La Junta tribune., 1916-10-07
PANAMA CANAL
Mrs. Carlyle Brinkman Writes En-
tcrtainingly Of Life In Panama
Canal Zone

letter of life in the Panama Canal
Brinkman. formerly well known In
this city as Miss Esther McCune.
The letter was written to her father,
ID. II. McCune, and her brothers,
Arthur and Vernon McCune of this
city, and will be read with interest
by Mrs. Brinkman's many friends in
this city. Mrs. Brinkman left this
city August 18th to join her hus-
band in the east and accompany
him to Peru, where he is in the en-
ploy of the Inca Mining Company
as a mining expert The letter fol-
lows:
Here We are probably tied up for
a week but before | go into the why's
and wherefores. I'll describe little
OF the Canal one as IL seems to me.
The United Fruit Company's boat.
the GARLIC. landed us in Colon on
last Wednesday night. Before land
ing. a doctor came out to the boat
and took the temperature Of all of us
and the ships doctor had looked at
our vaccinations the day before. Car
lyle and | both passed muster in fine
style. Then We were permitted to go
on up to the dock When We got in
we found the 'Quilpue." a boat be-
longing to the Pacific Navigation
Company. tan English concernj. to
be the one We would finish our jour
ney on. and II was docked just be-
hind us. So Carlyle attended to the
unloading and loading Of the freight
and then we went around the town
or course the United States does not
own Colon. II is owned by the Pana-
ma Republic. hut good United States
money made it what II is, and OF
course Americans are. In the placer of
business and the Canal authorities
have a great deal TO say regarding
how things shall be run imagine.
The United Fruit Company ranks
fourth in the list of the largest cor
porations In the L. $. a. and they
have docks and are building others
now. The Company has n beautiful
building In Colonial cpmented.
painted q pale yellow. with tropical
flowers and trees planted round H.
The United States has built houses
for people that are employed there.
The houses are frame. painted a dark
gray. with white trim, all are
screened in, and everyone lives more
out than in, The tlowcrs and trees
are wonderfully lovely The palms
are just as funny AS ever, They
seem like nothing so much as a big
feather duster stuck in the ground
Then there are gorgeous red hibiscus.
and what | think are orchids.
We took "a carriage or a hack. by
the way, and they are the queerest
looking vehicles you ever saw. They
are like two seated surrey, and has
a hood-shaped top which protects the
occupant from rain and sun alike.
Then the driver has an umbrella
Just like those George and Al have
on their grocery wagons fastened to
the seat. just as they have theirs.
Well. you can just imagine how fun
ny they must look A it'll. hors. or
mule Is hitchod TO that For riding
In these oquipag"s one pays ten cents
u person, and ten cents for every
stop. Well. ms say. we got into one
of these and were driven around the
city, The streets have asphalt paw
INK and everything IN kept clean and
nice. We went past the new hospital
and the old on. tn. French used. W.
saw the cattle kept beautifully clean
on cement floors. etc. also IA. negro
quarter. and ". saw policemen In
United States Khaki on every corner.
We then cam. back and went TO
the Washington Hotel. and II is som.
hotel. Denver hasn't one that can
compare with II. ". had dinner
there. II was served on the screened
porch which II built all along tn.
side which faces the ocean. on. OF
the dcliccaeieh was prIckly pear sal
ad. and Il was horrid. All the rest
was fine.
We then went to the "Qulipuo,"
and TO bed. but the noise of loading
the boat didn't let Us sleep much.
Early the next morning We steamed
out OF the bay and there cleaned OF
the ship. No ship Is allowed to
throw refuse into the harbor. We
came back Into the hafbor and siaid
there all day. and learned that there
had been slide In the canal and We
would have to wait The next day