New-York tribune., 1906-11-25
IN THE BAY OF PANAMA
Pelicans Diving fer Fish Present an Inter-
esting Sight.

| I'm the press dispatches describing the Prssi-
I dents tour OF the isthmus. said q Washington
tourist who has recently returned from . trip
In that region to u Star reporter, mention
was made OF a sail around the Bay OF Panama.
which the President declared TO be one of the
most enjoyable features of his trip
Residents of Northern oliules have little con-
ception OF the tropics. where life IN All Of its
nbases is SO different from our own. and from
nv point OF view I am not enamorsd Of 1t, ex-
cent as something 10 and pass through:
hut the Bay of Panama Is strtkfngiy beautiful.
and The waters of the Pacific take exQuis-
tie deep cerulean tint which Is q revelation 10
the eve OF those who have seen only the hlus or
the Atlantic
I'm the event OF war with this country the
fleets of the enemy would make Panama ono OF
the first objective points for capture and occu-
nation The bay affords a safe and deep An
chorage and is dotted most picturesQuely with
small islands. The land forsihcations could oe
eaSiIv sheIIed and bornbarded. There II con-
siderable OF an elevation back and TO tho south
of the city of Panama, the streets OF which slope
up from the very edge OF the waters or the bay
But II would seem TO me. though am not
military man. that Notifications to be of actual
service against a sea attack would nave 10 be or
the most formidable nature
"As the sanitary conditions OF the isthmus ars
better now than formerly, better time is now
made on the trip from San Francisco TO New
work than i'm past years. On one OF my trips We
had TO lie outside in the bay for several days
ON account of yellow fever. and then were
rect to the steamer at Colon. During this en-
forced quarantine observed with delight
of the features Of the Bay Of Panama and a
sight which is never seen in the North
Large fOcks of peucans make their abodes
ON some of the islands in the bay. The days
are clear and sunny. the sky IS cloudless. the
ocean calm and intensely blue and the trade
winds from the Orient, which blow with almost
a measured steadness all day. seldom kick UP
even SO much white caps. except in the
tarnnestuous seasons. The pelicans which grow
IN enormous size in the tropics hover over the
s,,-ya.e of the water in search OF fish. When
tha wonderfully keen eyes of these monster
hir5e discern a fish. though they usually fly sew
eraI hundred feet from the surface of the ocean.
~ drop and make a dive head foremost with
wings closed tightly 10 their bodies. that mako
tbe din OF death of the diver in circus look like
81 cents
.-Tbav drop through the air with the rapidity
~ a cannon ball. strike the water with q tre-
Yuardous splash. sending the spray flying as is
. real shot from cannon had struck the sur
face and in most Instances IL seemed to US
1hat they secured their prey, for would see
mon, rise in the air with the fish In their huge
hills As is the ease with all large sea birds
boveVer their rise from the water Is as awk-
ward as their dives and subsequent aerial flight
are graceful and their mammoth wings beat the
water into foam in their powerful strokes 10
gain the initial momentum. Sometimes two and
three and more pelicanS would make the
drop and dive almost smuta neOusy and when
they would all land in the water a few yards
from another. probably in a school OF fish the
sight was OF the most remarkable and in
terestins that could be brought to a tourists
eye in - trip around the world. id."-Washlnseoa
Star. ----