mmm'immB::^ -^ A VERAGUAS CABALLERO. "IN MANY OF THE SMALL VILLAGES THE PEOPLE ARE OF PURE SPANISH BLOOD AND DRESS AND LIVE AS DID THEIR AN- CESTORS IN THE DAYS OF THE CONQUERORS" TO MY ESTEEMED FRIEND DOCTOR BELISARIO PORRAS, PRESIDENT OF PANAMA, THIS BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY Dti^ICATED PANAMA PAST AND PRESEN.T INTRODUCTION • Strange as it may seem the Republic of Pan- ama is one of the least-known countries of Latin America, if not of the world, despite the fact that it is more intimately associated with the United States than is any other country. And stranger yet, no popular book has ever been written which describes the country, its fauna and flora, its people and the thousand and one interesting features of this little Republic through whose territory runs our wonderful Canal and over some five hundred square miles of which the United States rules supreme. Thousands of tourists annually \nsit Panama, thousands of strangers pass through the Canal each month ; thousands of American citizens are employed and live on the Canal Zone and yet, not one in a thousand, realizes that there is any- thing of interest in Panama outside the Zone and not one in five thousand knows anything about the Republic which we helped to create INTRODUCTION and, by so doing, made the Canal possible. In- deed, the majority of our people are as ignorant of Panama as was the traveler who, after a rough sea trip, landed at Colon, and seeing the railway cars marked **P. R. R." exclaimed: ''What a fool I was 'to come by ship when 1 could have gone all the way on the Pennsyl- vania Railroad!'* We are accustomed to think of Panama, — when we give it a thought at all, — as a tiny, worthless country of utterly no interest and no possibilities and it comes as a distinct surprise to find that Panama has an area of over 32,000 square miles or, in other words, is four times as large as Belgium or twice as large as Vermont and New Hampshire combined. And when we learn that some of its mountains rise for nearly two miles above the sea; that some of its rivers are navigable for one hun- dred miles inland; that one may ride for days across open, level prairie land ; that much of its territory has never been explored or penetrated by civilized man and that within 150 miles from the busy, up-to-date port of Colon dwell primitive, savage Indians who permit no stran- gers within their borders, we begin to realize that there is something of interest in Panama INTRODUCTION besides the Canal. Moreover, Panama is far from being the worthless bit of country many assmne, for within its borders, are vast forests of valuable cabinet woods; its prairies could support countless thousands of cattle; its waters teem with pearl shells; its jungles are filled with valuable medicinal plants; its min- eral resources are marvelous and its agricul- tural possibilities are boundless. It is to make known something of this rich and interesting land so near our doors that this book has been written and while, in a book of this size, space forbids a detailed description, or even a mention, of every feature and inter- esting fact of the country, yet the author has tried to embody all the more important and noteworthy matters which are of general inter- est. So too, in a Work of this scope, it is mani- festly impossible to give a complete list of all the timbers, minerals and other resources of the Republic; but it is believed that the lists given will prove of great value and interest and will come as a distinct surprise to many readers. Although much has been written in regard to the Canal, both in the building and after com- pletion, yet much of the material published has been so filled with statistics, figures and techni- INTRODUCTION calities that the romantic, human interest of the great work has been quite submerged. In the present volume the Canal has been described from the layman 's point of view and very little space has been devoted to the discussion of en- gineering problems, statistical data and such matters, although the more important figures of expense, maintenance, etc. have been included. To many people, the inhabitants of a country, their lives, customs and habits are of great in- terest and for this reason considerable space has been devoted to the Panamanians, as well as to the primitive and untamed Indians who still dwell within a few miles of the Canal. To the hunter and fisherman, Panama offers many attractions and hence the descriptions and lists of the fauna of the Republic have been made rather complete. As a winter resort, Panama can scarcely be excelled by any spot in the tropics. Here, with- in a week of New York and with steamers arriv- ing and departing almost as regularly as mail trains, is a wonderfully interesting, tropical country ; a land redolent of old Spain and of the most romantic and thrilling deeds of the bucca- neers. A land that helped make the history of the New World and that has played a greater INTRODUCTION part in the welding of North and South American friendships than any other nation. A country largely unknown and unexplored yet marvelously rich and varied. A spot where one may cross from ocean to ocean in two hours; where one may breakfast with the sweeping trade wind from the Caribbean clash- ing the palm fronds and may dine \v4th the lim- itless Pacific like a sheet of burnished gold in the rays of the setting sun. A land where for half the year the climate is ideal and where one's health is safer than in New York or any American city and, withal, a land where one may enjoy all the strange sights and scenes, the life and wannth of the tropics and yet live un- der Old Glory in a luxurious American hotel with every comfort and convenience to be found in one of our great hotels at home. The author, who has lived for several years in Panama, has traveled throughout the length and breadth of the Republic, while engaged in exploration and scientific research work and has penetrated many localities hitherto unknown to white men. He has seen Panama, both during the days of the ill-starred French attempt to dig the Canal and under its present conditions and in this book he has endeavored to describe INTRODUCTION the country as lie knows it and without preju- dice or partiality. If the work helps to arouse a greater interest in Panama; if it leads to a better knowledge and understanding of the Re- public and its people ; if it results in a greater friendliness and intimacy between our people and the Panamanians or if it serves merely as pleasant reading the purpose of the book will be accomplished. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAQB INTRODUCTION vii CHAPTEB V I The Bridge of the "World 1 Panama one of least known countries. Ignorance of Panama. Why so unprogressive and undeveloped. Benefits of Canal. What the war did for Panama. Great resources of country. Fauna and Flora. Ad- vantages of Panama for investments. Size of Panama. Diversity of country. People. Travel in Panama. Lack of roads. Lack of accommodations in interior. II Panama of the Past 14 Brief history of Panama. Columbus and his settle- ments. The Golden Castle. Duchy of Veraguas. Nicuesa. Enciso and Balboa. Discovery of Pacific. Pedrarias the Cruel. SufTerings and hardships. Early settlements. Founding of Old Panama. Explora- tions and conquests. Hostile Indians. First ideas for canal. Extermination of Indians. African slaves. Sir Francis Drake. Fortifications of Porto Bello. Pirates' attacks. Survey for canal by Spain. Pros- perity and wealth. Morgan's attacks. Loot of Pana- ma. British attempts to colonize. Ill The Dawn of a New Era 37 Barren years. Dreams of liberty. Freedom pro- claimed. Union with Colombia. Argonauts of '49. Panama Railway. The French Canal Company. Col- lapse of French scheme. Independence of Panama. Treaty with United States. Why Canal became a possibility. Sanitation by Americans. A dream ful- filled. < IV Panama of the Present 53 Panama and the Canal Zone. Government. Limits of Zone. Leased lands. Peculiarities of Panama. PointB of the compass. A coafusing country. Law TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGIS and order. Cosmopolitan people. Panamanians. Character of people. Progressive element. Peons and their shortcomings. Need of roads. Interior towns. Fascinating spots. V The Front Door to the Isthmus . . 69 First sight of Isthmus. Arriving at Cristobal. Colon and Cristobal. First impressions. Colon in the making. A childish quarrel. Colon of the past. Co- Ion of to-day. Streets and street scenes. Shops and life. Shopping. Buildings. Santurce. Cristobal. Sights and scenes in Cristobal. Life on the Zone. A benificent despotism. VI Round and About Colon 90 Advantages of Atlantic side. Roads about Colon. Scenes along the roads. The road to Gatun. Road to Fort Randolph. Gatun and the Chagrea. Fort San Lorenzo. Porto Bello. - VII Crossing the Bridge of the World . . 100 Going through the Canal. Locking a ship through Gatun. The Gatun Dam. Gatun Lake. A trip on Gatun Lake. The drowned forest and its life. Culebra Cut. Through Pedro Miguel locks. Miraflores Lake. Miraflores Locks. First sight of Balboa. From At- lantic to Pacific. Crossing the Isthmus by train. Stations en route. Glimpses of the Canal. The Hya- cinth Patrol. Balboa and Ancon. Arrival at Panama. Across the continent in two hours. 4,VIII Panama City and its Sights ..... 115 A Spanish city. Modernized Panama. Avenida Central. Santa Ana Plaza and its church. Las Mer- cedes Church. The Plaza Central. Independence Park. Noteworthy buildings. The Cathedral. The Lottery. Sight Seeing. The President's Palace. Market. Quaint streets. Old churches. Old churches about Plaza Bolivar. National Theatre. National Palace. The Bovedas. Views of Panama. The Flat Arch. The Gold Altar. Old water front and city ■walls. The Chorillo. De Lesseps Park. Seeing Bal- boa and Ancon. Views from Quarry Heights. Fort Amador. Fortified Islands. By motor to Gamboa. Trips to Taboga and the Pearl Islands. Pearls. Trip to Old Panama. Scenes by the way. Expositioa Grounds. Bella Vista. Old Panama and its story. TABLE OF CONTENTS IHAPTEB PAGE IX TuROuan Ver^vguas the Golden . . . 140 Out of the beaten track. Discomforts of travel. Coastwise steamers. From Panama to Agua Dulce. Agua Dulce. Industries. Plains of Code. Nearby towns. Tlie road to Santiago. Horses and outfits. Scenery along the road. Natives. The Star of the Plains. Bird life. Road to San Francisco de la Mon- tafia. Settlements along the way. Divisa the half way point. Country beyond Divisa. Santiago. Once a metropolis. A country of gold. Why mines were abandoned. Mineral wealth of Veraguas. Lost mines. Tieingal. San Francisco de la MontaDa. An ancient church. Mountain towns. The Lake of Death. In- terior towns. Puerto Mutis. \Miere time has stood still. X Here and There in Chiriqui .... 163 The sanitorium of Panama. How to reach Chiriqui. Steamer to Chiriqui. Passing Punta Mala. Coiba penal colony. Strange sea snakes. Charming islands, l^ahia Honda. An ideal spot. Remedios and its peo- ple. The Sabaneros. An unknown race. A strange custom. Roads from Tole. Pedregal. The Chiriqui Railway. David. Country about David. From David to Boquete. Resources of Chiriqui. A won- derful country. Trees and plants. The Quetzal. The guacas or Indian graves. Looting the graves. A for- gotten race. Wild Indians of Chiriqui. The province of Bocas del Toro. Almirante. What the Fruit Com- pany has done. Oil companies. XI Darien the Unknown 175 The least known part of Panama. Journeying to Darien. From Panama to Garachine. Garachine a forlorn town. Scenery of San Miguel Gulf. La Palma. A disappointment. People of Darien. Forest riches of Darien. Chipogana and El Real. Poverty stricken towns. Inhabitants of El Real. The aborig- ines. Chokois and Kunas. Exaggerated tales. Fal- lacies and mistakes. Who the San Bias are. The wild Kunas. The forbidden district. Life and habits of the Kunas. Experiences among the Kunas. The Chokois. A trip to the Chokoi villages. Up the Tuira Piivcr. River travel. Life and scenery along the river. Game. Pinogana. The first Indians. At the Chokoi village. Home life of the Chokois. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTEE PAGB Dances and customs. Into the forbidden district. The Darien mine. Riches of Darien. The lost city. Up the Chucunaque. Yaviza. Old ruins. Across Darien to the Atlantic. What the old Dons did. XII Resources of Panama 200 Agriculture. Cattle. Fisheries. Horses. Medic- inal plants. Minerals. Pearl beds. Timber. Whales, Appendix — useful facts and figures . 217 Chbonologt of Most Impobtant Histobical Events 217 Peesidents of Panama 222 Size of Panama 223 Population of Panama 223 Public Institutions 224 Monetaby System of Panama 224 J Weights and Measubes 225 Language 226 ExpoBTS and Imports 226 Manufactubes and Industbies 226 Pbovinces of Panama with Population etc . 227 Facts and Figuees of Panama Canal . . . 230 The Panama Railway 235 Panama Railway Steamship Line .... 236 Useful Information Alphabetically Arranged 238 ILLUSTRATIONS A Veraguas Caballcro. "In many of the small villages the people are of pure Spanish blood, and dress and live as did their ancestors in the days of the Conquerors" Frontispiece FACING PAQB Railway station and firemen's monument, Panama City 80 Seventh Street, Colon, from Strangers' Club ... 80 Tlie Drowned Forest, Gatun Lake 104 A street in Panama City 104 Old Panama, Ruins of Fort and Sea-wall .... 120 Bongos in Panama Harbor 120 The Ancient Church in Santiago, Veraguas . . . 152 Giant ant-hills on the plains, Code 152 A Veraguas cowboy 170 La Palma, Darien 170 Scene on the Chucunaque River, Darien 17S A street in El Real, Darien 178 A wild Indian of Darien 182 A San Bias Indian 182 Kima Indian women, Darien 186 Wild Kunas of the forbidden district, Darien . . . 186 A big tree, Darien 190 Chokoi Indian girl, Darien 190 ILLUSTRATIONS PAQE Running rapids on the Chucunaque River, Darien . . 194 A Chokoi family on the Tuira River, Darien . . . 194 Chokoi Indians ready for a dance, Darien .... 198 An Indian camp in Darien with household god in door- way 198 MAPS VAOING PAGE Panama ■. . . . 8 Boundary line between Canal Zone and the Republic of Panama 54 Boundary line near City of Panama 56 Boundary line near City of Colon 56 Map of Panama City 116 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT PANAMA PAST AND PRESENT CHAPTER I THE BRIDGE OF THE WORLD Panama one of the least known countries. Ignorance of Panama. Why so unprogressive and undeveloped. Bene- fits of Canal. What the war did for Panama. Great re- sources of country. Fauna and Flora. Advantages of Panama for investments. Size of Panama. Diversity of country. People. Travel in Panama. Lack of roads. Lack of accomodations in interior. Four centuries and more ago a party of ad- venturous Spaniards beached their boats upon the coast of an unknown land and later, march- ing inland, came forth, after untold hardships, upon the shore of another ocean. All unwittingly they had stumbled upon the narrow strip of land which links the continents of North and South America and had crossed the Isthmus of Panama. Four hundred years and more have passed since that day when white men looked for the first time upon the Pacific ; thousands of people of all nations yearly travel from ocean to ocean 1 2 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT by huge steamships or by roaring trains and yet, today, the world knows scarcely more of Panama than did Balboa and his companions. The marvelous feat that linked the oceans is known to all the world ; the fame of the great ditch has spread to the uttermost ends of the earth; but, aside from the Canal, few people know anything about the Isthmus. To the average man Panama is synonomous with the Canal and the Canal is Panama. Ask the next man you meet if he knows anything about Panama and he will likely reply : * ' Sure, that's where they dug the Canal." Nine times out of ten his knowledge will begin and end there, although he may vouchsafe the informa- tion that Panama is a land of niggers and fever ; that it's a little strip of good-for-nothing land a few miles wide and that its sole industry is making and selling Panama hats. Perchance he may be one of those rare individuals who have stopped for a short time on the Isthmus, or who have passed through the Canal on a ship, or he may be one of Uncle Sam's employees on the Canal Zone. In that case he will perhaps be able to tell you that the climate of Panama is healthful, that there is no yellow fever, that the death rate is lower than in most THE BRIDGE OF THE WORLD 3 North Amerioan cities and that Panama hats are not made in Panama. But aside from this, and some information about cabarets, the shops and other attractions of Panama City and Colon, and some technical details regarding the Canal, — he can tell you nothing, unless he is a very exceptional person. And this ignorance of Panama is not confined to Americans and other strangers, but is shared almost equally by the average Panamanian. The native may know something about his country, — or rather about the particular district in which he lives or was raised or owns prop- erty or has visited; — ^but he knows little and cares less about the fauna and flora, the geog- raphy, the resources, the people or the possi- bilities of his native land. What, it may be asked, is the reason for this ignorance of a country known to Europeans for over four hundred years and which was brought into world-\vide prominence by the building of the Canal? The reason is primarily, that from the ear- liest times the Isthmus has been used as a short cut from ocean to ocean, that all developement and progress to speak of have been confined to the ports at either end of the route and that all 4 PANAMA, PAST AND PEESENT interests and energies have been devoted to the traflfic across the Isthmus and to living off this. The ''Bridge of the world" Bolivar called it and for four centuries it has been this and little more. First, in the old Spanish days, there was the famous Gold Road which led from Porto Bello on the Caribbean to Old Panama on the Pacific. Over this roughly-paved way flowed all the traffic from Old Spain to the western lands of the New Worlds ; over it passed all the loot from the Incas; all the vast wealth from the mines of Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile and western Mexico. Across the Isthmus, via this ancient way, rode the armor-clad soldiery, the proud Hidalogos, the sandaled monks and friars and the hardy Conquistadores who sailed forth from Spain for the fabulously rich pickings to be had in the lands of Incas and Aztec. And ever flowing in the opposite direction, was the stream of heavily-laden mules, of fettered slaves, of returning Dons, carrrying the treasures of New Spain to fill the coffers of the Spanish Crown. Over the Gold Road too, passed Morgan and his ruffians, red-handed from the pillage of Old Panama, and, dragging with them, the captive women and girls from that ill-fated city. In- THE BRIDGE OF THE WORLD 5 deed, it was Morgan's raid which spelled the doom of the Gold Road for, with the destruction of Old Panama and the rebuilding of the city on its present site, the Gold Road soon became a thing of the past. But once again the Isthmus was to become a golden highway, for with the discovery of gold in California in 1849, thousands of the Argo- nauts took the Panama route and crossed the Isthmus via the Chagres River. And u^th the rich toll culled from these adventurers the Panamanians once more waxed prosperous and happy. Then came the railway connecting Aspinwall and Panama and constant traffic was assured. But all that had gone before was as nothing compared to the boom which fell to the lot of Panama when the French made their ill- fated attempt to connect the two oceans with a canal. Then, after a few years of semi- somnambulance, the Americans stepped in, dug the Canal and helped Panama to become an independent Republic with its millions received for the zone safely invested in the United States. There is no question that the Canal and the advent of the Americans have benefited Panama beyond all calculation in certain ways. The cities have been sanitized and transformed 6 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT from pest holes to healthful, modern towns; m^ny diseases have been eliminated; up-to-the- minute improvements have been introduced and the cities of Colon and Panama have prospered amazingly ; but in other ways it has been a curse rather than a blessing. The country at large has not been benefited or developed appreciably, for the attention of the world has been so centered on the Canal that the fact that the Zone is but an infinitesimal portion of the Republic has been quite over- looked and the Panamanians have been too busy and too easily satisfied with living on the overflow of the Canal traffic, and on business directly attributable to it, to bother about the rest of their country or its possibilities. Perhaps the most beneficial thing that ever happened for Panama was the World War for, with much of the interoceanic commerce cut off and with the abnormal prices paid for many tropical products, the Panamanians suddenly discovered that they possessed resources which could be converted into ready cash. Their mahogany and other woods went into aeroplane propellers, gun stocks and other articles; their fustic served to dye the khaki for thousands of our soldiers' uniforms; their manganese went THE BRIDGE OF THE WORLD 7 into the making of shells and armor and muni- tions and motor trucks; their coconut shells provided innumerable gas masks with the re- quisite gi-ade of charcoal, and comitless other products found their* way from little-known Panama to the battle-fields of Europe and helped to win the war. But all this was of short duration and the outside world knew little or nothing of Panama's aid and never awoke to the fact that the little Republic possessed resources well worthy of investigation. Some, however, saw the opportunities for investment and develop- ment in Panama and, as a result, the country appears to be destined for development and prosperity such as it has never known, for, despite popular ideas, or rather lack of ideas, to the contrary, Panama possesses resources, possibilities and natural advantages which make it potentially one of the richest countries in Latin America. One has but to glance at the map to appreciate the geographical and physical advantages which are Panama's. Even iwithout the Canal its geographical position is almost ideal, — with its ports on either ocean and separated by only fifty miles, — while, with the Canal, the country is in 8 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT direct, all-water communication with every part of the world. Moreover, its very narrowness is a tremen- dous advantage, for no portion of the Republic is far distant from tide-water and a few miles of railway would give an outlet from any local- ity to the sea. Physically and geologically it is a portion of South America, or Central Amer- ica, — whichever you prefer, — for the southern or eastern portion has a typically South Amer- ican fauna while the fauna of the north or west is as thoroughly Central American, the two meeting at or near the narrowest part of the Isthmus where the Canal is situated. To be sure, there is no distinct line between these two faunal zones; but certain species are never found west of the Canal Zone and other forms of life never occur to the east of it. And when we realize that Panama is merely an attenuated extension of South America with the same Andean chain forming its Cordilleras, we reahze that, after all, there is no valid reason why the country should not possess the same re- sources as the other South American and Central American republics. In fact it does possess all these and many more, for apparently, all the natural wealth of the neighboring THE BRIDGE OF THE WORLD 9 countries has been condensed in the narrow strip of land comprising the Republic of Panama and northern energy and capital are all that are re- quired to transform the isthmus into a veritable wonderland of wealth and industry. A very potent factor in preventing the invest- ment of capital in Latin American countries has been the unstable condition of their governments and the uncertainty of one political faction up- holding concessions and keeping promises granted by its predecessors. But in Panama such an objection cannot exist, for the govern- ment is as stable as our own, the elections are guarded, supervised and judged by United States ofiicials; we guarantee the peace and sovereignty of the Republic; there can be no Panamanian army to create trouble; an Ameri- can fiscal agent audits all accounts and ex- penditures and has charge of its finances, and laws and concessions can be relied upon as fully as our own. Unfortunately the casual visitor to Panama sees but very little of the country and obtains a very erroneous idea of it, for his experiences are confined to the two largest towTis and to the Canal Zone which is the poorest and least inter- esting portion of the entire Republic. He lauds 10 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT at Cristobal on United States territory, he sees a bit of Colon, crosses the Isthmus by rail- way or by Canal and drives about Panama City and thinks he has seen Panama; but it would be just as sensible for a visitor to our country to judge the United States by a visit to New York and Brooklyn. In order to know anything of the real Panama one must take trips into the interior and such trips, if made in the dry sea- son when tourists usually visit Panama, are not nearly as uncomfortable or difficult as the natives and resident Americans would have us believe. During the rainy season, however, such trips are fraught with hardships innumer- able and should never be undertaken for pleasure. Although so small on the maps, yet Panama is really a vast area to cover and months of constant travel would be required to see it all. Moreover, there is an enormous difference be- tween the various sections of the Republic, and a visit to the Darien district, near the Colombian border, will afford no idea of the country in the /"northern districts of Veraguas and Chiriqui. ' In the former, for example, all traveling is done by means of native dugout canoes on the rivers whereas, in the northern provinces, one travels THE BRIDGE OF THE WORLD 11 by horseback over roads unworthy of the name. So too, the people, the fauna, the flora and the topography of the various provinces differ greatly. In one section we will find the inhab- itants mainly of mixed Spanish and Indian blood, in another they may be nearly all negroes, in another they will be of Moorish descent, while, in another, they will be of pure Castillian blood. In some sections the country is heavily forested, in others it is covered with dense jungles; some provinces are hilly, others mountainous and still others are broad and level prairies. But all hav^ one point in conmaon and that is lack of good roads and accomodations for travelers. One must carry practically everything on one's trips and one must be prepared to endure innumerable delays. Much of the backwardness of the Republic is due to the lack of proper means of trans- portation for, in many places, the roads are merely narrow, winding, jungle trails while in others the so-called cart roads are in fearful condition, — following the course of least resist- ance, — winding and crooked, filled with deep ruts, holes and boulders and usually ** re- paired," when they become dangerous by dig- ging them deeper without providing drainage 12 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT ditches or crowning. Recently, however, the Government has given contracts for many miles of new automobile roads of Macadam and con- crete and within a few years good roads will connect all the principal towns. Even worse than the roads are the local coastwise steamers^ or launches in which one miust travel from Pan- ama to the outlying ports. Most of these are cattle boats, small, old, and in wretched condi- tion, badly handled and a real menace to life should the weather become rough; but the Pa- cific is usually calm and a special Providence appears to watch over the Panamanian mariners. Accommodations for the traveler in the interior are conspicuous by their absence, although there are hotels of a sort in many of the larger towns and there is an excellent American hotel among the hills of Chiriqui province. Many of these country hotels or inns are far more comfortable than one would judge from appearances and while utterly lacking in all modem conveniences and sanitation, yet they are fairly clean and the meals served are often excellent. But despite the discomforts of bad roads, worse steamers and inadequate accommodations a journey through the interior of Panama is well worth THE BRIDGE OF THE WORLD 13 while for any one fond of beautiful scenery, picturesque people, quaint customs and out of door life or for those interested in obtaining a true idea of the little known Republic. CHAPTER II PANAMA OF THE PAST Brief history of Panama. Columbus and his settlements. The Golden Castle. Duchy of Veraguas. Nicuesa. Enciso and Balboa. Discovery of Pacific. Pedrarias the Cruel. Sufferings and hardslups. Early settlements. Founding of Old Panama. Explorations and conquests. Hostile In- dians, First ideas for canal. Extermination of Indians. African slaves. Sir Francis Drake. Fortifications of Porto Bello. Pirates' attacks. Survey for canal by Spain. Prosperity and wealth. Morgan's attacks. Loot of Panama. British attempts to colonize. It was on his fourth and last voyage that Columbus first sighted the shores of Panama and in May 1502 he anchored in the bay which is now called Almirante in his honor.^ Here, and about the borders of Chiriqui lagoon, the Spaniards found many Indians who were adorned with numerous golden ornaments which they readily traded for the beads and gewgaws of the Europeans. All the gold, so the Indians said, came from a neighboring region known ^ According to many historians Panama was discovered by Bastidas who sailed from Spain in October 1501 and is said to have touched at the Isthmus several months before Columbus arrived. 