The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1907-06-19
10 ENJOYS PANAMA
And Says the Isthmus is
Much Maligned.
SENATOR BLACKBURN S LETTER
In Which He Tells of His Sit
uatiOn and Something
of the Country.

senator BlacKDurn mas written from
Ancon, Panama, to Messrs. A. A. and
Daniel NJ. Bowmer, editors of the
Woodford Sun, the following letter,
which appears in the last issue of
the Sun:
"My Dear Boys-I nave been very
pleasantly surprised with the situation
here, especially as to the climate, peo-
pie, and the general aspects of this
country. l know of no place that has
been more slandered and maligned
than the Isthmus. / have no fears
or apprehensions about its healthful
ness. From 10 to o'clock in the
day, the sun is quite hot, but not
more so than in Kentucky during the
dog days. The rest of the twenty
four hours is altogether pleasant, with
breezes equal in comfort to the mid
die Atlantic seaboard resorts. The
physical features of the country, in
stead of being flat and swampy and
unsightly, as / expected to find, ex-
cept along a narrow line of noun
tain range, are generally the con-
trary, equally as attractive as the
mountain scenery along the Blue
Ridge or the Alleghanies.
Under the reorganization of the
Commission, which went into effect
on the first of April, the work has
been segregated, each Commissioner
being assigned an Independent depart
ment. The technical features of the
work, of course, are not within my
jurisdiction, l having charge of the
civil administration of the Govern
ment, and matters of law and diplo-
macy affecting the Canal Zone. find
in my department, so far as have
been able to ascertain in the short
time since my arrival, very compe-
tent, pleasant and satisfactorily corps
of employees. l confidently expect to
find my duties here altogether to
my liking.
1--WE are very comfortably quartered
for the present in the Tivoli Hotel on
Ancon Hill, a suburb of the old
Spanish city of Panama though not
the original and oldest Panama, which
is some eight or ten miles distant on
the Pacific coast, and which was COM
pletely destroyed by the buccaneerMor
gan some 800 years ago, and of which
nothing is now left save an impos-
ing stone tower and some ruins of
its solid and handsome buildings) The
rivoli Hotel is much larger than any
that Louisville has, is a thoroughly
modern structure provided with. all
modern improvements and comforts,
built by the commission and operated
under its authority.
81 have begun the construction of
the Governors residence close to this
hotel on Ancon Hill, Immediately adj
jacent to the Civil Administration
building, which we are just complet-
ing and around which are being clus-
tered the residences and quarters of
all the civil employees who constitute
my office force. The buildings here
are all airy, well ventilated and light
ed and in accordance with the most
approved and modern hygenic meth
DDS.
"As you know, brought my sad
die horse and a single driving horse
with me from Kentucky, and as the
Government furnishes me with Vic
toria carriage and a pair Of decent
bay horses brought from the States
(but not of Kentucky breeding) you
will see that we are very comfortably
situated in this regard.
1.-THE Panamanian officials, from the
President of the Republic down, as
we'll as the people, have been most
cordial in their reception and bearing
toward me.
"Ancon is a suburb of Panama.
The latter has about $4,000 population
and many quaint features that you
would naturally attribute to Span
ish city more than two hundred years
old. Ancon, built on the side Of
mountain, overlooks the city of Pan
ANA, and beyond 1t looks out over
the bay and the Pacific ocean. If 1t
were not for the unalterable estimate
that / place upon my own home and
Kentucky, and which you know so
well, would not find 1t difficult to
gain my own consent to spend the bal
ance Of my life here. but, as you
know, I never allow myself to think