St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-05-06
! Strangely Found Pearls /.
BY Charles Adams


4 FTER the failure of Ne. Ferdinand
IN de Lesseps' first grand effort to
excayate the Panama canal, there en-
sued a depressing period when for sew
eral years nothing whatever was done,
and millions of dollars worth OF expen-
siye machinery lay exposed to wind and
weather, and to thieves who carried OH
immense quantities of plunder.
AL length an attempt was made TO
stay these losses. Painters were en-
ployed to coat the excayators. dredges,
cranes, dragues, locomotives and other
machines with waterproof paints, and
guards were sent to patrol the line OF
works.
Among the guards were young
American whose name is given as Ed
raond 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
III the canal trench, near the harDor
nf Panama. a small steam-launch was
nroyided 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
bva, curious. adventure, was to the ruins
of Panama yiejo (Old Panama), SIX OF
eight miles south of the modern city
Old Panama, the city first built by
4be Srsaniards when at the zenith OF
their new world prosperity, was taken
Numbered and burned by the bnccaneel
Morgan Id 1871. For a century 1t hae
been the richest city of the western
hemisphere. containing at one time
fully 10000 inhabitants, and being
called from its position: The Gate 9
the New World. Hither were brougn
the spoils of Peru, by Pizarro, and goit
and silver in vast quantities from In
newly opened mines. A weH-payet
highway connected it with Porto Bello
nn the Atlantic side of the isthmus.
OF Old Panama nothing now remain
except the crumbling walls OF tn
churches and palaces, overgrown o.
vines. in the midst of dense trop1ca
forest. One lofty tower alone rise
above the tree-tops, that OF the Cnurc
of ST. Anastasius.
Steaming in here at high tide, ou
tbraa adyenturers entered bayou,
creek mouth, leading beneath a ston
bridge, the arch of which is still stan'
inp. to a land-locked lagoon which ono
formed the city's haven for small Graf
Here they left the launch, and mr.
crass;np the old stone bridge, yislte
4be church tower. Then they wandere
curiously about the site OF the OLD 10"
The place is now wholly overgroW
with Jungle, and to move about OF
follow the lines of the old streets II
necessary that machetero, or ms
working with machete, should go
advance and literally eleave out pat
Pablo the half-breed fireman OF q
launch. undertook this task, but W
soon covered by garrapatas, OF woo
ticks. While he was clearing hlmss ms
az them, Mike Doohey took up
machete and cut path for several hu
dred yards, over old walls ana vi
grown masonry, when to his great q
comfture he suddenly discovered
large hooded viper clinging to his DO
The reptile had struck its fangs into
leather, but fortunately had not pc
able to bite throughit.
This was too much for the Irishrna
II wish yez JOY of your walk g
tlemen.a said he. "For mesilf, sn
lave We the snakes and the bugs, and
back to the launch and shmoke
pipe!"
He left them abruptly, and Pablo
sumed the machete, all keeping shi
eve out for snakes. They had gone
but few yards when tremendous
from Mike caused them to turn.
ayell, / wonder what next shall be
matter yia de Irishmans!" exclalr
Van Week.
Harris went hastily back %
Mikeio he shouted. What's the q
ter? Where are you? p
At first he got no reply, but neal
strange gurgling, swashlng sound