14 PANAMA OF THE PAST 15 as **Veragua" and, learning this, Columbus at once set sail for the new Eldorado. Cruising along the coasts towards the east the little fleet arrived at a beautiful bay whose shores were covered with the fruit trees and gardens of an Indian to\vn nestling under the palms. So charming did the spot appear that Columbus called it Porto Bello ^ and, as the natives were friendly, the Spaniards remained here for several days. On this voyage Colum- bus was accompanied by his brother, Bartolome, and by his son, Fernando, a lad of 13 years, and we can readily imagine the delight with which the boy and his companions welcomed the opportunity to romp ashore and eat the luscious fruits and crisp maize cakes of the Indians. But Christopher was not searching for beauty spots or agricultural paradises, and finding he had passed the golden shores of Veragua, he once more set sail and after a stormy passage arrived at the mouth of the Belen River. Here he was welcomed by the chief or cazique, Qui- ban, who was virtually ruler of all the tribes of the region. ^ The real name of the town was San Felipe de Portobelo, the Spanish spelling however has been generally abandoned in favor of the form used. 16 PANAMA, PAST AND PEESENT After making a treaty with Quiban, Colum- bus proceeded to establish a town and colony on the spot to which he gave the name of Santa Maria de Belen. This move, however, did not meet with the approval of the Indians who prepared to make war upon the intruders. Hearing of this, Don Bartolome, who was in command of the settlement, surprised the chief and his companions, and binding them hand and foot, cast them into a boat to be taken down the river. Notwithstanding his bonds, Quiban, by an almost superhuman effort, threw himself into the stream and succeeded in gain- ing the shore in safety. Without further delay he rallied his tribesmen and attacked the Spaniards so fiercely that the place became untenable and the Dons were compelled to aban- don the settlement and the coasts of Veragua in April 1503. But even during their short stay the Spaniards had obtained great quantities of gold and Columbus, writing to the King of Spain, said, "I have seen more gold in a day here than in Espanola in one year." Indeed, so great was the value of the precious metal obtained that the country was given the name PANAMA OF THE PAST 17 of Castilla de Oro or Golden Castle while Veragua was made a dukedom and the title Duke of Veraguas was conferred upon the grandson of Columbus, a title which his descend- ants hold to this day. Despite the wealth of the newly discovered land, the wars between Spain and Naples pre- vented any attention being given to the ter- ritory for several years or until 1508 when, peace having been restored, King Ferdinand Yll commissioned Diego de Nicuesa to set forth and conquer the Castilla de Oro and establish colonies. Nicuesa set sail from Santo Domingo and with 300 men arrived at the Isthmus in November 1509. Cruising along the coast from Bocas del Toro to Porto Bello, and finding the Indians everywhere hostile, he at last selected a fertile spot, to which Columbus had given the name of Bastimentos, and rechristening it Nombre de Dios he constructed a strong stockade. The Indians, however, waged a constant guerilla warfare and destroyed crops and plan- tations, forcing the Spaniards to subsist upon grass and the few animals they possessed, so that the 300 men were soon reduced to less than 18 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT one hundred, including the sick and wounded, who finally abandoned the settlement and sailed eastward. In the meantime, colonists under Ojeda had founded the town of San Sebastian on the eastern shores of the Gulf of Uraba, and having received reenforcements from Santo Domingo, transferred themselves to the western shores of the gulf in territory alloted to Nicuesa. It was with these new-comers, brought by Martin Fernandez de Enciso, that Vasco Nunez de Balboa arrived on the Isthmus, and almost at once trouble began to brew, for Balboa, — an unkhown adventurer who reached the New World by stowing away in an empty cask on one of the ships, — was an unprincipled, am- bitious scoundrel always ready to foment strife and insurrection for his own ends. Never- theless, he was a born leader and possessed a personality which made him a great favorite with the rough colonists and adventurers. Having defeated the Cimaco Indians the Spaniards captured the latter 's village, which contained a vast amount of gold, and which they renamed Santa Maria la Antigua del Darien. Finding himself very popular with the men PANAMA OF THE PAST 19 Balboa incited a revolu-tion, refused to recog- nize the authority of Enciso and declared him- self Alcalde with the idea of joining Nicuesa. When Nicuesa arrived, however, it was learned that he proposed to take possession of all the booty and, as a result, he was not permitted to land and on March 1st, 1511 he was forced to sea in a miserable ship with only seventeen of his faithful followers and was never heard from again. Balboa now decided to make himself chief of the colonies, and having obliged Enciso to return to Santo Domingo, he confiscated all Enciso 's property and started to explore the country, slaughtering the Indians and looting their villages at every turn. The country of the chief Careta was invaded and the chief himself was forced to become an ally through Balboa seizing and marrying his favorite daughter. Then, ^vith forces agumented by the Indians, the Spaniards entered the terri- tory of Comagre w^ho received the Europeans in a friendly manner. It was during the Spaniards' quarrel over the division of gold that Panquiaco, the son of the chief, conceived the brilliant idea of getting the unwelcome visitors off his bands 20 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT by spinning a most alluring yarn. According to his tale there was a kingdom to the south where the people ate and drank from vessels of solid gold, but, he added, to reach this mar- velously rich land, which was on the shores of another sea, at least 1000 men would be neces- sary in order to vanquish the many hostile tribes to be encountered on the way. Fired by this story, Balboa dispatched messengers to Spain begging for more men and supplies to fit out an expedition; but too im- patient to await a reply, and knowing that Enciso would doubtless report his doings to the King, he resolved to start at once and on September 1st, 1513, accompanied by only 190 men and a number of bloodhounds, he set out on his historic journey across the Isthmus. Fortunately for the Spaniards, their blood- hounds caused a panic among the Indians and, moreover, Careta supplied nearly 1000 of his braves to accompany the Dons. Forcing their way through country inhabited by the most savage of hostile tribes, undergoing hardships and privations innumerable, weighted down with armor and decimated by fever and the bites of poisonous insects, the Spaniards pressed on, until, ascending the last range of PANAMA OF THE PAST 21 hills, Balboa, who had gone ahead, saw the sparkling sea stretching to the horizon. Three days later the Spaniards arrived at the shores of the gulf, the first man to reach the water being Alonso Martin, who, finding a canoe on the beach, at once leaped in and paddled from shore in order to be the first white man to navigate the new ocean. A few moments later, Balboa arrived and, having drunk of the salt water, he waded into the gulf in full armor and took possession of the ocean in the names of the King and QHieen of Spain and christened the gulf San Miguel. History fails to relate what was said or done to Panquiaco when the Dons failed to find the rich kingdom of his story; but it is probable that Panquiaco, being a lad of intel- ligence and discretion, took advantage of op- portunity and placed himself safely beyond reach of Balboa while the Spaniard's attention was occupied with the new-found sea. But even though the riches described by the chief's son were not found, still the Dons had little cause for complaint, for they found the natives using pearls as decorations on their canoes and they gathered in a vast amount of loot in gold and pearls from the helpless 22 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT Indians. From them he learned that the pearls were obtained in great abundance at the is- lands visible in the distance and to which Bal- boa gave the name of Pearl Islands. Return- ing by a different route, the Spaniards arrived safely in Santa Maria del Darien on January 19th, 1514 with booty valued at more than 100,000 castellanos of gold. There has been a great deal of discussion as to the point where Balboa crossed the isth- mus and authorities do not agree as to the peak from which he first looked upon the Pacific. In most histories it is stated that he gazed upon the new-found sea from Mount Piri ; but I have ascended that peak and know that it is im- possible to see the ocean, or even the Gulf of Miguel, from its summit. Moreover, if Balboa ascended Mount Piri he must have gone far out of his way and, as he was accompanied and guided by Indians familiar with the country, it is reasonable to assume that the expedition followed the shortest and easiest trails. At the present time the Indians travel from the site of Santa Maria del Darien to the Gulf of San Miguel via the Chucunaque or Tuira rivers, ascending streams flowing into the Atlantic, crossing the low divide and descending the PANAMA OF THE PAST 23 rivers emptying into the Gulf of San Miguel. If this were the route followed by Balboa, then the mountain from which he first looked upon the Pacific was one of the peaks of the Chu- cunaque range, a supposition borne out by the fact that it was but ^^ three days travel" to the coast. Still further evidence in support of this theory lies in the fact that ruins of ancient Spanish forts are to be found on the Chucuna- que River near the present town of Yaviza and that for many years after Balboa's first trip the Spaniards followed this route in cross- ing the Isthmus. But to return to Balboa and the turbulent times of Panama's past. Soon after Balboa returned to Santa Maria he dispatched Pedro de Arbolancha to Spain laden with presents of gold and pearls for the Sovereigns and with a request that Balboa should be rewarded by being commissioned commander in chief of the Castilla de Oro. Arbolancha, however, arrived in Spain too late, for Pedro Arias de Avila had already been appointed governor of the country and had left with 1500 men with instructions to proceed against Balboa who had been denounced by Enciso. 24 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT The new governor, who was commonly known as Pedrarias the cruel, reached Darien in June, 1514 and although he was received with all due respect and hospitality by Balboa yet the discoverer of the Pacific was promptly arrested and forced to pay enormous indemni- ties to Enciso and other persons. Accompany- ing Pedrarias were several priests and a Bishop, as well as the governor's wife and several other women, these being the first clergymen and first women to arrive on the Isthmus. Santa Maria was then a settlement of over 200 thatched houses and was raised to the dignity of a city and espiscopal see, but so little attention had been given to cultivating the fertile land that there was insufficient food and, as a result, the Spaniards died off like rats until a bare 700 remained. Homesick, frightened and sick the people clamored to be taken back to Spain or Santo Domingo, but Pedrarias was obdurate and ordered them to scatter and to establish colonies among the friendly Indians. To set an example he dispatched Juan de Ayora and 400 men to found the town of Santa Cruz on PANAMA OF THE PAST 25 the shores of the bay and to establish the colony of Los Andes in the mountains. Sensible as was this plan it came to naught owing to the outrages committed by Ayora which caused the hitherto friendly Indians to rise and drive the Dons from their settlements. Ayora, knowing the temper of peppery old Pedrarias, decided that discretion was the better part of valor and, laden with booty and accompanied by a few friends, he slipped away and eventually arrived safely in Spain. Learning of the attack on Los Andes, the governor sent a force under Captain Antonio Telle de Guzman to reenforce the garrison, but upon his arrival he found it merely a heap of ashes and thereupon decided to proceed to the Pacific and eventually reached a small fishing village known as Panama. Finding that the Pacific slopes were far richer and offered greater advantages than the Atlantic, numer- ous expeditions set forth from Santa Maria and in their insatiable thirst for gold the Dons explored the coast as far as the present prov- inces of Code, Los Santos and Veraguas. Finally, Pedrarias himself moved bag and baggage to Panama where he met an expedi- 26 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT tion led by Espinosa and which had come over- land. Joining forces, the town of Panama was founded on August 15th, 1519 and Espinosa was commissioned to explore the western coast. On this expedition he made his way as far as Chiriqui and founded numbers of towns in the interior of Veraguas, several of which still exist, such as Nata founded in 1520, the oldest inhabited town in continental America, Santiago de Veraguas founded in 1521 and San Franciso de la Montana de Veraguas founded in 1522. The old church at San Francisco still stands and is in daily use and is probably the oldest occupied building on the American con- tinent. Espinosa however, did not have plain sailing in Veraguas by any means. The district was a stronghold of the most warlike and powerful Indians on the Isthmus and under their chiefs, Urraca, Musa and Bulba, they successfully re- sisted the repeated attacks of the Spaniards, despite the latter 's artillery, and, on one occa- sion, held the forces of Pedrarias himself for an entire day without giving way a foot. For nine years Urraca carried on his war against the whites, continually .harassing the towns, and maintaining his independence and the PANAMA OF THE PAST 27 freedom of his people until his death in 1531. In the meantime, Pedrarias had all the in- habitants, as well as their animals and food- stuffs, transferred from Santa Maria to Panama and by an ecclesiastical decree the espiscopal see was also transferred to the new settlement. Here Pedrarias ruled as gover- nor until 1526 and during his administration the colony prospered and expeditions left for Nicaragua which was subdued and where Francisco Fernandez de Cordoba, who had pro- claimed an independent government, was de- feated and shot by Pedrarias' orders. It was from this little settlement of Panama that Francisco Pizarro embarked for the conquest of Peru and for many years the Isthmus be- came the most important of Spain's colonies in the new world. Owing to his realization of its importance as a bridge of the world, the King of Spain in 153-i dispatched Pascual de Andagoya to make a survey with the idea of constructing a canal to connect the two oceans, the plan being to use the Chagres as far as Cruces and then connect with the Rio Grande. Andagoya reported the scheme as practical, but thought it would cost far more than Spain could afford and the plan 28 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT was abandoned. What a tremendous difference it might have made in the world's history if such a waterway had been dug ! By 1539 the conquest of the Isthmus was practically complete and approximately as much land was under the Spaniard 's rule and as many towns were in existence as at the present time. Of the half million Indians who originally dwelt within the boundaries of Castilla de Oro only a handful remained, for those not killed in warfare had been made slaves and had been worked, beaten and starved to death in the mines which, at that time, were the richest in the world. In order to secure labor, the Spaniards im- ported Moorish and negro slaves from Africa, and the ill treatment of these brought a just retribution on the Dons, for the slaves, running away or revolting, took to the bush and aided the French and British pirates and buccaneers who cruised off the coasts and frequently landed to attack the Spanish settlements. Indeed, had it not been for the help of these Cimmaroon negroes Drake never could have taken Nombre de Dios when in 1595 ^ he landed ^ There seems to be some confusion regarding this date. According to some histories Nombre de Dios was abandoned in favor of Porto Bello in 1584 but as records in the Archives of Panama state that Porto Bello was not estab- PANAMA OF THE PAST 29 on the Atlantic coast with 750 men. Having beaten the Spaniards at Nombre de Dios, Drake and his men accompanied by many Cimmaroons marched inland to attack Panama, but owing to the carelessness of one of his sailors, who incautiously showed himself while in ambush, the British were defeated in the mountains of Capira and were compelled to beat a hasty re- treat. It was from wounds received in this battle that Drake died soon after reaching his ship, his body being buried at sea in the Bay of Porto Bello. So rich had Panama now become that the cupidity of the pirates was aroused and their attacks became so frequent and so bold that it was decided to fortify Porto Bello and the mouth of the Chagres and work on these fortifi- cations was commenced in 1597. They were completed in 1G02 and were considered impreg- nable, but the very year that the forts were finished William Parker with 200 pirates captured Porto Bello, burned a part of the town and carried off an immense amount of booty. Soon after this, and during the regime of Diego Fernandez de Velasco as governor, the lislied as a city until 1597 and as Drake's memoirs give the date of his exploit as 1595 I consider that correct. 30 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT subject of a canal across the Isthmus again came up and in 1616 King Philip III ordered a survey of the Darien country to see if it were possible to connect the two oceans by way of the Tuira River and the Gulf of San Miguel. Hardly had the matter been broached how- ever, when the Dons realized that such a water- way would aid the pirates and other enemies in attacks on Panama and the work was promptly abandoned. For a number of years thereafter Panama prospered; vast amounts of gold flowed from the mines of Veraguas and Darien to the coffers of Spain; wealth incal- culable came from Peru, from Mexico and from the rich cities of western South America and was transported across the Isthmus via the famous Gold Road; great fleets of plate ships and of galleons rode at anchor in the ports of Panama, of Nombre de Dios and of Porto Bello; the prairies furnished grazing land for thousands of head of cattle and, throughout the world, Panama became famed as that ''Goode and Staytlye City," the richest colony of New Spain and the key to all the untold riches of the western coasts of South and North America. Then, in June, 1668, — like a bolt from a clear PANAMA OF THE PAST 31 sky — 'Sir Henry Morgan swept do\vn on Porto Bello, defeated the Spaniards, captured the town and sailed away with booty to the value of a quarter of a million dollars. With his departure, the Dons once more breathed freely, but not for long, for, two years later, — in December 1670, — Morgan's squadron appeared off the mouth of the Chagres and with 2500 men the famous buccaneer took the castle of San Lorenzo by strategy and con- tinued up the Chagres bent on sacking Panama. Landing at Las Cruces, Morgan and his free- booters marched overland, but word of their approach had already been sent to Panama and when they arrived in front of the city they found 1500 Spaniards awaiting them. Knowing the ferocity and fighting abilities of the pirates, the Spaniards had gjathered together a great herd of wild bulls which they drove towards the oncoming buccaneers, but the British scattered, and throwing themselves on the ground hamstrung the cattle as they passed and then rushed on the Spaniards. With their morale shaken by tales of the pirates' reckless daring and cruelty, and greatly outnumbered, the Spaniards gave way after a short but bloody engagement and the victorious 32 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT freebooters swarmed into the city. However, the warning given to the city and the delay caused by the battle, had enabled the residents to carry the greater portion of their riches, as well as most of the plate and golden fittings of the churches, aboard ships in the harbor which then put to sea. Furious at this, Morgan inflicted every imaginable torture and reprisal upon the Spaniards and when, that night, the town was burned, his rage knew no bounds, for he had given strict orders that the city should be spared, (thinking no doubt to return at some future date) and, as no one knew whether the conflagration had been started by some patri- otic Spaniard or by some roistering, drunken pirate, Morgan spared neither friend nor foe until his terrific temper had worn itself out. Then, as there was nothing else to be gained by remaining, he left the ruins of Panama on Feb. 24th carrying with him 194 muleloads of gold, silver and precious stones, as well as scores of women and girls, a number of priests and many nuns. So much has been written of Morgan that one has the impression that he ravaged the Spanish Main for years and was a most bloodthirsty old PANAMA OF THE PAST 33 ruffian. As a matter of fact, Morgan's entire career as a pirate lasted but a scant five years and all his most famous deeds, or misdeeds, were committed within a period of three years. Li many ways too, Morgan was a most exem- plary pirate and was not nearly as cruel or bloodthirsty as many less notorious free- booters. His fame was gained largely through the sheer bravado of his deeds, the fact that he was made Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica and was the only pirate on record to be knighted. Like nearly all the pirate leaders he was a very forceful character with a vast amount of personal magnetism and was a born leader of men, and even his worst enemies could never accuse him of cowardice. But, on the other hand, he had a strangely complex and para- doxical character. It is said of him, that, while Lieuten,ant Governor of Jamaica, he punished those accused of piracy with the utmos^ rigor and hung them 'v^'ith scarce a semblance of trial, but on the other hand, he aided and abetted his brother and several friends in fitting out and profiting by piratical ventures. He regularly attended church and it is said that on more than one occasion he shot down men for disturbing 34 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT church services and that divine services were always held on his ships whenever a priest or clergyman happened to fall into his clutches. History fails to relate what he did with the priest or minister after services were over, but he no doubt made them walk the plank or dis- posed of them otherwise with equal dispatch, for that was ''Harry Morgan's way" as he was fond of saying. So too, he was utterly without principle and would betray his own men and after the sack of Panama he made away with the bulk of the loot and left his men to shift for themselves as best they might. It was soon after the looting of Panama also that he exhibited a most striking example of Ms Quixotic nature. According to the story, one of the captured women had a lover who offered to ransom her, and the sum offered being very large, Morgan halted his men and awaited the ransom. By some trickery, how- ever, the messenger was waylaid and the ransom was brought by the friend of a captive priest with a statement that it had been sent by the Bishop to purchase the friar's freedom. Accordingly, the priest was released, but ere he had reached safety, the real messenger arrived with his tale, whereupon Morgan PANAMA OF THE PAST 35 promptly sent men to capture the priest, hung him to the nearest tree, released the woman, restored her to her lover accompained by an armed guard and, to still further prove his gallantry, he returned the ransom as a wedding gift! But of Morgan ^s personality or pleasantries the Spaniards knew little and cared less. To them, he was a fiend incarnate, an ever-present menace and, realizing the defenseless position of their ruined city, they moved further north and founded the present city of Panama on January 1st, 1673. Whether it was because of the new city's strong defenses and strategic position, or whether it was owing to the fact that there was little wealth to attract them, the pirates left Panama in peace thereafter and confined their operations to the Atlantic seaboard. But there were others than the buccaneers who caused the Dons many a sleepless night and many a hard fought and bloody battle in the years to follow. Thus, on Oct. 30th, 1698, one, William Patterson, (the same man who founded the Bank of England), a hard-headed Scotchman, arrived at the coast of Darien with a squadron of ships and 1200 men. Their 36 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT object was to establish a British colony on the coast, exploit the riches of Darien and steal a bit of Spanish territory under the very noses of the Dons. Glad to help any enemies of the hated Spaniards, the Indians made a treaty of peace with Patterson and a town was estabhshed which they called New Edinburgh, while the land which they took possession of in the name of the King of England, and which they claimed from Porto Bello to the Gulf of Uraba, was christened Calidonia. Like many another expedition Patterson's venture was doomed to failure through igno- ance and shortsightedness and so many of the colonists were taken sick and such a large number died that the colony was abandoned in June, 1699. On the 30th of November of the same year, however, a second British expedi- tion arrived with 1300 men, but the Spaniards, now thoroughly alive to Britian's determina- tion to secure a foothold on the Isthmus, har- assed the Scotch and carried on a relentless guerilla warfare until the British surrendered on April 24th, 1700 and were gallantly per- mitted to abandon their settlement with full miUtary honors. CHAPTER III THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA Barren years. Dreams of liberty. Freedom proclaimed. Union with Colombia.. Argonauts of '49. Panama Hail- way. The French Canal Company. Collapse of French scheme. Independence of Panama. Treaty with United States. Why Canal became a posssibility. Sanitatioo by Americans. A dream fulfilled. By this time, conditions in Panama were very bad for several reasons. First, there were the constant raids of the buccaneers on the Atlantic coast, then the cimmaroons and native Indians were constantly revolting and destroying settle- ments and property, as well as lives, w^hile, to make matters even worse, commercial opera- tions had practically ceased as Spain no longer used the Bridge of the World as her golden highway. Thus matters went from bad to worse. The vast herds of cattle which grazed upon the open prairies of Code, Veraguas and Los Santo« were driven off or killed by revolting slaves and Indians or were scattered far and wide when the ranches were burned and their owners mas- 37 47488 38 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT sacred. The mines, formerly so rich, were either abandoned, owing to the impossibility of retaining slave labor or through the attacks of Indians who murdered all within reach and destroyed the shafts and works. Outlying farms and plantations could not be worked and Spain, grown decadent, could offer no help nor encouragement and the overbearing Spanish officials became tyrannical despots. Then, with the first cry of liberty given in Quito in 1809, ideas of freedom and indepen- dence surged through Panama; but still the Isthmus remained faithful to the Crown and proved a most convenient spot for provisioning and outfitting the troops dispatched by Spain to quell the revolting colonies of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The last of these expeditions to leave the Isthmus, — and the only one which had any real bearing upon the future of Panama, — departed for Ecuador on Oct. 22nd, 1821 under command of Captain General Juan de la Cruz Murgeon. Before leaving. General Murgeon placed a dis- tinguished Panamanian in charge of the Isthmus. This man, who had formerly been Governor of Veraguas Province, was Colonel Jose de Fabrega and his promotion, at the time THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA 39 when Spain 's cause in America appeared hope- less, raised the highest hopes of independence in the hearts of the Panamanians. So success- ful were the leaders of the secession in inducing the Spanish garrisons to desert that on Nov- ember 13th, 1821 liberty was proclaimed in Los Santos and soon afterwards in Pese and Nata. By the end of November, desertions had reached such a point that the force of loyal troops in the capital had been reduced to those in charge of the jails and when, on the night of Nov. 27th, sixty soldiers deserted their posts in a body carrying their arms with them, the Spanish officers became alarmed and placed the few remaining soldiers at the most strategic spots about the city. Despite this the people invaded the Plaza Central and, without violence or bloodshed, demanded that the Municipal Council should meet and decide the fate of the Isthmus, with the result, that the Governor, the Captain General, the Bishop, the representatives of the various Provinces and a number of prominent civil and military authorities met and decided that Panama should be freed of Spanish rule and should join Colombia with Colonel Fabrega 40 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT in supreme command of the country. Thus Panama was the only one of Spain's colonies to secure independence without serious blood- shed. As Panama had voluntarily joined with Greater Colombia, the government of the latter appointed a Venezuelan, Jose Maria Carreno, to take charge, Fabrega at his own request being transferred to his old post as governor of Veraguas. On his arrival, Carreno put into effect the Constitution of Colombia and also organized a body of 1700 infantry and with these he left to cooperate with the forces fight- ing for hberty in Peru, Colombia and Vene- zuela. Owing to the anarchistic and unsettled con- dition of Colombia, the Panamanians decided to withdraw from the Colombia federation and to join their state with Venezuela and Ecuador, thus being protected by the European powers which had recognized these countries. With this object in view, a meeting of the leading citizens was called on September 26th, 1831 at which Panama was declared independent of Colombia and Simon Bolivar was called upon to aid in the union of a greater Colombia. Under this new order of things General Jose THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA 41 Domingo Espinar, the military commandant, assumed control and the movement was enthusi- astically received through the Province of Panama, but was opposed in Veraguas, where Fabrega was not in favor of the move and, as Bolivar advised against it, the Isthmus was once more incorporated with Colombia by the decree of December 11th, 1831. For the next sixteen years nothing of great importance transpired to disturb the tran- quility of the Isthmus but, at the close of the Mexican War, Panama suddenly sprang into world-wide prominence and reaped such a harvest of gold and prosperity as it had not seen since the famous days of the old Gold Road and the plate-laden galleons. With the discovery of gold in California, hundreds of the Argonauts chose the Panama route in preference to the tedious, but scarcely more dangerous, way across the plains and the Rockies. Following in the footsteps of Morgan and his buccaneers, the gold seekers made their way up the Chagres to Cruces and hence by mule or afoot to Panama. Absolutely lacking in sanitation, Panama was then a veritable pest hole of disease; the towns on the Chagres and the rough camps and settlements which sprang 42 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT up were reeking with jSlth and the deadly Chagres fever was carried everywhere by the swarming mosquitoes. Vile liquor and viler women added their quota to the hell hole of the Isthmus and Panama became a synonym for all that was deadly, disease ridden and to be shunned. The wonder is that any of the gold- crazed men ever lived to reach their destina- tion, not that so many died, and the irony of it was, that in their one blind endeavor to reach the new Eldorado of California, they passed all unheeding through a land where every stream carries gold and which once was the greatest gold producing country in the world. But to Panama the Argonauts were a treas- ure trove ; immense stocks of merchandise filled the shops and stores ; prices soared to unheard of heights; money flowed like water and un- dreamed of prosperity set in. Moreover, as it was very dangerous to transport gold across the continent, and as the costs of freighting supplies by ox cart or pack train from east to west was tremendous, conmaerce once more flowed back and forth across the Isthmus ; ships once more filled its harbors and then, to accom- modate the fast increasing traflic, the Panama Bailway was begun in May, 1850 and completed THE DAWN OF A NEW, ERA 43 on January 27th, 1855 at a cost of nearly eight millions, and the Bridge of the World b«eoame a world ^s highway in truth. Although Panama thought the pinnacle of prosperity and affluence had been reached with the building of the railroad and the immense increase in interoceanic commerce which fol- lowed, yet it was as nothing compared to the boom which fell to the lot of the country when the French commenced the task of severing the Isthmus by a ship canal. As mentioned in a previous chapter, the idea of a trans-isthmian canal was broached soon after the country was settled by the Spaniards, in 1534 in fact, but that, and a later scheme in 1616, were abandoned for several reasons. The church opposed it on the ground that it would be sacrilegious to con- nect oceans separated by God; the cost was too great to be borne by the treasury of Spain, while finally, and possibly most important of all, the Spaniards feared that a canal across the Isth- mus would be of greater benefit to their foes than to themselves. The first survey in 1534 was over very nearly the same route followed by the French, and later by the Americans, the idea being to utilize the Chagres River to Cruces and then cut 44 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT through to the Rio Grande. But the survey of 1616 was over the old Darien route followed by Balboa, and, in many ways, this was preferable to the other. In fact, both the French and American engineers looked into the possibili- ties of this route and not a few engineers claim that it would have been cheaper and better in the end than the one adopted. After more than two centuries the project of a canal across the Isthmus was again broached in 1838 when a concession was granted to a French company and Napoleon Garella was sent to make a report. Although he reported favor- ably yet the concession was allowed to lapse ow- ing to lack of capital. Then, in 1878, the Uni- versal Interoceanic Canal was organized and in- corporated by Ferdinand de Lesseps who con- vened a congress called the ''International Con- gress of Surveys for an Interoceanic Canal." This committee, which met in Paris in 1879 de- cided upon a sea level canal to be completed in twelve years at a cost of $240,000,000. Almost immediately, a large slice of the lim- ited capital was used in purchasing a control- ling interest in the stock of the Panama Rail- way, for the excessive sum of over $18,000,000. During the next two years over $60,000,000. THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA 45 were used in sur\^eys and preliminary work and little accomplished, for De Lesseps, who had successfully built the Suez Canal, would listen to nothing but a sea-level canal for the Isthmus. By 1887 not a stroke of actual construction work had been done and by then the French had become convinced that it was impossible to complete their original plans with the funds at their disposal. As a result, the sea-level idea was abandoned in favor of a canal with locks, which would raise the summit level above the flood level of the Chagres and which would be supplied with water by pumping. With this new plan in view, actual excavation work was commenced in 1888, but, a year later, the com- pany went into bankruptcy. Although over $260,000,000. had been expended and only 66,700,000 cubic yards had been excavated, nevertheless, a new company was formed in 1894 and work was resumed in 1895; but through mismanagement, waste, inefficiency, lack of adequate funds and, most of all, owing to the enormous fatality among the men from fever and other diseases, the French gave up in despair, leaving vast amounts of supplies, machinery and equipment to rust and corrode and to be overgrown with the jungle. 