Evening star., 1921-02-20
BY HERBERT COREY.

COLON. FEBRUARY 19.-One wonders
what the inhabitants of Old Provi-
dence Island thought when seven
American seaplanes, with that rend-
ing ciamor of motor that marks these
powerful devices, swooped down upon
her tiny harbor. The report of the
seven flyers is epic in it's simplicity
Some of them seemed scared,
said they. They had never seen an
aeroplane before"
Life in Old Providence. as it ap-
peared to the marooned sea-fiyers, is
primitive in it's simplicity. The island
itself is four miles long, lying in the
midst of the Caribbean sea at a DIS
tance of $50 miles from Colon. In Its
center wooded eminence rises TO
what seemed the majestic height OF
1,100 feet.
Primitive in Its Simplicity.
The harbor is too tiny and too shall
low to permit the entrance of big
ships and so the islands only con-
nection with the outside world is
through the semi-occasional visits OF
a little yawl, which carries frelght
and passengers each way. Sometimes
the yawI gets to Old Providence once
in three weeks. Sometimes 1t doesn l.
Its schedule depends upon freights,
the whim of it's master. the winds.
the conveniences of the day.
Usually it brings the mails" said
the Old Providentials- sometimes IL
DOESN'T
The fiiers landed in the harbor
That is. they brought their seaplaneS
10 rest upon the placid surface of the
sea. Then port official came to give
them pratique. Usually port of1iclals
ride in brass-bound motor launches.
in Il.
padded by pessimistic, maroon-coi
ored servitor. With one hand the
port official held yellow umbrella
over himself. With the other he
waved at intervals small Colombian
flag nailed to a small stick. After all,
his equipment was quite sufficient to
his needs
Had a Long, Hot Wait.
"You can come ashore now" he
said after an examination into the
state, of American health had been
conducted through one OF the me-
chanics who spoke fair splggoty.
But the fiers could not If they had
gone ashore they would have been
subjected to quarantine at Colon. So
they roasted in their little cockpits,
or from time to time crawied out on
the lower wing in search or the
shadow from the upper one. ana
smoked many angry cigarettes and
wondered how long they would be
forced to remain in this venomously
described place. Then the residents
came out to see them.
Hereabouts - Caribbean sea abouts
every one travels in canoes and
dugouts just as in more favored lands
one travels in taxicabs. The local
beaux and bellies paddle out to chat
Large family parties, OF which the
better half often exhibited a regret
able tendency toward rotundity.
rowed out in sturdy boats, in the gun
wales of which swarms of vari-col-
orcd children played in perfect con-
fdeuce in the crafts stability. Small,
naked black boys dived and swan
ABOUT them like SO many fish.
BroiIinE Filters JOyless.
en shore palm trees offer shade
and fondas might be assumed TO
abound in cooling drinks. but these
delights were not for the broiling
fiers. They cursed and sweltered.
Eventually the attendant destroyers
come up. and the fiiers' condition was
eased somewhat. They went aboard the
boats and the local bumboaters did what
was no doubt the most thriving business
within Old Providence memory. Strictly
speaking. they were not bumbOatS, be-
cause bunooats only exist where there
are ships to trade with, and at Old
providence there are never any ships.
But orange and banana and cocoanut
laden boats are bumboats to the Amer-
can. just as all sunbrowned foreigners
are spiggoties.
Il never tasted such oranges" is the
universal report. THE sweetest / have
ever known The bananas, too were the
best we have ever eaten. They were
green ON the outside, but inside-oh,
boy! And we bought all the cocoanuts
we wanted Just for nothing, you might
say"
Thay had forgotten the prices paid.
They ware too inconsiderable to be
remembered. anyhow. Oranges-huge,