Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1915-10-22


in Christobal, Canal Zone, Panama.
Among other things, he writes:
"When working on the government
work and the eight hours a day re-
quired, make over five dollars day,
the pay being by the hour, with room
furnished free, each being required to
furnish his own pillows, sheets, etc.
The house in which l room is located
right on Colon Beach, and from my room
windows / have fine view of the forts,
breakwater, Tow Point and out across
the Caribbean. At present l am work..
ing on the new coaling station at
Christobal. We have six or eight months
more work here, also a station to put
up at Balboa, so expect to be in this
vicinity for a year or more.
Commodities sold here by the COM
missary stores are obtained at consider
able less than for the same articles in
the States, and food does not cost nearly
so much. But there are just two things
that come bit higher than you can get
them for "at home" haircut and
newspaper, the former costing forty
cents and the paper-the ordinary
penny paper-for five cents, gold, each;
but of course body could get along
without either if he wanted to bad
enough. 1t is fine place for a young
man who will behave himself to save
/ in Af
those to be found who are always hard
up, as the same people would be any
where. Some of the prices run like
this: Pearl top lamp chimneys, Gets;
cups and saucers, white, Sets; half
crystal tumblers, 4cts. Dietz lanterns,
38cts. 3-in-1 oil cts; earthen bowls,
one quart, cts. and all house furnish
ings, cutlery and tools for somewhat
less than prices in the States.
1.-THE weather here is not nearly so
bad as is supposed tby many who have
never been here This is now the wet
season, and q drse it rains almost
every day 1T does not seem to
trouble anybod
1.-The big canal has been closed since
the 10Th of September, and for how
much longer do not know, as the land
slides in faster at the. present time than
it can be removed, in spite of the hard
and fast work that is being done by
large forces and with the most improved
apparatus. Yesterday first week in
October there were nearly hundred
vessels of all kinds waiting for the pas
sage to be opened. 1t is cheaper to
wait a month or even two to get through
the canal than to go out to the ocean
and around the Horn.
II have monthly pass to Panama
City aud return, free doctors services
and half pay when sick and full pay
when injured, that is, if such injury is
not through my own fault, in which
case would get nothing.
81 had good time on my trip here,
having a first class passage on a P. R.
R. boat and the food and arrangements
were excellent. | never missed meal
We passed within five miles of Cuba
and followed the coast for long time
we were also in easy sight of Haiti.
take lessons in Spanish three times &
week, and the other three evening:
study at home, as this language is the
; most profitable one to learn in thi.
country.
"Some of the ways of the people
here are amusing enough for a new
conner to see. There is no Panama
Army, but the natives have cop or
about every corner with a soldier
uniform, and in front of the station
there are two who do duty with fXet
bayopets, just as if someone would b,
apt to carry away the station. But the
fire department would take all prizes,
am sure, in any contest. They are
surely an odd lot, being of so many
breeds and combinations of breeds, anc
their equipment is much the same
Pretty fruit without any flavor; pretty
birds without any song; pretty flowers
without any scent, all this and more ar,
characteristics of the Panama country
Pocket flash lights are used b,
l pilots in handling vessels through tn,
locks after dark, one light being helC
in each hand. Parties making sounding
in the CHANNEL affected by landslide
take only seven seconds to make sound
ings, making notes, tracing them OIL
paper, making ten blue-prints and de
livering copies to the dredging heads.
: ''There are nearly 1000 American
y and about 5000 West Indians. TIL
death rate for disease in the whole zone
based on a population of 30,219 wa
1926 per thousand for September. This
is from the weekly publication, III
Canal Record, the official paper of tn