The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-03-13
Panama One of the Most
Expensive Places in !.
World to Live.
CONSTRUCTION OF PIPE LINE
CREATES GREAT INTEREST
HOW NATIVES AMusE THEM
sELvEs-HleH PRIcEs.PREvAIL
EvERYWHERE-THE WASHER
WOMAN.

The following letter from Colon
Panama, written by Francis ]. Nor
ton, appeared in a recent issue OF
The Jacksonville Metropolis:
Cristobal, Canal Zone, March 8
1907.-Panama to-day is one of the
most expensive places in the world to
live in. Rents are higher than in any
part of the United States. 1t seems
mystery how the poor manage to
survive the prevailing high prices OF
foodstuffs and rentals, between the
landloard trust and the beef trust his
existence indeed is somewhat pre-
carious one. The high price of timber
has it's influences in keeping up the
price of house rent, second and third
class Florida pine selling at SIS gold
per thousand feet and carpenters
wages at IS cents an hour or about
$3.50 per month 1t will be readily
seen that building is an expensive
luxury.
/ learn through the press reports
that Jacksonville property owners are
kicking about the high prices of lum-
Der, with material twice the price in
other places, the prospects in Jack
sonville for buying material at a lower
price in the future is a poor one.
Big Things.
Big things down here pass unnoticed
by the press of the States. The con-
struction of sixinch oil pipe line
across the isthmus of Panama, con-
Meeting the Atlantic and the Pacific
oceans for the first time in the worlds
history, by the Union Oil Company of
California, has been watched by more
Americans than any single piece of
work on the isthmus, excluding the
Culebra cut and the Gatun dam. The
union for centuries has been the dream
and hope of some of the best engi.
neers in the world.
| Wonder of the World.
| The Panama canal is the greatest
engineering work any government,
firm or individual has ever under.
taken. 1t is also true that as a test
of engineering skill and a task of
physical and mental labor nothing
equaling it can be pointed out in the
history of the world.
/ For over two years l have been
actively engaged in the isthmus. Its
stupenduous greatness is increased
rather than diminished upon close in
spection, week after week, by those
on the ground where the work is in
progress.
l took trip out in the country this
Sunday afternoon and attended a coun-
try festival where some of the fairest
and sweetest country maidens were
dancing in their bare feet thrust into
sandals II in the whirl of the waltz
the fair damsel (Cindenella-like) hap
pens to cast shoe, she dances on
with one foot bare until she comes
near the lost shoe, when she picks it
up with an enhancing twist of the
ankle without stopping the dance.
Speaking of feet, those of the Pana.
manians are well formed The women
have high insteps and slender ankles.
and as rule feel no delicacy in show
ing them in public, as but few stock
ings are worn. 1 venture to say that
more stockings are worn in one block
In Jacksonville than are used in the
whole Panamanian republic outside
OF the canal zone. / do not mean to
say that these people are savage or
uncivilized; in fact, they are remark
ably clean and orderly, and most of
them receive Catholic education.
Near the festival visited a Catholic
Sunday school and l saw about one
hundred little children being instruct
ed by a German Catholic priest, while
outside was hitched about a dozen
ROSTERS ready for the weekly cock
fight Cock fighting is the popular
sport here.
A Tropical Home.
The home is run ON the principle of
having as much air as possible. Car
pets and rugs are unknown: tables
and chairs are made of light bamboo:
The floors are polished with cocoa un-
til they become as slippery as good
dancing floor. A bah m the tropics
requires no preparations, just clear the
floor and start the dance.
High Finance.
Across from the festival hall I saw
a group of Cholo Indians dancing be-
Meath cocoanut tree. I offered them
% cents each if they would climb I'D
the tree and let me take their pic
lures The agility with which they
moved up the slippery trunk for over
eighty feet would have made the most
expert monkey envious- l got the
photographs. and one of the Indians
slid down again bringing with him
a cocoanut, which he rendered me
free, with machete TO break II open.
i went to pay him. but found l had
no smaller change than dollar. He
said he would get it changed at a
nearby hut, and shortly he emerged.
bringing with him a foolish smile. He
said the lady In the hut keeps de
whole dollor. sur for the cocoanut.
How is that Mr.. Editor, for high a.