The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-09-19

from inuES0ay'Ss 0dtty. .-tes-.sft
Two interesting letters have been
received from DR.. and Mrs. J. w.
Andrews, the first of which was
written in Panama and the other
while they were on shipboard after
visiting Bocas Del Tero islands off
the western boundary of the Panama
republic.
This little city is one of great
historic interest. 1t has a pobula-
ton of 10000 and is the capital OF
the Panama republic. The president
of the republic is, however, decidedly
limited in his authority since the oc-
cupation of the zone by Uncle Sam.
Ancon is virtually part of Panama
though within the canal zone, and
is wholly under the jurisdiction of
the United States. Panama (New
Panama) was founded in 1873 and
is but stones throw from the ele-
walton from which Balboa in 1913
first saw the Pacific ocean.
"The population is cosmopolitan in
the extreme. Probably every nation
in the world is here represented
Negroes, Chinamca, Turks, Hindoos,
Spaniards-and on the Pacific side
of the city is a great stone wall
about twenty-five feet in height. This
Isl to keep out the morning tide,
which here rises to a height of about
twenty feet On the Atlantic coast
along the Isthmus the tide reaches a
height of only about twenty inches.
THE streets are we'll paved and
cleaned, and the Plaza with its trop-
ical trees and flowers, is most beau
tiful To one who is interested in
ancient ruins Panama, which is six
miles distant, is very interesting.
This ancient city was founded in
1919 and named Panama from the
Indian word meaning fisherman.
George Brett, Ed Brett, Mrs. An
drews and myself, with others form
ed party, and visited this interest
ing spot at time when the tide
was at its height There yet stands
a few rods from the shore, the ruins
of the old Cathedral tower, now
draped with tropical vines. The
ruins of an old bridge built in the
early part of the sixteenth century,
portions of foundation of an old
the historic fat arch has
withstood the ruthless hand of time
and now looks as though it might
support tons of weight
"These and other interesting ruins
paid US for our automobile trip over
a beautiful macadamized road with
tropical scenery from New Panama
to Old Panama. H.
while there are Spanish hotels
in Panama at which one can get the
best Spanish cooking, if he likes
their highly seasoned foods. our par
ty all stopped at Tivoli, the Ameri
can hotel at Ancon. This is a very
good hotel and the first place on
our trip where we really could get
good coffee, after leaving the Bur
lington special
Our party generally has kept
cludes George E. Brett and myself
CDR. Andrews have been troubled
with nitotorable itching, due to
little red bug which has it's habitat
in the grasses in Panama
While. sojourning in this city on
Monday September l., the male con-
tingent of the party went by special
train to the Mirafores locks and
there conferred the Shriners' degree
on 174 novitiates. The like prob
ably has never occurred in the his
tory of the world, and will probably
never again. There, in a cement
chamber sixty to eighty-fve feet
deep, closed by heavy iron gate and
guarded by the Shriners patrolling
the walls, the mystic ceremonies of
the shrine were performed without a
hitch. We descended by a long
Hight of stairs, just wide enough
or one person. The goat was taken
down the same fight. A bronze tab
ct commemorative the event was
in cement on the lock with
very appropriate and impressive cere-
1--WE will leave for home tomor-
row, Tuesday, but will stop at Bocas
lei Tero for a day and visit the
fields of the United Fruit company,
4 description of which will form our
final letter"
FIetcher-Eerquist
Miss Jennie Dyer Fletcher and Mr.