46 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT It was then that negotiations were begun with the governments of the United States and Colombia with a view to disposing of the French concessions to the United States and the Herran-Hay treaty was drawn up by which Co- lombia was to authorize the French company to dispose of its rights and properties to the United States, and giving the latter the sole right to construct and operate the canal for a term of 100 years, — which might be renewed, — and at the same time ceding a zone three miles wide on each side of the canal, but excluding the cities of Panama and Colon. Although satisfactory to both the French and the Americans, yet this treaty met with great opposition in Colombia and was rejected by the Colombian congress on August 12th, 1903, de- spite declarations by the Panamanian represen- tatives, Jose Domingo de Obaldia and Dr. Louis de Roux, who stated that if the treaty were thrown out Panama might revolt and establish an independent government in order to make the canal possible. A few days after the rejection of the treaty, Obaldia, who had been appointed governor of Panama, returned to his native land and with his friends of the independent party at once THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA 47 proceeded to open secret negotiations with Washington, with the idea of obtaining assur- ances that, in case the independence of Panama were declared, the United States would recognize it. As an inducement, the Panama- nians pledged themselves to sign a treaty similar to the Herran-Hay and, to carry out these negotiations, Dr. Manuel Amador Guer- rero was dispatched to the United States. Ac- complishing his mission with the greatest suc- cess, and being assured that Uncle Sam would stand behind their secession, the Panamanians appointed a Committee of Independence with Guerrero at its head and at once obtained the cooperation of the liberal party and the services of General Esteban Huertas, who was then chief of the Colombian troops in Panama. Headed by the liberal leader. General Do- mingo Diaz, the leading citizens met in Santa Ana Plaza on the afternoon of Nov. 3rd, 1903 and marched to the Chiriqui barracks where General Huertas had already imprisoned two Colombian generals, Juan B. Tobar and Ramon C. Amaya, who had been dispatched from Colombia at the head of a battalion with orders to replace General Huertas. Unfortunately for them, they had traveled across from Colon 48 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT alone, leaving their troops behind owing to the difficulty of transportation and had thus fallen easily into the hands of the revolutionists. On the evening of the same day, the council issued an Act of Independence and appointed Jose Agustin Arango, Federico Boyd and Tomas Arias as a Governing Committee to pro- visionally rule the new republic. Thus it was practically a bloodless revolution, although there was some fighting in the outly- ing districts, and on January 15th, 1904 Dr. Guerrero was appointed President of the Republic and assumed his duties on Feb. 20th. Meanwhile, on November 18th, 1903 the Canal treaty between Panama and the United States had been signed and on May 4th, 1904 active work commenced on this greatest of engineer- ing feats. • Thus, in less than a year from the time when Colombia rejected the Herran-Hay treaty, the Panamanians had won their independence, had negotiated the Canal treaty and actually had seen the great work commenced, — truly no one could accuse them of the *'manana" habit in this instance! Although the Panamanians were quite alive to the benefits, both financial and otherwise, N THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA 49 which would accrue to them by the building of the Canal, yet it is doubtful if they, or any one else, realized the extent of such benefits or the far reaching effects of the Canal and their agreement with Uncle Sam, and it is certain that they did not realize how much they were giving on their part nor to what extent the treaty bound them hand and foot. No doubt exists that, on the whole, Panama has gained by the Canal, but it is at times a bit galling to find oneself compelled to swallo"W pride and self-respect for one's own good. This is the case with Panama, for while the ten million dollars paid by the United States for its privileges was welcome to the newborn republic; while the tremendous commerce and undreamed of prosperity which it brought have been a Godsend to the people ; while the sanita- tion and sanitary laws have resulted in incal- culable benefits and while the presence "of the Americans and American forces have protected Panama from internal strife and foreign aggression, yet her sovereignty has become little more than a name, her freedom of action has been sadly curtailed ; there have been many abuses and unfair discriminations; she has been compelled to submit to many petty annoy- 50 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT ances and to the will of a great power and, among many of the more intelligent people, there is a feeling that Panama got the worst of the bargain. On the other hand, had it not been for the Canal and the Americans it is doubtful if the Panamanians could have won their freedom, — at least without a long and bloody war, — and, had it been won, the Republic would have been unsettled, insecure and in dire financial straits, so that even if Panama did sell its birthright for a mess of pottage, as some Panamanians think, still that birthright without the pottage would have been of little value. Much credit has been given to the Americans for carrying out the tremendous project at which the French had so signally failed, and while great credit is due them, yet it must not be forgotten that without the aid of the Pana- manians the Canal would have been an impos- sibility at the time it was built. So too, we should not forget the humble West Indian negroes, the thousands of dark-skinned laborers who toiled and strove and did the menial work and without whom our engineers, our wealth, our marvelous machinery, our vast resources, would have been of no avail. THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA 51 And, strange as it may seem, the really important factor in the success of the herculean task, — the true, fundamental reason for our achievement, was one of the lowest forms of animal life, — a microscopic protozoan parasite of a certain species of mosquito! For centuries the Isthmus had been a pest hole of death and disease, a hot bed of perni- cious malaria, a veritable white man's grave. In the construction of the Panama Railway the toll of human life was so great that it has been said (with little exaggeration) that a life was sacrificed for every tie laid. During the French efforts the death rate was even higher and, if one cares to see a startling illustration of the mortality of those days, one should visit the cemetery at Mount Hope where, in endless rows stretching far into the distance, close packed together and covering acres of ground, are the tiny, white crosses marking the resting places of those thousands sacrificed to the relentless greed of commerce. But when the Americans took charge all this was changed. Scientists had learned of the source of malaria and yellow fever; their microscopic studies of the protozoan parasite of the mosquito had reached the stage where prac- 52 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT tical measures could be employed to destroy the insect germ carriers and stamp out the fevers, and the first things done were to clean up Pan- ama and Colon; drain swamps and bogs; cover the stagnant waters with oil to destroy mosquito larvae and prevent the insects from breeding. And so successful were these methods, so thoroughly was sanitation carried out, that the Isthmian towns and the Zone were transformed as if by magic from pest holes to the most healthful spots in the tropics. Panama and the Canal Zone. Government. Limits of Zone. Leased lands. Peculiarities of Panama. Points of the compass. A confusing country. Law and order. Cos- mopolitan people. Panamanians. Character of people. Progressive element. Peons and their shortcomings. Need of roads. Interior towns. Fascinating spots. One of the most perplexing puzzles to many visitors to Panama is the question of what is Panama and what is Canal Zone. Many people have an idea that the Americans control the entire Isthmus; others believe that only the Canal itself is under the United States Govern- ment ; others cannot understand that Panama is a sovereign state with its own government and still others think that the cities of Panama and Colon are in the Zone. The Republic of Panama is composed of eight provinces or states known as Panama, Colon, Code, Los Santos, Herrera, Veraguas, Chiriqui and Bocas del Toro, each province having its own governor and provincial officials and the whole being governed by the President 63 54 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT with his cabinet and the National Assembly (composed of delegates from the various provinces) in Panama City, the capital of the republic. The American territory consists only of the Canal Zone, — ^a strip of land ten miles in width (five miles on either side of the Canal) across the Isthmus and passing through the provinces of Panama and Colon. Normally this area would include the cities of Panama and Colon, but special provisions were made in the treaty excepting these cities and a narrow strip of land, from the Zone in order that the cities might remain on Panamanian territory, and that their inhabitants might have ingress and egress without the necessity of passing through Zone territory. Moreover, the Canal Zone does not belong to the United States, but is merely leased and under American control, being governed by a military governor appointed by the President of the United States. Another cause of confusion arises from the fact that while the original treaty provided for the ten mile strip, a later treaty was entered into by which the United States was granted control of all land bordering the Zone up to PANAMA OF THE PRESENT 55 the 100 foot level above the sea. This was done in order that the Zone authorities might control the sanitation on the borders O'f Gatun Lake and its tributary streams and also to provide for an increase in the size and height of the Lake should the necessity ever arise. As a result, the present boundaries of the Zone, along the 100 feet contour line, greatly exceed the five mile limit on either side. Between the limits of this contour line and the original boundaries the Zone government has certain limited powers. In addition to all this, there were certain lands which w^ere leased to the Panama Railway long before the Canal was projected and when, later, the railway was taken over by the United States, these properties came with it, but are not under the control or government of the Zone or the United States. Thus, the Washington Hotel in Colon is main- tained and operated by the government through the Commissary Department of the Panama Railway, but the land whereon it stands is Pan- amanian territory leased to the railway and not subject to United States control, laws or rules. This will be better understood by referring 56 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT to the accompanying maps and the intending visitor to the Isthmus will do well to thoroughly familiarize himself with the matter for, with a bone-dry Zone and a decidedly wet Panama, one Is likely to get into serious difficulties if not thoroughly conversant with the boundaries of the two. For example, although liquor cannot be sold by the Washington Hotel, — it being a United States Government hotel, — yet, as it is in Pan- amanian territory and not subject to American laws, guests are at liberty to have their liquor in the hotel, to have it served in the dining room and even to have it kept in the hotel ice box until needed. But because this is so, it must not be assumed that the rule holds good at the other end of the Canal at the Hotel Tivoli, for this is a U-nited States Government hotel on Canal Zone territory and woe to the innocent guest who attempts to possess or use liquors within its precints. Although the youngest and one of the small- est of American republics, yet Panama is an extremely interesting and a tremendously rich country and, moreover, it has the distinction of possessing many unique features. It is the narrowest barrier between the two great oceans ; PANAMA OF THE PEESENT 57 it is the connecting link between the two Amer- icas and it is the only spot in the world where one may see the sun rise from the Pacific and set in the Atlantic. While our geographies taught us that the Isthmus does not extend north and south, and while we have been told many times that the Canal does not run east and west, and even though we may have learned that Colon on the Atlantic coast is further west than Panama on the Pacific, yet the visitor to Panama invariably finds his sense of direction at a loss and becomes terribly twisted and confused as to the points of the compass. Somehow, north and east never seem to be in the right place. One looks out from Colon upon the Caribbean and expects to see the sun rising in the morning and instead, sees it set there at night. One sees ships, bound for New York, headed in a direction which one feels should carry them to the coast of Colombia and it comes as a distinct shock to discover that Isthmian time and New York time are the same and that Panama is as far east as Buffalo or Toronto. In sailing from the Pacific terminus of the Canal for the Pacific ports of South America the vessel heads more west than south 58 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT while, if bound for Cartagena, one sails more to the north than the east. It is even worse in the interior and the traveler feels that he must be taking leave of his senses when he sees the sun rising in gor- geous splendor above the serrated tips of the Cordilleras and when, a little later, he gains the coast and gazes at the moon lifting slowly from the Pacific, he feels that this indeed is topsy-turvy land. And almost as confusing and topsy-turvy to a stranger as are the points of the compass, are many of the other characters and features of Panama. Here is a Latin American republic where revolutions and insurrections are unknown. Here is one of the little countries we are wont to associate w^th comic operas and fiction mag- azines, yet wherein peace and order reign and where laws and concessions are as secure and stable as our own. Here is a land of tempera- mental Latins where elections are held and oflQcials elected without as much graft, and with less turbulent scenes, than in our own United States, and here is a country within a few hun- dred miles of the equator where it is never as hot as in New York in summer and where the death rate is lower than in most of our cities. PANAMA OF THE PRESENT 59 Truly a cosmopolitan country is Panama. Every color, creed and race is here ; turbanned Hindus; Chinese, Japanese, Negro and Slav, Spaniard and Greek, Italian and Arab, German and Dane, Dutch and French, English and Egyptian, Turk and Annenian, Syrian and Rus- sians ; Stolid Indians and tow-headed Swedes; Americans by thousands and countless others of every imaginable mixture of all. So numerous are the sons and daughters of other lands that the visitor wonders if there are any real Panamanians and he quite overlooks the fact that the term Panamanian covers a multitude of skins and that he may be white, black, yellow, or brown; he may be from the Orient or the Occident ; he may be a slant-eyed Celestial or a kinky -haired negro, a silky- voiced Hindu or a bland-faced Hebrew, for here, on the Bridge of the World, have gathered men from the uttermost ends of the earth to settle down, marry and rear their families and to become citizens of Panama. \^ But in speaking of Panamanians as such, it is understood that one refers to the natives of Spanish, or mixed blood. And just as it is a veritable melting pot of nations so too it is a true democracy and a really free country. As 60 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT long as the stranger mthin the bounds of Pan- ama obeys its laws, minds his own business and does not disturb the peace he is at liberty to ply his trade, go his way, live his life and man- age his affairs as he sees fit without inter- ference, molestation or discrimination. The lowliest peon may become president (as has been done), the humblest tradesman may rise to the highest position, for no line is drawn at creed, color or station in life. All too often, the American looks down upon the Panamanian, speaks contemptuously of him as a *'Spigotty" or ''Spdg'* and openly loathes and despises him. Of course the Panamanian has his faults and his shortcomings, as does every race, but because he is not of our blood, because his moral code is not ours, because he shows his common sense and his concessions to the tropics by taking life easily and nev«er hurry- ing, is no excuse for condemning him outright. Whether of low or high degree be is polite, courteous, artistic in temperament, passion- ately fond of music and poetry, romantic, gal- lant and intensely patriotic. To our minds he may be cruel, because he loves cock-fights and bull fights, he may be a gambler, because of the lottery, he may be a dozen things which we do PANAMA OF THE PRESENT 61 not approve, but he is seldom or never turbu- lent or rowdyish. It is a rare thing indeed to see him intoxicated in public, he has the manners of a grandee and he is fonder of a baseball match, a horse race or a boxing match than of a bull fight. Unfortunately for Panama the great failing of the Panamanian is that he is not a builder, a manufacturer, a colonizer, a merchant or a developer. And when I say Panamanian in this connection I refer to the Panamanian of Spanish or partly Spanish blood, the Pana- manian of a long line of ancestors of native birth. Very little of the business of the Republic is in the hands of true Panamanians ; the majority of the merchants are Hindus, Chinese, Syrians, Italians, French, Spaniards or Hebrews; the big commission merchants are largely of foreign birth or descent; the industries and manufactures are principally handled by Amer- icans and the intelligent class of native sons fill government positions, practice law, medicine or dentistry or are civil engineers, accountants or professional men in other lines. Those bom in the outlying district gravitate to the cities, as do our own country bred youths, and, as a 62 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT result, the country is backward, undeveloped and unproductive while the cities are crowded with young men who devote all their spare time, — ^and they have an abundance of it, — and most of their energies to dressing ** Broadway style" and being real ''sports." As a result, many of the interior towns, which were formerly prosperous, have degen- erated and are now merely pathetic relics of their former greatness with their houses and buildings tumbling about their owners' ears; the surrounding estates and farms overgrown with bush and neglected; the people poverty stricken and without ambition, for with the dis- appearance of the old and almost feudal order of things and the migration of the scions of the prominent fajnilies to the cities, the peons drop back into primitive conditions and do just enough work to keep soul and body together. It is not the Grovernment 's fault, but an exjonomic condition brought about through in- fluences extending back to the old colonial days and before. The present Executive, Doctor Porras, is a most progressive, wide-awake, and constructive man and has the well-being of his country at heart; his Cabinet is composed of men almost as progressive and modern as him- PANAMA OF THE PRESENT 63 self; the Board of Education under Doctor Duncan and Doctor Libby, has done marvel- lous work and has initiated schools throughout the Republic; the Rockefeller Foundation has carrried on a far-reaching and beneficent work in the cure of Hookworm ; but all to little or no avail, for the peon, white, black or brown, goes his way and lives his hand to mouth life with no attempt or effort to better himself or his country. Many have brought forth the argument that the lack of enterprise and industry in the in- terior are due to the lack of transportation and the claim is made that, with good roads and accessible markets, the countr^^ people would buck up and make the desert blossom like the famous rose, and with this end in view good roads are being projected throughout the country. But I doubt if these alone will produce any noticeable improvement without the introduc- tion of farmers, planters, cattlemen and crafts- men from abroad, for the real trouble is that the native Panamanian of the interior is a decadent, lazy, ambitionless character of weak physique and in most cases so badly nourished and so afflicted with Hookworm that he has not 64 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT the power, the ability or the ambition to become a producer. His ancestors were Indian, Moorish or Negro slaves and indolent Spanish adventurers; for centuries he was a *'peon" in fact as well as in name; he was kept subservient, downtrodden and ignorant by the rich owners of vast estates and he has become, through generations, so accustomed to living in a hovel and subsisting on the coarsest and most easily cultivated foods that he cannot rise and do better. But with education and freedom, with the ex- ample of others, with something to look for- ward to and under present day conditions the coming generation of the peon classes will no doubt improve and, if once the hard working, industrious, physically strong natives of the farmlands of Europe can be induced to emmi- grate to Panama, the future of the country's prosperity will be assured. Even as it is, the splendid roads which are planned will, when completed, prove of tremen- dous benefit, not only to the people of the interior but to the cities. It seems ridiculous to find the shops and markets of Colon and Panama selling imported oranges, grape fruit, lemons, potatoes, onions and other garden truck PANAMA OF THE PRESENT 65 and produce when the finest oranges one could wish are rotting on the ground in Veraguas; when every vegetable of the temperate zone may be raised to perfection in the highlands of Chiriqui, Code or Veraguas and with lemons and limes fairly breaking the branches of the trees in forgotten estates half overgrown with jungle. So too, with fresh laid eggs selling for a few cents a dozen in the interior the markets of the cities sell cold storage eggs from the States at nearly a dollar a dozen, and scrawny chickens bring a dollar or two each in the mar- kets while plump fowls go begging at twenty five cents and turkeys are a drug on the market at one dollar in the interior. So, even if the natives do not buck up and avail themselves of the advantages of good roads the city dwellers will at least be able to go foraging and secure good food at reasonable prices while, no doubt, many families will for- sake the larger towns and will make homes in the country, all of which will tend to increase prosperity, progress and development. It must not be supposed however, that what I have said in the preceding paragraphs can be applied to all the Panamanians of the in- terior. In many of the towns and cities are in- 66 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT telligent, well to do, industrious men; many of the interior towns are quite thriving and busy, despite their inaccessibility, and my remarks only apply to the bulk of the population of the interior, — the so-called peon class of small farmers, the poverty stricken squatters and the denizens of the smaller villages. One great mistake made by visitors to Pan- ama is that they assume that there are no towns aside from Colon and Panama. While there are no large cities and nothing to compare to the two terminals of the railway, still there are a number of towns worthy of the name. Such places as Agua Dulce, Santiago de Veraguas, David, Penonome, Code and many others are interesting, fairly prosperous and boast a number of excellent buildings while some of them have a population of nearly ten thousand inhabitants. But the great majority of interior towns are raere villages of thatched mud huts, ill-kept streets, miserable shops and perhaps a crum- bling old church. Despite this, however, the country is interesting and many of these inter- ior towns and villages are fascinating in their history and romance as they date back to the PANAMA OF THE PRESENT 67 early Spanish days or even to the time of the Conquest. There is Nata, which lays claim to being the oldest inhabited town on the continent, having been founded in 1520 ; .Santiago founded in 1521 and once the center of the richest gold district in the world; San Francisco with its ancient church built in 1522 and probably the oldest occupieJ. Vuilding on the continent; Santa Fe, ancient and somnabulent in the lap of the towering Cordilleras ; 'and many another, not to mention the quaint little towns where time has stood still and where the people still live and dress as did their ancestors four centuries ago. Here we find people using the old ^' cross" money and silver or brass stirrups of the gran- dees and treasuring the ancient swords and bits of armor worn by the first hidalgoes who pen- etrated the interior and carved their way by fire and sword. And if one be fond of adventure and novel experiences, of hunting or fishing, of visiting out of the world spots, there are the Indians of Darien living the same primitive savage life as did their forbears when Balboa made his famed trip and first looked forth upon the broad Pa- cifiQ, 68 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT To all who are fond of the unique, the little known, the picturesque and the out of doors, a trip or two through the interior will prove of the greatest interest and delight; but there is much of interest, of romantic and historic asso- ciation and of value to be seen in and about the cities of Colon and Panama. OHAPTEE V THE FRONT DOOR TO THE ISTHMUS First sight of Isthmus. Arriving at Cristobal. Colon and Cristobal. First impressions. Colon in the making. A childish quarrel. Colon of the past. Colon of today. Streets and street scenes. Shops and life. Shopping. Buildings. Santurce. Cristobal. Sights and scenes in Cristobal. Life on the Zone. A beneficent despotism. The front door to the Isthmus, and to the Canal as well, is Cristobal and the traveler, approaching from the Atlantic, is apt to be somewhat disappointed as the land unfolds be- fore him. For many hours the ship steams along the coast, with interminable green mountains rising from the sea and sweeping back in an endless succession of purple, blue, and lavender peaks, unbroken by clearing, settlemjent or hut, until the entrance to Porto Bello's harbor is passed and one glimpses the buildings of the town among the greenery. Then the mountains recede; scattered hills replace the lofty ranges ; the land becomes low and flat, and presently, we see the slender, wire- 69 70 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT less towers rising above a smoky, hazy, irreg- ular sky line which marks the opening of the Canal and the cities of Cristobal and Colon. A few moments later and the huge break- waters detach themselves from the background ; the immense dirigible sheds and hangars of Coco Solo and Fort Randolph become visible; the big Hotel Washington looms above its palm trees; Toro Point and its lighthouse are dis- tinguishable to the right and, beyond the break- waters and the Washington, we see the tips of masts, the smoking tops of funnels and the black, skeleton-like derricks of the coaling plant at Mindi. The ship slips at half speed between the eastern and western breakwaters and enters Limon Bay; two spotless, white launches come speeding and dancing towards us, — one bearing the yellow flag of the quarantine officers, the other the *'P. C." of the Port Captain's depart- ment and, a moment later, the officious looking officers of Uncle Sam are aboard. Then, as is always the case when entering a foreign port, a steward with an impish grin shouts **A11 pas- sengers in the dining saloon," and cooped there, replying to the questions of the officials, we FEONT DOOR TO THE ISTHMUS 71 remain, missing all the interest and excitement of watching strange scenes as we approach the docks until, at last, having satisfied the repre- sentatives of our country that we are neither afflicted with contagious diseases, nor are an- archists, nor Bolsheviks, nor criminals, nor otherwise objectionable characters, we are gra- ciously permitted to go on deck in time to see the ship warped into the docks. But, truth to tell, the visitor to Panama misses little by this, for there is little of interest to see in entering Colon harbor. Indeed, the most interesting sights are the enormous piers of iron and concrete, — nine in number — ^which line the eastern side of the harbor and beside which are moored steamers flying a score of different flags. Less than a decade ago this was a mud flat, unspeakably filthy and odorous ; but at the touch of the magic wand of United States gold and American engineers it has been transformed into a water-front with few equals in the world as regards modern docking facilities. Beyond the docks, palm trees rustle in the trade wind; rows of flimsy, wooden buildings, — ^with here and there a concrete structure, — 72 PANAMA, PAST AND PEESENT mark the City of Colon, while, nearer at hand, are the tightly-screened quarters and the impos- ing concrete buildings of Cristobal. And before going further it may be well to explain the difference between Cristobal and Colon and to make clear where one begins and the other ends. Cristobal is the Canal Zone town and Atlantic terminus of the Canal and all ships stopping here must of necessity tie up at the Cristobal docks. As this is United States territory many travelers feel peeved at finding they must submit to an examination of their baggage by United States Customs officers, for they cannot understand why American citizens from a United States port should be subject to this annoyance when entering American terri- tory. But the Customs examination at Cristobal is not carried out for the United States but for Panama, the American government being re- sponsible to the Panamanian Government for the collection of duties and the examination of baggage entering the Isthmus through Cristo- bal. A moment's consideration will make clear how important this is, for, with no ports of entry of their own, and with all freights and passengers entering their country through FRONT DOOR TO THE ISTHMUS 73 Canal Zone ports, the Panamanians could never collect duties nor prevent smuggling without the aid and cooperation of the United States offi- cials. In a way it is a most peculiar condition of affairs and absolutely unique, for here is a country depending almost entirely upon com- merce and yet without a port of entry or a pier where steamers may dock and discharge car- goes and passengers, the only vessels entering or leaving Panamanian ports being the small coasting schooners and sloops and a few erratic coastwise steamers and launches. Strictly speaking, the boundary line between Cristobal and Colon (the Panamanian town) is the railway and when one crosses the railway tracks one passes from American into Pana- manian territory or vice-versa. But there are certain exceptions to this. Thus, the Strangers Club, although on the Cristobal side of the rail- way, is in Panamanian territory as are also the piers and customs house of the Panamanian Government where the smaU vessels dock. So too, the Commissary buildings of the Canal are on the Colon side of the tracks, as are the Colon hospital, a number of residences and employees* quarters, the quarantine station, the 74 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT Hotel Washington and other buildings of the Zone, so that the stranger is constantly at a loss as to whether he is on American or Pana- manian territory. But this need cause little concern, for in all the instances cited the land itself is Panamanian and it is a very easy matter for one to determine whether he is on the Zone or in Panama merely by noticing whether the police are the white Zone officers or the brown, yellow or black Panamanian police- men. As there are no hotels or stopping places in Cristobal and as no one, save employees of the Canal or the United States Government and certain agents of steamship lines, is permitted to dwell in the town, the traveler must of neces- sity go to Colon and if he desires decent accommodations and service he will inevitably go to the Washington. Hence, as he is driven by motor car or by one of the ramshackle, but really most convenient and comfortable, vehicles, known as ^'Coches" or *'Carimettas" from the dock to the Hotel, he will see but little of Cristobal and will get a very meager and usually discouraging idea of Colon. Colon really is not a bad city and there are FKONT DOOR TO THE ISTHMUS 75 many interesting features about it and its environs. The towTi has a rather peculiar and interesting history too, for it is a ''new^' town having been founded in 1850 when the Panama Eailway was built and its existence is wholly due to the railway and to the Americans. When the railway was first projected the only port on the Atlantic side of any importance was Porto Bello and as the railway engineers decided to begin the road at Limon Bay, and as there was no towTi there for a terminus, a city had to be built to suit the railway. It is not unusual for towns and cities to spring up and grow prosperous along railway routes, but I doubt if there is another instance on record of a town being created and built in order to provide a starting point for a railway. When the engineers decided to build Colon the site selected was a small island, — a mere swampy jungle of dense mangroves, thorny brush and tangled vines, — and during the work of clearing and building, the engineers and their laborers were compelled to dwell in vessels moored in the shallow water near by. It was a tremendous undertaking, — a real man's job — to transform this swampy islet into a town. Upon the muddy shores great alliga- 76 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT tors basked in the sun, herons, egrets and water fowl flocked about its stagnant pools and nested in the mangroves ; moccasins and other serpents lurked amid the gnarled and twisted tree trunks and, everywhere, the malarial and yellow-fever carrying mosquitoes swarmed in countless mil- lions. No one but a ''crazy Yankee,'* as the natives call us, would have conceived the idea and yet, almost in a night, the little, worthless bit of mud became a busy town, — a town of flimsy wooden shacks and workshops it is time, but a town of several thousand inhabitants and with a transcontinental railway making it its terminus. And then came one of the queerest and most laughable incidents in the annals of our history, — an example of such petty squabbling and such child-like retaliation between two governments as to seem incredible and merely a bit of comic opera. To perpetuate the name and fame of Aspinwall, who fathered the railway, the Amer- icans christened the new town Aspinwall while, to keep green the name of the great discoverer and not because they put coal on the ships here, the Colombians called it Colon, and as neither government would give in, a deadlock resulted. To Americans there was no such town as FRONT DOOR TO THE ISTJIMUS 77 Colon and equally, to the Colombians, the town of Aspinwall was non-existent. Then the United States Government decided on drastic measures and refused to accept or deliver mail ad- dressed to Colon, claiming that no such city or to\^ni was on the map, and Colombia, not to be outdone, refused to deliver mail received at the Post Office and addressed to Aspinwall; but promptly returned it to its senders. It was the old childish ''you can't play in my yard" carried on by the two nations until, at last, — possession being nine points of the law and Colombia holding the odds, — our Govern- ment gave in; the name of Aspinwall was dropped and Colon it has been ever since. Colon of to-day is a very different city from the Colon of the early railway building days, or even of the French days or the period of build- ing the