The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1903-11-19
TRADE OF PANAMA.
Some Statistics About the New Republic
of Which Uncle Sam Is Godfather

to about So, 900, 600 per annum, it's pop.
ulation to about 100000, and it's area
to 81, 81 square miles, or nearly equa!
to that of the state of Indiana. These
figures are supplied by the department
of commerce and labor through its
bureau of statistics, and are the latest
available data on commerce, popula.
ton and area. Those of commerce
are from the reports of the United
States consuls at Panama and Colon
which have just been received, and not
yet published; those of population are
based upon the latest official estimate
which shows the population in 1881,
and was based upon the census Of
1871: while the figures of area are
from accepted geographical authori-
ties and are those of the area Of the
department of Panama. of the Col
ombian republic. The principal ports
are Panama, on the Pacific coast,
and Colon, on the Atlantic side, and
these ports are visited annually by
more than 1000 vessels, which land
over 100000 tons of merchandise and
nearly 1000 passengers, chiefly for
transfer over the Panama Railway,
forty miles in length, connecting
the Pacific port of Panama with the
Atlantic port of Colon.
Colon, or Aspinwall, as it is some
times called, has a population of
about 5000 persons. The city of Pan
anna has a population of about rs, 900.
It was founded in 1919, burned in 1871
and rebuilt in 1878, while Colon is of
much more recent date, having been
founded in 1885,
The population, which, as already
indicated, amounts in number to about
100000, is composed of various ele-
ments-Spanish, Indian, Negro, and
limited number of persons from the
European countries and the United
States, especially those engaged in
commerce and transportation and the
operation of the Panama railway. A
considerable number of the population
is composed of persons brought to the
Isthmus as labOrers for the construc-
ton of the canal, and of their descend
ants. Since the abolition of slavery
in Jamaica a considerable number of
blacks and mulattoes have settled on
the lsthmus as small dealers and farm
ers, and in some villages on the At
lantic side they are said to be in the
majority, and as a result the English
language is much in use, especially on
the Atlantic side. Some of the native
population have retained their Gus
toms, speech, and physical type, es-
pecially those in the western part of
the province, and claim to be descend
ants of the natives found in that Sec
ton by wthe Spaniards hen they dis
covered and conquered the country.
OF the commerce of Panama, the
United States supplies larger share
than any other country. The impor-
tations at the port of Colon during
the fiscal year ended June 30, 1908, as
shown by the report of the United
States consul, amounted to 1852, 6S4,
of which S614, 179 was from the United
States, $ll9, 06S from France, S1l8, 1922
from England, S76, 1868 from Germany.
The figures of the fiscal year 1903
show a considerable increase from
those of 1902, in which the value of
the imports at Colon were $776,345 Of
the 1914, 179 imports from the United
States at Colon in 1908, 5000, IA was
dry goods, $3.50, 1888 provisions, $685.
$50 coal, $36, 642 lumber. $32 800 kero-
sene, $50, 400 liquors, and $31, $40 hard
ware. The value of the importations
from the United States in 1908 exceed
ed those of the 1902 by about $3.50, 900.
The exports to the United States from
Colon in 1903 amounted to Sl73,37O,
of which $75, 1872 as bananas, $54, $50
cOcOanuts, $l2,47 turtle shells, SO, 400
ivory nuts, $6, 400 hides, and SIS, 924
coffee.
Panama is connected with San Fran
cisco by a weekly steamer schedule
operated by the Pacific Mail Steam
boat company, and with Valparaiso
by a weekly steamer schedule operated
by the Pacific Steam Navigation COM
pany and South American Steamboat
company. Two passenger and two
freight trains leave Panama daily for
Colon and Colon daily for Panama.
The time for passenger trains over the
forty-seven miles of railway is three
hours.
From Panama there is one cable line
north to American ports, and one to
the south. The actual time consumed
in communicating with the United
States and receiving an answer is
stated by the consul to be usually
about four hours. There are also
cable lines from Colon to the United
States and Europe.