Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1913-09-26

~Down verdure-clad slopes and ter
racing reaches
Where orange and mango and pine
apple grow,
One wanders through Eden to ocean
washed beaches
An Eden that only the sun-children
know"
Thus James S. Gilbert. the late la
mented poet OF Panama, wrote OF
Taboga Island II was so enticing
that | determined to be one OF the
sun-children for day or two and so
steamed away In little launch twelve
miles out into the Pacific to that
beauty spot. II IL all that Mr.. Gil
bert called il, and more. and 1t Is no
wonder that the sanitarium estab-
lished there by the French canal com
pany and reopened by the Americans.
ia so we'll patronized II you are a
canal employe--wh lte-and have
been Ill, the doctor may be kind
enough to send you over to Taboga
for two weeks to recuperate. II you
hlt "a mere Nl6itOi NOu NAl BNN W. ~
the unpretentious little hotel con
Quoted by William Jones. the Ameri-
can sixfooter who looks like a
miner and dances like a cotilion
leader. In either case you will be
fortunate. for you viii find those
"verdure-clad slopes" gorgeous with
flowers and alive with brilliant birds,
and the "ocean-washed beaches" the
finest places in the world for swim.
You can sail about the pretty bays
with the native fishermen. or you can
climb up the hills where the boys are
ycciferously driving the kline home 10
be milkea or you can merely lie in
the shatF and dream dreams of the
Spanish galleons and the buccaneers.
A more delightful place for rest and
the repair OF shattered nerves would
be hard to find
Taboga has history. too small as
n i5. De t.uQue the second bishop
OF Panama looked upon the island
saw that il was good and established
there his country residence. Ia fact
he maintained household there the
year round for, like many another
churchman OF the old days. he did not
adhere closely to IN rul OF celibacy
His memory is preserved by bath
Ing place in a stream that runs down
the mountain side. called the Bish-
ops Pool It was reserved for the
use Of him and his retinue Above il
Is the Family Pool. for women and
children. and s,ill higher up is the
Pool OF the Letters. for the men.
The last one derives its name from
the inscription a. + b.. Ohio" carved
on nearby rock. This Is reminder
that in 1852 the Fourth infantry. U.
s. A., crossed the isthmus en- route
for garrison duty in California. hav-
Ing sailed from New York on the
United States mail steamer Ohio. 1,
Cholera was prevalent at the time in
Panama and the American soldiers
and the sailors from the Ohio were
attacked by the disease about eighty !
OF them dying Some OF the sick |
we're left on Taboga island to recov-
ar. and evidently one of them did re- /
cover sufficiently to climb up TO the |
bathing pool and leave the record |
hat is a mystery to the native in
labitants of this day. Incidentally |
D. 5. Grant. then a captain, was with |
he Fourth infantry on that trip
10 you climb up the hill. following |
his stream most of the way. you win
,ome to a place at the summit of
PASS called Las Cruces. There. set /
n cement. are three small crosses
the most exciting in
,ident In the islands history. Ac-
,ording to a Spanish work written
,arly la the last century a shipioad
n Peruvian pirates came sailing up
he coast In 1915 and decided Taboga
was good place to loot They land
ID and drove the small Spanish gar
-ison out OF the village and up the
But In the pass the sol
Tiers rallied. the inhabitants came to
most bloody combat
ragged for hours. Finally the pirates
we're routed and fed to their ship.
leaving three men dead on the field
Of battlei
The isthmus reeks with history
some of the most interesting pas
sages OF which have to do with Porto
Bello. But the visitor who goes
there with mind full OF the mighty
fights and great trade of the old