Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-04-14

other the plantain and the banana
give them constant bread, the Iagoons
furnish fish when they want il. and a
few yellow-legged fowls supply them
with an occasional taste of meat
| Along the route of the railway the
country is accurately surveyed and
cleared of underbrush The region
beyond the horizon is covered with a
dense jungle of grasses, sedges, plan
tains, and trees Characteristic of the
[ lower lands of the Caribbean, and its
only inhabitants are red monkeys.
mosquitoes, birds of various kinds and
fish
Panama had its share of early Span.
ish intrigues and assassinations. In
1913 Balboa first saw the Pacific Ocean
from hill about one hundred miles
south Of the present city. He was a
turbulent character who had more than
once plotted mutiny against mis- chiefs.
He was made governor of the ter
ritories he conquered only &c be de-
beheaded by his SUCCESSOR fate
similar to that of most of the early
conquerOrs. The Spaniards founded
the city in 1919. In 1871 it had eight
mOnasteries, a cathedral, and two
churches, a fine hospital, 200 richly
furnished houses, nearly 5000 of
humber sort, a Genoese chamber OF
commerce and 200 warehouses, and
was, after three weeks Of rapine and
murder, burned Feb. "a, 1871, by Nor
gan's buccaneers who carried off IT'S
laden mules and more than 900 prison
ers." After Morgan's raid the city
was rebuilt on the present site, four
miles lower down the bay than 1t had
been before Some of the ruins of the
old town may still be seen overgrown
with trees and shrubs.
The city of Panama has now pop
ulation of $4,000, but some years ago,
before the French canal bubble hurst,
it was nearer $4,000. The town is
built on a spit of land projecting into
a wide bay. The water of vhe harbor
near the city is very shallow, so that
until recently all steamers had 10
anchor several miles off and send their
freight ashore in lighters. A long
wharf has now been completed at the
end of the canal allowing vessels to
discharge on land direct. The houses
are built chiefly of stone. Many of
them are large and handsome, opening
on central courts. The city is well
laid out with splendid parks, prone.
nades, and squares. The streets are
Of course, but pretty we'll
paved, There are electric lights and
one electric car line which contrast
strangely with the air of antiquity
about the city with its enormous cathe-
dral, its moss-covered Notifications,
hcary seawall and old ruins. More
than one old residential family boasts
as pure Spanish blood as when their i,
direct ancestors helped found the city !
nearly four centuries ago. In the ma
jorlty of the population. however, is I
seen that strange mixture of the four !
colcrs potej at Colol
Panama has no water supply or ,
sewerage system. Though fully $4,000
people live within its bounds. The !
water is brought into the city in bar :
rels, each barrel drawn by mule. The !,
water man fills his barrel at any con. :
venient pool or stream, no matter how
many women have washed their .
clothes in II. There are no sewers in
The city, but some of the streets have
surface drains covered over with fiat
stones. The drains have been put in
without regard to level, and as a re-
suit in many places are constantly
rtoked and give forth a stencil as
poisonous as it is horrible. 1t does =,
lot rain nearly as much at Panama as
At Colon. nor are the days there as hot
rs at the Atlantic port.
Several miles out in the bay are a
group of lovely islands which, until
he pier was built, served as the ter
mini Of the different steamship lines J.
Farther off to the southwest are the
Pearl Islands where pearl oysters are
found yielding about million dol.
lars worth of pearls and shell annual 4
ly.
On the hill back of the city is the
great hospital built by the French for