The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-11-14
1HMUS STATISTICS
! geographical and Commercial
Facts About Panama.
HAS TWO GREAT PORTS
Tremendous hmountof Freight
IravefSeS the Land.

Washington, Nov. 13.-The commerce OF
Panama amounts to about three million
dollars per annunl. its population to about
three huni d thousand and its area to
Si.sn square mile. or nearly equal to that
of the state of Indiana. These figures
are supplied by the department Of COM
merce and labor through its bureau OF
statistics, and are the latest available
data on commerce. population and area.
Those of commerce are from the reports
OF the United States consuls al Panama
and Colon which have just been received
and not Yet published: those of popula-
ton are based upon the latest official
estimate. which shows the population in
1881, and was based upon the census Of
1eai, while the figures Of area ere those
OF the area Of the department of Pam
anna of the Colombian republic. The
principal ports are Panama, on the Pa
cific coast. and Colon, on the Atlantic
side. and these ports a-e visited q rnUa4Iy
by more than one thousand vessels,
which land over one million tons of NOR
chandise and nearly one hlD1red U.ou-
sano passengers, chiefly for tra.isfer over
the Panama railway, forty-seven Diies
in length, connecting the Pacific port Of
banana with the Atlantic port of Colon.
- Colon, OF Aspinwall. as it is sometimes
called, has a population OF about three
thousand persons. ne city of Panama
has population of about twenty-five
thousand. 1t was founded in 1919. burned
In 1871 ard rebuilt IN 1919, while Colon
Is OF much more recent date, having been
founced in ---y.
population, which, as already indi-
Gated, amounts IN number to about thzee
hundred thousand, is composed of various
elenents-Spanish, negro, Indian and
limited number Of persons from the
European countries and the United
States. especially those engaged in COM
merce and transportation and the opera
ton of the Panama railway. = consid~
cradle MURDER of thu population is COM
posed Of persons brought TO the isthInus
rs laborers for the construction OF tho
canal and OF their descendants Since
the abolition of slavery IN Jamaica, a
considerable number OF blacks and mulat-
toes have settled on the isthmus as small
dealers and farmers and in some vii
lagos d the Atlantic 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 II
the native population have retained their
customs, speech and physical type, es-
peciaily those in the western part OF
the province. and claim 10 be deccendunts
Of the natives found in that section by
the spaniards when they discovered anu
conquered the country.
CI the commerce Of Panama, the United 1
States supplies d larger share than any |
other country The inpOr tGtions at the /
port Of Colon during the fiscal year ended /
June 80. 1903. shown by tn. report OF
the United States consul. amounted to .
se52. es4, of which s614.I79 was from TIE
United States $llo.0Ss from France, Slls.-
IN England S56.3S6 from Germany. /
The figures Of the fiscal year 1873 show
considerable increase from those of 1892. |
In whic.. the value Of imports at Colon |
were S776,345 OF the $6l4179 imports |
from the United States at Colon in 1903, |
I'D, IA was dry goods S1S9.33S provisions, |
: SIS. 800 coal S2S,642 lumber ss2.so5 kero- /
sene. $50, 400 liquors. and 81 SO hardware. |
The value of the importatlons from the /
United States in 1903 exceeded those of 1872 |
by about one hundred and sixty thou |
sand dollars. The exports to the United /
States from Colon in 1866 amounted 20 |
sl73.370. OF which SO. 432 was bananas, /
s5A.s50 cccoanuts, Sl2,472 turtle shells, I
so.4oO ivory nuts. S6.459 hides, and 1884 /
coffee.
From port of Panama the exports 80 |
the United States in the fiscal tear 1903 /
amounted To Sl93.3s2. OF Viii Sc, 81 was /
hides. ,994 India rubber, $z7Sl5 cOcobolo /
nuts. s16.59S ivory nus. $l3,312 dee SIX ms, /
and s690s coffee. The consul Mt Panama /
states that the imported ar'ioles come /
mostly from England Germany. France, /
Italy. ard the United S,a es, bat gives /
no statistics of the imports.
Panama is connected with San Francis /
co by q weekly stclmer schedule By The /
Pacific Mail Steamship company, and /
with Valparaiso b. a weekly ste@mer /
schedule opera ed by the Pacific s cam
ship company. Two passenger and TWO I
freight trains leave Panama dali f. .
Colon and Colon daily Tor Panama. The ,
time for passenger trGi1s over tha 81 1
miles of railway is three hours
From Panama there IS one cable line .
north TO American ports. and one 10 The /
south. The actual time consumer in com /
munscating with the United States ana /
receiving an answer is stated by the con /
sui TO be usually about four hours |
There also cable lines from Colon 10 the I
United States and Europe.
The money Of the country IS silver, the /
rate of exchange having averaged during 1
the past year about $50 per cent.