The Saint Paul globe., 1902-02-09

the bridge. Her pay is the security of
her possession and the right to tax the
native, for all foreigners pass without
toll.
Like the ribs of a fan come the steam
snip lines across the Atlantic to Colon on
the north side of the isthmus The trade
they bring crosses to the Pacific. then
divides and flows north and south, fol-
loving closely the coast line Some
reaches as far north as San Francisco,
more as far south as Valparaiso In re-
turn comes back the bullion, hard woods
co1tee, rubber and other native products.
ana @ they in turn go out on the ribs of
the ian to all parts of the world.
The long roll and rough water Of ..e
Car1bbean sea makes Colon always n
peasant sight to the weary voyager The
lana promises safe footing, the hills
are green, the whtte-roofed, wide-gaI-
IeTled houses suggest peace, stability.
perhaps comfort, but most assuredIv a
WeIco1ne change for the sea sometimes
become mOnotonOus and uninterestino
and does not hesitate to indulge in .-.e
MOOD, a privilege only accorded to things
ahd persons already great beyond ro-21..
Inc people turn out upon the dock tn
greet the incoming vessel Manv nc
groes few natives. a sprinkling of white
men Tnere is always an amusl az
SreSalN N~-ess about white man who
I@ves @ IN Colon. His manner seems to saw.
YES L I've here. and like i. Wouldn't +
AedVe mere for me world At's a tino
place That is only his companv man
her, however, for when you Know him
Wen and the time is favorable for CON
huehces he viii talk with large oaths
ABOUT the place, and weep over his exile
from all that makes life worth living. He
VIII tel you OF his best friend who went
V~n1r LOOT
friend who went the year before. He
VIII speak with reminiscent fondness or
the trip he maue to the states two wears
De1ore ana his face will brighten u with
hcpe as he speaks of the trip he will
make next year if he does not Ego with
the fever before that time. Whv does
ne stay A shrug Of the shoulders
Qulen sabe? Somebody has to stay. 1
suppose. Might as we'll be me. Wouidn,t
pe worth a cuss anywhere else, ANYHOW ,,
Colon is miserable place. At one time
II was quite presentabIe, but nra
destroyed its one business block ana as
the Panama Railroad company d., NOT
need 1t in its business 1t has not haen re-
puIlt' The town is not drained. has NO
SANITARY provision, no drinking water tit
TO use alIu traveller cannot get q decent
meal lof any price. 1t is not to be had
from Colon starts the railroad which
crosses the isthmus to the town of Pana-
ma on the Pacific side. All the businees
OF Colon is railroad business. Any claims
II may have to decency, good gov -rnnent
or civilization are due to the rather eff
AecllVe ana modern American manage
menC OF the Panama railroad There is
quite colony of railroad empIoves neo-S
~ all Americans, and the trave.e. VINO is
fortunate enough to penetrate the con-
hnes OF this colony will find them a hos
p4taL-e LOT of people who mako the hec+
OF bad situation and really eucceed in
hVlng IN comparative comfort A few
ch lhefn nave successfully fought off the
IeVer Tor many years others have -
more or less nearly all the time ana
others can only stand it by yearly t,in
10 the United States to get rid of +ba
malaria which seems to imnreppo+o
everybody and everything. Manv bave
IaIlen IN this wearisome and uneuuaI hat
tie, and Monkey Hill, the town cemeter,,
Is seIuom many days without an addition
TO its silent colony, the intervals hetweoa
the coming depending upon the seasons
Ihe real story of Colon lies in the mast
hrst Wnen the railroad was BUILDING fort.
years ago and then again in the eighties
When the Frenchmen We're spending +ho
money of the canal company with nrodi0
gal hand. Today the town of Colon is
dirty and uninteresting. The stranger
expressed his disgust The old raSido,.+ =
to add, "Ah, but you should have been
here in Sc. Then it was a fine nlaca
Money flowed like water, men died Iike
flies" etc. Colon lives in the past with
its few old timers. The newcomers live
in the hopes of the future Outside of
the railroad interest it is merely the
point of departure for Panama. and
he who departs is generally well satisfied
to do so.
Residents Of the isthmus are prone to
boast Of the fact that to them alone OF
all the people on the two American CON
tinents the sun rises in the Pacific and
sets in the Atlantic. This is almost l;t-
orally true during the season OF. the wear
when the sun is farthest south. The
Panama railroad line in going from
Colon 10 Panama extends to the south
or little east Of south This fact as
sisted BY the curves Of the isthnus bs
fore It joins the continents on either
eide, really does bring the sun nm IN
the morning over Pacific waters and n
sefs above the shore line Of the Carih-
bean Bea.
The railroad Is about fortv-sever
miles long, the distance on air line be-