Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-03

other streams. The Chepo. for instance, IS
about 100 miles, and the Chagres 102 miles
long. The latter Is navigable for small
boats for sixty miles. and the former for
125 miles. The Sambu. which empties into
the Gulf of San Miguel, Is navisable for
about 90 miles, ard there are smaller rivers
which enable products to be carried out
to the sea.
The only lake in Panama is the famed
Chiriqui Ii COON, which is rather an arm
of the sea- than c lake. The coasts abound
in is,ets There are $50 on the Atlantic
side and more than Loco On the Pacific,
having altogether an area less than
that OF Rhode Island Among the Pacific
islands are several at the mouth OF the
canal. which by our treaty with Panama,
have become the property of the United
States.
Money Ia Pearls.
One of the chief industries among the
islands are the pearl fisheries, which are
worked by Panamans under concessions
from the government, yielding several hun
dred thousand dollars every year Pearls
are found off both coasts. one of the chief
fishing grounds being the Pearl Islands, an
archipelago about forty miles away from
heye in Panama bay. Pearls are also found
in1 Chiriqui and Veragua, but nowhere is
the fishing scientifically carried on. and
am told that the product might be
greatly increased. At the Pearl Islands
the work is done by divers, no dredging
being allowed. The most of the pearls
found are small, but nov and then one is
discovered worth from 5000 to 5000
They are valued according 10 their weight,
purity, brilliancy and shape, the pear
shaped being the most valuable. This In
dustry could be doubled or trebled if prop
erly worked At present some fishing is
done by machine pumps, yearly tax of
$500 being levied ON each diving pump.
About thirty such pumps are now working
A Land of Gold.
There Is no doubc but that the isthmus
contains precious metals. 1t was not far
from the Gulf of Dsrden that Balboa was
buying gold of the Indians when one of
them knocked the scales from his hands,
s,.y ing chat il the white cared for
such STUFF he could show him a land over
the mountains where gold was so cheap
that the common people ate and drank out
OF vessels made from it The Indian re-
ferred to the mines of Peru, which after
ward made Spain rich.
There are today mines about the
Gulf OF Darien One Is being exploited by
an English syndicate under the name of
the Darien Gold Mining Company Limited
j is now working Thousand Jamaican
negroes, and producing in the neighborhood
sf a million dollars worth of gold year
IN 1903 more than 100000 was taken out
of It's mines, and Pablo Ptnel the man
ager, tells me that the mines are now more
profitable than ever.
Gold Is also found IN the Veragua and
Cocle districts and nearly every river on
the isthmuS shows more less color. I
have heard of a negro who loafs about
Colon the greater part of his time with
out any visible means of support When
he gets hard up he takes a trip off into
the mountains, washes gold from the
streams and brings back about $500 or
more after a few weeks work. So far no
one knows just whore his placer mines are.
Mahogany and Rubber.
The forests of Panama are especially rich
having many valuable woods, Including ma
bogany. A Grand Rapids company has
been shipping mahogany from here to Eu-
rope and the United States, but I under
stand it has recently sold It's concession and
its timber lands are now being exploited by
OILERS. This company had an option on
81. 600 acres of forests. lying on a river
about twenty-five miles from Panama. The
trees were so located that the logs could be
ncated down to The Pacific ocean, and
thence carried to the docks at La Boca,
whence they were shipped across the
Isthmus on the Panama railroad. The trees
made logs from twenty to forty inches in
diameter. and were of such quality that
they commanded from SO to $1Go thou
fand feet 1t is estimated that there were
about ninety million feet in that conces-
sion Two of the chief owners have been
here during my stay, but one of them mar
roSyly escaped death by yellow fever, and 1t
ms y be. that this has Influenced him In SELL
ins: the property
The whole isthmus has all sorts of hard
woods, end. in addition. trees which pro-
du.,e rubber for expert. Rubber plantations