Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-11-27
PANAMA ABOUT SIZE
OF STATE OF INDIANA

q | Of SfANlAh INDIANS,
AND A LIMITED NUMBER OF EURO
PEANs AND AMERICANS.
The commerce of Panama amount
to about So, 100000 dollars per annum
Its population to about 300, 900 and it
area to 81, ,571 square miles, or nearly
equal to that of the State of Indiana
These figures are supplied by the de-
Epartment of commerce and labor
through its bureau of statistics, arc
are the latest available data on com
merce, population and area. Those
of commerce are from the reports OF
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
IauthOrities and are those of the area of
the department of Panama" of the
COLOMBIAN republic. The principal
lports are Panama, on the Pacific coast,
and Colon, on the Atlantic side, and
these ports are visited annually by
more than l 1000 vessels, which land over
; ZOO, 900 tons of merchandise and near
ly 100000 passengers, chiefly for trans
fer over the Panama railway, forty
seven miles in length, connecting the
Pacific port of Panama with the At
lantic port of Colon.
| Colon, or Aspinwall as it is sometimes
called, has population of about 5000
persons. The city of Panama has a
population of about $4,000. 1t was
founded in 1919, burned in 1871 and re.
built in 1873, while Colon is of much
more recent date, having been founded
] In 1856.
The population, which, as already
indicated, amounts in numbers to
about 100000, is composed of various
elements-Spanish, Indian, negro, and
limited number of persons from the
European countries and the United
States, especially those engaged in
commerce and transportation aud the
operation of the Panama railway. A
considerable number of the population
is composed of persons brought to the
Isthmus as laborers for the construc
ton of the canal, and of their descend
ants. Since the abolition of slavery in
Jamaica a considerable number of
black and mulattoes have settled on
the lsthmus as small dealers and farm
ers, and in some villages on the At
lantic 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 GUS
toms, speech and physical type. espe
cially 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 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 80, 1908, as
shown by the report of the United
States consul, amounted to 1852, 6S4, of
which $614179 was from the United
States. $l19, ,086 from France, $11S, 322
from England, $76, 1856 from Germany
The figures of the fiscal year 1903 show
a considerable increase from those of
1902, in which the value of the import
at Colon were $776.345. Of fthe $6l4, ,179
imports from the United States az
Colon in 1908, 5000. 744 was dry goods,
$lS9,333 provisions, $50, 800 coal, $3S,
642 lumber, $4,000 kerosene, $50, 400
liquors, and S31 $40 hardware. The
value of the importations from the
United States in 1908 exceeded those
of 1902 by about 100 thousand dollars
The exports to the United States from
Colon in 1908 amounted to $l73,370, of
which $75,432 was bananas, $54, 800
cocoanuts, $12,472 turtle shells, SO, 400
ivory nuts, $6,46O hides. and $5,924
coffee
From the port of Panama the exports
to the United States in the fiscal year |
1908 amounted to $l93.242, of which |
$56, 7O7 was hides, $49, ,974 india rubber,
$27,S05 cocobolo nuts, $16, sos ivory
nuts, $l3,372 deerskins. and $6,9OS
coffee. The consul at Panama states
that the imported articles came mostly |
from England, Germany, France, Italy
and the United States, but gives no
statistics of the imports.
Panama is connected with San Fran
cisco by a weekly steamer schedule |
operated 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 in |
communicating with the United States |
and receiving an answer is stated by |
the consul to be usually about four
hours. There are also cable lines from |
Colon to 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.