Canal. Then it was a sordid, disease- ridden, filthy town; a resort of the worst and toughest men and equally bad women of all na- tions. A to\\Ti of unspeakable crimes and ini- quitous dens; of gambling places and saloons; of disreputable houses and dance halls where rowdyism and licentiousness held full sway; where robbery and murder were of hourly oc- currence and where every man carried the law 78 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT in his hip pocket or his belt. Time and again the flimsy, wooden tovm has been swept by fire, — which was a blessing, — and each time it has been rebuilt in the same flimsy manner with its rickety, wooden, negro tenements packed close together, — a veritable fire trap and a tempta- tion to the flames, — until the last conflagration, since when a number of excellent concrete build- ings have been erected and no new wooden edifices are allowed. And gradually the town has changed in char- acter and in reputation. With the completion of the railway, and later with the finishing of the Canal, the rough, tough element has drifted away; the soldiers of fortune, the professional gamblers, the thugs and the bad men have been killed off or have moved to better fields for their talents. The town has been cleaned and sanitized by the Americans; its streets have been paved; law and order have been enforced; it is policed with the Panamanians as well as by the Military Police and Naval Patrols of Uncle Sam; the gambling dens, or at least the visible ones, have been closed up and while there is vice aplenty within its confines, — as there must be wherever there is a floating population of sailors, soldiers and bluejackets, — yet it can FRONT DOOR TO THE ISTHMUS 79 no longer claim to be the '* wickedest city in America." Life and property are as safe, or safer, than in any North American town of its size, its wickedness is kept well in the back- ground in a restricted district and its death rate is lower than in many of our own cities. Colon being a modern town has nothing of historic interest and there are very few note- worthy buildings. Even these, such as the Mu- nicipal Building, the Masonic Building and one or two others are so surrounded by the miser- able, flimsy, wooden tenements and small negro shops that they appear to great disadvantage. There is a pretty Plaza or park known as Silf er Park, extending for several blocks, there are two fairly good motion picture theaters, a number of cabarets, a superabundance of saloons, and shops innumerable. Indeed, the stranger wonders how so many stores can sur- vive in a town of Colon's size, for it seems as if there must be a shop for every man, woman and child in the city. The city is laid out in regular squares with the streets running from the railway, and approximately east and west, numbered, and with the streets running from north to south named and lettered. Unfortunately, there arc 80 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT no signs or labels on the streets, so that the stranger never can tell where he is until he stops and counts the streets. Moreover, there is a deal of confusion owing to the fact that the Panamanians have their own Spanish names for the thoroughfares ; but recently, the mayor has announced that the streets are all to be labelled with their American names and numbers. Nearest to the railway track, and running parallel to it, is Front Street which is the street most familiar to all visitors and, in fact, one may obtain a very good idea of Colon, of its inhab- itants and of the contents of its stores by con- fining oneself to this street. It is here that we find the numerous Oriental shops filled with Chinese, Japanese and East Indian goods, native curios and souvenirs. In these shops, kept by Hindus and Chinese, you may obtain wonderful silks, kimonos, canned ivories, jades, embroideries, etc., and, if you know the ropes, you can obtain them at bargain prices. But to do this you must be prepared to haggle, browbeat and bicker, for the oily- tongued, meek-eyed Hindu and the bland, almond-eyed Chinaman are very sharp, shrewd RAILWAY STATION AND FIREMEN'S MONUMENT ■ PANAMA CITY SEVENTH STREET, COLON, FROM STRANGERS CLUB FRONT DOOR TO THE ISTHMUS 81 business men and keen judges of human nature and they can tell at a glance whether you are a stranger to be fleeced or a resident familiar "with their ways and means, and with a knowl- edge of what their goods are really worth. Although you may beat them down to one half the price they ask or even less, still you will find there is a limit below which they will not go and if you wander from shop to shop endeavoring to get a better bargain you will discover that the same figure marks the low-water price in every shop for, despite their protestations of indepen- dence and of competition, the Hindus and Chinese each have their owti ''trust" or society by which the rock bottom price for every article is fixed and agreed upon. Here on Front Street too, are the principal book stores, the largest of the department stores, the only respectable cabarets and the Panama hat stores with a goodly sprinkling of shops of various kinds. As in the case of the Oriental stores, the sellers of Panama hats, — which are not made in Panama but in Colom- bia, Peru and Ecuador, — will charge the stranger two or three times w^hat the hats are really worth and all but a few of them will 82 PANAMA, PAST AND PKESENT endeavor to palm off inferior Colombian or Peruvian hats for the genuine Panamas frctoi the Monte Cristi district of Ecuador. While it is a very simple matter to distin- guish a genuine Ecuador hat from the Colom- bian or Peruvian articles, — owing to the fact that the Ecuadoreans start their hats with a cir- cular weave in the center of the cro^vn, whereas the others start theirs with a square or squarish weave, — yet there are so many details upon which the value of a hat depends that it is un- wise for the novice to purchase an expensive hat unless accompanied by some one who is a judge of Panamas. The stranger also should be careful to ask if the prices quoted are ** silver" or **gold," the former being the price in Panamanian "pesos," equivalent to fifty cents of our money, while the *'gold" price means in United States currency. Ofttimes the store keeper will quote a silver price in hopes that the stranger will pay the amount in dollars, and you may be quite sure that the smaller shop keepers will not disillu- sionize you if you make this mistake. Formerly every shop and store quoted both the gold and silver prices, but since the Panamanian cur- FRONT DOOR TO THE ISTHMUS 83 rency, (with the exception of a few two-and-one- half and five cent pieces) has been withdrawn from circulation, all the T3etter shops quote gold prices only. Back of Front Street is Bottle Alley, or as it is now called, Market Street, a narrow thorough- fare with two or three blocks of its length so given over to cheap cafes, cabarets and saloons as to well merit its best known name, while, be- yond, and extending through to Bolivar Street is the big public market which is well worth a visit on one morning at least. Bolivar Street is without doubt the best of all thoroughfares in Colon for it is wide, well paved and straight and is bordered by more substantial buildings than any other street in the city. Unfortunately, however, these good buildings are sandwiched in between eyesores of wooden tenements and tiny, malodorous holes in the wall where repulsive-looking viands, cheap fruits, cane juice and charcoal are sold to the poorer classes of negroes, while slatternly negresses lean over the rails of the tiers of ten- ement balconies or bend over washtubs in alley- ways reeking of suds, and naked children scam- per about or play in the gutters. 84 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT Indeed, this odd juxtaposition of the best and the worst, of the well-to-do and the pauper, of rickety, many-storied negro tenements and sub- stantial, concrete, commercial buildings, is one of the most striking features of Colon. Driving to the Washington, with its lovely grounds and impressive appearance, one passes through a section which is devoted solely to the negroes and the stranger feels that he must be in a black republic; but neither Colon nor the country should be judged too hastily by what one sees during the first few hours or days of one's stay in Panama. It must be borne in mind that Colon was built for the railway and owes its existence to that and the canal and that a very large portion of its population consists of the negro laborers and their families, and these dwell mainly along the streets that the casual visitor most fre- quently sees. But there are many well-to-do persons dwelling in Colon, many Europeans and American-s, as well as Panamanians, Chi- nese and scores of other races and, on the back streets bordering the new suburb of Santurce, are many attractive homes with well-kept grounds and gardens. FRONT DOOR TO THE ISTHMUS 85 Santurce itself is very new, having been built within the past two years on made land which was once mud flats and it is rapidly being built up. Adjoining it, and extending to pretty Man- zanillo Bay, is New Cristobal, also on new-made land, and there is no pleasanter drive about Co- lon than that from the Hotel Washington, around the shore and through New Cristobal vdth Coco Solo, Fort Randolph and France Field across the blue bay and with the soft, hazy-blue mountains in the distant background. For those fond of sea bathing the beach at New Cristobal will prove a most delightful spot. The water is clear as ciystal and caressingly warm, mth a white, sandy bottom and with such a gradual slope that one may walk out for nearly a quarter of a mile without being beyond one's depth. Far more attractive and interesting than Co- lon is the Canal Zone town of Cristobal with its palm-shaded, asphalt drives, its Clubhouse, its Commissary Restaurant and its many fine build- ings. Crossing the railway tracks from Colon, one seems to enter another country, for here life is typically American. While Colon is really more of an American than a Spanish town 86 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT in many ways, and while the English language is spoken by practically every one, yet the peo- ple and their life and customs are distinctly foreign. Here in Cristobal however, we find an old friend in the shape of a fire engine house with its spick and span motor-driven truck, chemical, hose-wagon and engine and with fire laddies in famihar blue shirts and uniforms seated in the same famihar way in the same old chairs and gossiping in the same old manner as in any town in the States. Here too, is the Post Office; opposite it are the magnificent buildings of the Royal Mail, Dutch, French and Italian steam- ship lines wth the immense Terminal Building and Panama Railway offices beyond. A few rods from the Post Office, is the Com- missary Restaurant where the best of food may be obtained at prices about one third those charged at the hotels. Many visitors to the Isth- mus have the impression that these Commissary Restaurants, (there are others at Ancon, Bal- boa, Gatun and Pedro Miguel) are solely for the benefit of Canal Zone employees, as are the Commissaries; but this is a great mistake for anyone may patronize the restaurants, although outsiders or non-employees are charged twenty FRONT DOOR TO THE ISTHMUS 87 cents in addition to their bill. Opposite the restaurant is the Canal Zone clubhouse, which is also open to strangers, and where one may purchase cigars, cigarettes, souvenirs, ice cream and sodas and where there are billiard and pool tables, bowling alleys and files of all the latest magazines and newspapers. Still further along is the Army and Navy "Y" where the public is also welcomed, and everywhere, are the green and white, thoroughly screened, neatly kept quarters of the Zone em- ployees, and the visitor begins to think that to be an employee of the Canal Zone must be an ideal life. And in a way this is true, for the Canal Zone employee has many perquisites and advantages w^hich are to be had nowhere else in the world. Nearly everything is done for him, much of it free of charge and all he or she actually is obliged to pay for are clothes, food and amuse- ments. The quarters are free, water, light, fuel, transportation, furnishings and repairs to homes and furniture cost nothing and motion pictures, held in the Zone Clubhouses, have the admission reduced to the minimum. At the Commissaries, the employees can purchase food, clothes, supplies, hardware and practically 88 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT everything they may require at practically cost prices in the States, and often below the prices charged for the same goods at home. If the lawn needs mowing or a screen door or window shade requires attention the Quartermaster's office is called by phone and the matter is promptly attended to without charge. Even garages are supplied to employees who have cars and the problems of the housekeeper are reduced to the minimum and are almost elimi- nated. Still, life as an employee is not all ''beer and skittles." The Zone is, in a way, an absolute despotism with the Grovernor supreme and the employee scarcely has a will of his own or the right to live or think as he chooses. He may be discharged at a moment's notice; he may be de- ported at the will of the Governor ; he must live where he is told and as the regulations require and he has no say as to the laws made or en- forced; no vote as to who is appointed to rule over him; no redress, no come back. As long as he is an employee he is little more than an automaton, — a cog in a hugh wheel, a bit of the well-oiled, smooth-working machinery of the Canal. On the other hand, from the point of view of FRONT DOOR TO THE ISTHMUS 89 such an enormous organization as the Canal Zone with twenty thousand and more employees, strict laws and rigid rules are essential. To function at all such an undertaking must be carried on along almost military lines and indi- vidual liberty must, to a certain extent, be sac- rificed for the sake of the whole. Moreover, it obviously would be impossible to make excep- tions, to give heed to personal and petty com- plaints; to make concessions to one and not to another and all must be treated exactly alike. A big corporation is not supposed to have a soul or to possess sentiment and the Panama Canal and its thousand and one attendant businesses and ramifications is a most gigantic corporation. No doubt many injustices are done; beyond question many faults could be found and many troubles remedied; most assuredly vast im- provements could be made and unfair rules abol- ished; but on the whole, the Canal Employee is mighty well off and seldom realizes how fortu- nate he is until he is obliged to get a job else- where, for after all the Canal Zone government is the rarest of rare institutions, — a beneficent despotism. CHAPTER VI EOUND AND ABOUT COLON" Scenes along the roads. Advantages of Atlantic side. Roads about Colon. The road to Gatun. Road to Fort Randolph. Gatun and the Chagres. Fort San Lorenzo. Porto Bello. In many ways the Atlantic terminus of the Canal is preferable to the Pacific side and, as a rule, visitors, after they have visited both and have seen the sights, decide upon Colon as a place of residence if they remain long on the Isthmus. To be sure, there is much more of interest and much more of the quaint and foreign atmos- phere at Panama City ; but the climate of Colon is better, the Hotel is superior and, for those fond of out-of-door sports, Colon is more convenient. But in one respect the Atlantic side cannot compete with the Pacific and that is the roads. Even at Panama the extent and diversity of good roads are limited, but at Colon, the visitor has only a single motor road leading out of the 90 ROUND AND ABOUT COLON 91 city and this only a few miles in length. How- ever, it is so smooth and well kept and so inter- esting that no visitor should fail to go over it at least once. This road, which is really an extension of Bolivar Street, leads to Gatun, while a branch extends to Fort Randolph. From the time one leaves the center of the city behind there is ever something of interest to be seen along this drive. Just beyond the Commissary Restaurant, are the buildings of the supply department of the Canal Zone and a little farther on, the Silver Clubhouse, or Clubhouse for the colored em- ployees of the Zone for, in Canal parlance, all Zone workers are di^^ded into two classes, — gold and silver, — the gold employees being the whites and the silver employees the col- ored. The road then passes through Silver City, as the district given over to the quarters of the silver employees is called. Then the ball field is passed on the left of the road, with the Cristobal shops and dry docks on the right. The Canal Zone printing plant is just beyond, with the Mount Hope railway station beside the road and the immense cold storage plant of the Zone off to the left. Then Mount Hope Ceme- 92 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT tery is reached and the drive swings to the left around the beautifully-kept filtration plant of the Cristobal water supply while, on the sur- rounding hills, are the immense oil tanks of va- rious steamship and oil Companies with the oil pumping station embowered amid trees and shrubbery beside the road. For some distance beyond here, the road is bordered by tropical verdure until it crosses Al- ligator Creek and the old French Canal route. Here the road forks, — the left-hand branch ex- tending to Fort Randolph and the right to Ga- tun. The latter road runs through very pretty country and affords an excellent idea of many of the more notable forms of Panamanian flora, with charming glimpses of the stream mirroring its bordering palms. Mindi Dairy, with its sleek cattle, is passed on the left and soon afterwards. Fort Davis is reached. This is a new military post and with its splendid concrete barracks, officers^ quar- ters and other buildings is an excellent illustra- tion of the commodious and up to-date accommo- dations provided for our soldiers on the Zone. From Fort Davis, the way leads through the old military post of Gatun, and climbing rolling hills of flaming red set off by the intense green ROUND AND ABOUT COLON 93 of tropic vegetation, enters the neat little to\vn of Gatun, crosses the railway bridge and ends at the Gatun railway station beside the stupen- dous locks. If one desires, the locks may be visited and inspected, or a trip may be taken to the gigantic spillway. On the return trip, one should follow the other branch of the road to Fort Randolph. This road runs beside the railway and mostly across flat land which was formerly a vast swamp. Indeed, much of it, and especially the portion on the right of the road, is still swamp, but it is being drained and reclaimed; the stagnant water has been covered mth crude oil to destroy mosquitoes and in a few years it will all be made land. France Field, the military air station, Coco Solo, the naval submarine base and naval air station, and Fort Randolph are all interesting as examples of the powerful defense system of the Canal, while the view across the bay to New Cristobal and Colon is very attractive. Another interesting short trip is to cross Co- lon harbor by the Quartermaster's steamer from Fort DeLesseps pier, — a few steps from the Washington, — to Fort Sherman and Toro 94 PANAMA, PAST AND PKESENT Point. From Fort Sherman one may go to Fort San Lorenzo; but it is far easier to visit these histx)ric ruins by means of a launch from Gatun, a trip that carries one down the famous Chagres' and affords an opportunity for tar- pon fishing and a possible shot at an alligator en route. To all visitors to the Isthmus, who are fond of historic and romantic spots, Fort San Lo- renzo and Porto Bello will prove most inter- esting, for there are few places in Latin Amer- ica so intimately associated with the romance and history of the days when Don and Buc- caneer struggled and fought about the shores of the Spanish Main. San Lorenzo, once considered impregnable by the Spaniards, is still in a very good state of preservation and as the jungle and brush have been cleared away the visitor may trace all the ancient works. Frowning down upon the shimmering Chag- res, with its palm fringed shores, the ancient citadel seems dreaming of those far-off days when Morgan and his rovers swarmed up the slopes and Spaniard and Briton met in mortal combat. The once deep moat is dry and partly filled BOUND AND ABOUT COLON 95 with brush and is spanned by a single plank in place of drawbridge; but the quaint, lantern- like sentry boxes are as good as in the days of the buccaneers; the massive walls show little effect of the passing centuries, and many of the old guns still lie beside the embrasures from which they once belched forth their messages of death. Standing here to-day, with the quiet of the jungle about, the bright sun streaming down and jewel-eyed lizards scuttling over the ornate cannon, it is hard to believe that once these walls echoed to the roar of guns, the clash of cutlass and halberd, the shouts of St. George and St. Jago and the groans and screams of wounded and of dying men. Descending the narrow stone stairway one comes to the old parade, with great piles of rusting round shot and bomb shells, while be- yond, are the arched tunnel-like, underground barracks. Here too, is the immense stone water tank and in one corner the dank, black dungeons wherein shackles, leg irons and ponderous steel collars still speak grimly of prisoners w^ho once rotted within. One may wander for hours about the old fortress and still find new interests and, if so minded, one may dig among the crumbling 96 PANAMA, PAST AND PEESENT debris and perchance find relics such as coins, buttons or gunflints. It is all very fascinating, very romantic and it carries one back through the centuries to stand within these ancient, battered walls ; but, truth to tell, very little of the fortress of Mor- gan's time remains. Since the day when the pirates took the place and put the garrison to the sword without mercy, old San Lorenzo has been rebuilt many times. First, after Mor- gan's departure when it was regarrisoned and held its own for many years; again when, in the wars of Independence, it was strengthened and enlarged and still later, during the gold rush to California when the ancient citadel served both as a fort and as a customs house. A few of the old Spanish cannon of Morgan's days are still here and bits of the original ma- sonry are still preserved; but the majority of the guns, the shells and shot and the masonry of rubble and brick date from comparatively re- cent years, — probably from about 1845, — but this takes nothing from the historical int ;rest of what was once one of Spain's most impor- tant fortifications in the New World. Far different from San Lorenzo are the ruins of old Porto Bello. To reach Porto Bello one ROUND AND ABOUT COLON 97 must travel from Colon by launch, but the trip is well worth while. Much of the attractiveness of Porto Bello is lost by the huddle of miserable shanties and the unkempt streets of the native village which crowds the majestic old ruins. During the construction of the Canal vast quan- tities of rock were quarried from the hills about Porto Bello, to be used in building the break- waters, and the bare scars left in the greenery of the hillsides, and the remains of the laborers' quarters, the workshops, etc., seem out of place and jar upon one's imagination as one stands here in the old castle that once guarded the famed Gold Road and defied the powers of the world, but fell to the reckless buccaneers. The ruins, as a whole, are in a good state of preservation and one may trace the foundations of the old town, the quarters and many build- ings which have disappeared, although Fort San Jerome, the chapel, the barracks, the com- mandant's house and several other buildings still stand, — solidly built of stone and nearly as strong as in the days of Drake and Morgan. But the glory of Porto Bello has departed. Once the richest of cities in the New World, with countless fortunes in gold, silver and pre- cious stones stored within its vaults and await- 98 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT ing shipment to Spain, it is now merely an ill- kept, unattractive village. The old Gold Road, over which passed endless trains of treasure-laden mules, groaning slaves and mail-clad Dons, is now overgrown with for- est and much of it lost, hidden and buried, no one knows where, within the jungle. The splendid harbor, that once sheltered many a stately galleon and proud frigate of Spain, now shimmers in the sun with only a dingy fishing boat or native dugout to mar its glassy surface. Where once the gaudy banners of Castile and Leon snapped bravely in the trade wind, the fronds of palm trees rustle sleepily in the breeze and, over the spot where the bones of Drake lie fathoms deep beneath the waves, the frigate birds sail in never-ending circles on motion- less wings. Perchance the day may yet come when Porto Bello will once more become a famous port; great wharves and docks may yet line its shores and the drowsy village may yet awaken and be- come a great city, for the country round about is rich and fertile, its forests abound in timber and its hills hide stores of mineral wealth, while its harbor is one of the best on the Caribbean. ROUND AND ABOUT COLON 99 But the chances are that such prosperity will never come, for the doom of Porto Bello was spelled when Colon came into being and the Panama Railway passed it by. CHAPTER VII CROSSIITG THE BRIDGE OP THB WORLD Going through the Canal. Locking a ship through Gatun. The Gatun Dam. Gatun Lake. A trip on Gatun Lake. The drowned forest and its life. Culebra Cut. Through Pedro Miguel locks. Miraflores Lake. Miraflores Locks. First sight of Balboa. From Atlantic to Pacific. Crossing the Isthmus by train. Stations en route. Glimpses of the Canal. The Hyacinth Patrol. Balboa and Ancon. Ar- rival at Panama. Across the continent in two hours. That any one should visit Panama and not cross the Isthmus seems scarcely credible ; nev- ertheless, scores of persons annually land at Colon, spend a few hours, or a day, on the Atlantic side, and never see Panama City or the Pacific. And yet, in* nearly every way, Panama is a far more interesting and attractive city than Colon, the Zone towns of Ancon and Balboa are worth a journey in themselves and the journey across is perhaps the most interesting and ed- ucational trip which can be taken in the Repub- lic. There are two ways of traveling from ocean to ocean, one being by railway, the other by 100 CROSSING BRIDGE OF WORLD 101 canal. If 'it is humanly possible the \isitor should do both, for the two routes are totally- different and no one can truthfully say he has seen the Zone until he has traveled across the Isthmus both by rail and by steamer. As it is very ditlicult to go through the canal from Balboa to Cristobal by steamer (unless one is a passenger on some ship en route from Pacific to Atlantic ports) the best plan is to go from Cristobal to Balboa through the canal and then return to Colon by railway. Leaving the docks at Cristobal, the vessel steams slowly for several miles up the entrance of the canal with its shores hidden beneath a mantle of dense jungle. Here, blue and white herons, flashing kingfishers and various water- fowl rise from the shrubbery or flap from the banks as the steamer approaches, while over- head, or winging swiftly from tree to tree, are flocks of screeching parrots. It is really a strange sensation to stand upon the deck of a big liner and to gaze upon a sea of jungle topped by palms and teeming with bright-hued birds, and it is hard to believe that the ribbon of water stretching through the swamp is a man-made canal and not some natural waterway. Presently, however, the jungles with their life 102 PANAMA, PAST AND PEESENT are left behind, the grassy hills and neat build- ings of Gatun appear and before us are the huge locks of Gatun with their three pairs of chambers rising, like a flight of titanic steps, against the sky. As we approach, an immense arrow on the end of the central wall between the two tiers of chambers, swings to the right and our ship slips slowly and gently into the right hand chamber. Above us on the lofty concrete walls are tiny, squat, electric locomotives and quickly lines are passed to these, steel cables are paid out, the electric ''mules" as they are called move silently forward and our great ship, — led like some captive monster by its fetters, — forges ahead. Slowly, quietly, but surely, it is towed into the chamber by two locomotives fast to bow lines and with two more holding back and guid- ing our ship by stern lines, for no ship is per- mitted to go through the locks under its own steam, the towing locomotives being so designed that the cables may be paid out -or drawn in on huge drums, thus enabling theni to steer the ship and maintain the proper distance between her sides and the walls. Looking ahead, we see a stupendous chain CJIO'SSIIS'G BRIDGE OF WORLD 103 tising, like some dripping, giant sea-serpent from the water, until it stretches from wall to wall, — the guard chain, — which w^ould check our progress and save damaging the lock gates in case an accident happened and our vesael got beyond control. Now we hurry aft and looking back, see the ponderous steel gates closing like giant jaws behind us. With the slow, deliberate motion that conveys an idea of irresistible power the two leaves of the gates swing together with never a sound ; we are shut in the chamber and, with the bubbling and swirling of the water as the valves are opened, our ship rises rapidly upward, — or rather the lock walls seem to be sinking, — and, presently, our vessel's rails are above the level of the walls, the little '* mules" are below instead of above us and we can look forth across the green, gra^y slopes and neatly kept grounds about Gatun. Then the gate^ be- fore us swing open, the guard chain drops down and disappears, the electric mules again crawl forward, — climbing the steep, rounded grade on the walls like some sort of gigantic bugs, — and our ship slips into the second chamber. Once more we are shut in between the massive gates; once more our ship rises upward to the 104 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT second level ; again we are towed into the third chamber. Then the last gates are opened and, casting off the cables of the mules, our ship's whistle sounds a defiant blast, the screws churn the waters and we slip from the locks into Ga- tun Lake. A marvelous example of man's handiwork, you think the locks, — an everlasting monument ;to Yankee brains and perseverance, and so they are ; but not one-half as interesting and no more marvelous than this vast lake of over 100 square miles in area which has been formed by man to provide the water to make the canal a possibility. As we passed through Gatun Locks we no- ticed, to the right, a smooth, grassy, terraced ridge stretching from the lock walls to the green hills over a mile distant. To the casual ob- server it seemed but a natural hill, but in real- ity it was made by man, for this is the Gatun Dam which checked the flow of the Chagres and made the vast Gatun Lake. Half a mile wide at its base, 100 feet in width at its summit, rising for 105 feet above sea level and nearly a mile and one-half in length, Gatun Dam is one of the largest dams in" the world and is the largest single piece of THE DROWNED FOREST GATUN LAKE A STREET IN PANAMA CITY CROSSING BRIDGE OF WORLD 105 construction work on the canal, containing as it does, over 21,000,000 cubic yards of material. And in building this immense dam and form- ing the lake mai*velous changes took place in the surrounding country. Rich valleys, where- in were native villages with well-tilled fields, now lie fathoms deep beneath the placid water; thousands of acres of grazing land, once dotted mth cattle, are now but the muddy bottom of the lake; hills and mountains that once reared their wooded sides above the plains have been transformed into islands and, everywhere above the surface, rise the bleached and black- ened skeletons of mighty trees, — the forlorn remnants of the drowmed forests. The route followed by the steamer through the canal gives the traveler only a few far-away glimpses of all this, however, and to really see the lake you should take the train to Monte Lirio, board the launch that meets each train there, take the trip to the little Panamanian vil- lage of Limon across the lake and there employ a native to take you in his dugout or **ca}Tica" for a paddle through this unique forest. At first the trees seem to be all alike, — a veri- table labyrinth of dead, gaunt trees almost pa- thetic in their nakedness, — and one marvels that 106 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT the boatmen ever can find their way about. Gradually, however, one notes that no two trees are just alike, there is an individuality about them, and many are of weird, grotesque forms resembling strange birds or prehistoric mon- sters. So too, some are bare of any trace of vegetation; others are bravely striving to re- cover and are sending out tiny shoots and deli- cate leaves ; others are decked with strange air plants or glorious orchids, while still others are so hung with trailing vines, parasitic plants and immense drooping ferns and grasses as to appear ahve and covered with foliage. Among them, and almost choking the water- ways between the trunks, are floating islands, — masses of grasses, ferns, orchids and gorgeous lilies, — which have found a roothold on fallen trees and provide a floating, ever-shifting ref- uge for many kinds of water fowl. In time these floating islets become fast lodged among the trees or snags, or gather in slack water, and growing together, form real islands, solid un- derfoot and supporting good-sized trees and palms. Altogether it is a strange, almost uncanny, interesting spot and the bird and animal life is almost ds interesting as the lake itself. Great CROSSING BRIDGE OF WORLD 107 flocks of cormorants roost upon thje dead trees and stare impudently at the intruders. Peli- cans flap lazily away at one's approach. Wliite and blue and green herons stalk about the edges of the islands. Shimmering blue swallows twit- ter and chirp and wheel about and kingfishers of metallic green or purple dash, with hoarse, rattling cries, after passing fish. Soft gray gulls cry querulously above one's head. Ja- canas run nimbly over the water weeds and