The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1903-11-27
PANAMA STATISTICS.

ana llS area 10 oI,D'l square hh''S' W
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
OF commerce are from the reports OF
and Colon, which have just been re-
ceived, and not yet published; those or
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 population of about
twenty-five thousand. 1t 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
dicated, amounts in number to about
100000. Is composed Of various elements
Spanish. Indian, Negro, and lin
tied number of persons from the Eu-
ropean countries and the United States.
especially those engaged in commerce
and transportation and the operation
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 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 a result the English language is
much in use, especially on the Atlantic
side. Some of the native population
have retained their customs, speech.
and physical type, especially those in
the western part of the province, and
claim to be descendants of the natives
found In that section by the Spaniards
when they discovered and conquered
the country.
OF the commerce of Panama, the
United States supplies larger share
than any other country. The importa-
tons at the port Of Colon during the
fiscal year ended June 30, 1903, as
shown by the report of the United
States consul, amounted to $952,6S4, of
| which s6l4,179 was from the United
States, sl1s,0S6 from France, s11S,322
from England, s76,3S6 from Germany
The figures of the fiscal year 1903 show
considerable increase from those of
1902, in which the value of the imports
at Colon We're s776,345. OF the s614,l79
imports from the United States at
Colon in 1908, s2OO,744 was dry goods,
SlS9,SS3 provisions, s59,S9O coal, s3S,642
lumber $4,000 kerosene, $50, 400 liquors
and $3l,9iO hardware. The value of
the importations from the United
States in 1908 exceeded those of 1902
by about 100000 dollars. The exports
to the United States from Colon in
1903 amounted to S17S,37O, of which
$75,432 was bananas, s54,96O cocoanuts,
sl2,472 turtle shells. $4,000 ivory nuts,
S6,46Q hides, and 1924 coffee.
From the port of Panama the exports
to the United States in the fiscal wear
1903 amounted to sl93,S42, of which
$56,76 was hides, s49,974 india rubber,
s27,SO5 cocobolo nuts, sl6,59S ivory nuts,
SlS,3i2 deer skins, and s6,90s 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
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