Evening star., 1902-02-01


enough to penetrate the confines of this
colony will find them a hospitable lot of
people who make the best of a bad situa-
tion and really succeed in living in compar-
alive comfort.
Residents of the isthmus are prone to
boast of the fact that to them alone of all
the people on the two American continents
the sun rises in the Pacific and sets in the
Atlantic. This is almost literally true
during the season of the year when the
sun is farthest south. The Panama rail-
road line in going from Colon to Panam;,
extends to the south or little east OF
south. This fact, assisted by the curve OF
the isthmus before it joins the continents
on either side, really does bring the sun up
in the morning over Pacific waters and 1t
sets above the shore line of the Caribbean
sea.
The railroad is about forty-seven miles
long. the distance on air line being abou-
thirty-five miles. The rails follow the low
ground and reach the divide by very easy
grades. Naturally the projected Panama
canal has practically paralleled the railroad
in seeking for the lowest level. The rail-
road itself is well equipped with modern
American rolling stock and is above staa-
dard gauge, the width between the rails
being five feet. AS in all SpaniSh-Speaking
countries. there is first and second-class
fare, with coaches to correspond. The first
class coach is the ordinary American day
coach. and the second-claSs is similar, eX-
cept that the seats consist of benches along
the sides of the car. The fare across the
forty-seven miles Is 81 in gold and 3 ceEts
a pound for all baggage. In the pal,ry
days of the isthmus the fare used to be
$2o in gold. By the terms of the railroad
concessions. no one, not even the govern
ment, can build even wagon road across
the fsthmus, SO he who must cross must
ride on train or else walk the ties.
Inc consequence of this arrangement Is
tnat there is no wagon road across and
few walk. On each side of the track is a
well-worn bride path, along. which the
train frequently meets cayalcades of the
small native horses used as saddle and pack
such traffic is seldom through 1t is only
carried on between local points on the road
Mouth of the Panama Canal.
Just as the train leaves Colon it passes to
the left Of the mouth of the Panama canal.
The quick-growing tropical vegetation has
covered the earthwork and the banks of the
canal, so that it now looks like a sluggish
river, centuries DID, emptying into the Bay
of Limon, on the shore of which stands the
of Colon. The point at the mouth of the
canal is called Christobal Colon, and it is
here that Count de Lesseps built for him.
self and his friends the houses which cost
the company millions of dollars, where the
real value was in thousands and which to-
day are abandoned to the bats and insects
which swarm in the forests of the isthmus.
The first stop the train makes is at Mon
key Hill, the famous cemetery where were
buried the bodies of those who died during
the construction of the railroad and later the
canal. Nature shows freakish mood here
for while she struck men down with cruel
mallgnlty she as gracefully and quickly re-
nioVed all traces of her handiwork.
Near the Canal.
Leaving Monkey Hill the train winds
through the hills, following generally the
valley of the Chagres river s.llen, mud
which at iS
but when filed with torrentiaf waters be-
comes a raging flood. The banks of the
river are heavily shaded with impenetrable
jungle of all shades Of green and variety of
leaf and flower. Birds of bright plumage
and harsh cries fly from the trees as the
train approaches. In the forty-seven miles
to Panama there are thirty-three stops or
stations, and it takes about three hours
to make the trip. The stations are general
ly a store or two, a few native huts and
perhaps group of the frame buildings
oWne dby the canal company.
The railroad is seldom more than few
yards from the line of the canal. and for
distance of sixteen miles from Colon, with
the help of the Chagres river, it may be
said to present quite a navigable appear
ance. The water is full of sharks and al
llgators, and near every settlement the na-
tive laundry is in operation along it's
banks. The women stand in the water up
to their knees and wash the clothes in the
running stream. These washerwomen sell
dom have more than skirt on and the
train often surprises a group at their la
bors where everything in the line of cloth
ing has been temporarily discarded.
The Culebre Cut.
At Empire, thirty-four miles from Colon
and thirteen miles from Panama the train
enters the range of hills through which the
great Culebre cut of the Panama canal is
being made, and no tourist has ever
uith ha;p
with the enormous amount of dirt which
has actually been moved and the still
greater amount yet to be removed before
the bottom of the cut is near enough to
the level of the sea for canal purposes. An
impressive feature of every side track and
railroad yard is the endless amount of ma
chinery standing idle. left there by the
ten years ago. Trains of locomotives,
miles of dump cars, rows of sheds, under
which lie acres of engines, hoists and ev-
erything else conceivable with which dirt
can be moved. Nearly all of it looks for
eign TO American eyes and unfortunately
much of it has been rendered obsolete by
later inventions.
The traveller is brought to real izing sense
of something besides blue hills. however,
as the train nears the town, for the railroad
enters Panama through the most squalid
section of that large and picturesque city
The squalor might be endured for the in
slant necessary, nut the odorS which ac-
company 1t can never be forgotten. They
are energetic, all-pervading and indescrib-
ably vicious and insanitary.
1t would be hard to find any linguistic
fault with the hotel, for in the office is an
Italian clerk, in the dining room Spanish
walters. the bin of fare is written In French
and what nationality the cooks are cannot
be told by their products. These resemble
more the monstrosities and mistakes which
are sent forth from the kitchen of the last
class in some parts Of the west In the
United States.
The City of Panama.
Panama is large, irregular and
rather well built city. After the nj