The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1906-09-01
AMERICAN CONSULATE AT COLON.
Improvements in Quarters and the Service
Effected by Consul James
c. Kellogg.

Improvements III quarters and the Service
Effected by Consul James
c. Kellogg.
III the issue Of The Chief dated July
q, 1906, appeared one of the interest
| ing and valuable letters from our
| Canal Zone correspondent, j.. NJ.
| Tighe, which have attracted wide
spread notice and much favorable com
ment, and a portion of the particular
| letter referred to gave a graphic and
faithful description of the American
consulate at Colon as it was and IS,
| showing contrast that is extremely
| creditable to the present consul, Dr.
James Q. Kellogg OF New Orleans
Owing to q greater demand than we
can supply for copies Of the issue in
which Mr.. Tighe's communication APP
peared, we are glad to reproduce the
account therein given of the condition
and appearance of the Colon consulate
before and after DR.. Kellogg's advent:
THE original American and foreign
portion Of Colon, on the outer beach,
has kept pace with the onward march
of impro Here are located the
various steamship Offices and agencies,
the consulates of the United States and
Europe, the prettiest residences and
the best hotel on the Isthmus. 10 the
adjunct Of this hotel in a building
known as the "Garfield,o which is
occupied by the employees of the 18TH
milan Canal Commission and Panama
Railroad, is located the American
consulate. A year ago had occasion
to visit this office, and what a dis
graceful plae4 II was-more like rub
bish room lh4n anything else. I can
understand why visiting Americans
gave it wide berth, and why some
referred to it as a disgrace to the con-
su1ar service. The Office consisted OF
one large room divided into three
small rooms, and was crowded with
old boxes, empty mail sacks and I'M
claimed letters; record books and pa
pers were lying around in great disor-
der; the furniture was old and some
OF it literally falling to pieces; the few
good articles of furniture, through
neglect, were sadly in need of repairs;
the typewriter sat at window, and
from appearances had never been COW
ered-a terrible mass Of rust and dirt:
an old, battered map of the United
States was the only adornment on the
walls, which were dirty and longing
for paint; the floors were dirty and
needed serubbing badly; the coat Of
arms above the entrance of the Office
might have been mistaken for an old
Anheuser-Busch beer sign, and Old
Glory that hoated above the consulate
might have been judged relic Of the
civil war.
IA change OF consuls in September
last brought radical changes in the
consulate. The new consul began the
work OF renovation in October and
continued it for six months. As me-
chanics were scarce, one man had to
do the entire work. The interior of
the Office was made as new, furniture
repaired, record books arranged, rub
bish carted away and the place cleaned
from top to bottom. Several new
pieces of modern Office furniture adorn
the Office. Ia the place formerly oc-
cupied by the large battered map there
now hangs life-size portrait of our
chief executive encased in an artistic |
gilt frame. On each side of this and |
atconvenient distances about the walls
are smaller but equally artistic por-
traits of the secretaries of state and |
war, OF Lincoln, Washington and |
other notable men of our nation. The !
other decorations OF the office are very |
tasty, and new ten-foot flag floats /
proudly in the breeze, guiding DIS
tressed Americans TO Uncle Sans
protecting arm. Today the American
consulate is the cleanest and most up
to-date Office IN Colon and compares
faVorabiy with any In the service; it is
a revelation to the citizens here, and
the statement OF two influential Ameri-
cans that during the twenty years of
their residence in Colon the consulate
has never looked so we'll appointed,
is no exaggeration. 1t neutrality-suspicious.
great credit upon the consul, who in
spite Of many handicaps and annoy
anees such as exist in these countries,
has persistently kept on in the work of
the consulate. The con-
sui himself, as I am informed, is
wrapped up in his work,
giving very little, If any, OF his time
20 society. He is TO be found at the
office at most any time and always
ready for business
Low Round Trip Rates via Iron
Mountain Route.