New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-14
FACTS ABOUT PANAMA.
Population, Commerce, Etc, Sho5cn
by Consular Reports.
tFRox The TRIBUNE BUREAU. ]


Washington. Nov. 13.-That Panama has a
population of 100000 persons and commerce
aggregating 100000 annually may prove a
surprise. but these figures the result Of the
latest compilation of the Bureau Of Statistics,
which adds that the area of the new republic
amounts to 31,571 square miles, approximately
that of the state of Indiana.
The figures on Panama commerce are from
the reports of United States consuls at Panama
and Colon, which have just been received. and
not yet published; those of population are based
on the latest official estimate while the fig
of area are from accepted geographical
authorities and are those of the area of the De
partment of Panama" of the Colombian Repub
lie The principal ports are Panama. the Pa
cfc Coast and Colon the Atlantic side, and
these ports visited annually by more than one
thousand vessels, which land over million
tons of merchandise and nearly 100000 pas
sengers 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 Aspinwau. as il is sometimes called,
has a population of about 5000 persons. The
city of Panama has a population of about 25.
COO. It was founded in 1919. burned IN 1911,
and rebuilt in 1913 while Colon is Of much more
recent date, having been founded in 1855.
The population, which, as already indica ted.
amounts in number TO about 100000. is COM
posed of various acknowledgement, Indian ne
gro. and a limited number of persons from the
European countries and the United States,
pecially those engaged in commerce and trans
portation and the operation of the Panama
Railway. 4 considerab BILE number of the pop
ulation is composed of persons brought to the
isthmus as laborers for the construction of the
canal and of their descendants. Since the alb
clifton of slavery in Jamaica a considerable
number of blacks and mulattoes have settled on
the isthmus small dealers and farmers. and
in some villages the Atlantic side they are
said to he in the ma jority. and result the
English language is much in use, especially on
the Atlantic side. Some Of the native popula-
ton have retained their customs, speech and
physical type notably those in the western part
! of the province, and claim to be descendants Of
the natives found in that region by the Span
iards when they discovered and conquered the
country
OF the commerce of Panama, the United States
supplies larger share than any other country
/ The inportations at the port OF Colon for the
! fiscal year ended June so. 1908. as shown by
/ the report of the United States consul. amounted
/ to 1882 6S4. of which S6141I9 was from the
/ United States, $119,0S6 from France, S11s.32-
from England, S76.3S6 from Germany The hg-
ures of the fiscal year 1903 show a considerable
/ increase from those of 1902, in which the vaue
I OF the imports at Colon were - Io,0to. VI tAe
1914 10 imports from the United States at Colon
/ i'm 1858 500 IA was drygOOds, SlS93,3 pro-
! visions S59S9O coal. S3S642 lumber S5Z'9OO
J kerosene $50 400 liquors. and S31,94O hardware:
/ The value of the importatiOns from the Unted
States in 1903 exceeded those of 1917 by about
/ S16OOOO The exports to the United States
! from Colon in 1903 amounted to sl'3,3iO, OF
which S75 1872 was bananas, S54,96O cocoanuts,
/ S124I2 turtle shells 5000 ivory nuts, S6.f6O
! hides. and 1924 coffee.
From the port of Panama the exports TO the
United States i'm the fiscal year 1893 amounted
/ to S193 342 OF which S56,I was hides S49.9' t
! india rubber. S2T,S05 cocobolo nuts Sl6.J9o ivory
nuts S133I2 deeTskins, and S69OS coffee Ihe
| consul at Panama states that the imported ar
/ ticles come mostly from England Germany.
/ France Italy and the United states. nut gives
/ no statistics of the imports.
! Panamn is connected with San Francisco oy
n weekly steamer schedule operated by the Pa
/ cifc Mail Steamship Company and with Wall
/ paraiso by a weekly steamer schedule operated
/ nv the Pacific Steam Navigation Company ana
! South American steamship Company. Two pas
! seneer 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 ore cable lire north 10
/ American ports and enc to the south The act
/ nal time consumed in communicating with the
| United states and receiving answer is stated
/ bv the counsel TO he usually about four hours.
I There are also cable lines from Colon 10 the
/ United States and Europe
The money of the country is silver. the rate
/ Of exchange having averaged during the past
/ year about $50 per cent