The Coconino sun., 1925-01-09

conditions to some visiting Columbus.
Well, Roy, having arrived at Pana-
ma City we found we were six miles
out and at the end of the Pedro Miguel
locks. Here we were met by a fleet
of "gasolina" eaters. (tGasolina is
Spanish for gasoline. The final sc" is
changed to "a" which is hard and pro-
nounced like Carolina in the summer,
but the prices are very much the
sane).
This was a dry dock. That is to
say, no prescriptions were issued here
because it was within Volstead terri
tory. Many otherwise loyal Ameri-
cans having sailed so long on Brit
ish ship had completely forgotten to
secure bootleg connections and were
cutie disconsolate until they reached
Panama City and discovered part Of it
was just across the street and outside
the Canal Zone.
The Panamaians seem to be mighty
glad that they got rid of the zone
strip and are just about as proud of
the vast improvements the u. S. has
made as if the government Of Pana-
ma had accomplished it; even though
they demanded sixty million or so
from us for the strip taken. 1t has
made fortunes for them and afforded
opportunities for an impoverished
country to advance.
However, we doubt if the average
Panamaian yet fully realizes how their
prosperity all came about. 1t is true
this strip of country has made great
progress and has been built up into
a modern country. In speaking Of the
wealth Of the country one native at
tributed it's prosperity to the national
lottery which put $4,000 profit
weekly into the government treasury.
Can you beat it? You can't-either
the financial idea or the lottery. Odd,
amt it?
Thus you may get some idea as to
the size of the country, also local IN
habitants. This may be cheating
some as to the men running the place,
but it indicates what sort of voters
they are compelled to deal with IN
keeping the prosperity of the coun-
try from being diluted.
1t was a real surprise party to see
how much has been done down here
bv the United States during the past
Is or 20 years, since taking this
swamp over and the mus" out OF the
isthmus. 1t may have cost US folks
ten or fifteen cents apiece, but, by
ginger, when you look the place over,
nobody has a right to violently extend
his pedal extremity.
The American side Of Panama City
is built on the American plan, with
wonderful drives through tropical
plants and trees to the better homes
in the higher elevations of the city.
The Colombia side of Panama re-
minds one very much of Havana, eX-
cept the streets are wider and build
ings are mainly wooden structures.
The streets are mapped out as II
trailing the course of several citizens
endeavoring to go home after most
successful, but extended anti-Volstead
party. Old wooden verandas, stores
with goods scattered around in them
resembling old secondhand stores In
frontier days. The streets We're It
tered with children who all seemed to
be having a good time. The climate
seems to tarnish them early. Many
we saw were completely black. Conn
pletelv is correct, because you could
completely see them. We concluded
from this that fig trees don't grow
here. If they do Mother Ewes fashion
book hasn't been circulated IN tins
vicinity.
A great many Panama hats, are
raised here. Probably not so many as
are raised in the United States, be-
cause every tourist feels he must buy
one to take, back to the states to
hoist at his lady friends. Panama
hats are cheap here. One can buy a
$3.50 Panama hat here for $500 and
SO on up to $4,000. American money
is accepted. Not only accepted but
very much looked for and required.
But we must admit the people down
here have not as yet been educated up
to the high gold standard Of the Ha-
yana people, though you can see they
are not in the kindergarten grade.
One might think that "Old Panama"
was a city. It isn't. 1t is the ruins OF
the first old location along the beach,
several miles from the present loca-
ton of Panama. The old Royal bridge
still stands, covered with ichen and
moss, to one side of the road now
used. It was the entrance to the old
place and was guarded to prevent in
terlopers. Swamps were all around
and it looks as though a fellow would
bog down if he couldn't make the
bridge. A short distance from the
bridge was an old ruin where pack
trains with their gold, silver and other
treasures used to camp over night on
coming in. The port holes in the old
walls were as numerous as the holes
in a peek-a-boo shirt waist, which
would indicate that gold, silver, Pana-
ma hats and silk were considered val
liable even in those days.
Then there was the Old cathedral,
bat it was ruined. Repairs on it in It's
present location would not only be
prohibitive, but spoil its tourist value.
We didn't go into it, but could readily
imagine there was nightly little co
salvage now.
There was a portrait painting IN
the Waylay inn-I forget II that is
the rightful name Of the place, but
.hev do-showing Sir Henry Morgan,
who held the title of chief buccaneer
in those times. His name was as
pleasant to the ears Of those old
timers as that Of Jesse James, Cole
Younger and Billy the Kid were IN