Durango semi-weekly herald., 1906-06-04
yINYARD'S
LETTER
R. l. vINyARD WRITES THE HER.
AID a LONG AND INTERESTING
LETTER FROM THE CANAL
ZONE.
christobal. Canal Zone, May is.

1t is Sunday evening In Christobal.
One of the fellows out on the veranda
In pajamas and straw slippers Is in
dulging In a jig. In the next room
Beimar is writing letter and his
roommates are asking him II it's to
herr" Someone responds, ."oh, yes.
for him and everybody grins. =,
yes" is quite the latest thing in slang
down nere and comes from the mig
gers. The boss gives niger an or
der and If he understands he says
'Oh, yes, boss" and obeys or not. as
the case may be. "Oh, yes" they
say to everything. II Jamaica mig
ger quarrels with one from Barba-
does they commence in this manner;
Look here, niggers, Use from Jam
aica--Oh. yes, ! is"
"Oh, yes. you is, is you. Use from
Barbadoes. Oh, yes" and 80 on.
These southern niggers don't fight
as much as they quarrel.
The whites have taken up the 'Oh,
yes and when new man comes
down, If, after being introduced he
ventures to remark. I'm from Mis-
souri," some one will Immediately
butt In with "On. yes; well, I'm from
Kansas" and then everybody will
smile to the newcomers discontinue.
sat out on the porch this evening
and watched the waves breaking on
the shore Across the street there
stretches row of lordly cocoanut
palms. which, with their slender
straight trunks. bisect the view with
series of straight. parallel lines that
divide 1t into set OF panoramic
views, after the manner In which a
line of music is divided in bars. Be
yond the palms there is II narrow
strip of green, then the rougbened
about as the French threw them into
the bay to make this strip OF land.
Against them the sea beats constant
ly.
The blue waters of the bay inshore
run to meet great stretch of alb
sinthe green; the green joins fairy
sky of pink and gold and saffron.
Derelict clouds OF mother OF pearl
swing low above the sparkling wa
ters, starting from nowhere and go
ing nowhere, but drifting beautifully
like giant soap bubbles of light and
color. The cocoanut palms reach
their shaggy heads far up into the
sunshine, and as the sea breeze stirs
their fronds, they All the hot air
with whispers and murmurings like
the fluttering OF many fans.
But even as looked the sun sank
below the horizon. the pink and gold
and saffron sky faded to delicate tints
Of gray and lilac. and then the night
came. Nature smiled today on Chris
tobal
Come with me for a walk under the
lordly palms. We will go right up
TO the head of the street where Colon
ends and Christobal begins, and we
will inspect the place thoroughly.
BY way of explanation let me first
say that the term "canal zone used
often here means that strip of land,
bordering the actual canal route, over
which the United States has purchas-
ed and now holds full sway. it is
American territory to all intents and
purposes, and is governed by Amer
lea. The cities OF Panama on the
Pacific side and Colon here on the
Atlantic side are not in the zone. al
though they border 1t. This fact
though published broadcast seems not
always thoroughly understood.
The electric lights with their vari-
colored globes are burning on all the
yerandas and on our ears falls the
pleasant sound of gay voices in
laughter and song. From some oi
the houses there comes on the breeze
the tinkle of a mandolin, or the loud.
er notes of the piano.
At the head of the street an timer
ant preacher has just set up MS tent
and is running an opposition TO the
merry-go-round which attracts Il gatt
dy crowd Just across the line In Col
on. His voice alone not being strong
enough to drown out the hurdy-gurdy
OF the merrygo-round ne brings out
z small organ or melodeon, teaches
those he has attracted to two verses
of hymn which seems to contain a
thousand. The merry-go-round's mu
sic is put to shame by the loud shout
ing of two score voices.
| mention this incident, for it Ii
one that is typical of the contrast be
tween Christobal and Colon. between
the territory governed by Americs
and that ruled over by Panama. On
the one side OF the road are open
spaces filled with baked mud on the
other is comparative cleanliness. To
wards the east Is mechanical toy
with its customary following of noisy
boys and dirty women; by the sea
shore are the preachers tent and His
orderly hearers. And not stones
throw away are the bungalows OF the
Americans. and the quietness and or.
der which we usually associate with
contentment and peace.
Turning our backs upon the preach
er and leaving him TO the enjoyment
of his victory we will saunter about