which is still stand
ing, to a 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 wandered
curiously 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 machetero, or man
working with machete, should go in
advance and literally cleave out path.
Pablo, the half-breed fireman of the
launch, undertook this task, but was
soon covered by garrapatas, or wood
ticks. While he was clearing himself
of them, Mike Doohey took up the
machete and cut a path for several hun
bred yards, over old walls and vine
grown masonry, when to his great dis
comfture he suddenly discovered a
large hooded viper clinging to his boot.
The reptile had struck it's fangs into the
leather, but fortunately had not been
able to bite through it.
This was too much for the Irishman.
II wish yez joy of your walk, gen
tlemen," said he. "For mesilf, I shall
lave We the snakes and the bugs, and go
back to the launch and shmoke me
pipe!"
He left them abruptly, and Pablo re-
sumed the machete, all keeping sharp
eye out for snakes. They had gone on
but few yards when a tremendous yell
from Mike caused them to turn
SWELL, I wonder what next shall be de
matter vid de Irishmans!" exclaimed
Van Week.
Harris went hastily back. "Mike!
Mike!" he shouted. "What's 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 near by. Then came muffled
cry of "Help! Help!"
Harris then caught sight of a 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 well. With Van Weeks aid,
Harris quickly pulled away the vines
and gained a better idea of the dimen-
sions of the hole It was six or seven
feet across; they had walked unsus-
pectingly along the very brink of it.
lis the water deep, Mike? Can you