lily pads. Emerald-hued paroquets screech and quarrel about their nest holes in the dead tree trunks and gaudy tanagers, trogans and finches feed among the air plants and orchid blooms. Perchance too, one may catch a glimpse of a great, clumsy manatee as he rises to blow with a low, bull-like bellow or one may see scaly, dull- eyed alligators dozing on floating logs. And if one cares to hunt by all means land on one of the wooded islands which were once hill- tops. As the waters rose and flooded the for- ests the wild creatures sought the higher ground until, at last, they were crowded and herded to- gether on the hills where, isolated by the lake, they remained, with the result that many of the present islands fairly swarm with game. Here the hunter finds the native deer; the wild hogs 108 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT or peccaries; the howling baboons; the tapir; the paca or, as the natives call it, *'conejo'^; the agouti; the ocelot; a dozen kinds of wild cats and even the surly cougar and his lordly cousin, the jaguar. In order to secure good sport, however, one must have dogs and must visit the more remote islands or the lake shores, for the country close to the canal and the railway has been hunted over until game is very scarce and shy. But let us return from our little excursion on the lake and resume our journey through the canal itself. For some distance beyond Gatun little of interest is to be seen, for there is noth- ing to indicate that our ship is not steaming across a natural lake. But soon the lake nar- rows, we come within sight of the railway and, presently, we pass the bridge and the pumping station at the mouth of the Chagres and enter a waterway so straight and narrow that it is un- mistakably a canal, and, as the ship moves at a snail's pace to avoid washing the banks, we approach the famous Culebra or Gaillard Cut. On either hand the banks rise higher and higher, here and there lovely cascades tumble noisily into the canal, and soon our ship seems dwarfed to insignificance as we enter the stu- CROSSING BRIDGE OF WORLD 109 pendous cut through Gold Hill, where the mighty steam shovels roared and snorted and tore their way through the mountain to form a cut 495 feet in depth, the deepest excavation on the canal. Here too, is where the greatest and indeed the only serious trouble has been encountered, in the form of slides from the enclosing hills, and while the slides are constantly becoming fewer and are decreasing in size, and although a force of dredges is constantly at work keeping the channel clear, yet traffic now and again is interrupted by immense masses of rock and gr'avel sliding into the canal. Swinging around the curve between the glar- ing red and orange sides of this marvelous cut, our ship passes the little town of Paraiso and charmingly situated Pedro Miguel and enters the Pedro Miguel locks. Lowered do^^^l the single lock by the same process as at Gatun, but reversed, the ship steams across Miraflores Lake, enters Mira- flores locks, is lowered down through two cham- bers and steams forth from the last into the waters of the Pacific. Ahead are the piers and buildings, the masts and funnels, the great shops and the old coaling 110 PANAMA, PAST AND PKESENT station of Balboa; beyond gleams the broad Pacific; to the left Ancon Hill rears its sharp crest against the azure sky with the immense Ancon Hospital and numerous residences half hidden in the greenery upon its slopes while, nearer at hand, the snowy Administration Building stands glaringly upon its truncated pyramidal, grass-covered hill looking more like some vast mausoleum, erected to the memory of the thousands who gave their lives to connect- ing the oceans, rather than like a busy, matter of fact and unromantic office building. Very different is the journey across the Isth- mus by railway. Leaving Colon the way leads along Front Street, past the various buildings of Cristobal, past Mount Hope and its pumping station and plunges into a wide swamp, — partly drained to be. sure, — but still a- waste of low bush, of great stretches of mud and of shallow pools where scores of herons and waders may be seen. Gradually the swatop gives way to drier land and, presently, the train draws up at Fort Davis, a White,, concrete station, standing boldly forth in a waste of raw red earth, with the barracks and buildings of the big army post beyond and hundreds of khaki clad soldiers about. CROSSING BRIDGE OF WORLD 111 Bare, hot and glaring is the freshly turned earth and newly cleared land to-day; but, in a year or two, all will be lusciously green ; neat lawns and flower gardens will hide the scarlet scars of pick and shovel and graceful palms and spreading trees will line the blazing road- ways. A little farther on, the train again stops at Gatun, with the immense locks close at hand, with the titanic dam stretching in a vast curve to the hills across the canal and with, perchance, a steamer or two being locked through. Here, also, is the headquarters of the lake patrol and the Ughthouse department and always there is a little fleet of steamers, launches and tugs at the docks beside the tracks, while, now and then, one may see one of the queer, house-boat- like vessels of the hyacinth patrol. As the meaning of hyacinth patrol may prove a puzzle to many it may be well to explain that one of the greatest menaces of the canal is that lovely, sweet-scented, floating plant known as the water hyacinth and to destroy these plants and keep them under control a force of men and boats are constantly at work. Later, when you cross the Chagres, you may see them, — raking and gathering the hyacinths into huge masses 112 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT back of log booms where they are sprayed with chemicals to destroy them. Beyond Gatun, the train dashes through jun- gle, crosses causeways over arms of the lake, rushes along the shore with the drowned forest stretching away as. far as eye can see a,nd stops for a moment at little Monte Lino station. Another short run, with the lake and its skele- ton trees ever in sight, and Frijoles is reached. Then, passing through hilly pastures where the Canal Commissary is endeavoring to rear cattle in numbers sufficient to supply the Zone, and with charming vistas of jungle-filled valleys and forested mountains in the dist-ance, the train draws up at the wireless station of Darien with its twin towers piercing the sky. Very pretty is' this spot with its ornamental flower, beds, its flaming hibiscus hedges and its lawns making it appear more like private grounds than a naval wireless station. Be- yond here the way follows near the shores of the canal and the traveler may often see some big ship passing slowly through. The next stop is Gamboa and immediately after leaving the station the train rumbles over the iron drawbridge spanning the Chagres, passes the •water pumping station and the Canal Zone CROSSING BRIDGE OF WORLD 113 stockade or penitentiary and commences its long up hill climb to Summit. Here is the Zone chicken farm, — the least said of which the better, — and the crest of the continental divide. Across the hills to the right Gold Hill rears its head, with lesser Contractors Hill near by and with the glaring red cut plainly visible. From Summit the way is all dowm hill with marvelous views of deep valleys, like seas of green, steep hillsides clothed with impenetrable forests and majestic mountains looming blue against the sky while, swinging about the hill- sides, clinging to the- steep slopes, spamiing ra- vines ajid winding in and out of the jungle is the white thread of concrete automobile road that extends from Gamboa to Panama. Then, ahead, we see the canal again, we speed past Paxaiso with the stupendous, floating cranes moored ever ready for business, and draw up at Pedro Miguel. Beside the shores of pretty Mirafloros Lake the train speeds on; it roars through a tunnel, hesitates a moment at Miraflores station, — with the huge filtration plant within sight, — ^and then hurries on to Corozal, the post of the Army Engineers. Here we are again on level land. To the right 114 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT is the swamp bordering the canal, to the left the broad area of reclaimed land. In the dis- tance we see the familiar Administration Build- ing, Ancon Hill and the city of Balboa and, swiftly swinging around the broad curve from Corozal, the train stops at Balboa's station with the broad avenues, perfectly kept lawns, rows of palms and neat concrete homes remind- ing one of some residential town in California. Five minutes more and with clanging bell the train's speed slackens as we enter the out- skirts of Panama City. We catch a glimpse of the big Tivoli Hotel on the right, another fleet- ing glimpse of pretty De Lesseps park; we note countless brown and black faces peering from the many-storied wooden tenements of Cal- idonia, and a moment later, have reached the end of our journey at the splendid station in Panama. And as we step from the train we cannot but feel a thrill, a sense of elation, a feeling of excitement, for we have accomplished a feat impossible in any other spot in all the world; we have traveled from Atlantic to Pacific, — ^we have crossed the continent, — in "two hours! , . > ■ CHAPTER Vni PANAMA CITY AND ITS SIGHTS A Spanish city. Modernized Panama. Avenida Central. Santa Ana Plaza and its church. Las Mercedes Church. The Plaza Central. Independence Park. Ndteworthy buildings. The Cathedra}. The Lottery. Sight seeing. The President's Palace. Market. Quaint streets. Old churches. Old churches about Plaza Bolivar. National Theater. National Palace. The Bovedas. Views of Panama. The Flat Arch. The Gold Altar. Old water front and city walls. The Chorillo. De Lesseps Park. Seeing Balboa and Ancon. Views from Quarry Heights. Fort Amador. Fortified Islands. By motor to Gamboa. Trips to Taboga and the Pearl Islands. Pearls. Trip to Old Panama. Scenes by the way. Exposition grounds. Bella Vista. Old Panama and its story. When one steps from the American railway train into Panama City one steps into a new world, for Panama, despite its many moderni- ties, despite its hundreds of motor cars, its trol- leys, its well paved streets, its Americanized store windows and many other details is es- sentially and t\T3ically a Spanish city. Ever\^where are Spanish signs; every^v^here is the Spanish tongue; everywhere are Spanish faces, Spanish types, Spanish customs, Spanish music and Spanish architecture. Perhaps, 115 116 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT however, I should say Spanish American, for there is little of the real Spanish in Panama and little that savors of old Spain. But Spanish American is a clumsy term at best and Panama has not been independent long enough to have developed any striking features peculiar to it- self and its people and 'twould be an insult to Panamanians if I were to speak of their capital city as Colombian. To find, the real foreign charm of Panama, to see and hear and smell the real Spanish American atmospherei, one must go to the back streets, the quaint, narrow thoroughfares, the short alleys, the crooked by- ways, the waterfront and the market place. Avenida Central, the main street, is so broad and well paved, so overhung with trolley wires, so filled with automobiles, so crowded by Amer- icans and other foreigners, so lined with modem shops, department stores, motion picture the- aters, cabarets and other modernities from the States that its foreign atmosphere has been al- most lost. But in the out-of-the-way sections and less frequented thoroughfares it is all very different. To be sure, there are spots, even on Avenida Central, where one seems to have stepped suddenly into the Spanish city of sto- ries and imagination. PANAMA CITY AND ITS SIGHTS 117 For example, there is Santa Ana Plaza with its graceful royal palms rising like concrete shafts above the tessellated tiled walks ; with its mellow-toned old church of Santa Ana in the background ; with its dusky gamins and swarthy loungers on its ornate benches and with its quaint kiosk where lottery tickets, sweets, cig- arettes, bull fight tickets, postcards, stamps and what not are sold by a dark-skinned Senorita whose cheeks are ghastly with powder and whose eyes are veritable midnight pools. And beyond Santa Ana Plaza the broad thor- oughfare rapidly becomes more Spanish Amer- ican. Here, there are massive old stone build- ings with jutting balconies and iron grills and the gray pile of Las Mercedes church with its great doors studded with immense iron bosses and with enormous knockers ten feet above one's head, while beyond, is the Plaza Central, or Independence Park, as typically Spanish American as one could wish. Famed as the spot where Panama's declar- ation of independence was declared, the Plaza Central is the favorite lounging place, the fav- orite breathing spot, the favorite promenade and the center of all celebrations, parades and other out-of-door functions of the city. Here, 118 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT on certain evenings, the band plays and the population *'pasears"; pedestrians packing the walks and benches to see and be seen while a constant stream of motor cars and ^'coches" moves ceaselessly in never-ending procession round and round the Plaza. Here too, on each Smiday morning at ten, is held the lottery draw- ing and, at that time, a surging, interested, breathless crowd surrounds the office — ^which is beneath the Bishop's residence — each and every one, — from ragged beggar to millionaire merchant, — convinced that he or she is the holder of the lucky number that wins the capital prize. Fronting the Plaza on one side is the cathe- dral, an imposing but modem edifice with its towers studded with pearl shell ; but its interior is rather garish and unattractive and with no notable paintings or furnishings. Opposite the cathedral, and also facing the plaza, is the old Central Hotel, a famous hostelry in the days of '49 and, on the third side of the plaza, are the Municipal Palace, — ^a beautiful building containing a remarkably fine piece of sculpture in marble in its entrance, — and the old Canal Administration building of the French, but which is now given over to the Post Office, the PANAMA CITY AND ITS SIGHTS 119 telegraph offices, offices of public instruction and other government offices. On the fourth side, opposite these buildings, are the Bishop's Palace and the American Foreign Bank. As a starting point from which to wander about the city and see the most interesting sights, the Central Plaza is unequalled, for all the most important buildings and most historic spots are within easy reach. By turning down Sixth Street past the Bishop's house the water front is reached with the Presidential Palace extending from Sixth to Fifth Streets. The palace is not impressive from the exterior, but its patio, — filled with palms and tropical plants around a central foun- tain and mth stately white egrets stalking about, — is most attractive and the ''Gold Room" also is of interest. To the right, facing the bay, is the ancient Marina Hotel, while, to the left, the street leads to the big public market. The time to visit the market is early in the morning and the most interesting scenes are in the little stalls and stands outside the real mar- ket or at the landing place or ''playa" where the queer, dug-out schooners, known as ''Bon- 120 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT gos," come from far and near to unload their cargoes of fruits, vegetables, live stock and other produce. In this section by the market the streets are steep, roughly cobbled, crooked and narrow with the blank walls of old buildings hemming them in like cliffs and with the sidewalks as- cending in flights of stone steps in many places. Here too, is a rather quaint little plaza, all askew and erratic, as though twisted and squeezed out of shape by the pressure of build- ings round about and, tucked into nearby cor- ners, are several interesting churches. By climbing one of the steep crooked streets one may reach Central Avenue again, passing the police station and fire department buildings and a triangular little plaza on Eleventh Street en route. It is better however, to retrace one's steps and passing the Presidential Palace and the Marina Hotel, and turning to the right on Fourth Street, with San Filipe de Neri Church built in 1688 at the corner of Avenue B, come to Bolivar Plaza with the ruins of old San Fran- cisco convent, burned in 1756, the College of La Salle and the San Francisco Church on the op- posite side. In this church, which was rebuilt in 1785, there are, or were, some very fine old OLD PANAMA, RUINS OF FORT AND SEA-WALL BONGOS IN PANAMA HARBOUR (THESE BOATS ARE ALL MADE FROM HOLLOWED OUT LOGS) PANAMA CITY AND ITS SIGHTS 121 paintings while the church itself was most at- tractive, with its age-mellowed stone work, its crumbling walls and artistic towers; but un- fortunately, within the past year, it has been repaired and rejuvenated in such a way that it has been completely ruined from an archi- tectural point of view. Following along the water front from Plaza Bolivar, one passes the National theater, form- ing an integral part of the National Palace which fronts on Central Avenue, and which con- tains the offices of the various Cabinet Ministers and their departments, as well as the Assembly Chambers where the Legislative body meets. At the lower end of Avenida Central, the splendid Union Club is reached, and just beyond, one comes to the famous Bovedas and Chiriqui prison. The Bovedas, constructed by the Span- iards, were, in the old days, the most important portion of the city's defences and while the queer, lantern-shaped sentry boxes still stand and are still occupied by khaki-clad sentries, the fortifications have been transformed into a prison, many of the cells being below the street and as damp, dank and fearsome as any dun- geons ever imagined by writers of fiction. From the Bovedas one has a splendid view of 122 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT the water front of Panama with the green Ancon hill beyond, the twin towers of the cathedral rising above the sea of red roofs and lesser buildings, and the fortified islands of Naos, Fla- menco and Culebra guarding the entrance to the Canal while, — mirage like, — Taboga and Tabo- guilla rise, — pearl gray and mauve, — upon the horizon; the whole forming a picture which might well be a bit of the Mediterranean. From the Bovedas one may return to Central Plaza by way of Avenida Central, past the Na- tional Palace and the American Legation ; but it is better to follow Avenue A with its many hand- some and typically Spanish American resi- dences and several old and very interesting churches. On this avenue, at the comer of Third Street, is the ruin of Santo Domingo church with its famed flat arch, a magnificent bit of architec- tural work which has been the wonder and sur- prise of engineers and whose existence had a di- rect bearing on the successful building of the Canal. Composed of brick, stone and mortar, and mth nothing that can really be considered a keystone, this wonderful arch has withstood every storm and many an earthquake since the old church was destroyed by fire in 1756 and it PANAMA CITY AND ITS SIGHTS 123 was this fact, more than any other data, which con\Tnced our engineers that tlie concrete locks would nin little danger of being destroyed by any earth tremors. This church, like all the old churches in the city, was built of materials salvaged from the ruins of old Panama and hence those that still stand have an appearance of being much older than they really are, while the hodge-podge of brick, tile, cut stone and rubble of which their walls are composed is very curious. Beyond Santo Domingo and its arch, at the comer of Avenue A and Eighth Street is an- other church, — an obscure, unattractive, se- verely plain structure which might w^ell be passed unnoticed, but which is probably the most noteworthy sight in Panama City, for within its portals is the famous golden altar of San Jose. Marvelously beautiful is the effect of this magnificent altar of gold as the sunlight, streaming through the stained glass windows gleams upon its burnished surface and is re- flected in dazzling brilliancy. And fascinating and interesting as the altar itself is the ro- mantic stor}' of its history. Of beaten gold, and worth a king's ransom, the altar, so legend says, was the pride of the richest church in Old 124 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT Panama, — then the richest and most important city in the New World, — and was made from the church's tithe of the gold from Panama's mines. When word of Morgan's victory 'at San Lor- enzo reached Panama, the golden altar of San Jose was hurriedly taken down, and with other ecclesiastical treasures was laden on a ship which immediately sailed away. When Mor- gan arrived and found the churches stripped of their valuables, and by tortures learned of their whereabouts, he seized the few vessels remain- ing in the harbor and gave chase and while his crews succeeded in capturing a few of the flee- ing Spanish boats, the ships bearing the bulk of the treasure and the famous gold altar eluded them. Much of the wealth they bore, however, was never recovered; many of the ships were never heard from; no one knew their fate. They may have been wrecked on uninhabited parts of the coast, as befell one on the shores of Darien; their crews' may have mutinied, and killing their officers, made away with the treas- ure on board, or they may have foundered, while rumor has it that much of the precious cargo they carried was buried on outlying is- lands or remote parts of the mainland to keep PANAMA CITY AND ITS SIGHTS 125 it safe from any future pirate raids. Be that as it may, when the Spaniards builded the new City of Panama the little church on Avenue A had merely an insignificant white altar in pla.ce of the marvelous thing of beaten gold which had adoraed its predecessor in Old Panama. Gradually, as the years passed, the famous altar and its story were forgotten, save perhaps by the Padres of the little church, until the un- certain days of buccaneers, the despotic rule of Spain, the turbulent era af revolutions and the unsettled times of the Tiew republics were at an end. Then, for a space, the Fathers worked quietly and in secret, the little white altar was cleaned and lo, beneath the paint, the golden altar once more blazed forth in all its long-forgotten glorj' ! Perhaps there is no truth in this romantic tale ; it may be that the altar is not the ancient one of beaten gold, but merely a replica; but even so, it matters little, for the stoiy loses none of its interest thereby and the beauty of the altar is undimmed. Unfortunately, however, some one with more zeal than art has seen fit to install an immense amount of gilt work in the church which cheap- ens the effect of the whole, detracts from the 126 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT altar's impressiveness and beauty and leads the visitor to think that all is mere gold paint. Just beyond this little church, — ^at the corner of Ninth Street, — ^is Herrera Plaza which is utilized as a children's playground and is fitted with carousels, swings, ch.uites, parallel bars, games, see-saws and various other sources of amusement and exercise with a large shallow pool wherein the kiddies may sail their toy boats or paddle about in safety. Only a few years ago, this Plaza was covered by the sea at high tide and the water reached as far as the Piza Piza store at the comer of Eighth Street and Avenida Central, the build- ing having been formerly the Aspinwall Hotel. Down Ninth Street to the left of Avenue A is the plant of the Panama Lighting and Power Company while, two blocks beyond Herrera Plaza, one may see the ruins of the old city walls and fortifications that once guarded the water front along here. Continuing beyond here, we again reach the Santa Ana Plaza and, by turning to the left and going out B Street, — with its trolley line, — we pass the Santo Tomas Hospital, the ceme- teries, — of which the Hebrew and Chinese are particularly notable, — and passing through the PANAMA CITY AND ITS SIGHTS 127 new suburb kno\vn as the Chorillo we enter the Canal Zone at the bottom of Ancon Hill. Tuniiug to the right and following the mag- nificent roadway along the base of the hill, one comes to the splendid buildings of the National Institute, the largest building in Panama and a seat of learning of which any country might be proud. Continuing straight ahead, the road leads past the Ancon (Canal Zone) Post OflSce, the Ancon childrens' playground, the rear of the Ancon School, and the Century Club ^vith pretty De Lesseps Plaza to the right and the Tivoli Hotel on the hill to the left. De Lesseps Plaza or Park could easily be made the most beautiful of spots and a credit to Panama, for it is well laid out, there are quantities of flowering shrubs, shade and orna- mental trees, and it has an attra-ctive band stand and charming fountains; but it has been neglected and uncar-ed for until in very bad condition and an eyesore. Having now seen the best of the capital of Panama it is advisable to see what Ancon and Balboa have to offer and the best way to see these model Zone townis is by motor car or coche which should be hired by the hour. 128 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT There are so many routes, so many splendid drives about Ancon and Balboa that it would require many pages to describe them all; but the local drivers will take the visitor over the entire district if so instructed and will point out every building and spot of interest. As a rule, the first route followed is along the main drive from the Tivoli past the Administration Building and through the Prado of Balboa to the Balboa Clubhouse, thence past the Balboa Commissary Restaurant and up to Quarry Heights, finally descending past the huge An- con Hospital. This trip affords some magnificent views, especially that from Quarry Heights, with the Prado bordered by royal palms and lined with the neat, concrete houses and stretching, straight as an arrow, from the foot of Admini- stration Building Hill to the Clubhouse with the piers, shops, dry docks and canal beyond. But wherever one looks the view is beau- tiful, for Balboa is as neat and orderly, as pret- tily laid out and as attractive as a miniature model of a town. Perhaps the finest view from Quarry Heights is that of the town and the Canal at night, when the lights gleam among the palms and PANAMA CITY AND ITS SIGHTS 129 the distant Miraflores Locks seem a bit of fairy land, \nth their myriad lights twinkling against the purple background of the lake and hills and casting a soft, refulgent glow upon the placid waters of the Can^l. Another interesting trip is that to Fort Amador with its long rows of attractive, con- crete quarters and barracks, its well-kept grounds and lawns and with the causeway lead- ing to the fortified islands at the Canal en- trance. If possible to secure a pass to- visit these forts, the visitor should by all means do so, for nowhere else, — save at the Rock of Gibraltar, — have solid mountains been so hollowed and tun- nelled and honeycombed to provide impregnable forts. With no external hint of what has been done, these cone-shaped, rocky islands rear their summits two hundred feet or more above the sea, commanding a vast expanse of ocean and all possible waterways which lead to the canal. Upon their summits, — sliced off and hollowed out, — are batteries of huge 14 and 16 inch guns; secondary batteries are scat- tered about; a wonderful mortar battery is nestled in an artificial hollow at the base of 130 PANAMA, PAST AND PEESENT one hill; in great chambers cut within the heart of the solid rock, are barracks, machine shops, electric plants and controls, while, leading to the summits through the very cen- ter of the islands, are stairways and elevators. And if the visitor is fortunate enough to" be permitted to visit these wonderful forts and to climb or to. be carried to the summits, he will find a marvelous panorama spread before him. Like a steel-blue ribbon the Canal stretches from beneath one's feet to Miraflores, with Bal- boa, like a toy town, amid its lawns and Fort Amador connecting it in a narrow tongue of land with the causeway. To the north, the city of Panama basks in the sun, — a sea of red roofs and church towers — backed by range after range of misty mountains stretching into the dim distance. To the south, Taboga rears its green hills above the turquoise sea with still greener Taboguilla just beyond, while to the east, phantasmal, elusive and wraith-like, the opalescent outlines of the Pearl Islands shimmer upon the far horizon. Even after 'Moing" Panama City and the Zone there is still much of interest to be seen in the vicinity of Panama. There is the splen- PANAMA CITY AND ITS SIGHTS 131 did concrete motor road from Balboa throui^h Corozal, Pedro Miguel, and Paraiso to Gamboa on the Chagres; a road leading tlirough enchant- ingly pretty scenery and with constantly chang- ing glimpses of the Canal and its locks. There are trips to Taboga, — where one is made thor- oughly comfortable at the Hotel Aspinwall op- erated by the United States Government and where one may see native Panamanian life in the quaint old village or may bathe in the tepid Pacific or enjoy splendid fishing, according to one's bent or, if a longer trip is desired, a jour- ney may be made to the Pearl Islands. On this trip one may revel in what are per- haps the best fishing grounds of the Pacific, for it is nothing miusual for half a ton of jack, Spanish mackerel, barracouda, pompano, dol- phin and other gamey fishes to be taken by a party of three ok four in a day's fishing be- tw^een Panama and San Miguel, the largest of the islands. And at the" Pearl Islands there is- not a little to interest the visitor, especially if the trip be made during the pearling season, — from April until December. Quaint and* very foreign is the little fishing town of San Miguel but, like nearly all the native villages, none too cleanly 132 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT and with an ill-kept, untidy appearance which, to those unfamiliar with Latin America, seems to bespeak abject poverty, but which, in reality, means nothing of the s.ort, for the native Pan- amanian of the outlying districts cares not a jot for appearances or surroundings and he may dwell in a patched, thatched hut and be attired in rags and yet be well-to-do or even wealthy. But if you expect to purchase pearls at San Miguel for a little or nothing you will be griev- ously disappointed. The Pearl Islander knows the value of pearls as well as any dealer in the big cities or even New York and while his prices are far lower than one w£)uld pay in a Fifth Av- enue, or; even in an Avenida Central, jeweler's, yet you may be sure they are all the pearl is worth or more. Of course, now and then, one may pick up a bargain ; one may meet some chap who is hard up and cannot find a ready purchaser for his pearls or he may have come by them dishon- estly, or they may have a shght blemish, which can be eliminated by an expert, or he may, — and this is more often the case, — ^be drunk and careless in his bargaining. So too, one may, now and then, find pearls which, though of irregular form or imperfect color, may match so per- PANAMA CITY AND ITS SIGHTS 133 fectly and be so odd that for one 's personal use they are worth far more than the price asked. But unless one knows pearls one should be very cautious in purchasing of natives. San Miguel, as well as Panama and Colon, is alive "^ivnth native buyers and itinerant pearl peddlers who are out to '*do" the stranger if they can and instances are not unknown where visitors to the Isthmus have proudly exhibited bargains in pearls, which they have purchased from the innocent natives, only to learn that their treas- ures were excellent Parisian imitations. Finally, there is the trip to Old Panama, a trip which every visitor to the Isthmus should and which nearly every one does take. Leaving the Tivoli, or Panama City, the road runs through the district known as Calidonia, a portion of the city given over mainly to negro tenements of the same many-storied, flimsy-balconied, ramshackle wooden type as those in Colon. Then the orphan asylum and poor house are passed, the road swings to the right, with the big Casino and Plaza del Toros on the left, and skirts the Exposition Grounds. These grounds, laid out with the idea of a per- manent Pan-American exposition, are beauti- fully situated and contain a number of fine 134 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT buildings which were built to house exhibits; but the advent of the World 's War played havoc with the scheme, as it did with many other things, and the buildings have mainly been devoted to other purposes. Some are occupied by foreign legations and others have been given over to government uses, but the National Museum still contains a very good collection of native woods, birds, mammals, fishes and insects, although badly cared for, largely unlabelled and improperly exhibited. Here too, is an excellent private hospital and sanitorium conducted by American doctors, while, near by, the new Panamanian hospital of Santo Tomas is being built. A bit further on is Bella Vista, a charming little seaside suburb with bathing" pavilions, a good beach and many pretty bungalows and villas belonging to prominent Panamanians. The road, which is far from perfect, passes through a rather flat, monotonous and unin- teresting country for several miles with here and there the palatial, and usually too ornate, country residence of some wealthy native and then, branching sharply to the right, brings one to the famous ruins of Old Panama. PANAMA CITY AND ITS SIGHTS 135 The first object seen is the ancient, partly- ruined bridge which spans a little creek beside the road, — the bridge over which Morgan led his victorious ruffians when he sealed the doom of the city. Just beyond this are several mas- sive ruins half concealed in the brush with others scattered through the tangle of weeds and bushes while, dominating all, and the most famed and photographed spot in all the Re- public, rises the tower of San Anastasio church, like a monument marking the grave of the city and its dead. The tower stands but a few yards from the sea and here, just above high-water mark, is the last remnant of the old wall and fort built of cobbles and mortar and the oldest bit of the old city. Impressive and