Omaha daily bee., 1903-04-27
TO DIG The PANAMA CANAL
Lessons 70 Be Learned from the 0alamitOus
Attempt Of the French.
cAUTloNGRY SIGNALS FOR UNITED STATES
Mistakes 10 he Avoided ~ We Would
Prone by NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
to he Met and over
come.

accomplished by the United States, says the
Philadelphia Ledger, many very important
lessons can be learned by this country from
the experiences Of the French during their
temporary invasion OF the isthmus They
failed to complete their undertaking, but
Common sense, II used by their successors
in the work, will greatly simplify the OBJ
stacles to be encountered.
Colon, as the Panama port on the Allan
tic side Of the isthmus Is generally known.
IL really divided into three separate places,
and. though they bear but one postmark,
these three towns are distinct from each
other, not only in various characteristics,
but a decided distance lies between them.
The original old Spanish town OF Colon II
situated midway between Christopher Co
Ion, toward the westward, and Washington
Colon, At the Atlantic end. This latter
named section is devoted entirely to the
buildings and club OF the Panama Railway
company, the little villas OF the ofhcers of
the railroad. and q few pretty consulates.
About a half mile further inward on the
isthmus stands Colon. usually spoken Of as
"Old Town." given UP entirely to the native
population. and utterly deficient in modern
sanitary ambitions or modern cleanliness Of
any description. In many places there are
holes ana excavations where one would
naturally expect to see sidewalks, and
where platforms have been laid. the pc
destriau walks upon elevated rickety struc-
lures, which are apt to terminate abruptly
in a muddy ditch.
U~nsanitAry Conditions.
The almost constant rains turn the bot
toms Of these bitches into veritable seas Of
mud, and the centers OF the blocks and
streets receive every morning the refuse
\ from the balconies and windows Of the
houses. with such conditions predominant
ing, instead Of any attempt at sanitation.
the nightly fogs from the Chagres river and
almost hourly downpours Of rain serve con-
tinually to moisten and disturb the surface
OF a malodorous earth.
Representatives Of far eastern empires.
Chinese and Japanese, together with native
merchants OF Central America, who have
quite q large amour Of trade with small
villages and large plantations on the coast
of Central America, are largely engaged in
carrying on what little business is now left
in the place. To say nothing OF the cli-
mate, which has ever been VIGOROUSLY Am
gerous, It Is a wonder that living is even
possible on account Of the utter neglect Of
all sanitary methods.
Christopher Colon Is the name given TO
the locality formerly occupied by the ON
clals of the old canal company, and, indeed.
suggests at the present time q deserted
village" It is situated at the extreme end
Of the town Of Colon, toward the interior
Of the 1sthmus. and at quite q distance from
the section occupied by the railroad people.
It is radically different In almost every
way from either OF the other portions of
Colon and suggests to the travelled visitor
one Of the villages along the Mediterranean
coast near the border of France and Italy.
One is impressed more while gazing upon
It by It's past traces OF beauty and grandeur
than by it's modern solitude and decay. A
visit to 1t instantly causes the stranger to
exclaim: How magnificent this must have
beeni" Thoughts Of it's pGlmy days are at
once forced forward by the traces Of past
magnincenee which greet one on every side.
A Deserted Town.
Christopher Colon occupies an extensive
park and consists of densely shaded ave-
nues OF tropical trees. on both sides Of
which are the tasteful villas once occupied
by the French officers. Only the solitary
football Of an occasional visitor now breaks
the oppressive silence which relgns in thi.
scene Of former gayety. Gayly plumageG
birds OF many tropical varieties sun them.
selves on the slanting roofs Of the wooden
cottages or. ny ainIessly from the thicl
branches OF the trees to secluded hooks IL
sthe decaying fragments OF verandas and
balconies, Huge tarantulas and varigates
reptiles crawl sluggishly about the nearly
ruined works of man and serpents OF deadl,
kind sun themselves lasily where once IN,
feet OF the Frenchmen trod their gay march
of death. t
II is a scene Of rare desolation, whicl
nature Is rapidly converting back into hel
own dominion. The eternal dampness o
the climate is destroying the ~vistiges O
handiwork. and effectually claiming Thu
spot in the wilderness for It's own. A few
o. the families Of the native population o
Athe isthtnus have moved into some of thu
less pretentious houses. and their group,
of scantily clothed children play in tn,
gardens, once so well kept and pictur
esquely laid out. It Is, indeed, hard fol
one to realize that. in this naturally beauti
full spot. the gayest and maddest Of tn
French nation strove to kill time ant
themselves, while supposed to be at worI
in linking the Atlantic with the Pacific
The ditch they dug proved to be their owl
burial place.
Lessons from n Failure.
From two sources the real lesson laugh
us by the French in their failure to com
plete the Panama canal may be obtained
One source is the tradition OF the few sur
vivors OF old canal days, who still form
very small part OF the community OF Colon
and the other fountain OF is Al
interesting copy Of the poems OF John Gil
bert, who achieved eminenoe and popularit
among the Anglo-Amerieans through hi
powerful lines on scenes and episodes o
canal days. Mr.. Gilbert was for n lon
time one Of the ofhelals OF the Panam
railway, and whiled away many wear
tropical hours in ransacking old isthmia
legends and turning them into verse. II
was compelled by his labors to spend man
years on the scene OF the famous eans
hasco, and his poems often evinee a decide
attack Of homesickness. One OF them, q
Think OF Thee" opens as follows:
The sun has set; the stars are In the sky
The moon shows valleys deep, and mouI
tains high;
And as watch. fun many a form and fsC
Appear and vanish on the azure waste,
I think OF thee.
But the spirit Of homesiokness did not
all ines cause Mr.. Gilbert to emulai
owen Meredith" The majority OF b
verses deal with episodes having to
with old canal days. and mirror the III