The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1908-05-29

VIII De READ Win interest Dy the younl
mans friends;
U. S. S. Prairie,
Charleston, S. c., May Tive ar
rived here today from Colon, after
fine trip made in the very good
time of four days and 20 hours. We
left here on May / with sos recruits
aboard, as well as Secretary Taft
and his private secretary. We had
quite a rough passage down and ow-
ing to the fact that Mr.. Taft's state
room was on the starboard side, we
had quite list in that direction,
z causing the ships head to keep surg
ing away from meeting the seas
head-on.
Our ship was not locked at Colon
proper, but at the American town of
Christobal, which is separated from
Colon by the width of single street.
The whole place is shaded by cocoanut
palms. and the streets OF Christobal,
az well as of the Panamanian town
OF Colon, are all paved to keep them
from being rivers of mud during the
rainy season, and so from being
breeding places Of pestilence.
n There Is not drop OF liquor sold
in Canal Zone, and the people who
want drink must go to Panaman-
ian territory to obtain it.
The native population of the eoun-
try seems to be mostly a mixture
of Indian, negro, and Spanish, and
just about the most shiftless race
on earth too. They have in the
streets here carriages drawn by tiny
native horses to take the place of
street cars they do not possess.
These are to be hired very cheap
ly. We were given the privilege of
travelling on the Panama Railroad,
without charge; so about sixty of
us went from Colon to Panama City
in order to see the route Of the Ca
nal While we were in the latter
place one of the boys, who had be-
come slightly intoxicated stood
looking at one of those carriages foi
while, then stepped over and
hired it. He proceeded then to un.
harness the horse despite 1.-THE protests
of the muchacho, took him from the
shafts, picked him up and put him II
the carriage. He then started &c
pull him down the street, undoubted'
IL thinking that he was more able
to pull the pony than the pony was
to pull him. A big hurley negro po'
liceman came along and undertook L
stop the prank-playing without any
palaver He certainly got left,
for he was cleaned out beautifully
for his pains by the offended blue
jacket. Well, it seemed as If spig.
gotti cops came from everywhere,
they all started for the poor fellow
but it took some twenty of the blue
jackets a very short time to van
quish what looked like it might b.
the whole police force of Panama,
Cur men were not seeking a quarrel
but when those Yankee-hating spig.
gottis started to mistreat maj
who at the worst was only playing
a practical joke, they certainly did
muss things up beautifully. H.,
: The scenery along the canal rout4
is the most beautiful imaginable
A pretty little river called Chagres
meaning literally, "The River Of
Death" flowing among the hills
covered with luxuriant tropical for.
ests, banana, cocoanut, immense ferns
bamboo, rosewood, mahogany, lignun
vitae, trees bearing on their limbs
wonderful orchids, and palms of al
sorts and descriptions-these are
what the forests unfold to view.
These natives have never done any,
thing with these magnificent re
sources, a hand-to-mouth living beini
all they have the energy to strive
for.
There are at present some eight
& teen thousand white Americans il
the Canal Zone, and some eighteen
OF twenty thousand Jamaica negroes
The Americans are as fine class o
men as one will meet anywhere; tn,
Jamaica negroes, on the other hand
are about as lazy as imagination cal
picture them, and even then thu
native hombre go them one better
on that point. An anecdote thai
was told me--whether true or not
do not know-tthough It is vouched fC
by the Superintendent of the railroad
relates to a negro working on thu
docks. While working in one of thu
slips one of the lines became tan
gled, and he was sent to cast it Of
the bitt near the steamers rail, BY
the foreman. He did SO, but failed
to return. Looking up the foremal
saw him sitting on the bitt from
which he had cast the line. What ar
you doing there3s You sent M
san "why didn't you come DOWN.
t4xy 1fdnft talf mo To sab An.