The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-03-07
A Chanute Resident Returns
From the Tropics.
One of His Experiences Was Two
EARTHQUAKES in One Night.
VISITED BANANA FARM
Little Children Play i'm Streets
of Colon Naked.
Government Bakery Where S.
900 LOaves Are Baked Daily.

Chanute Kan, March 7.-Dr. Matt
Heller has just returned from Panama.
He tells some interesting things about
the country. He says:
THE climate there now is the middle
of the dry season The ground is crack
ed and there is dust in the streets.
Vegetables and fruits are In season.
II was in Bocas del Toro up the coast
14o miles. and experienced two earth
quakes in one night The first shock
came at 10 o'clock. I had just>sone to
bed.
while at Booas del Toro I went up
the Shanguinola river forty miles to
the fruit company's farms These fruit
farms are 10000 acres in extent, devoted
to yellow bananas exclusively, cutting
out all red bananas.
Banana plants are set out In a hole
in the ground No attempt is made at
blowing. Just keep the weeds cut down
and this is done by native or Jamaica
negroes with a machette. After the
banana plant grows about fifteen or
twenty feet high the banana stalk bears
fruit.
''I landed in Colon and the United
States quarantine doctors came aboard
and everyone had to bare his arm to
show his vaccination scar. IF you
couldn't do it you got one put on you
I0Sn. started out IN colon TO zee
what I could see. The first thing was
that one side of the Panama railroad is
the old town. or Colon Qt used to be
Aspinwan) The other side is the new
town. or Christobal being United States
territory.
1.-THE most of the 1900 population
live in the second and third stories Of
the business buildings Every building
has a store on the ground floor and
nine-tenths of all the stores are owned
and run by Chinese. Among the hum
dreds of small stores in the city I don't
believe there are si1 that do not have
in one corner small counter where
they sell all kinds of drinks from
whisky to soda.
Some of the little children are scan
tily clothed, some wear shoes only, and
q number of times I have seen a crowd
of five or ten children playing in the
streets with no clothing on at all, wear
ing nothing but a smile.
when you cross the Panama rail-
road you get into the United States.
The houses are all new, the population
American, and all the streets and the
lawns are kept clean and In order. This
is In Christobal
1.-THE United States government has
offices and a hotel here, and living
quarters for married ana single men.
"There is not a store in Christobal
and no shop of any kind, excepting
You can't spend a cent in Chrfstobal
The canal commission has a commits
sary department where, if you are an
empioye, you can take your coupon
book and get anything you want to eat
drink or wear, and they will deduct
from your next months pay,
'srhe cold storage plant Is a large
department They keep all kinds OF
vegetables and meats there. The fresh
meat Is frozen in the United States
brought down In rafrigerators. and
placed IN refrfgsrators frozen hard
cav dozens of large cans of milk from
the United States that were frozen solid
the only way they can keep it.
Tho canal commission bakery bakes
bread and pastry for the whole Zone
but not for outsfd ars. The day weni
through the bakery they had Just fin
ished baking IS, 900 loaves of bread. Al
the mixing and molding OF bread and
buns IL done by machinery.
Leaving Christoba1 for Panama City
the first big work You notice is al
Gatun. Here IL where the dam to ths
Chagres river win be. It will raise 1t.
level eighty-dve feet The dam win bt
q mile and a half from hill to hill and
4 half Of mile through. It will b.
made OF the dump, which will cons1s
Of all colors of earth and rock.
prom Colon to Panama there ar
about twenty-five stations. all kept b,