Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-15
S TORIES OF PAN AM A
MANY of the Old Historic Landmarks Yet
Remain.
Still Spanish I'm Character, Although
Immigration Has Been Going on
for n %. Long While.


Panama Core spondence of the Chicago Record.
Panama is one of the Oldest and one of
the quaintest towns in America. Santo Do
mingo city antedates it a few years, but
none of the settlements which the Span
iards founded before it upon terra frma,
as they called the continent, have survived
The original city, known as Panama la
Vega about four miles southwark on the
shore of the bay, was settled in 1919, gained
a population of about 5000 and prospered
1G2 years, when it was entirely destroyed
by Morgan, the buccaneer- According to
the histories Of the time he burned and
blew up 900 houses, in which many people
persisted. 1t was done largely for revenge.
The people had several weeks warning of
his approach-time enough to put all their
money and valuables upon a ship and send
it away, so that the pirates found nothing
but merchandise to reward them for the
tremendous task of crossing the jungle OF
The isthmus.
The present city dates back to 1873 and
during all that time has managed to main
tain It's individuality notwithstanding at
tacks from the Gauls, the Teutons and the
SaXons. and although large part of its
population belongs to those races IL re-
mains pure Spanish to this day. In lS43
the North Americans began to come in, the
argonauts and gold seekers, for it became
the principal station upon the main route
to California. The mercantile element Is
largely Gereman. There has been a consid-
cradle Italian immigration, ana IN 1919 d
food of Frenchmen came, and for ten years
following everybody had money to burn.
Then the bubble burst and after hyster-
zeal period Panama settled down into its
present somnolescence, although much I'M
proved by the invasion. The best ana pig
gest buildings, except the bishops palace
belong to the canal company. Inc gov
ernor has an imposing palace to live in and
some of the rich merchants nave erected
handsome homes. The cathedral is ven
cradle and massive structure, and high
mass on Sundays during the lively days or
the canal was religious pageant equal to
any that can be seen in Paris. The bishop,
the governor and the superintendent of the
canal are the most conspicuous citizens,
and Henry Schuber is the Oldest inhabitant
the last survivor of little colony of pio
neers who settled here in 1S49
Many Of the landmarks or old Panama re-
main-the palaces of the grandees, the wallis
and watch towers overlooking the water,
and the crumbling Notifications which in
the day of their erection were among the
most formidable in the world, and resisted
many an onslaught from revolutionists and
buccaneers. Here and there you find a
vineclad ruin the remains of some building
that has burned or decayed, and other
structures which look 50 decrepit that you
stand by a while to see them fall. All the
houses are built on the Spanish plan, around
patios in which are fountains and Towering
plants. The streets are narrow and paved
with cobblestones, and in most of them the
grass is growing in the crevices. Electric
lights illuminate the principal streets and
plazas, and q curious street car line runs
only after dark, going from the harbor to
the railway station. No cars are running
in the daytime. The explanation of this;
phenomenon Is that the traffic is not sutfi-
Gent to justify separate power house,
the trolley cars get Their electricity from
the company that lights the streets and OPP
crates its dynamos only between dusk and
dawn.
The harbor of Panama ranks with those
of Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, San Francisco
and Naples, and furnishes beautiful pano-
rama of irregular verdant hills, with huge
greenciad mountains in the distance. 1t is
fifty miles across the bay, and scattered
here and there are odd-shaped islands and
gaunt rocks that protIude from the water.
Upon one of these islands Balboa fitted out
his expedition for the conquest of Peru. 1t
will be remembered that the material for
the construction of four brigantines was
cut on the Atlantic side and transported
across the fsthmus by thirty negro slaves
and great number of Indians. who were
imported for the service. They toied like
ants over the mountains with their pom
derous burdens under scorching rays of the
sun. Many persisted because the task was
too great for their strength. On the sum-
NIT of the mountains a resting place was
provided, where the burden bearers re-
freshed themselves and q, renewed their
strength. 1t is difficult to understand this
chapter in history, for the southern side of
the isthmus. and particularly the islands of
might have been taken without difficulty, at
least as easil. as that on the northern
coast.
1t was on one of these Islands, too. that
Francisco Pizarro, Diego Almagro and Fer
dinand de LuQue organized an expedition
few years later, which was more success
1ul De Luque was priest and schoolmas-
ter at Panama, and, unlike most men Of
his trade. was very rich.i Pizarro was a
swineherd in Spain, and, becoming tired of
tendineshogs, enlisted for a soldier and en-
barked with other troops for the first col
ony at Darien, where his holiness and nat
ural ability soon made him a leader AL
magro was founding of similar charac-
teristics and history, but was not so cum
ming bold as Pizarro. In some manner
or another these two adventures persuaded
De Luque to put up the money to fit ont
an expedition for Peru, which Balboa had
attempted some years before. They had
received reports of It's riches through the
Indians from time to time, and were eager
to make the attack.
Perhaps the first news of Peru was gain
ed from a young Indian chief named Com
agre. The early historians say he was ~
young man of lofty and generous spirit
and distinguished above the rest by his s,1
perior intelligence and sagacity" He paya
Balboa and his companion, Colmenares
1000 ounces of gold, which was worth
$4,000, wrought into various ornaments
and as the Spaniards were dividing II thew
quarreled as to the size and value of sew
eral pieces. The high-rninded savage was
disguised at their selfshness and said.
why should you quarrel over such trifies?