historically interesting as are these ruins of what was once the richest and most important city of the New World, yet the spot is ruined by a noisy, objectionable **cantina" or drinking place erected opposite the old church tower and, as a usual thing, a crowd of obscene, loud-voiced, intoxicated merrymakers make the place hideous with ribald songs, discordant music and licentious dancing. It is a great pity that the Panamanian Gov- 136 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT eminent has been so short sighted or so in- different as to permit this historic place to be made a resort for carousals, gaming, cock fighting, drinking and disreputable behavior of all sorts when it should have been made into a Government reservation and conserved, cared for and guarded for all time. During the regime of Dr. Dexter, as head of the National Institute, that gentleman took a great interest in Old Panama, and with Gov- ernment aid, had the entire place cleared, cleaned and surveyed. During this work he recovered a vast quantity of most valuable and interesting relics, such as old weapons, glass and china, buttons, locks, pottery, house- hold utensils, coins, etc. In addition, he made a large scale model of the ruins, and in order to properly identify all of the existing ruins, he secured authentic copies of the original de- scriptions and reports of the city from the Archives of Spain. A perusal of these brought to light many interesting facts and proved that the famous old city was quite different from what one might imagine from its fame and from story. According to the records contemporaneous with the city, there were very few buildings PANAMA CITY AND ITS SIGHTS 137 of stone or of note, the bulk of the houses, shops and even some of the government build- inp:s, being of wattled cane and adobe thatched with leaves. Moreover, the majority of these were little more than huts and in the descrip- tion of the town the houses were divided into two classes; those with floors and tliose with- out, and those without were greatly in the majority. When we realize this we can readily under- stand how easily a fire could be accidentally started by some brawling, drunken pirate knocking over a candle or lamp, or even from the flash of a pistol or musket, and, once started, the conflagration was certain to sweep the town. Another matter which Doctor Dexter 's re- searches made clear was that the land has al- tered greatly since Morgan's raid, for, if we are to believe the ancient maps and records, tlie harbor of Old Panama ran well into the land back of St. Anastasio church and almost to the old bridge and good sized boats landed where now there is nothing but a semi-dry man- grove swamp. Few visitors to Old Panama see anything more than the old church tower and the ruins 138 PANAMA, PAST AND PEESENT close at hand; but for those really interested and who are not afraid of red bugs, ticks, thorns or brambles, the old vaults of the ancient Treas- ury (usually {miscalled the dungeons) are worthy of inspection. It was within these dark, stone cells that all that vast treasure of gold, silver and pre- cious stones; of plate and ingot; of loot from Incas and Aztecs; of bullion, wrought literally by blood, from a thousand mines was stored to await the treasure trains of mules, slaves and armed men which transported the wealth of the west across the Gold Road to the ships waiting in the harbors of Nombre de Dios and Porto Bello. One's imagination cannot conceive the for- tunes which have filled these vaults; one can- not picture the awful sufferings, the untold horrors, the unspeakable crimes) and incTed- ible tortures which were undergone and in- flicted in getting together the millions whicJh have passed through the low, arched portals of these dismal chambers. If only the ancient stones could speak what a marvelous story they could tell! What wonderful scenes they have witnessed ! What PANAMA CITY AND ITS SIGHTS 139 incalculable fortunes they have hoarded in the bloody days of yore! But to-day they are empty; their damp, stone steps no longer ring to the tread of ar- mored men; no longer do boxes and bales and bars of dull gold fill them from floor to arched roof; never again will the fitful glow of sput- tering torches gleam in many-colored fires from piles of gems torn from the writhing, tortured bodies of Indian princesses and kings. Their floors are deep with dirt, filth and debris; loathsome, crawling things hide among the crevices of the masonry; their once strong doors have disappeared and left them open to the elements and bats by thousands make them their roosting place. CHAPTER IX THROUGH VEBAGUAS THE GOLDEN' Out of the beaten track. Discomforts of travel. Coast- wise steamers. From Panama to Agua Dulce. Agua Dulce. Industries. Plains of Code. Nearby towns. The road to Santiago. Horses and outfits. Scenery along the road. Natives. The Star of the Plains. Bird life. Road to San Francisco de la Montaiia. Settlements along the way. Divisa the half way point. Country beyond Divisa. Santiago. Once a metropolis. A country of gold. Why mines were abandoned. Mineral wealth of Veraguas. Lost mines. Tisingal. San Francisco de la Montana. An ancient church. Mountain towns. The Lake of Death. Interior towns. Puerto Mutis. Where time has stood still. And now, having visited this once *'Goode and Staytlye City" and having seen and visited Panama City and its environs, suppose we leave the beaten track and take a few short journeys into the interior of the Repubhc. One of the most beautiful and interesting, as well as one of the easiest, trips which can be taken is by boat and horseback through Veraguas,^ but even this will entail a few 1 The name Veraguas is of Indian origin and not Spanish as is generally thought. The ending "agua" being merely a coincidence and having nothing to do with the Spanish word "agua" or water. The same ending is 140 THROUGH VERAGUAS 141 hardships and many discomforts beginning ■with the moment the traveler boards the local coasting steamer at Panama. These boats are little, flat-bottomed affairs which have been abused, neglected and mis- handled for so long that one man-els that they ever reach their destination. Fortunately the Pacific is usually calm near shore, the runs are short and, on the up trip from Panama to the outljing parts, the vessels are seldom crowded or overloaded. But on the return journey it is very different. On one occasion I made the trip from Agua Dulce to Panama on one of these steam- ers which, although supposed to carry but sixty passengers, had one hundred and fifty in addition to over three hundred head of live- stock and a good cargw 'of miscellaneous freight. So deeply was she laden that she actually had sunk until fast in the mud and it was necessary to run her pumps for two hours to float her. There was no chance to sleep, every bench, chair and table, as well as the decks, being occupied; the life boats were leaky and one was absolutely unfit to float and found in the Indian names of Managua, Nicaragua, Couiajma etc. 142 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT by the time we reached Panama there was a bare six inches of freeboard btween the sea and the lower deck. Despite all this, no serious accident has oc- curred for a number of years and the little tubs are really far more seaworthy than they seem. From twelve to fourteen hours after leav- ing Panama the steamer enters the winding creek leading to Agua Dulce and steams slowly along between mangrove-covered shores where, if the tide be low, one may see many forms of bird and mammal life such as ibis, egrets, herons, boatbills, pelican's, cormorants and waders, with here and there an alligator or perchance a troop of crab-eating raccoons nos- ing about the broad mud flats exposed by the receding tide. And here it may be well to mention that the tide on the Pacific side is from eighteen to twenty onel feet while, on the Atlantic, it is scarcely noticeable. The Agua Dulce dock, like many athers in Panama, is about two miles from the town, — a custom adopted by the old Dons to lessen the danger of being surprised by pirates, — and is connected by a well built road bordered THROUGH VERAGUAS 143 on either side by the broad, shallow lagoons •and salt pans. As one drives along this road in one of the prehistoric coches drawn by an antedeluvian horse, there is plenty of interest, for the country is totally different from anything seen along the Canal or about Panama City. Flat, and almost as level as a board, are grassy pasture lands, cut here and there by small streams or '' barrancas." whose courses may be tranced by the tangle of brush and stunted trees which fill them. Along the road- side, and scattered here and there, are clumps and masses of thorny bushes, prickly vines, cacti and euphorbias with occasional groups or groves of low, broad-topped mimosas. To the right, rise brick-red, ahnost bare, hills, while beyond, in tier upon tier, loom mountains after mountains. Altogether it is a scene such as one might expect in South Africa and the effect is still further heightened by the innumerable conical nests of ants, often ten or fifteen feet in height, which dot the plains or stand beside the road and from a distance look like groups of khaki-colored tents. In- deed, one half expects to see a Kaffir kraal, 144 PANAMA, PAST AND PEESENT a herd of giraffes or a flock of ostriches at any moment. But the nearest approach to giraffes are the scrawny cattle and horses, there is nothing more resembling an ostrich than the repulsive vultures and carrion hawks, and kaffir kraals are replaced by the outlying huts of Agua Dulce, the capital of Code prov- ince. Agua Dulce, (sweet water) is rather paradox- ically named as its chief industry is salt and the only fresh water in the vicinity is a tiny stream flowing from a drive-well which sup- plies the city with its drinking water. The town is fairly well kept and better than the majority of interior towns and has a few very good buildings and two hotels or rather apologies therefor; but it is hot, dusty and of little interest, aside from the huge salt ''pans" which provide the bulk of its five thousand in- habitants with a, livelihood. Near at hand, however, are some large sugar estates and mills; excellent cattle and horses are raised, as well as considerable fruit and many fowls, turkeys and eggs which are shipped from here to Panama. From Agua Dulce a road leads to Santiago de 'Veraguas, the capital of the province, while THROUGH VERAGUAS 145 other highways connect the town with Pocri, — about four miles distant and in many ways praferable to Agua Dulce aa a stopping place, — ^with Penonome and Nata, also in Code Province, and with various other outlying towns. To see the best of Veraguas however, the traveler should take the Santiago road and while, during the dry months, an ancient, ram- shackle Ford makes daily trips between the two cities, yet it is far more satisfactory and com- fortable to make the journey on horseback. One may always obtain saddle and pack horses at Agua Dulce and Pocri, (the coches which meet the steamers will take the traveler direct to the latter town if desired), but to secure good horses and decent saddles is quite another matter. Do not however, expect the **good" horses to be what the term implies, the best that the country affords are far from being up to the North American standard. Luckily the quality of the mount matters very little, provided one has a comfortable sad- dle, and as such are not to be had for love or money in the interior the traveler will do well to bring his own saddle with him, purchasing it in Panama City if necessary. In order to transport one's luggage, unless 146 PANAMA, PAST AND PEESENT everything is carried in the saddle-bags, a pack horse is required for, if despatched by bull oart, it may be days in reaching its destination. Pack horses my be hired very cheaply and the ^'peon" or driver is included in the price and will not only serve as a guide but will look after the animals and will return with them to the owner when one reaches the end of the journey. The best time to make horseback journeys through the interior, as far as comfort is con- cerned, is at night, but as the visitor usually wishes to see the country it is better to start early in the morning, which enables one to rest and lunch half way and thus avoid traveling in the hottest part of the day. For about eight miles after leaving Agua Dulce the road is excellent, straight, smooth and wide, with the plains stretching inland in rolhng, grassy imdulations to the foothills, with the lofty Cordilleras blue against the sky, and dotted with little clumps of trees marking the water courses, while, on the left, open roll- ing country extends to the coastal range with the sun rising in gorgeous glory from the Pacific. Now and again a horseman is met, bespurred, belegginged and broad hatted and with his diminutive steed hurrying along with THROUGH VERAGUAS 147 the peculiar half single-foot, half lope peculiar to the country. Constantly one meets or passes the big lum- bering bull carts creaking ponderously under their loads of cane or rum or miscellaneous goods, drawn by two or four great, long-horned bulls and with their swarthy, brigandish-look- ing drivers nodding on their seats. Pedestrians are seen too, barefooted or san- daled, brown or yellow of skin, fiercely mus- tached and armed with wicked looking ma- chetes; but one and all smile and wish the traveler ^'buenas dias," for they are a happy, good natured, peaceable folk, hospitable and sociable and ever ready for a bit of gossip or a chat ^\ith a stranger. Across the plains a soft, cool breeze comes from the mountains ; meadow larks sing sweetly from the fence posts; little flocks of ground doves flutter from the roadway; graceful quaker-gray, swallow-tailed flycatchers dart back and forth as they capture tiny insects; bold-eyed hawks and striped carrion buzzards look disdainfully down from the telegraph poles and, ever}^vhore in the deep azure sky, the great black vultures wheel and sail on tire- less pinions. 148 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT Then the road crosses a big iron bridge, there is a sharp rise and at the fork of the road one conies to a little settlement of several thatched huts and a tiny 'dobe fonda or way- side inn. ''La Estrella del Llanos," ''Star of The Plains," is the euphonious name of this God- forsaken spot surrounded by bare red earth and scanty herbage and baking beneath the rays of the ardent sun without vestige of shade. But welcome indeed it is to the thirsty traveler, for here one may secure excellent water, — and more ardent beverages if desired, — as well as the chance to rest and stretch one's legs in the single earth-floored room or in the shelter of the overhanging roof. At Estrella the road divides, the branch to the left leading to Santiago, the other to the big Santa Eosa sugar estate and then on to San Francisco and the villages of the Cordilleras, — an interesting road through rugged, pictur- esque country — crossing tumbling rivers where one must swim one's horse; meandering through dense, thorny woods; following the verges of deep ravines ; passing" through narrow defiles with scarce space f-or a horse to pass; crossing broad prairies where no trace of THROUGH VERAGUAS 149 trail exists; leading over unspeakably rough and stony plains and altogether no thorough- fare for the novice to follow on his first journey into Veraguas. Beyond p]strella all good roads are left be- hind, — although the sun^eys and preliminary work on the new motor road to Santiago are now under way, — and for hours, one travels through a rough, rutty, stony, uncared for gulley. At times the road is is so bad that even the natives have deserted it, and in preference, have taken to the open country and one follows the cart tracks through patches of woodland and across the grassy plains in long detours where a stranger may easily become confused and lose his way. In such a case however, it is always easy to regain the road by making for the telegraph line which parallels it, although the telegraph wires run straight or nearly so whereas the road turns and twists and zig-zags and doubles on itself as if determined to make the trip as long and tiresome as possible. It is seldom however, that the first journey becomes very irksome or monotonous to one anxious to learn something of the Republic, for there is always something new to be seen and 150 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT the character of the country is so different from one 's preconceived ideas of Panama, or a tropical land, that it keeps the visitor's in- terest. When one tires of the seemingly endless plains one may turn to the mountains with their distant summits rising to seven thousand feet above the sea and marvelous in their color- ings of gray, and green, of blue and mauve and violet. Or again, there are the broad rivers, spanned with American iron bridges, but with their planking so neglected and so full of holes that one must literally watch one's step, or, if fond of nature, there are numerous birds, the great lizards, the gaudy butterflies and the odd forms of plant life. Here and there also are bare areas of bril- liant red, yellow and purple earth, dotted with agates, while often one rides for long distances where the plains and roadsides) are covered with silicified, fossil trees; some standing as if but freshly cut, others in short, smooth-ended sections as though sawed for cordwood and still others scattered about so much like broken sticks and branches that one cannot believe they are flinty-hard agate until closely examined. Few signs of human beings are seen, — THROUGH VERAGUAS 151 a single thatched hut or a settlement of a few niiserable hovels being passed at long inter- vals, — but the little *'portreros" of cane, plan- tains or yams and the scattered herds of cattle and horses prove that human beings dwell in the vicinity. But as a whole the land is de- serted, the rich soil of the foothills and river- sides is a waste jof brush and trees; the wide, grassy prairies support only a few hundred miserable c^ittle -and the few natives one sees are ragged, dirty, forlorn looking and poverty stricken. From three to five hours after leaving Agua Dulce, depending on one's mount and one's ability as a horseman, the little village of Divisa is reached, the half-way point, where it is customarj^ for the traveler to rest and par- take of refreshments before undertaking the last, and in some ways the worst, part of the trip. Divisa is scarcely a village, but is a set- tlement of scrattered houses covering a large area and with quite a little cultivated land and a good many cattle. Here there is a telephone and telegraph sta- tdon and two so-called ''fondas*' which are native houses where certain commodities are sold, where one may find fodder for one's 152 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT mount and where one may secure a very fair meal in the shape of fresh eggs, fowl, milk, coffee and bread with fresh cream-cheese and usually fruit. Moreover, the traveler may secure accommodations for the night, but it is far more satisfactory and more sanitary to sleep in one's own hammock stretched beneath the shelter of the outjutting roof, for flea-infested dogs, razor-backed pigs and innumerable chick- ens and pigeons share the native houses with the other inmates. Beyond Divisa the plains grow smaller; ir- regular, sharp hills become more frequent ; the road is even rougher and worse and before San- tiago is reached one is constantly ascending and descending rugged hillsides. But at last one comes forth from the hills and ahead sees more plains sweeping to the distant mountains with the little town nestling white and red upon the level land, and a few minutes later the horse 's hoofs clatter over the roughly cobbled streets and between the quaint adobe- walled and red-tiled houses of old Santiago de Veraguas. To-day Santiago is of little importance, a town of some five or six thousand inhabitants, of low, one-storied, typically Spanish American THE ANCIENT CHURCH IN SANTIAGO, VERAGUAS GIANT ANT-HILLS ON THE PLAINS, COCLE THROUGH VERAGUAS 153 buildings, of cobbled, grass-grown streets. A sleepy, ancient town with picturesque inhabit- ants, a pretty plaza and a fine old church whose tower, — more's the pity — has recently been torn down and rebuilt in liideous modern style. In the past, however, Santiago was second only to Panama in its wealth and importance. Situated in the richest gold producing district in the world at that time, the to-svn was the center of culture and society. Rich and prom- inent families of old Spain dwelt here in princely style; its slave market, its stores and its industries brought trade from far and near and from the mines and placers of the sur- rounding hills gold in millions flowed into San- tiago to eventually be shipped to Spain. So great was the commercial prominence of Santiago that merchants came from Costa Rica and other countries to purchase goods in the Santiago markets and the Santiago merchants in their turn made long journeys to Jamaica, England, Spain and even to the United States to purchase stocks for which they paid in raw Veraguas gold. Even during the last century ships sailed from New York for Santiago di- rect, anchoring in Montijo Bay, whence the cargoes were carried by ox cart and mule train 154 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT to the city. Indeed, Santiago's prominence and wealth continued long after the other in- terior cities had fallen into decadence and up to 1850 practically all the commerce of the Isth- mus was in gold won from the mines about Santiago. It is impossible to say just how much gold has been taken from the Veraguas mines and placers, but it must be incalculable. In 1570 over two thousand slaves were em- ployed in Veraguas mines while records show that at that time from eight hundred to one thousand pounds of gold were taken annually from the mines of the district. Still a better idea of the vast amounts of precious metal pro- duced by Veraguas may be obtained from the old treasury bills. In the Spanish days the Crown received a *'quinto" or five per cent, of the gold exported and, by examining the old accounts, we find that in one year the Crown received over 20,000 Castillanos as its share so, in other words, not less than forty thousand pounds or two tons of solid gold were exported annually from Veraguas J And this does not include the gold which went into private pock- ets or to the Church, and the Church received a very large share. This being the case the question at onoe THROUGH VERAGUAS 155 arises as to why Verguas produces practically no gold to-day. There are several reasons for this. In the first place, the Spaniards worked their mines with Indian slaves and later with negro slaves and labor cost them nothing aside from the poor food and poorer quarters fur- nished the men. Oftentimes the Indian slaves revolted, killed the Spaniards and destroyed the mines while the negroes ran away. Then came the unsettled times when Spain's colonies were struggling for independence and mines were abandoned, owners were killed in battle, slaves were freed and all industries were upset. About 1849-50 the advent of the Calif ornian Ar- gonauts and the Panama Railway caused food stuffs and other supplies to be so greatly in demand that prices reached heights where they were practically prohibitive in the interior and mines were given up as they could not be profitably worked. Finally, many of the rich- est of the old mines were placers and were worked out, but the methods used in those days were very crude and many of the abandoned mines could be worked at a good profit to-day. No doubt richer deposits than ever known are still hidden in the mountains and hills of Ver- aguas, for the pro\ince iii marv'elously rich and 156 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT certain sections are perhaps more highly min- eralized than any other part of Spanish Amer- ica, if not of the world. Aside from gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, lead, zinc, bismuth, antimony, mercury, manganese and oil are all known to exist in paying quantities in Veraguas. It was in Veraguas too, that the lost Tisingal Mine was located, which, if we are to believe the old records, was the richest mine the world has ever known. Having been destroyed by the Indian slaves, who revolted and massacred their Spanish masters, the Tisingal has been lost to man, and almost to memory, for cen- turies, but time and again some wanderer has reported finding it and expedition after expedi- tion has gone forth to locate it. Some have been destroyed by sickness and by Indians, some have never been heard from and the lost mine still remains, hidden deep within the Veraguas hills forever, unless some fortunate being finds its secret and thereby becomes a millionaire. As there are really fairly good hotels in San- tiago and as all about are interesting trips and towns, it is an excellent place to select as head- quarters while traveling about the district. From here roads lead to San Francisco de la THROUGH VERAGUAS 157 Montaiia, — a mountain iovni about ten miles distant and which can boast an ancient church built in 1522 and probably the oldest inhabited structure in continental America. This church alone is well worth a trip, for it is entirely fur- nished with altars, pulpits, shrines, fonts, rere- (los and other fixtures of native cedar carved by the old Mission Indians, and the combination of Indian and ecclesiastical design is ver>' re- markable. It also contains some tattered but fine old Spanish paintings and tapestrj', while beneath it, so tradition says, is a fortune in raw gold, — twenty pounds being buried beneath each of its supporting pillars of which there are about fifty. Aside from the church, San Francisco itself holds little of interest, but near by there is wonderfully grand and beautiful scenery with dashing rivers and roaring cat- aracts, such as Carabali Falls where a good- sized stream drops over a sheer precipice three hundred feet in height. From San Francisco also, one may visit the hot springs of Calobre or the old towm of Santa Fe in the very heart of the Cordilleras. La Mesa, Las Tablas and many other old mountain towns are within easy reach while, not far from Santa Fe, is the so called "Lake of Death," a weird 158 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT and lonely pool among the hills;— -a strange forsaken place ; a lake of milky water a draught of which spells almost instant death. All about its blackened, muddy shores are strewn the bleached bones of countless birds and beasts which, unwittingly, have come to drink and have succumbed upon the spot. Even flies and other insects, which alight upon the shores, are stricken ere they can take wing. No wonder superstitious natives look upon it as something supernatural and to be avoided, for truly it is a most uncanny, repulsive, but none the less in- teresting phenomenon. In the other direction from Santiago are roads leading far across the plains to Sona and Las Palmas and to Tole and Remedies in Chiriqui ; fine and interesting journeys for those fond of rougihing it and who are tireless horse- men, but scarcely to be recommended as pleas- ure jaunts for the ordinary visitor to the Isthmus. Still another road leads to Puerto Mutis, where one may meet the coastwise steamer for Panama and thus make the round trip without covering the same ground twice while, most in- teresting of all, are the trails leading out from Santiago to the quaint, nearby villages such as THROUGH VERAGUAS 159 La Colorada; villages where time has stood still, where one seems to have stepped back four hundred years to the days of Pedrarias and Nicuesa. These Ullages, which have remained prac- tically unchanged for centuries, are in sharp contrast to the majority of interior villages, for they are neat and clean with their little adobe and thatched houses built in a square or rec- tangle around an immense public green or portrero. Many of the houses are of wood, often they have roofs of old Spanish tiles, they are well separated and surrounded by corrals and flower gardens and are shaded with magnificent trees, with here and there a slender coconut palm waving its fronds in the gentle breeze. In the center of the big plaza stands the an- cient, weather-beaten church, built by the long- dead friars who accompanied the conquista- dores when they hewed their way into the in- terior, and despite the forays of the Indians, founded the little settlements which still re- main and wherein one still finds the names of the old hidalgos perpetuated in their descend- ants of to-day. Patriarchal and almost commu- nistic are these \illages, with little recognition 160 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT of the Republic's sovereignty, the local Alcade or Corregidor being merely a figure- head, while the headman, — usually the eldest member of the most important family, is supreme. Among the five or six hundred in- habitants of one of these villages one seldom finds more than five or six families and al- though they have intermarried for generations yet they are a splendid race physically, the men often six feet or more, strong and robust ; the women often handsome and with fine figures and with both men and Women often fair haired and blue eyed. Of pure Spanish blood, the old families that dwell in these isolated villages still speak Oastillian, they dress as did their ancestors in the days of Balboa, — the men in loose blouses and short trousers of homespun cotton; the women in the attractive *'Pollera" seen only during carnival time in Panama and Colon. They use the ancient **cross" money of the days of the buccaneers; their saddles are patterned after those of the Spaniards; they still use the brass, shoe-shaped stirrups of the caballeros or the silver stirrups of the Moors and many of them still possess the old Toledo swords which have been handed down from their ancestors, — proud grandees of old Spain. THROUGH VERAGUAS 161 Temperate, honest and industrious, — in many of the villages no liquor is permitted, — these people are a delightful contrast to their neigh- bors, but even they, owing to the fact that their wants are few and easily satisfied, do not culti- vate the crops nor raise the cattle which they might easily do. But there is no real poverty among them ; all are well-to-do as far as horses, cattle, rice fields, grazing land, gardens and houses are concerned, and as everything they eat, wear, need or use is gro^vn, raised or made by themselves they never need stir from the vicinity of their native villages unless from choice. Seldom indeed do strangers visit them. Once or twice a year the Padre goes his rounds, baptizes those who have been born, marries those who desire it, says prayers for the souls of the departed ; christens and confesses and ab- solves and goes his way. Twice a year too, at Christmas and during Carnival time, these people celebrate with dances, music, feasts and masquerades. Out door sports, games and tests of strength and skill are held; there are rodeos with bull-dogging, bull riding, lassoing and other contests among the young men, and these events, with their daily toil, their gossip and their leisure make up their lives. 