The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-27
BIRMINGHAM MAN WRITES OF CANAL Tells of First Impressions On
 the lsthmus EVIDENCES OF UNCLE SAM Says It Is Great Trip and Well Worth Making Simply For the Ex-
 perience To Be
 Gained.
EVIDENCES OF UNCLE SAM
To the Editor of The Age-Herald


 the dock in New York until if anchors at Colon, the general topic of conver- sation on board is the "Isthmus' and the Canal and to one who is making the trip for the first time a rather con fused idea of Panama and the zone is conveyed by descriptions of the grea { work which is occupying so much of uncle Sams labor and money and which promises to be more importan nt to the commerce of the goth century than the Suez canal was to that of the century recently closed.
 There is a continuous tide of travel between New York and Panama, and every steamer carries a number of of neials and, employees of the canal. The dissatisfied ones grumble about the cod dltions that exist in the zone while the more optimistic are loud in their praises of the wonderful progress that is being made.
 To one who has never been on the isthmus before, the first impression upon landing is that the place is full of newly built houses, which look very American in construction and very com fortable for life in the tropics. with their broad verandas enclosed in mos- quito wire and so thoroughly ventilated that the occupant is bound to get the benefit of any breeze that may be stir ring. At Colon where the steamer an- chors there are several spacious ana handsome looking houses, one especial ly which was built for De Lesseps, at tracing general admiration.
 The statue of Columbus. which rep- resents the discoverer holding by the hand little Indian girl. stands in the principal square of Colon It was pre- scented by the Empress Eugenie of France in honor of De Lesseps great enterprise
 The streets of Colon are well paved but there are no sidewalks in the whole of Colon. The names of the streets are particularly suggestive of the predom- mating influence of the United States and Roosevelt avenue" Broad street :" Fifth avenue" indicate the chief thor oughfares
 The trip across the isthmus from Co., Ion to Panama-or as the patriotic Americans who think only of the canal zone would say, From Christobal to Ancon"-these being the towns at each end of the zone--is made by train in about three hours. During the journey one gets a splendid view of the coun- try and an excellent idea of the work which has been accomplished on the canal as well as that which remains to be done. The "Culebra cut tthe downfall of the French company about which we hear so much is progressif1e. 2. IS fast as dredge and shovel can dig through that immense mountain. All the way across ones ears are deafene by the noise of engines backing and shunting about with tn cir train loa Is of sand that are taken from the moltn- tain and carried to fill up a hollow or marshy piece of ground elsewhere. This part of the work was the most interesting that you could notice i.l your trip across The steam sh ovel with it's almost human proclivities fill- ing up car after car with loose dirt and then to see them unload IT or Is of these cars elsewhere in the marvel ous short time of seven or eight minutes; the average rate of unloading being a car in trifie less than one half of minute.
 
 stops at various towns in and out of the zone (the canal zone extends for five miles on each side of the bed of the car'.,) it is easy to tell which are the American built houses and which belong to the original Spanish Ameri- can residents. The former are all new, spick and span in appearance, all have broad verandas for each floor, even when they are three and four stories I, iybf al of ha1 ra Nua al encased in wire netting that not a mosquito0 can penetrate.
 Among the people who throng the stations as the train stops are the in- evitable denizen of the tropic as we'll as several of the south ern states. the lazy, shiftless negro summing himself Tn the grass, except when the eyes of the boss are on him. And in addition you will always find some American boys, and their conversation Is gen. orally about the states and their par ticular home towns, showing that their life on the isthmus Is merely an epi- sode-or necessary evil-and that their hearts and hopes are fixed on returning to the United States some day.
 Nothing could be more different than the appearance of Panama, the Spanish . American capital of the isth milan re- Dubl1c, as cOInpdreu Wlth AhSoii' tho chief city of the canal zone. Panama is an old and a very interesting span ish town. with it's imposing cathedral. it's beautiful plaza" and it's old world 8 spect; while Ancon is like suburban resort, a sea side town Tor sumner residents, with great spacious houses like those of Colon and Christobal, though generally larger and more at tractively located, Ancon being built on a hill that overlooks the city ani bay of Panama, and enjoys a delightful breeze all the year round. Ancon hos pital is only one of many public build | ings that reflect credit on the human | ;tatian features of Uncle Sam's gov l ernment.
 Of course people on the isthmus dc l not rush about as they do at home they find the strenuous life" won; work and the soon learn the precepts 1 of that Spanish motto, Never do to- ! day what you can possibly put off until | tomorrow." But at that 1t Is only 1 necessary to see the place to realize | that work is being done and lots 'oi 1 # If is not confined to the cana l either. with it's 50,000 employees, but is 1 seen on the docks at La Boca the l Pacific landing place) to which 40Ot I workmen are carried by train every 1 morning. These docks are said to be l the best in South American.
 1 If is a great trip to the isthmus-- only six days from New York and wei worth making it If only for the ex- l perience. T. J. GLE H,,nSD as ! Guayaquil. Ecuador, Feb. ], lsos. ---.-.s.----------- Mrs. Knox in Montgomery.