Evening star., 1901-08-30
PAN A MA AND COLON
THE CANAL, LITTLE SOLDIERS, BAY
AND OTHER FEATURES.
Vivid Pen-Picture of the Place Where
International Interest is
Now Centered.

on each side of the continent speeding to-
ward the isthmian connection of the two
great bodies of the mainland of the new
world I reminded of the appearance of
this troubled strip of earth as 1 saw 1t On
trip made not long ago." said Adelbert
Foster of New York. at the Arlington, to
Star reporter this morning.
Panama bay vies with the Bay Of Rio
Janeiro for natural beauty and mainland
scenic charms. 1t is not entirely land
locked. but there are several small Islands
which form a semi-circular chain across
the mouth Of the harbor, which renders 1t
perfectly safe. Only those who have seen
the blue Pacific can appreciate the differ
ence between that great salt lake and the
Atlantic, troubled, boisterous and danger
Gus. The Pacific is like an immense placid
lake Of cerulean blue. calm and serene In
summer, and the old city of Panama lies
at its very feet, the rollers from the heavy
swell on the ocean foaming against the
solid masonry walls Of the fortress and
the stone abutments of the streets which
lead down to the waters edge.
Eager to See the "Ditch."
1.-The Pacific Mail steamers lie out about
a mile from the city, and passengers are
transferred In large rowboats, not unlike
lifeboats, pulled by natives. We were all
eager to see the ditch in which so many
millions Of francs Of French gold had been
buried, together with untold bodies of Eu-
ropeanS and Jamaican negroes, who had
succumbed to chagres fever and climatic
influences. In Panama an American real
ICES what a gold standard really means,
for the yellow metal Is at all times at a
high premium, during revolutions extrava-
gantly so. A $50 American gold piece fur
nished me with so much heavy Colombian
silver that 1 was at loss to find place
to carry it. so l spent It for cigars, curios-
tiles and sightseeing to get rid Of 1t.
Being a New Yorker / was at once struck
by two things-the small. understood po-
licemen, who appeared to be on about
every block of the citys narrow. hillside
streets. and the dfminutive Colombian sol
diers. A big Washington policeman would
from the heat in thin clothes, though 1t
was cool at night, native soldiers, in heavy
fatigue uniforms, gun. bayonet and all,
marched up and down in the hot sun in
front of the government building. 1 Won
dered how the little fellows stood It, They
are brave. however, and over 10000 Co
lombianS. regulars and insurgents, nave
been killed in the almost perpetual revolu-
ton which has prevailed in the republic
during the past twenty years. 1 also OBJ
served the few Americans there, mostly
employed by the steamship and railroad
companies, and l concluded that the
United States was good enough for me.
The Long FurrOw In the Ground.
THE train follows the course of the canal
nearly across the entire isthmus. When we
went over work was at a standstill.' 1t
was a heartbreaking sight to pass through
the abandoned towns which marked the
milestones from ocean to ocean. for we
Knew that the small houses which clus-
tered along the line even to the bricks OF
their foundations; the overturned trains OF
cars, the miles and miles Of tracks upon
which the dredging cars had been operated.
the great dredgers with their ghost-like
arms. the derricks. the engines, the tons
and tons of railroad and other material
piled up at the little stations, were all i'm
ported from other lands and at a frightful
cost Of effort and money.
1T was scene of desolation and waste.
The canal cut for miles out of Panama
was like a great, wide. sinuous furrow
plowed up in the land. The thick, luxuri-
ant tropical underground of bushes, vines
and trees had already begun to oblterate
that which men had sought so determin-
edly to make. To my mind, the ditch itself
was somewhat disappointing as it was not
so wide nor so deep as I had expected to
see it. The impression conveyed was that
it seemed an almost superhuman task had
been undertaken. There was no water in
1t on the Panama side, but at about seven
or eight miles from Colon the canal proper
was encountered, narrow, turbid stream
in which we saw more dredgers and scores
OF small. black steamboats, OF that pattern
peculiar to the French design. all rotting
at their moorings. 1t was this end of the
canal that had been built mainly by Ameri-
can contractors. which accounts in all prob
ability why 1t was so far toward compile
tion The feasibility of the completion of
the canal Is a matter Of opinion. as is
the deSirability Of one isthmian route over
the other, but the picture Of waste and loss
can never be effaced from my mind
The Cause of Revolutions.
Nov that the present revolution in CO.
lombia and the difficulties with the sur
rounding republics has reached an acute
sta fDvolyipp parbo nc fpfnrp f,,oo
tions. the views of a Colombian gentleman
with whom made the trip across the 18TH
mus will prove Of interest. 1 asked him
why it was that the Central and South
American countries seemed to be perpet-
ually In a state of revolt. will give you
his words as nearly as I can recollect
them:
ga revolution here he said. does not
mean the same to us as a revolt against
the organized government would mean in
the United States, as In the case of the
civil war in your country. You may change
your government as to It's rulers as you
desire by your ballots. We have not the
same general intelligence here as with you
though we are republics with the right of
franchise. You may overthrow the admin
istration In power with ease and without
bloodshed. We may accomplish this result
usually only by what you call ''revolu-
ton" If the revolutionists triumph, they
become the party In power. The result Is
power until by it's exactions 1t in turn be-
comes the object Of overthrow on the rart
of the opposition, and thus the wheel re-
wolves with it's attending wars. Were the
elections conducted are yours; If the
people possessed the same degree of intelli-
gence as to their rights and their reaceable
enforcement, revolutions would not occur.
We are different race, fixed In the belief
that by the force of arms alone may we
gain our rights as we see them and this is
the great main reason why the so-called
revolutionists have such a strong following
among the people. and are able to muster
SO many men In the field against the gov
ernment. If they succeed, they become the
government.
II found the people very friendly to
Americans. and many told me that IL we
had been behind the building of 'he canal
water would have flowed In the ditch from
the Atlantic to the Pacific. and I have no
doubt 1t would"
READY FOR TRIAL RACES.