Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1909-11-19
PANAMA EDITORIAL TRIP
Letter No. 4.


rather Wednesday Oct 20) as it
was about l o'clock, we were awak-
ened by the cries oe a Chinaman on
deck over our head, calling off the
soundinGs, as the headline was haul
ed in, in turns of quick succession.
We were passing through the mar
rows or shadows near Cape GracioS
A Dios on the extreme Northern and
Eastern end of the Guatamalian
coast, and the vessel had slowed down
and was proceeding with great eau
ton through this short but very dan
gerOus passage, rs during 1909 one
of the company 5 vessels got Grip
pied on these hidden rocks or coral
reefs and had to be rescued while q
short time before smaller vessel
belonging to the same company was
lost here. We had been informed
the day before that we would pass
this risky place while we slept, 50
we were easily awakened and quite
apprehensive as we lay and heard the
officers checking off The number Of
fathoms the sounding was showing.
and the boat was feeling her way q
long under but little power force.
One call of the depth ran as low rs
seven and one-half fathoms, some 45
feet, and began to rise to our great
relief till soOm the bells cattered,
full steam was thrown on and the
gallant steamer responded with Il
Jump and began to dash onward in
her course with plenty of water now
under her bottom as the ocean bed
slopes off abruptly, resuming its
maximum depth with but few feet
removed from that treacherOus sun
ker reef shoal When morning daw-
ned we were well into the Caribbean
and its waters we're considerably
more placid than the turbulent Cuff
through which we had but lately
been blowing.
OF all things on earth that come
nearest remaining unchanged by
time as man reckons it, we presume
oil who have given it much thought
will readily agree that the mountains
and the seas come nearest it, Sever
al years ago when travelling through
the Rockies, ana too on this Panama
trip (to get a little ahead of our mar
ratlve) when we gazed of ut the
mountainous hills that overlook the
Pacific from that side of the Isthmus
and somewhere about the spot where
Balboa discovered that mighty eX
panSe of water, we were brought
closer into sympa 5hy with the senti-
ment that inspired David to burst
out in tlat immortal declaration Of
awe and admiration in one OF his
Psalms, when he spoke of these su-
preme uplifts of nature lying of
there in the distance as The Ever
lasting hills. " Under the afflatus Of
the same spirit this morning rs we
gazed off in varied directions at this
unbrokcn spread of waters which
man has chosen to Cal the Caribbean
Sea, we thought that just IL it look
ed to Columbus, the g,eat Naviga-
tor and Discoverer, some four hun
dred years ago, when first be ven
tured with his tiny caraVe,s onto its
hitherto unplowed surface, 50 its
looking to us today. The same white
capped waves laved on its unbound
ed bosom then as now; the same sun
looked down on it by day and moon
and stars by night. while the shane
of its pillows and their color must lie
the same today 10 Onr eye as it was
then to his, and had been for centu-
ric5 and centuries before. This line
of thinking heightened our admira-
ton for that great man, but prOdu-
ced upon us a spell of that loneliness
OF feeling that must have assailed
him when coming on these lonesome
waters, possibly the first man since
the dawn of creation. During all
that time they had lain out here I'M
discovered and performed their phe-
nOmena Of tide and calm and storm.
Surely it must have been good t.
him to emerge from this dreary span
of waters and behold land again and
hear the welcome cries Of Lying crea-
lures and the sounds OF civilization.
Hardly had this dismal association
fitted from mind. than a darker and
more grueSOme one took It's place.
Probably on the same track our shin
was now following, but little ovei
one hundred years ago, black-hA@gec
piratical craft secured in deadly pur-
suit time and again of treasure shir
from the Spanish main, or merchant
ship from neighboring ports. The
horrible and bloody deeds of brigan.
dy and rapine which these terrible
mariners inflicted in those DAYS, re-
minds us that despite it's beauty,
this sea has been stained with TRACE
kies awful and untold.
Passing from these uncanny refec-
tions, our mind turned onto cheerier
lines, Promenading the deck and
surveying the shoreless sweep of wa
tiers through which We were gliding
we began to glory in the achievements
OF the human family on this Cont
nenU in its onward push in civiliza-
ton SO that today piracy is unknown
and the mighty deep is far nearer
conquered by the staunch steeI-hull-