162 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT Nations may rise and fall, great wars may be fought and peace made; the outside world may marvel at some wonderful invention ; man may conquer the air or the deep sea; pesti- lences may sweep off thousands or some great cataclysm may destroy whole cities; but these happy people neither know nor care. Their world is their village and no doubt a century hence they will still be living as they are to- day; — as they did three centuries and more ago. CHAPTER X HERE AND THEBE IN CHIBIQUI The sanitorium of Panama. How to reach Chiriqui. Steamer to Chiriqui. Passing Punta Mahi. Coiba the penal colony. Strange sea snakes. Charming islands. Bahia Honda. An ideal spot. Remedios and its people. The Sabaneros. An unknown race. A strange custom. Roads from Tole. Pedregal. The Chiriqui Railway. David. Country about David. From David to Boquete. Resources of Chiriqui. A wonderful country. Trees and plants. The Quetzal. The Guacas or Indian graves. Loot- ing the graves. A forgotten race. Wild Indians of Chiriqui. The province of Bocas del Toro. Almirante. What the Fruit Company has done. Oil companies. Containing within its borders the highest mountains of the Isthmus, blessed with a wonderful climate and possessing marvelously beautiful scenery and innumerable attrac- tions, Chiriqui province may well be called the sanitorium of Panama. Unfortunately however, it is not easy of ac- cess and accommodations for visitors are lim- ited to the Hotel Lino, conducted by Americans and charmingly situated at Boquete nearly four thousand feet above sea level. To visit Chiriqui one must travel for twenty- four hours or more on one of the little Pan- amanian coasting steamers, and even after en- 163 164 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT during hardships entailed by this, one must be prepared for still greater discomforts ere the hotel is reached. The voyage by steamer may be made either direct from Panama City or, if one has traveled through Veraguas and can make the connec- tion, the steamer to Chiriqui may be taken at Puerto Mutis, as the vessels at times stop there en route. But as the schedules of these little ships are never twice alike, and as the agents in Panama seldom can tell what they will be in advance, it is a wise plan to take passage from the capital. Passing close to Taboga, and in the lee of the shore, the sail across the Bay of Panama is smooth and pleasant until Punta Mala is reached. Here it is almost always rough and one real- izes, as the tiny steamer is tossed and buffeted about and creaks and protests in every joint, why the cape was given its suggestive name of ''Bad Point." But the rough water is of short duration and beyond the cape the sea is again tranquil with numerous islands looming upon the horizon ahead. Many of these are large and heavily wooded, the largest being Coiba nearly fifty miles in length and now the site of the Re- HERE AND THERE IN CHIRIQUI 165 public's penal colony and a regular point of call for the coastwise steamers. In the waters about Coiba one often may see vast numbers of sea snakes, ti'ue sea serpents in miniature, spotted yellow and browTi crea- tures whose bite is deadly and which swarm in countless thousands in these seas and are eagerly preyed upon by great flocks of frigate birds, gannets, gulls and pelicans, which swoop do^^^l from above, and by schools of por- poises and an occasional whale which attack from below. Indeed, when one sees the num- bers of birds and cetaceans feeding upon the serpents one marvels that any of the reptiles can survive. Here too, one often may see giant devil fish or rays, fifteen or twenty feet across their wing — like fins, as they leap yards in the air and crash into the sea in a shower of spray. Beyond Coiba are more islands, channing, picturesque, wooded spots; delightful sites for residences with their water-carved grottoes and caverns, their tiny beaches and luxuriant foliage, while the waters about teem with fish, the reefs are covered with pearl shells and on the neighboring mainland is abundant game. Almost abreast of Coiba lies Bahia Honda, 166 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT probably the finest natural harbor on the Pacific coast of America, and one of the most beautiful spots in the world. Almost landlocked, with precipitous, rocky islets guarding its en- trance, Bahia Honda forms a huge, semi-circu- lar bay reaching miles into the land and with deep water within a fe^v yards of its shores. On every side rise verdured hills stretching away to cloud draped mountain summits, while between them are glorious, green valleys smil- ing in the sun and watered by crystal streams. The land is marvelously fertile, the forests are filled with valuable timber, game abounds, the waters teem with fish and pearl shell and there is mineral wealth in the hills. One cannot im- agine a more perfect site for a great winter resort hotel, for here are ideal conditions for boating, bathing, out-of-door sports, hunting, fishing and indeed every attraction ; but to-day it is almost forsaken and uninhabited; a few scattered huts being the only signs of man. Beyond Coiba and back of the islands, lies Remedios, sometimes made a point of call, and here one may often see numbers of the strange aborigines of this district, — the brown- skinned, Sabanero Indians ^ whose ancestors 1 These Indians have often been miscalled Guaimes and HERE AND THERE IN CHIRIQUI 167 defied the Spaniards and defeated them in fair battle for many years, and who, to this day, still hold their own territory back in the Cor- dilleras and permit no strangers within their borders. Little is kno^vn of them or their cns- toms and no one knows just who they are or their relationship; but it is supposed that they are of the race whose ancestors antedated the Mayas and the Aztecs and who were forced southward by the advance of these more cul- tured races from the north, for Aztec colonics reached as far as Bocas del Toro on the At- lantic and the southward limit of the Mayas is yet undetermined. The Indians that one sees about Remedies and Tole however, are semi-civilized, degen- erate tribesmen who have deserted their wdld brothers of the mountains to dwell in and about the towns; but all have their teeth filed to needle-like points, many are tattooed and their queer costumes of cotton cloth, stamped in crude figures of various colors, always serve to identify them. At certain seasons of the year these Indians hold festivals and dances for which they dress themselves in weird costumes confused with the latter. In reality the name Guaime ap- plies to a race which includes a number of distinct tribes. 168 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT and wear immense, grotesque masks adorned with horns and animals' skulls. Their peculiar custom of filing their teeth to points has also been adopted by many of the Panamanians in Veraguas and Chiriqui and in many districts every man, woman and child has these triangular-pointed teeth. Al- though ordinarily called ** filed" yet, in real- ity, the teeth are not filed but chipped off by placing a dull knife behind the tooth and tap- ping the front surface of the tooth with a stone. It must of necessity be extremely painful and one would imagine that the teeth so treated would soon decay and be ruined; but the people claim that the reverse is the case, that teeth 'pointed in this way last longer than others and that it is for the purpose of pre- serving the teeth that they have them sharp- ened. Moreover, their claims appear to be substantiated by evidence, for I have never seen a person with pointed teeth which were decayed and I have known many very old men and women whose artificially pointed teeth were as sound and perfect as possible. From Tole roads conneot with Santiago de Veraguas and also with David the capital of Chiriqui so that it is possible to ride all the HERE AND THERE IN CHIRIQUI 1G9 way from Panama City to David; but it is a long, tiresome, difficult jouniey full of hard- ships and the trip by steamer is one of ab- solute luxurj" by comparison. The port of entr>' for Chiriqui is Pedregal, four and one half miles from the capital, David, ^\'ith which it is connected by the Chir- iqui Railway. This road which is of narrow gauge construction and extends inland to Boquete, 32 miles distant, is a burlesque of a railway, for nine times out of ten one finds that it is not operating and that motor car, hand car or horseback are the only means of reach- ing one's destination. Quite recently how- ever, the government has taken steps to make this road a transporation system in fact as well as in name and competent engineers have been sent to make a report and recommen- dations as to what should be done, so by the time this book is published it may be possible to depend upon the railway to reach Boquete. David, the third most important city of Panama, is of comparatively recent origin and is most beautifully situated in a Avide, luxuri- ant valley with the foothills rising upwards to the cloud-piercing heights of Chiriqui Vol- cano nearly eight thousand feet above the sea. 170 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT The town is well laid out, with wide, straight streets; there are many excellent stores and fine residences, a pretty plaza and a popula- tion of about six thousand people, nearly all of whom are of Spanish descent. As one travels from David to Boquete the wonderful fertility of the soil, the excep- tional opportunities for cattle raising, agri- culture and development, are everywhere evi- dent. Prom the coast, the country rises in broad plateaus, like a series of terraces, at elevations of from one to two thousand feet, to the foothills and everywhere covered with deep, rich, black soil and bearing a most lux- uriant vegetation. Although so far from Panama and with such poor transportation facilities, yet Chir- iqui to-day has a greater area of well cultivated land than any other district, and still it is almost untouched and undeveloped. Rubber, cocoa, coffee, tobacco and all tropical crops, as well as everything grown in temperate zones, may be raised to perfection in Chiri- qui, for there is every possible variety of soil and climate. On the hills and highlands are vast quantities of valuable timber, while on the mountains are forests of oak, and the min- A VERAGUAS COWBOY LA PALMA, DARIEN HERE AND THERE IN CHIRIQUI 171 eral wealth is tremendous, although absolutely untouched. In traveling from David to Boquete, one passes through a charming country with forests of great trees rising to one hmidred feet or more, ablaze with scarlet, mauve, yellow and white and hung with air plants, orchids and trailing lianas. Here, on these mountains with their dense oak forests, rushing streams and roaring cataracts, is the home of the famed Quetzal or Resplendent Trogan the sacred bird of the Aztecs and rivaling in beauty the birds of Paradise with its yard-long tail and fern-like wing covers of metallic, emerald green, its recurved crest and its scarlet breast. Here too, in ages past, dwelt vast numbers of a long dead and forgotten Ta.ee whose graves or "guacas" lie scattered about and which have provided many a native with' a source of revenue, for they all contain pottery, stone weapons, stone stools and similar objects and many have ornaments and implements of solid gold. Indeed, guaca opening is one of the divert- isements of the visitor to Chiriqui and while one may open a number of the ancient graves without being rewarded with golden curios, 172 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT still there is always the chance, the excitement and thrill of treasure hunting, the gambling fascination of not knowing what may be re- vealed when the last stones are removed and the resting place of the long dead chief is exposed. Although countless thousands of these gua- cas have been opened .and looted of their con- tents there still remain uncounted thousands. At one time, opening the graves became a systematized and regular vocation and it is said on good authority that over half a million dollars worth of gold has been taken from the guacas of Chiriqui. It is deeply to be re- gretted that the government has not taken steps to prevent the ruthless destruction of these graves and their contents, for they are of great scientific value and should be pre- served and only opened under strictly compe- tent supervision and for bona fide scientific purposes. Very little is known of the race which left these graves, for they have been but little stud- ied, and likewise, little or nothing is known of the existing Indians who still inhabit the fast- nesses of the Cordilleras of Chiriqui. The government estimates the number of aborigines in the province at ten thousand, but this in- HERE AND THERE IN CHIRIQUI 173 eludes only those who are semi-civilized or peaceful and there are unquestionably as many more who still live the primitive life of their ancestors and who have always been *'j^ravos" or enemies of outsiders. Weird tales are told of great cities of strange people buried in the heart of the mountains, of the ''blancos" or white Indians who kill all who approach their territory and of fierce tribes who are head hunters, and while these all may be figments of the semi-civilized Indians' imaginations, still there may be a good foundation of truth in the stories. It is not impossible that some remnants of the an- cient ciWlization of the Aztecs or Mayas still survive within the Cordilleras ; it may be quite within reason that the race which left the gua- cas with their wonderful pottery and the strangely-wrought golden trinkets, may still live and carry on its old habits, life and ways in the remote districts of Chiriqui and the ''blancos" may be a race which made captives of Spanish men or women and that the white blood has gradually conquered the red until the race to-day actually is white. No one can»say, no one has a right to say, what is or is not in an unknown, unexplored 174 PANAMA, PAST AND PEESENT district, for all is conjecture and the untrodden interior of Panama may hide undreamed of secrets. Across the Cordilleras from Chiriqui, — bounding Chiriqui on the north and bordering on Costa Eica, — is the province of Bocas del Toro, a fertile and rich district which has been exploited by the United Fruit Company which has enormous banana and cocoa plantations here. This company has built docks and piers at the town of Almirante on Almirante Bay; it has established hospitals and a wireless station ajid operates a railway about one hundred and fifty miles in length. Aside from the Fruit Company's plantations, and the operations of an oil company seeking the oil which exists here, and the beauties of Almirante Bay, there is httle to interest the stranger at Bocas del Toro, the Panamanian town of that name, and which is the capital of the province, being a small, but attractive place of about five thou- sand inhabitants. However, Bocas del Toro and Almirante are easy of access as the ships of the United Fruit Company make it a regular point of call and, in addition, launches and sail boats make regular trips to and from Colon. CHAPTER XI DARIEN THE UNKNOWN The least kno^vn part of Panama. Journeyinir to Darien. From Panama to Garacliine. Garacliine a forlorn town. Scenery of San Miguel Gulf. La Palma. A disappoint- ment. People of Darien. Forest riches of Darien. Chipogana and El Real. Poverty stricken towns. In- habitants of El Real. The aborigines, Cbokois and Kunas. Exaggerated tales. Fallacies and mistakes. Who the San Bias are. The wild Kunas. The forbidden district. Life and habits of the Kuna.s. Experiences among the Kunas. The Chokois. A trip to the Chokoi villages. Up the Tuira River. River travel. Life and scenery along the river. Game. Pinogana. The first Indians. At the Chokoi vil- lage. Home life of the Chokois. Dances and customs. Into the forbidden district. The Darien mine. Riches of Darien. The lost city. Up the Chucunaque. Yaviza. Old ruins. Across Darien to the Atlantic. What the old Dons did. Of all portions of Panama the Darien dis- trict is the least kno\vn, the richest in natural resources, the most difficult of access, the most intimately associated with the early history of the Isthmus and the first portion occupied by Europeans. Originally the term Darien was applied to all that portion not included in Voraguas; but to- day it is confined to that portion of the prov- 175 176 PANAMA, PAST AND PEESENT inces of Panama and Colon lying between the Bayano River and the Colombian frontier. In- deed, strictly speaking, it is an area rather than a district, for it has no definite bounda- ries and no political, geographical or official status or existence. A very large portion of this area is so totally unknown and unexplored that it is of interest only to the scientist, the lumberman, the pros- pector, or the hunter and can only be visited by those accustomed to enduring hardships and the roughest of out-of-doors life. But there is much of Darien which can be visited with com- paratively little discomfort and these portions hold the greatest interests for the layman. To reach Darien the traveler sjhould take steamer or launch from Panama City for Gar- achine, La Palma, Chipogana or El Eeal, the port selected depending entirely upon whether the vessel stops there or not, the last named port being the furthest inland and the most desirable as a starting point for the interior. Little need be said of the trip across the Bay of Panama and along the coast to the en- trance of San Miguel Gulf, for it is but a repiti- tion of all the other malodorous, uncomfort- able trips by Panamanian coastal steamers. DARIEN THE UNKNOWN 177 Garachinc, the first port of call on the east- erly shore of San Miguel Gulf, is a miserable spot, a collection of flimsy cane huts built along the narrow strip of beach between the water and a vast swamp. During the dry season it is not so bad, but in rainy weather the inhabit- ants must be obliged to travel by boat from hut to hut. Filth and refuse are everywhere and pigs, children, chickens and live stock root, wallow and play in the piles of rotting oyster shells and garbage under the houses. The country is flat and low, mosquitoes make life a constant misery and while a little agriculture is carried on it is altogether a most God-forsaken and forlorn spot. Oil however, is known to occur in the vic- inity, exploration and prospect work is being carried on and at any time the place may spring into world-wide prominence and may become a wealthy, thriving community. Beyond Garachine, the Gulf narrows and the scenery becomes most fascinating, mth pictur- esque, wooded islets and varied shores of hill and valley, all clothed in a mantle of most lux- uriant green. The next stop for the launch or steamer is 178 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT La Palma, a most attractive appearing village as seen from the sea, with its houses rising from the waterside on stilts and climbing up the steep hillside beyond and with feathery palms nodding above their sharp, peaked roofs. But distance lends enchantment to the view for, upon landing, one finds La Palma only a shade better than Garachine. It is not so dirty, for the situation of the place is such that nature attends to sanitation and all filth is washed into the gulf whenever it rains, but the inhabitants are the same type of colored and negroes, — mainly descendants of the old Cim- marroons, — ^there is no industry or business in evidence and the sole occupations of the people appear to be cock fighting and killing time. There are however, a few fairly good wooden buildings and apologies for shops ; but the only drinking water is obtained from wells or springs which are at the base of the hillside cemetery. From the hilltop back of the town one may secure some magnificent views with the broad mouth of the Tuira River stretch- ing away to the hazy, forest clad shores of the gulf and dotted with islands, while afar off, SCENE ON THE CHUCUNAQUE RIVER, DARIEN A STREET IN EL REAL, DARIEN DARIEN THE UNKNOWN 179 and barely cliscernible, is the sparkling line marking the vast Pacific. All along the river, as one travels onward, are wonderfully fertile and lev-el lands per- fectly adapted to agriculture, but untouched and uncultivated for mile after mile, until the little village of Chipogana is reached, — a mere collection of ramshackle huts on the bank of the river. All of this district is covered with a wealth of valuable woods and during the war quan- tities of fustic, cocobolo, mahogany and cedar were shipped from Chipogana, El Real and other ports. Across the river at the mouth of the Savanna River an American lumber com- pany has immense holdings, but comparatively little work is being done. Some idea of the amount of valuable timber which exists in Darien may be gained from the fact that in clearing a few acres of land near El Real a native destroyed over one thousand cocobolo trees. About five hours after leaving Chipogana the boat reaches the mouth of the Chucunaque, and swinging to the right, continues up the Turia, passing the old ruins of El Real de Santa 180 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT Maria, the first settlement on the Pacific slopes and arriving a little later at its modem name- sake. This miserable village with the high sound- ing name is a straggling array of cane huts built on a tongue of level land at the junction of the Pirri and Tuira Rivers and is as filthy, forlorn and miserable a hole as one can well imagine. Its one redeeming feature is beauti- ful Mount Pirri looming above the plains to th-e south. It is the hottest place I have ever seen and all drinking water must be brought from far up the Pirri River as the streams near the village are thick with mud. In the prosperous days of the old Darien or Cana mine, El Real was of some importance as the terminus of a road leading thereto, but to-day, it has no possible excuse for existence. The inhabitants are miserably poor and yet all about are untold riches to be had with little toil; but, like their neighbors of the district, they are too lazy and apathetic even to culti- vate enough to feed themselves. And yet they are willing to risk the little they do possess by gambling and cock-fights and apparently their only object in earning a few DARIEN THE UNKNOWN 181 pesos is in order to gamble with one another. Nevertheless, there are several stores, — kept as usual by Chinese — and the govern- ment maintains a school, for no matter how isolated or forlorn a village may be the Board of Education hunts it out and establishes a school of some sort. At El Real the visitor may see a few Indians, naked save for loin cloths, shock-headed and of- ten painted, who have come down the Tuira or Pirri rivers to trade; but to see the primitive Indians at home one must secure a dugout cay- uoa or, as they are called in Darien a *'Pir- ogua" and two boatmen and must be poled up the Tuira to the Indians* \'illages. There are two tribes of Indians in this district known as Chokois and Kunas, the first a brown- skinned, agricultural race, pleasant and peace- able who dwell along the lower reaches of the large rivers; the others yellow-skimied, retir- ing, and occupying the upper portions of the Chucunaque and its tributaries and permitting no strangers within their borders. In addition to these "wild" Kunas as they are called there are a number of "tame" Kunas who dwell along the lower tributaries of the Tuira and 182 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT Chucunaque and who are semi-civilized and hospitable and are a far superior race to the Chokoia. There has been a great deal of misinformation and downright fiction spread broadcast about the so-called San Bias Indians of Darien and the ''forbidden" district. In Colon, one may hear hair-raising tales of the *'San Bias" Indians who never allow a stranger toi pass a night within their terri- tory and w'ho kill all outsiders who strive to penetrate their district. Indeed, one writer has gone so far as to describe the San Bias Indians as maintaining constant guard around their country with sentries posted on hill tops and armed with Mauser rifles! As a matter of fact, the San Bias Indians are Towalis, a peaceable, civilized people who dw'ell upon the islands of the San Bias archi- pelago and the adjacent mainland and who are in constant communication with the Panaman- ians and Americans. They visit Colon r-egularly and la number may always be seen, wandering about the streets of that city, while many of the men and chiefs have served as seamen on American whaling and merchant vessels and have visited every :,iUiu I DARIEN THE UNKNOWN 183 part of the world. Not a few of them speak English and are as proficient in AYnerioan slang and as adept at swearing as any Yankee mate and in their houses one finds alarm clocks, phonographs, and many other up-to-date im- provements and luxuries. They are shrewd traders and make a good livelihood raising coconuts and gathering ivory nuts which they bring to Colon in their swift, seaworthy canoes and they welcome strangers to their homes and villages. In fact, it is a cormnon thing for parties from Colon and Cris- tobal to visit these people and secure souvenirs, curios and photographs, .and during the last carnival at Colon I saw two San Bias chiefs with their wives and children driving about in a motor car and thoroughly enjoying the merry- making which, to tell the truth, savored far more of primitive savagery than do any of the customs of the San Bias. All the stories of the San Bias Indians' owe their origin to the Kunas' customs and a con- fusion of the two tribes, and yet they are very distinct, the San Bias or Towalis being a short, stocky, brown race, whereas the true Kunas are a tall, powerfully-built, pale yellow race who dwell in the unknown, unexplored district ex- 184 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT fending from the upper Bayano to the Mem- brillo River. They are typically forest Indians and until visited by the author, had never been studied or photographed and practically no- thing was known of them aside from the rumors and tales of the Panamanians and the other In- dians who are deathly afraid of them. They are a very intelligent race and in many ways are more civilized than their Chokoi neighbors. Many of them wear clothes; the women dress in gaudy, shirt-like smocks and Chinese-like trousers similar to those of the San Bias women and the majority, at least in the outlying villages, speak some Spanish. The men wear their hair long and gathered in a huge bunch or knot at one side of the head where it is secured by cleverly made ornamen- tal combs and they paint themselves hide- ously, — often black, scarlet, yellow or blue from head to foot with a circular patch of white or some contrasting color over the eyes and nose, and they invariably wear their tribal marks painted on noses and cheeks. The women are kept secluded in darkened houses and seldom appear during the day, — only com- ing forth to bathe in the river or to secure water in the early morning or late in the after- DARIEN THE UNKNOWN 185 noon. All wear gold ornaments and nose rings and bind the limbs with tight ligatures like the tribes of Guiana and Brazil, A few possess guns, but there is not a rifle, — let alone a Mauser, — in the tribe and their favorite weapons are bows and arrows, blow guns and poisoned darts. Although they do not admit strangers within their territory yet I very much doubt if they ever kill any one who visits their district for the first time; but if the intruders are caught returning, after being warned out, they m-ay pay the penalty by death or worse. I was told by reliable people at Yaviza and El Real that a large party of Panamanians once at- tempted to enter the Kuna country, but tbat only fifteen returned alive, all the rest hav- ing been killed by poisoned arrrows without even seeing an Indian. Even the so called ''tame*' Kunas have a wiholesome dread of their wild kinsmen and never dare enter their country, although mem- bers of the wild Kunas often visit the villages of the tame tribesmen. Outside of their own territory they are not hostile and their sole idea in keeping others out is to maintain the purity of their race and to retain their country' 186 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT to themselves, for they have seen the dire results of contact with the whites and blacks as illustrated by the Chokois and San Bias. Personally, I had little difificulty in entering their country as soon as I convinced their chiefs that I was neither searching for gold or rubber and that I had no desire to remain after I had secured specimens and photo- graphs, for the Indians' greatest dread is that the native rubber gatherers and gold seekers may invade their domains. The Chokois are very different from either the Kunas or the San Bias and are far more primitive than either. Both men and women are practically nude, the men wearing merely a cloth breech clout and the women a loin cloth, and they are very inferior to the Kunas in intelligence or physical development. Oddly enough, whereas the Kunas affect golden or- naments and never wear silver in any form the Chokois abhor gold and wear enormous silver earrings, arm bands, wristlets and neck- laces of their own manufacture. To the visitor who has never seen really primitive savages the Chokois will prove most interesting and their villages are easy of ac- KUNA INDIAN WOMEN, DARIEN WILD KUNAS OF THE FORBIDDEN DISTRICT, DARIEN DARIEN THE UNKNOWN 187 cess from El Real, the first being barely a day's travel by canoe up the Tuira River. In traveling up the rivers in Darien the boatmen stand on the flattened, overhanging ends of the dugout, — which are designed for this purpose, — and propel the craft by long poles much as punting is done in England. As the current is swiftt most of the upstream work is done at flood tide, for the enormous tides of the Pacific affect these Darien streams for long distances inland, or to the first steep rapids. In coming down, however, one drifts mainly by the current, running rapids and small falls, and only using the poles to guide the craft or when the lower stretches of the rivers are reached and the tide is unfavorable. Above El Real much of the country is flat or rolling and covered with cane breaks and low scrub, but in places, there are extensive open forests and many of the trees are gigantic. Bird life is very abundant and on nearly every isolated tree one may see great numbers of the long, pendant, pouch-like nests of the yel- low-tailed Caziques, while toucans, trogans, parrots and other tropical and bright-hued birds are everywhere. Game too is abundant 188 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT and deer, peccary, paca, tapir, wild turkeys and various game birds may always be se- cured by taking a short hunting trip into the forest and are often to be seen upon the river banks or swimming the streams. About six hours above El Real, the little settlement of Pinogana is reached, a group of houses on the grassy bank and, unlike the other villages of the district, very neat and clean, with numerous fruit trees and quite a bit of cultivated land about it. Soon after leaving Pinogana one may ex- pect to see Indians at any moment, for the first villages are only a few hours distant and usually the first sight one has of the aborigines is a big dugout, drifting down the river to- wards the settlements, filled with fruit and rice and with naked Chokois standing at bow and stern guiding the craft with their long poles, their scarlet breech-cloths gleaming against their brown skins while, seated amid the cargo, are half-nude women and naked, brown-skinned children who gaze curiously at the white strangers as they pass. Meeting them here upon the river in the wild- erness, the traveler feels that he is remote from civilization, that he is indeed out of the DARIEN THE UNKNOWN 189 beaten track ; that at any moment he may meet with adventure ; that just around the next bend of the stream some strange, unexpected sight may be in store. And in this he is not far wrong, for presently, as the canoe swings around the bend, we come suddenly upon a Chokoi village. At the base of the high, clay bank a dozen cayucas are drawn up and ere our eyes grasp details brown-skinned figures are scurrying up the bank and out of sight to reappear, a mo- ment later, peering at us from their point of vantage on the summit of the river bank. By the time our canoe has reached the landing place the men appear, the women and chil- dren having spread the news of our arrival, and troop down to the waterside to greet us. Short, thickset; with slender limbs and wonderfully developed shoulders and chests; with masses of thick, black hair falling to their shoulders; mth brown skins decorated with blue, scarlet and white paint; with enormous earrings of beaten silver and scarlet or blue breech-cloths the Chokois completely fulfill one's ideal of the primitive savage. But they are savage only in name and with broad smiles, ■and speaking in broken Spanish, they shake 190 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT hands, shoulder our luggage and lead the way up the bank to their homes. The houses, raised on posts ten feet above the earth, are neatly made with floors of split cane and roofs of thatched palm leaves, but are without walls and to reach a Chokoi home one clambers up a rude ladder, made by cut- ting notches in a pole. Scattered or hung about within, are baskets, earthen pots, dried corn, bundles of head rice, bunches of the soft inner bark of the rubber tree, which the Chokois use as beds, bows and arrows, bright colored cloth and a miscella- neous lot of household goods and implements. Squatted on the floor are the women of the family, cow-eyed, stupid-faced; naked save for the bit of cloth or rubber bark about their hips, with their long, ink-black hair hanging about their bare shoulders and surrounded by their youngsters ranging in age from the babes at their breasts to the lively, sturdy kiddies of six or eight years who tumble and play and roll about like big brown kittens. In one corner of the hut a slow fi.re is burn- ing and beside it an ancient, shrivelled hag is stirring the food cooking in a huge earthen pot. , •^-?