The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-11-27
The Half Hearted Advertiser
Will Wonder Why People Ac-
cept His Half Hearted Statements
Without Showing Enthusiasm.
PANAMA STATISTICS.

nearly equal to that of the State of In
diana. These figures are supplied by
the Department of Commerce and La
Dor through its Bureau of Statistics
and are the latest available data on
commerce, population, and area. Those
the United States consuls at Panama
and Colon, which have just been re-
ceived, and not yet published; those of
population are based upon the latest
official estimate. which shows the pop
ulation in 1881, and was based upon
the census of 1871; while the figures of
area are from accepted geographical
authorities and are those of the area
of the Department of Panama" of the
Colombian 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 one thousand vessels, which
land over one million tons of merchan-
disc and nearly 100000 passengers,
chiefly for transfer over the Panama
Railway, forty-seven 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
three thousand persons. The city of
Panama has a population of about
twenty-five thousand. It was founded
in 1919, burned in 1871, and rebuilt in
1873, while Colon is of much more re-
cent date, having been founded in 1855.
= The population, which, as already in
dictated, amounts in number to about
100000, is composed of various elements
Spanish, Indian, Negro, and linn
tied number of persons from the Eu-
ropean countries and the United States,
especially those engaged in commerce
and transportation and the operation
of the Panama Railway. A consider
able number of the population Is COM.
posed of persons brought to the 18TH
mus as laborers for the construction
of the canal, and of their descendants.
Since the abolition of slavery in Jamai-
ca a considerable number of blacks
and mulattoes have settled on the 18TH
mus as small dealers and farmers, and
in some villages on the Atlantic side
they are said to be in the majority.
and as result the English language is
much in use. especially on the Atlantic
side. Some of the native population
have retained their customs, speefh.
and physical type, especially those in
the western part of the province. and
claim to be descendants of the natives
when they discovered and conquered
the country.
OF the commerce of Panama, the
United States supplies larger share
than any other country. The importa-
tions at the port of Colon during the
fiscal year ended June 3d. 1908, as
shown by the report of the United
States consul, amounted to $952,6S4, of
which $614,179 was from the United
States, $119,0S6 from France, s11S,322
from England, 1886 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 s614,179
imports from the United States at
Colon in 1903, s2O0,744 was dry goods,
S1S9,333 provisions, s59,S9O coal, s3S, 642
lumber, $500 kerosene, $50, 400 liquors.
and $31, $40 hardware. The value of
the importations from the United
States in 1903 exceeded those of 1902
by about s160,OOO dollars. The exports
to the United States from Colon in
1908 amounted to $173,370, of which
SIS, 432 was bananas. $4,000 cocoanuts,
s12,472 turtle shells, s9,4oo ivory nuts.
Sc, $50 hides, and s5,924 coffee.
From the port of Panama the exports
to the United States in the fiscal wear
1903 amounted to s19S,S42, of which
500, 767 was hides, s4s,974 india rubber,
$27, sos cocobolo nuts, $i6,59S ivory nuts,
s1S,372 deer skins, and s6,9OS coffee.
The consul at Panama states that the
imported articles come mostly from
England, Germany, France, Italy, and
the United States, but gives no statis-
tics of the imports.
Panama is connected with San Fran
cisco by weekly steamer schedule OPP
Grated by the Pacific Mail Steamship
Company, and with Valparaiso by a
weekly steamer schedule operated by
the Pacific Steam Navigation Com
pany and South American Steamship
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
i