Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1912-09-18
HUTCHINSON BOY
WRITES FROM PANAMA
Writes of Bull Fights and Lotteries
Land of Many Human Roses
and One-legged Men. Rain
fall Eleven Feet a Year.

fall Eleven Feet a Year.
TO the Hutchinson Leader:
The cities of Panama and Colon,
Panama at the Pacific end of the
canal and Colon at the Atlantic, are
in the canal zone but are still under
the Panamanian govetnmel all Off
cials being Panamanian. Most Of the
Panamanians are a poor class OF
mixed Spaniards and negroes, though
some of them are pure white and of
good Spanish families. The late
president Of Panama was part negro.
The Americans and Panamanians
do not get along very we'll together
for the reason that the average
American will not stand for little,
insignificant negro policeman telling
him what to do, or rather what not to
do. These policemen decorate every
corner and come like swarm Of
bees as soon as anything starts, con-
sequently there are some very inter-
esting times between the Americans
and the police.
The chief sports in the cities Of
Panama are bull fighting and cock
fighting. The bull fights do not am
cunt to much and are not so popular
as the cock fights. A man will bet
all he has on his game cock.
Uncle Sam has done everything
that possibly could be done to make
the zone sanitary and fit for a man
to live in. There are a number of
club rooms along the zone which have
pool rooms, bowling alleys, reading
rooms, gymnasiums, etc., furnished
by the government for the use Of
canal employees. The governments
great success in building the canal is
no doubt due more to the sanitary
department than to any other one
thing. Conditions there before the
United States took hold must have
been terrible. Yellow fever and Bu-
OOl1lC plague Ntlo COumUI.
The rainy season is all that the
word indicates. Last year the rain
fall was ISL inches. It has been
known to rain seven inches in a day.
Work proceeds during the rainy
months the same as in the dry sea-
son.
The foreign labor is mostly West
Indian negroes, although Italian,
Greek and Spanish laborers are en-
ployed. The West Indians are a Pc
culiar class of people. They know
practically nothing when they land
on the canal. They carry everything
on their heads. 1t is no uncommon
thing to see a string Of negroes, 80
or more in number, each with So
Id. key of rs per cent dynamite on his
head marching along single file over
rough ground and down banks where
it is hard to walk without anything
All Of these people are gamblers
There is lottery conducted in the
zone and the drawings are held once
each week. A full ticket costs $500
in gold, but a fifth of ticket may be
purchased for $l.00. The capita
prize is $1,000, and every fourth
week Shis is increased to $4,000
The tickets sell so readily that or
the night Of the drawing is is i'm,
possible to buy ticket. AS stated
these foreigners are great gamblers
but very few Of them know the value
Of a dollar. One West Indian who
won the capital prize proceeded al
once to the dentist and had every one
OF his teeth extracted and replaced
with gold teeth. Another bought {
pair OF high-top boots, a long, cor.
set-ftting, lady's silk coat and will
a cigar between his teeth strutted W
and down before his fellow workmen
Once in while one of them will vii
a few hundred dollars and leave a
once for his native land where he cal
live in luxury the remainder of hi
life. The pay Of these people rang
es from IA cents to 25 cents an hour
If man loses his leg while at wor]
he receives hospital treatment free
IS given a years pay and life tim
job. There is small army of one
legged men in the zone.
The woods are full of game, Their
being lots Of deer and wild hogs, ais
big snakes, principally boa constric
tors There are also countless mon
keys and parrots.
There are some very good bathin
beaches. A favorite stunt is to swi1
in the Atlantic ocean in the forenoo
and then ride across the continer
and swim in the Pacific ocean in tn
afternoon Of the same day. Their
is l9-foot tide on the Pacific Ocea
and a 3-foot tide on the Atlantj
ocean, and at times the Pacific ocea
IS higher than the Atlantic Cliffo1
A. Harrington.
J. II. StOll threShed this season {