The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-01
Colombia and the Panama Canal

is a cup of black coffee and crack
er served in your room upon rising.
After that comes almuerzzo or the first
breakfast, at II. consisting of a soup
and fish steak or eggs, with bananas
ane oranges at the close. We have tea
at 4 o'clock in the afternoon and at
! a table d'hote dinner. The cooking
Is Spanish. and is not at all bad. The
walters are natives and the bills of
fare are in Spanish, so that Carl takes
his dictionary to the table to order his
meals.
The Huallaga has Just about 5000
tcns. II is a new boat made in France
about two years ago. 1t burns oil as
fuel and it can make Is knots an hour.
1t is very steady and is exceedingly
comfortable.
Just now we are moving rapidly down
the west coast of Colombia, but so far
out that the land cannot be SEEM 1t is
only the small steamers like the Man
avl that call at the ports on that coast
and this will be the case until the
Panama canal is opened.
There are a half dozen Colombian
ports on the Pacific the largest of
which are Buenaventura and Temuco.
Neither of these has over 2500 popu-
lation. Most of the other ports have
no good landing places and at some
you have to be carried on shore on the
backs of negroes. Nevertheless, l am
told that the harbors are good. and
that they will be improved as soon as
the canal is in use.
Buenaventura will probably be the
chief port on the west coast of CO.
lumbia. The town is built on an
island which lies a the head of the
bay about eight miles from the sea.
and at the mouth of the Dagua river
By dredging. the harbor can easily be
made an excellent one; and the firm of
S. Pearson & Son of London has Just
made a contract with the Colombian
government for surveys with a view
to its improvement. In this contract
they are to get $4,000 for the plans
and estimates of the cost of construc-
tion. The proposed improvements in
clude a clearing and anchorage ground
of more than mile long and about
half a mile wide, and also a new city,
including its waterworks and a sys-
TEN of sanitation and paving. All of
the plans are based upon a city of 50,-
Oe0 inhabitants. and by the contract
they have to be ready on or before
August 10. 1914
The Buenaventura of the present has
only 1000 people, so that this will give
you some idea of what is expected in
the way of growth from the opening
of the canal.
Buenaventura has already a railroad
which is being built over the mountains
into the great valley of the Cauca river.
This road is owned by Americans. It be-
gins at the harbor and will go over a
pass about 5000 feet high from where
there is an easy grade down into the
valley. The valley of the Cauca is one
of the paradise spots of the South AmeI-
lean continent. 1t is several hundred
miles long and 20 or more miles in width.
1t begins near Ecuador and runs north
through a great part of Colombia. AL
together it is almost as large as Calfor-
mia and equally rich. The land is high
and healthfu and the soil is fitted for
coffee, cocoa and all sorts of semi-tropi-
who have already lands there. Labor Is
plentiful and the chances for development
are good, Parts of the valley are under
laid with coal, some of which is of a good
steaming variety and one of the objects
of the railroad will be to carry this coal
down to the Pacific ocean, where it will
command a high price. The road will
eventually connect with the other rail-
roads of the country. and will probably
some day be so extended as to reach
Bogota.
You people of North America have no
idea of the possibilities right under your
noses. Colombia is your next-door South
American neighbor and it will pay you
to cultivate 1t. Its people now have
strained relations with the United States.
because they think Uncle Sam took ad-
vantage of them in regard to the Panama
canal 1t is very much question wheth-
er they have been equitaby treated and
1t will pay the United States to make
a treaty with such terms as will salts