The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1907-04-26

Gorgona, two miles from Bas Obispo.
H. q. Balm, the latest arrival from
Norfolk ls employed by the commits.
sion as conductor In the excavation
department. Mrs. Balm expects to join
her husband as soon nv quarters can
be secured at Culcbra.
Mr.. Tannohlll Ia postmaster at An.
con, station A." The Office OF which
he IL In charge is In the administration
building In the center OF the city Of
Panama. The Office is largely con.
cernod with department work about
seventy.ilve per cent OF the business
being official. The seventeen canal
zone postolllces are under the direct
supervision OF the canal commission
with Col Tom NJ. Cooke, formerly OF
Lincoln, Nebr., director of posts"
Home with scores of pictures and
news clippings touching on all phases
OF life in the Panama canal zone, Mr..
Tannehill is full of the story OF the
new country whore American instltu-
tions and customs are blending into
the environment of tropical country
"The canal zone is about the size OF
Madison county--it stretches five miles
on either side of the canal. A little
strip Of land half mile wide and
forty-elght miles long contains the
whole sphere OF action. Within this
little strip are sevcnty-ilve big steam
shovcls, busy machine shops. 1900
skilled mechanics, 900 carpenters and
other workmen in proportion. This
gives tremendous amount OF activity.
There are 10000 people in the canal
zone and the two terminal cities OF
Panama and Colon. Panama is city
of $1,000 people, about a thousand OF
whom are American living In Ancon,
addition built adincant to Panama but
In American territory. Colon has
about $1,000 people. It is n cosmo-
pOlitan population that lives In the
little strip Of land that means so much
for Americas ambitions. OF the canal
employees the greater part of the 30
600 laborers are West India blacks.
Five thousand Americans have been
brought to Panama by the commission
as skilled wortmen, clerks and officers
h'l' ~ pIbDdDly over lHOuSdnu
American women and children who
have accompanied their husbands and
| fathers to the southern country.
Dances and parties brighten the
social life. The railroad pass still
| llourishes in the zone country and aids
in increasing social intercourse Bands,
orchestras, baseball are all supported
with American enthusiasm.
Hotels with good meals at reason.
able figures are in all the American
settlements. All employees of the gov
ernment are furnished with quarters
| by the government. Americans live
all along the line Of work, in little
towns of half a dozen families and in
cities where the white population num-
bers many hundred.
The administration building where
our postofiice Is located Is an inter.
esting building" continued Mr. Tan
lnehill, erected some twenty-five years
ago as n hotel it was purchased by the
| French company and has since been
used by both the French and the
Americans as the capitol of the canal
zone. Here the governor has his of
flee and here most of the departments
have their headquarters. A new build
Ing, however, is going up in Ancon and
the Offices will soon be in American
territory. or course both Panama and
Colon were excluded from the canal
zone ceded to the United States by
the Panama government"