The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-05-17
HOW gSTMMWS SAWED ITS NECK
MANY SHIPS CROSSED CENTRAL AMERICA BEFORE PANAMA
CANAL WAS PLANNED.

up his trouser leg. Tho road was fin.
!ished wide enough to accommodate
two carts abreast. if the drivers were
not intoxicated Or de%liriously indis-
posed with yellow fever. Posts were
established and maintained clear
Dois on the Atlantic and Old Panama
on the Pacific. but later Porto Bello
was chosen as a better situation on
the Atlantic and Nombre De Bots
abandoned.
After the conquest of Feru all the
gold and other treasure. was carted
over this road and loaded on ships at
picking for pirates in that neck Of
land, and old Morgan. the notorious,
was attracted there with a whole fleet
OF ships and some thousands Of on
genial cut Threats. They sacked little
Porto Belol without any trouble and
turned loose a lot Of blood Just to
warm up for the real work at Panama
later on, but there was much trouble
for that happy band before reaching
this golden goal.
The pirates had expected to forage
on the country as they passed over.
land. but the Spaniards had been pre-
pared for this visit and had driven
every COW. horse. sheep. pig and
chicken far from the contemplated
paAhs oGSo4ACS 4CIIlON iIlS 0I SlllisllkC
provisions also. No n but pirates
of the most pronounced type with rum
tougl1ened insides could have stood it.
but these individuals We're all of that.
and on the ninth day, after a light
lunch of shoe leather and musket
straps. they mounted the last ridge Of
hills in a Very petulant mood and
in the sunlight and ooh. gastronomlc
glee.) surrounded by green fields filled
With grazing cattle. Down rushed the
avalanche of NANCY pirates; the cattle
were slaughtered and eaten raw with
OUT any regard to choice cuts. as eve
hair and hide were considered tender
pickinss after a weeks diet on straps
and shoes.
The city was a beautiful place. but
not built to receive and entertain pi.
Rates in the most .H~nroved warlikc
manner. The citizens had prepared,
in a way. by burying most OF the
treasure n sending a galleon load
out to sea. before the visitors arrived.
but the place could not hold out
attack as Mr.. Morgan and his asso.
ciates made. and soon fell prey to
them. Mr.. Morgan had not chosen
his men with any regard to refinement,
and they burst boorishlY into private
houses without knocking or even stop
ping to wipe their feet on welcome"
corn husk doormats; killed whole
introduced to. looted the premises and
rushed off without so much as thank
INou.' Old Panama never was rebuilt,
but its ruins still stand to serve as
grim calling cards of Mr.. Morgan and
his jolly boEs. long since gone to their
eternal discontinue.
Charles V. had "A great notion of
1 r1I - Ma h-~,,f. -. 81 :..
and ordered a survey for that purpose,
but the engineers, after t%loundering
ungrace1ully about in a swamp. where
there was a large collection of per-
fectl% unrestrained alligators and other
reptiles on exhibition. sent in such a
discourasing report that Charles de-
ciced TO leave the contract to the Unit
his fathers canal digging disposition.
not that he thought it would he a hard
job. but he reasoned that hostile YES
sells. as we'll as his own. might get
through and prey on the rich Peruvian
possessions of Spain.
In 1898 1900 Scotchmen under Will
liam Patterson had their fling at the
road across it. silnilat to that Of the
Spaniards already in operation. The
expedition was. indeed. a bowling sue
cess. The party suffered greatly from
mosquito bites around the knees. and
all got down with chills and fever. so
that between caattering teeth and rich
Scotch dialect it was almost impossi-
bic to understand any of them trying
t" ,escr!toe their symptoms during the
morning chill period. On top of all
this trouble they were attacked by the
Spaniards, whose sense of humor they
could not understand at all. and such
persons as We're left of the expedition
finally packed up and went hack to
Scotland, where their circle of friends
was much longer.
In 1914 d general revolution occur
red which took AL the isthmian terri.