The Penn's Grove record., 1905-07-21
THE tfffGfiT FfsoM PANAMA.
The Humorous Sights Seen by
Former PENIS Grove Man.

Former PENIS Grove Man.
Culebra, Canal Zone, Jnly 2, 1905.
l will have to write a few lines to let
my friends know that | am still above
ground. Just at present the rainy season
is at its height and the yellow fever is in
full swing. In consequence there is an
other disease, the so-called cold feet-in
plain English scared-and wooden socks,
felt boots and heavy blankets are in great
demand, bnt more so are tickets for home,
sweet home. 1t is funny how consider
ate most of them are about the folks at
home, not for their w safety, Oh no
But some have grandparents, others have
a mother-in-law and still others have
their furniture in storage and have to get
them out. When you go to Colon, the
shipping point for the States, you would
think it was a free excursion, the way
they pile on the boat. The Canal com
mission should send a couple bales o.
wooden socks and foot warmers down
mere TO Keep Them warm.
Everybody is leaving except the bed
bugs and feas. They are Jul best room
mates and stick to us till we get up at
night and shake them out Of the blanket.
Mosquitoes are not so bad, least ways, not
in my room, for / have a bald headed
room mate and the mosquitoes think it is
a light and linger lovingly around. He
is a very nice gentleman and doesn't
swear loud, but strong and sweet. | be-
lieve he could beat Rolan Carey, hands
down.
We are in need OF a constable, and |
wish Dick Shannon would come down
here. l would certainly like to see him
straddling one of those little ponys on a
good rough mountain trail, or big Bill
Dolbow. He would have no trouble to
mount or dismount. He could simply
walk ON or off.
Everything is convenient here. If you
want your toe nails trimmed just stick
your feet from under your blanket at
night and those big cockroaches will eat
them off nice and smooth. If you want
a haircut lay down somewhere and the
goats will eat it off so close you would
think Mr.. Yeager had been at work with
his best clippers. Somebody ought to
try and induce the English brothers to
come down here as doctors. All a man
has to know is how to cut meat as they
cut all the stiffs up. 1t makes a man
feel comfortable when he sees them cut
up someone and he doesn't know who
will be next. l have a very good chance
to see it as l work close by the Hospital
and they cut them up underneath, as it
stands IN high posts.
The yellow fever is quite bad just low
In spite of being the healthiest place
Culebra has one or two cases every day
and it is quiet common to see two
stretchers at one time going to the sta
ton with sick men for the Ancon Hospi-
tai. And to fill the measure good and
full the bubonic plague has broken out
at La Boca, the shipping point at Pana-
ma. Between yellow fever, blackwater,
chagres fever, a man doesn't know5when
he will need a wooden overcoat. The
white man alone gets planted in a
dough box. The negro gets carried out
in one and dumped in his last hole and
the box comes back ready for the next.
The chagres fever has its name from
the river with that name, and when a
man gets that he'll shake like a wet dog
in a cold night. When a man has that
fever they take him and tie him to an
orange tree and he shakes the oranges
down, whether he will or not. So you
see it is good for something ever if the
man dies ON it.
All the manual work is done here by
jamaican negros and they are the LATEST
bunch known. The fastest move they
do is when they pick up a plank and
there happens to be a little snake under
it. Then they skeedadle and dig out as
fast as they can. That little snake is
called the corall snake. 1t is the most
poisonous and most beautiful snake
known. 1t grows not over Is inches
long and has rings half inch wide alter
mating in the deepest black and brightest
red. 1t is too small to bite except on toes
or fingers, and as the blacks go mostly
bare footed they are in danger, as there
is no help and the victim dies il 8 to 5
minutes.
Otherways there are no dangerous ami
mails here with the exception of a re-
porter OF the Associated Press with the
name of Frank G. Carpenter. He came
down here on a our of inspection. His
inspection took in a whole lot of rum
punch, a free ride on the train to Guile
bra, more III punch and a glowing des-
cription of the clerks and official quar-
tiers, but he never said beans about the
quarters and treatment of the mechanics.
Why did he not let us know he was here.
We would have given him some rum
punch and plain facts, but l do not think
he wanted them to know us so bad as it
would have ruined his chance for anoth-
er free ride and more rum punches.
Alter the rainy season and fever scare
is over l would not want a better place.
| have no cold feet, use no wollen socks,
but new shoes once in a while and they
cost SIS gold.
With my best wishes to all
GUSTAV T~RACHLER, Carpenter.