>«^»« y ■^ / *;■' z ;d 2 <: J" z Q Z DARIEN THE UNKNOWN 191 Fastened to posts, standing in comers and tucked into crevices of the thatch, are queer figures carved from wood and gaudily painted, — the household gods or **santos'^ of the In- dians. There are gods for everything; gods of the hunt, of the crops, of the house, of the children, of the dance, of fertility, of weather, of sickness, of marriage and of health. As long as all goes well the gods are cared for, looked after and even fed; but if anything goes wrong the poor god who is responsible for that particular thing is promptly chopped to pieces and cast out and a new god fashioned to take his place. Perchance, if fortune favors, we may reach the Chokoi village when the Indians are pre- paring for a feast and dance. In that case we will find them decked in all their finery, — out- shining Solomon in all his glory and putting any lily of the field to shame, — with fathoms of bright colored beads draped over their shoulders and across their chests like bandoliers, broad belts of woven beads about their waists, gaudy head-bands about their masses of hair, huge crowns of painted wood and bamboo upon their heads; with their arms, legs and necks weighted down with silver ornaments, with 192 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT necklets of mother-of-pearl and with their skins painted in every color of the rainbow, while as a final touch, scarlet hibiscus flowers are tucked coyly back of their ears. As they dance and prance about to the dull boom of tom-tom and the shrill notes of reed flutes it is hard to believe that we are scarce one hundred miles from the Canal, that, within two days travel, is Panama with its crowded traf- fic, its trolley cars and electric lights, its de- partment stores and motor cars ; that only the distance from New York to Philadelphia sep- arates these primitive, painted, naked Indians from the roaring trains, the busy shops, the great hotels and the teeming, civilized, modem life of Balboa and Cristobal. As far as appearances and surroundings go one might well be in the very heart of South America and countless leagues from the last outposts of civilization; one feels that the centuries have been rolled back and that one is in the unknown wilderness of Balboa and his men; that no other white man has ever before gazed upon these naked savages and their dance ; that one is rubbing elbows with the untamed, the mysterious, the unknown. Indeed, such is not so far from the reality DARIEN THE UNKNOWN 193 after all. Wliile Panamanian villages are near, while the Chokois speak Spanish and are in constant touch with civilization; while we are only on the borders of the wilderness, yet, near at hand, — almost within stone's throw in fact, — is the untrodden, unexplored, utterly unkno^^^l country of the Kunas, — the forbidden district whose secrets no white man has ever solved, whose untold natural riches lie untouched, undreamed of, guarded by the fierce tribesmen and their poisoned arrows as they have been guarded and kept hidden since the first Spaniard set foot on the shores of the Isthmus. Two days* poling up the Tuira from the first Chokoi village is Boca de Cupe, a col- lection of thatched huts beside the river and once a busy settlement as it was the river port for the famed Darien mine with a railway connecting the two and vast quantities of sup- plies passing through it. Millions have been taken from the old mine, but to-day it is for- saken and abandoned, — although still rich, — for it was not lack of mineral, but waste, dis- honesty, inefficiency and graft that caused the company to fail. Ever since the days of Balboa and Nicuesa, 194 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT Darien has been famed for its mineral wealth and while there are no mines operated in the district to-day it is not for lack of deposits; but owing to the extreme difficulty of trans- portation and of prospecting, the hostile In- dians, and the fact that few people realize the natural resources of the country. Practically every stream carries gold, there are deposits of copper, lead, cinnabar, manganese and other metals; oil is known to exist and some of the rivers' gravels carry platinum, while small emeralds have been found. Indeed, the resources of Darien are prac- tically identical with those of Colombia and there is no reason why they should not be when we stop to consider that merely an im- aginary line separates the rich Atrato and San Juan districts from Darien. Aside from its mineral wealth there are fortunes in timber, medicinal plants, dyB woods and other tropical products in the vast forests which stretch, almost unbroken, from Atlantic to Pacific and from the Atrato Valley to the Bayano, — a wilderness thousands of square miles in extent and largely unmapped, unexplored and absolutely unknown. Within this area are great rivers and lofty ^TT^Hr^S^S RUNNING RAPIDS ON THE CHUCUNAQUE RIVER, DARIEN A CHOKOI FAMILY ON THE TUIRA RIVER, DARIEN DARIEN THE UNKNOWN 195 mountains which no map shows, which no white man has seen; within it may be tribes and people, or even qities, of whose exist- ence we have never dreamed. Indeed, from earliest times there have been rumors, — myths if you wdll — of a lost city upon an isolated mountain top, — a to(\\ni of well built houses inhabited by a civilized, unknown race to which there is no access by road, trail or river. Without exception the Indians believe the tale, though none can claim to have seen the myste- rious tovm, and always it has been scoffed at by the white man as a figment of the red man's imagination. But is it? Only two years ago an army aviator returning from a flight re- ported that, when flying over Darien at a high altitude, he had seen a large and populous town upon a flat-topped mountain isolated from the other ranges and apparently without pass or road leading to it. What manner of men inhabited it, what the houses and buildings were like, he could not say, for ovnng to bad air he could not descend vvithin several thou- sand feet and merely glimpsed the place as he swept past; but he declared that he saw the people running about as if excited, that there were hundreds of houses and that neither 196 PANAMA, PAST AND PEESENT buildings nor inhabitants looked like Indians. But whether or not the officer looked down upon the ''lost" city of some unknown ancient cultured race, or upon an unusually large Indian village, there is no question that the Darien hides much that is new and strange and full of interest to science and presents a marvelously fascinating field for the explorer. To reach the most unknown district of Darien, one must voyage up the Chucunaque; a trip of rare scenic beauty through forests of gigantic trees, up great tumbling rivers, through rock filled rapids and plunging cata- racts and into the forbidden land. However, one may see much of the country, may obtain a very good idea of its resources and may enjoy adventure and thrills a plenty without entering the Kuna country, for it is possible to follow in the footsteps of Balboa and, as- cending the Kio Chico, follow the Indian trails across to the San Bias villages on the Carib- bean, where passage may be obtained to Colon. At Yaviza, a little Panamanian village just above the Chucunaque mouth, the traveler may secure canoes and men to carry him to the first Chokoi villages on the Eio Chico. Here In- dians may be engaged to continue the journey DARIEN THE UNKNOWN 197 up stream to the villages of the "tame" Kunas and here it is easy to induce a Kuna boy or man to act as guide over the trail through the passes to the Atlantic Shore. There is little doubt that this was the old route followed by the Spaniards in crossing the Isthmus in the days before the Gold Road and Panama were built, for, here and there along the trail, one finds bits of ancient brick and crumbling masonry hidden in the jungle while, across the river from Yaviza, are the ruins of a fort and town. Even this trip is a hard, rough, tiresome journey full of hardships and a test of endur- ance for a white man and one mai'vels how the Spaniards ever made it or how they won their way across the Isthmus and into remote comers of the New World. Indeed, w^e must take off our hats to the old Dons and, despite their many failings, their cruelties and their unprincipled deeds, must give them everlasting credit and admiration for what they accomplished under inexpress- ible handicaps. Let any one tramp through the steaming jungles of Darien, or ride through the rugged foothills and sky-piercing peaks of the Cordil- 198 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT leras over the awful trails of to-day and one can begin to realize of what stuff the con- querors were made. Even when provided with every modem appliance and comfort in the form of clothing, canned foods, weapons, matches, cooking utensils and camping out- fits such trips are bad enough. But imagine what it must have meant to have hewn a way through such country loaded down with armor, battling with hostile Indians who disputed each foot of the way; armed only with swords, halberds, crossbows and archaicf matchlocks; (knowing nothing of the insects, of malaria, of tropical diseases; un- equipped and without medicine; depending on living off the country for food, ignorant of lo- calities and with no maps to guide. Think of the blazing sun beating for hours upon casque of steel upon one's head; think of the torture of sand flies, red-bugs or ticks beneath a coat of mail ; think of the horrors of silken hose, of velvet trunks, of leather doub- lets when soaked with tropical rain and steam- ing under an equatorial sun and then we may begin to appreciate what the Spaniards under- went, what they bore, what they survived in their lust for gold, their zeal to Christianize, '■^A -^^"^J ' '* CHOKOI INDIANS READY FOR A DANCE, DARIEN AN INDIAN CAMP IN DARIEN WITH HOUSEHOLD GOD IN DOORWAY DARIEN THE UNKNOWN 199 their mad desire to conquer and add new lands to Castile and to Leon. Indomitable they must have been, — men of iron with muscles of steel, — supermen who knew not fear nor weariness nor pain;, whose adamantine wills forced their worn and tor- tured bodies onward, overcoming all obstacles, surmounting all didiculties, knowing no such word as fail. No wonder that with such men to add glory to her crown, Spain became the mightiest nation of the world ; no wonder that her gold and scarlet banners flaunted their folds from Florida to Cape Horn. More cruel than the naked savages they fought they may have been; heartless, blood- thirsty, almost inhuman monsters they were and while we must shudder at their deeds, must despise them for thedr acts and must loath them for their utter ruthlessness, yet we must admire their valor, their endurance, their steadfast adherence to what they thought their duty and we must admit that they were, as a westerner would put it real **he men/* CHAPTER XII THE RESOURCES OF PANAMA Agriculture. Cattle. Fisheries. Horses. Medicinal plants. Mineral. Pearl beds. Timber. Whales. AGRICULTURE Only about one eighty-fifth of the total area of the Republic is under cultivation and a very large part of this is comprised of the immense plantations of the United Fruit Company at Bocas del Toro. With a wonderfully varied sur- face, every class of soil, a climate varying from tropical to temperate ; with abundant rivers and streams and a heavy rainfall, Panama is one of the most promising agricultural countries in tropical America. Every tropical product may be grown to perfection and in the hills and mountains practically all fruits and vegetables of temperate zones may easily be raised. There is no reason why Panama should not produce enough fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products to supply the entire Republic and the Canal Zone in addition, and yet, nearly all the vegetables and fruits used on the Zone are imported and a large part of those sold in Colon 200 THE RESOURCES OF PAN-AMA 201 and Panama City are brought from other coun- tries. The Canal Commissary spends hundreds of thousands of dollars yearly for fruits and vegetables in Costa Rica and Haiti, not to men- tion those purchased in the States, and every one of these could be raised in Panama. Panama coffee is as good as any grown in Latin America, its Cacao is equal to that of Venezuela, its tobacco is excellent and its coconuts are among the best in the world. Hitherto, the lack of transportation facilities has prevented outsiders from taking up and cultivating agricultural lands; but with the present program of motor roads penetrating the interior, there is no reason why fortunes should not be made by agricul- turists in Panama. CATTLE In the old Spanish colonial days cattle raising was the chief industry aside from mining; but to-day, there are not over 200,000 head of cattle in the entire Republic. Even so, stock raising is perhaps the largest and most important in- dustry in the country. Very little attention, however, is given to breeding, selection or care and, as a result, the local cattle are small, scrawny, poor and tough. In many places draught animals of splendid size are raised which proves that the native animal can be improved readily; but up to the present time the 202 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT Panamanian ranchers have not been able or will- ing to give enough care to their cattle to produce beeves which are up to the Canal Commissary- standard and in consequence, all beef used on the Zone is either imported from the States or is from live cattle brought from Colombia or from cattle imported and fattened and raised on the Zone. With thousands of square miles of splendid grazing lands and abundant water there is no reason why enormous ranches should not be established, from which the Zone, the Republic and the numerous ships passing through the Canal could be supplied and which would prove very lucrative. FISHERIES The waters of Panama teem with fish and while the present fisheries on both coasts are extensive, still they do not fill all the demand of the cities and of the Zone. A much larger business could be done in fish, turtles etc., and the sponge industry might be made profitable. HORSES AND MULES Good horses, as judged by our standards, are not reared in the Republic, but fairly good native ponies are raised in Code, Chiriqui and Vera- guas. As a rule, however, the horses are given even less attention and care than the cattle and the majority are miserable, undersized, thin and weak. Mules are scarce and very high priced THE RESOURCES OF PANAMA 203 and yet they do very well and a mule ranch would be a pajing proposition if properly and intelligently conducted. Oddly enough, there are practically no asses in the Republic and un- like other Latin American countries the burro as a beast of burden is unknown. Estimates place the total number of horses and mules in the Republic at about 40,000. MEDICINAL PLANTS Panama is rich in valuable medicinal plants and the forests are filled with copaiba, balsam, cabima, ipecacuanha, sarsaparilla, cola, tolu, aloes, elemi, etc. etc. The natives collect and sell these in small quantities and in an erratic man- ner and prepare them carelessly; but there is a big field for the development of a regular busi- ness in these forest products. In addition to the medicinal plants, there are quantities of vanilla, .locust gum, balata, chicle, rubber, dividivi, anotto, ivory nuts, palm-oil nuts, fibers, dye woods, rattan, and many other products which would find a ready and profitable market if systematically gathered and properly prepared. MINERAL RESOURCES Panama is extremely rich in its mineral resources and aside from the gold mines of the old days and a few oil, copper, platinum and manganese mines which are being worked, the mineral wealth has been absolutely neglected. 204 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT In addition to the mineral resources in the follow- ing list there are deposits of marl, clay, silica and other ingredients from which cement could be made and which are near the Canal and accessible to tide-water, and yet one of the largest of imports is cement and not a single cement works exists. Bricks and tiles are manufactured on a small scale locally, but there is no up-to- date brick and tile factory and yet the beds of clay suitable for this work are almost incal- culable in extent. There are also beds of fire clay, of molding sand, of umbers and ochres and of other mineral paints. Excellent granite, por- phyry, serpentine, limestone, onyx and other building and ornamental stones are abundant; but none are utilized, while kaolin and other fine grade clays are common. The following list of minerals known to occur is far from complete and includes only those which the author has personally seen. AMETHYST These crystals occur in Veraguas and in the ancient Indian graves very beautiful amethyst ornaments are at times found. AGATES Very beautiful agates occur throughout the Republic. Large numbers are sold in Colon and Panama City under the name of ''Canal Stones," but many of the cut and mounted stones thus THE RESOURCES OF PANAMA 205 sold are imported and artificially colored, while others are cheap imitations made from stained jnother-of-pearl. Local agates are of every imaginable color and include very fine moss agates. In parts of Veragnas masses of agate many tons in weight are often seen. ANTIMONY Antimony occurs in connection with copper in many places and in the form of Stibnite or Antimony Glance in both Code and the Darien district. ARSENIC Common in many places. The "Lake of Death" described in another chapter is probably impregnated with arsenic salts as arsenic ores are abundant in its neighborhood. ASBESTOS In Cocl6 where it was formerly mined. BERYL Small but very beautifully colored beryls, as well as emeralds and aquamarines, are not un- common in the gold-bearing gravels of Darien and near Colon. No large stones have been found and the source of the crystals is unknown. BISMUTH Found in combination with tin and lead ore in Veraguas and as bismutite in Chiriqui. BLOODSTONE Very large and handsome masses of blood- 206 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT stone are found in the Bayano River and its tributaries. CARNOTITE Rare, but occasionally found in small masses in the fossil trees of Veraguas. CHALCEDONY Abundant in connection with agate and also in masses in the hills near La Palma, Darien. CHROMITE A very large proportion of the black sand on the sea shores and in the beds of streams in Panama and Colon provinces is composed of beautiful, octahedral crystals of chromite. Chrome iron also occurs in Veraguas and other localities. CINNABAR Masses of cinnabar are often found in the **guacas" or ancient Indian graves having ev- idently been used as pigment and the Chokois and Kunas also use it. Metallic mercury also occurs in several localities in decomposed rock which formerly contained cinnabar. COAL As lignite in many places. Also as cannel coal in Veraguas. COBALT Cobalt bloom occurs with nickel and copper in Los Santos. THE RESOURCES OF PANAMA 207 CADlVnUM In connection with lead and tin in Veraguas. COPPER Occurs in many places in Chiriqui, Veraguas, Code, Ilerrera, Los Santos, Colon and Panama provinces. The largest known deposits are in Veraguas where, for over an area of ten square miles, there are scores of outcrops of ore. In this section the copper is mainly in the form of carbonates, but there are also deposits of native copper in Veraguas and Chiriqui and of pyrites in Los Santos and Darien. CORUNDUM Corundum occurs in many of the river gravels and in isolated masses in many places. DIAMONDS Minute diamonds, mainly the so called "black" variety, occur in the river gravels of the Darien and also near Colon. They have also been found in Veraguas. EMERALDS Occur in small water-worn crystals in the river gravels of Darien and near Colon. See Beryl. EMERY ■ Emery, a mixture of corundum and other hard abrasives is common in river gravels. FLUORITE In large masses of pale blue and sea-green in Veraguas near Santa Fe. 208 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT GARNETS Very abundant in the alluvial sands of many rivers and in situ in many localities. None of gem value have been found. GOLD In every province. Practically every stream jn Panama carries gold and I even have obtained "colors" from piles of gravel brought from Gamboa to be used for concrete work in Colon. Few streams however, carry enough gold to work profitably by hand, but there are many where dredging would pay. In the old Spanish days there were many rich placers worked and no doubt thorough prospecting would result in find- ing these, or others equally rich. Gold bearing quartz occurs in many districts. Partly de- composed quartz carrying half an ounce of metal to the ton occurs near Colon and many of the old Spanish mines in Veraguas are still very rich. The famous Darien mine still carries good values and its tailings might be worked at a profit, as methods used in the old days were very crude and much of the values were wasted. In many localities are to be found old Spanish stone *'molinas" or mills where the rich quartz was crushed and then panned out by hand. For an account of the vast amounts of gold taken out by the Spaniards, see Chapter IX. THE RESOURCES OF PANAMA 209 GRAPHITE In small flakes in Veraguas and Code and as graphite schists in other localities; especially Chiriqui. IRON Iron is very abundant throughout Panama. In places there are enormous beds of hematite and in one locality in Veraguas there is a huge deposit of a remarkable ore composed mainly of crystals of magnetite cemented together with silica. Large deposits of specular hematite occur in Colon Province near the Bayano and there are also many deposits of pyrites. The black sand of many rivers is mainly composed of magnetite. JASPER With agates, which see. LEAD Nodules of argentiferous galena are found near Colon and Porto Bello and in Los Santos and there is a large deposit in Veraguas. MANGANESE Immense deposits occur in Veraguas and Colon provinces. The latter have been worked for several years and a railway is now being built to connect the mines with the sea. MERCURY See cinnabar. 210 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT MICA Common throughout the country but seldom in large masses. MOLYBDENUM Some very fine samples have been brought from the Darien district, but the place of occur- rence is not known. MOONSTONES Small but perfect moonstones are common in many of the rivers in Colon and Panama prov- inces. NICKEL "With copper in Los Santos and Code. Usually in small quantities. In Dunite in Darien and in pyrites in Veraguas. Not as yet found in sufficient quantities to work. OIL Oil seepages occur in many places and in one locality in Veraguas there is a pool of white oil which the natives dip up and use in lamps. An oil company is at present prospecting in Bocas del Toro and oil has been obtained by drilling in Darien near Garaehine. In Colon province there are beds of oil-bearing shales. OLIVINES Abundant as crystals in the pyroxene rocks of Colon province and as water-worn pebbles in the Darien district. THE RESOURCES OF PANAMA 211 ONYX Very beautiful black and white onyx occurs commonly on the plains of Veraguas and Code, especially in the fossil trees. A form resembling Mexican onyx is in large masses near Santa Fe, Veraguas. OPAL Plain opal is common ; but no fire or precious opals have been reported. PERIDOTS Beautiful but small crystals occur commonly in many of the platinum and gold-bearing gravels. PLATINUM In the residual and alluvial gravels of certain streams in Darien and Colon province. It occurs very close to the city of Colon, but in insuffi- cient quantities to work at a profit. QUARTZ Everywhere abundant; often in magnificent crystals and in places in stupendous masses form- ing high hills. SAPPHIRE In river gravels. Usually white or very pale bluish-gray. SILVER Everywhere in small quantities. Many of the river gravels are high in silver and the lead and 212 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT tin ores carry a good percentage, as do many of the copper ores. Occasionally as irregular nuggets of native silver in Veraguas and Chiriqui. SULPHUR Very large deposits in Code, Veraguas, Los Santos and Chiriqui. TIN With lead, zinc etc. in a deposit in Veraguas and in small nodules and nuggets as native tin in the sands of a stream in Chiriqui. Also as cassiterite or stream tin in some streams. TOPAZ White topaz is common and a few very fine yellow crystals are found. Occurs in decomposed rock. TOURMALINE Not uncommon in small green and black crys- tals, especially in a peculiar form of sandstone in the Darien district. Large, commercially val- uable crystals have not as yet been found. TUNGSTEN A few very rich samples of Scheelite have been found in streams in Colon province. TURQUOISE Small masses of very handsome turquoise have been taken from Veraguas province. URANIUM See camotite. THE RESOURCES OF PANAMA 213 VANADIUM As vanadate of lead in small quantities from Veraguas. ZINC Very abundant in many forms. Zinc blend forms a very large content of the lead-tin ores of Veraguas. ZIRCON In the river gravels with chromite, magnetite etc, PEARL BEDS Since the earliest day of the Spaniards, Pan- ama has been famous for its pearls and while many of the beds have been so continuously fished as to be almost exhausted there are still great reefs and beds which are practically un- touched. Up to the present the pearl industry has been carried on without any real system and mainly by individual natives who dive down and bring up the shells by hand. A few have used diving apparatus, but there has been no organized, intelligent fishery carried on. Pearl shells are abundant along the entire Pacific coast of Panama and especially about the out- lying islands and there is no reason why the fishery should not be developed and made very lucrative. TIMBER Panama is very rich in timber and in the 214 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT forests are many valuable cabinet, building, ornamental and dye woods. Mahogany, which rivals the Santo Domingo variety, is abundant, especially along the coasts of Veraguas and cedar, cocobolo, espave, cazique, amarillo, lignum-vitae and many other beautiful and useful woods abound. There are several hundred species of trees found in Panama and few of these are known to science or bear botanical names. There are several lumber companies operating in Pan- ama and a considerable quantity of timber and wood is used locally, especially cocobolo, cedar and mahogany. As a rule, the valuable woods are scattered, for there are no large areas of forest of one kind of trees with the exception of the Mangrove swamps of the coasts and the oak forests of the higher mountains. As a result, it frequently costs more to get the timber out than it is worth. However, if a local or out- side market could be found for the less valuable woods so that everything could be cut and uti- lized the problem would be solved. Some of the trees grow to enormous size. I have seen a "bongo" or native schooner made from a single cedar log and which measured forty seven feet in length and was six feet in beam at the bottom, over nine feet across the top and five feet in depth. At San Lorenzo (Veraguas) I saw a THE RESOURCES OF PANAMA 215 forty foot launch hull cut and hollowed from a single mahogany log. WHALES Panama Bay in former days was a famous whaling ground. To-day whales are common and porpoises, grampus and killers are abundant, as are sharks. There is no reason why an in- dustry should not be established to carry on a fishery of whales, sharks, porpoises, etc. for their oil and hides. APPENDIX SOME FACTS AND FIGURES CHRONOLOGY OF MOST IMPORTANT HISTORICAL EVENTS (*) 1502 Columbus anchored in Almirante Bay in May and later landed at Porto Bello and established a settlement at the ^Nlouth of Belen River which he named Santa ]\Iaria de Belen. Owing to attacks by Indians this settlement was abandoned in April 1503. 1508 Diego de Nicuesa commissioned to con- quer and colonize the Isthmus. 1509 Nicuesa arrived with 300 men from Santo Domingo in November and settled at Nombre de Dios. 1510 Martin Fernandez de Enciso established the settlement of Santa Maria la Antigua del Darien. Balboa arrived with Eneaso. 1511 On March 1st. Nicuesa was forced to sail ^ According^ to many historians Panama actually was discov- ered by Bastidas who sailed from Spain in October 1501 and is said to have reached the Isthmus a few months be- fore Columbus. 217 218 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT in a miserable ship with only seventeen men and was never heard from thereafter. 1513 Balboa started to cross the Isthmus on September 1st. 1514 Balboa returned to Santa Maria January 19th. after discovering the Pacific and acquiring booty in gold and pearls valued at one hundred thousand gold Castellanos. 1514 Pedro Arias de Avila, known as Pedrarias the Cruel, reached Santa Maria del Darien as governor in June. First women and first priests arrived at this time. 1514-1519 Towns of Santa Cruz and Los Andes founded. Country explored as far as present provinces of Code, Los Santos and Veraguas. 1519 Old Panama founded by Pedrarias and Espinosa, August 15th. 1520 Town of Nata (Cocle Province) founded by Espinosa. 1521 Santiago de Veraguas founded. 1522 San Francisco de la Montana de Vera- guas founded. 1533 Pizarro set forth from Panama to con- quer Peru. 1534 Pascual de Andagoya sent by Spanish king to survey the Isthmus with the idea of constructing an interoceanic waterway. APPENDIX 219 (^) 1595 Sir Francis Drake took Nombre de Dies and attempted to reach Panama, but was defeated in the Capira Mountains and forced to retreat. He was wounded and died at sea, his body being buried at sea off Porto Bello. 1597 Fortifications commenced at Porto Bello (Portobelo). 1602 Forts at Porto Bello (Portobelo) com- pleted. 1602 Pirate William Parker captured, burnt and sacked Porto Bello. 1616 Darien partly surveyed with object of constructing a, canal to connect the two oceans. 1668 Sir Henry Morgan captured Porto Bello and took booty to the value of $250,000. 1670 Morgan took San Lorenzo at IMouth of the Chagres and marched on Old Pan- ama which he took and sacked, carrying otf a number of nuns, priests, women and ^ There seems to be some confusion in refjrard to this date as several histories (and some records in Panama) state tliat Nombre de Dios was abandoned in favor of Porto Bello in 1584. On the other hand, Drake's own memoirs and contemporaneous accounts give the date of his exploit as 1595 and as records in the Archives of Panama show that Porto Bello was not a town of any importance until the forts were commenced in 1597, I consider the date given above as coiTect. 220 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT girls and 194 muleloads of booty. Feb. 24th. 1673 Present city of Panama founded Jan- uary 1st. 1698 William Patterson arrived on the coast of Darien and established a British col- ony which he called Calidonia. Oct. 30th. 1699 Patterson's town of New Edinburgh and Calidonia colony abandoned in June. 1699 Second British colonization expedition arrived with 1300 men. Nov. 30th. 1700 British surrendered to Spaniards and abandoned their settlement with full military honors. April 24th. 1821 Liberty proclaimed in Los Santos. Nov. 13th. 1821 Panama declared free from Spain at Panama City and Colonel Jose de Fa- brega placed in supreme command, Nov. 27th. Panama joined with Colombia. 1831 Panama declared independent of Colom- bia and Simon Bolivar called upon to aid in union of a greater Colombia. Gen- eral Jose Domingo Espinar assumed control. Sept. 26th. 1831 Panama again incorporated with Colom- bia by decree of Dec. 11th. APPENDIX 221 1838 Concession for canals, railways, etc. panted French company. 1849 Gold rush to California when large num- bers of the "Argonauts" passed through the Isthmus. 1850 Panama Railway commenced in May. 1850 City of Aspinwall (Colon) founded by Americans. 1855 Panama Railway completed. January 27th. 1878 Universal Interoceanic Canal Company organized by Ferdinand de Lesseps, 1879 Committee met in Paris and decided up- on a sea level canal to be completed in twelve years at a cost of $240,000,000. 1881 First of French engineers arrived on Isthmus to survey route for canal. 1888 Excavation work formally started. Plans altered to a lock canal. 1889 French company became bankrupt. Work stopped May 15th. 1894 New French company formed. 1895 Work resumed on excavations. 1903 Herran-Hay treaty rejected by Colom- bia, August 12th. 1903 Negotiations begun with U. S. to rec- ognize Panama's independence. 1903 Act of Independence issued and Jose Agustin Arango, Federico Boyd and 222 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT Tomas Arias appointed Governing Committee. Nov. 3rd. 1903 Canal treaty with U. S. signed, Nov. 18th. 1904 Doctor Guerrero appointed President of the new Eepublic. Jan. 15th. 1904 Active work commenced on Canal. May 4th. 1914 Canal opened to traffic. Steamship ANCON passed through with officials and notable personages. August 15th. 1921 United States agreed to pay Colombia indemnity of $25,000,000. for loss of Pan- ama. 1921 War between Panama and Costa Rica over international boundary. PRESIDENTS OF REPUBLIC OF PANAMA 1904 Dr. Manuel Amador Guerrero, appointed President 1908-1909 Jose Domingo de Obaldia, elected Pres- ident 1910 Carlos A. Mendoza, Vice-President in charge of Executive Power 1910-1912 Pablo Arosemena, Vice-President in charge of Executive Power 1912 Rodolfo Chiari, Vice-President in charge of Executive Power 1912-1916 Belisario Porras, elected President 1916 Ramon Valdes, elected President APPENDIX 223 1918 Dr. Belisario Porras, appointed Pres- ident 1920 Ernesto T. Le Febre, in charge of Execu- tive Power 1921 Dr. Belisario Porras, elected President SIZE OF PANAMA Area : — 32,000 square miles, or four times the size of Belgium or twice the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined. Area under cultivation — about 400 square miles. Greatest length : 435 miles. Greatest width : 114 miles. Narrowest portion: 30 miles. Highest mountain : Volcan de Chiriqui : 7,200 ft. Eivers flowing into Atlantic : 180. Rivers flowing into Pacific : 300. Total number of rivers: 480. POPULATION OP REPUBLIC OF PANAMA Exclusive of Canal Zone Total population, approximate: 450,000 Whites 60,000 Mixed Indian-White .... 200,000 Negr( 33 and colored .... 100,000 Indians 50,000 Moi^golians 5,000 Of which about 75,000 are foreigners. 224 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT About 10,000 more men than women. Population of Panama City, approximately: 70,000 Population of Colon, approximately: 35,000 PRINCIPAL PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS IN PANAMA National Institute, Panama City. Normal School for girls, Panama City. School of Arts and Crafts, Panama City. Professional School for Women, Panama City. School of Agriculture, Panama City. Orphan Asylum, Panama City. Santo Tomas Hospital, Panama City. Museum, Panama City. Chiriqui Prison, Panama City. Penal Colony, Coiba Island. MONETARY SYSTEM OF PANAMA Standard : Gold Standard unit is the Balboa of one hundred centis- simos equal to $1.00 United States gold. Fractional currency: %, %, Yio, and ^o Balboa in silver coins and two and one-half cent nickel pieces. The gold Balboa is never coined and with the in- crease in the value of silver during the war all Pan- amanian silver was withdrawn from circulation with the exception of the ^o Balboa pi ces (equal to five cents United States) which are lecessary, as the public telephones are designed for them, and the two and one-half cent nickel pieces. United States gold, silver, nickels, cents ana paper pass current throughout the Eepublic. Wealth per capita is estimated at $10.00 APPENDIX 225 Accounts and other business affairs are kept in Balboas (B), but in ordinary business transactions the term "Dollars" is used. In outlying districts, among the poorer classes, and also the market people and smaller shop keepers, the terms "Pesos" "Reales" and "Medias" are used. The Peso is the Panamanian half Balboa or fifty cents gold. The Keal is the one-twentieth Balboa or five cents gold and the Media is the half real or two and one-half cents. To distinguish between prices or amounts in Pan- amanian silver or American currency the terms "Gold" or "Silver" are used, the former signify- ing Dollars, the latter Pesos. WEIGHTS ^VND MEASURES Metric system standard, but American yards, quarts, gallons, pounds, ounces, acres, tons, etc., widely used in Panama City and Colon. Standard Measures are : Long Measure: Millimeter, Centimeter, Meter, Kilometer Liquid Measure: Litre Square Measure : Square Meter and Hectare or Hectaria Weights: Kilogram and Kilo In addition, many old Spanish weights and measures are in use in the interior and outlying districts. 226 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT LANGUAGE Ofl&cially Spanish, but nearly all the leading mer- chants, business men and educated people speak English. In Colon, English is spoken by nearly every one. EXPORTS AND IMPORTS Total exports and imports, approximately $15,000,000 Exports approximately 5,000,000 Imports approximately 10,000,000 Commerce principally with United States. Principal exports: Bananas, coconuts, balata, ivory nuts, manganese, timber, raw hides, pearl shells. Principal imports : Animal food stuffs, vegetable food stuffs, fruit and grain, textiles and vegetable manu- factures, hides and skins, wood and wood manu- factures, preserved meats, woolens, silks and animal products. MANUFACTURES AND INDUSTRIES Ice factories, pearl button factories, brick and tile factories, biscuit factories, saw mills and wood-work- ing establishments, soap manufacturies, brewery, bottling works, foundries, hat making, saddles and bridles, shoes, mahagua rope, sisal rope, tortoise shell objects, furniture, boats. APPENDIX 227 PROVINCES OF PANAMA WITH POPULATION, ETC. Panama is divided into eight provinces, as follows: Panama, Colon, Code, Herrera, Los Santos, 'Vera- guas, Chiriqui, Bocas Del Toro. PROVINCE OF PANAMA: Capital: Panama City with about 70,000 inhabit- ants. Total population of province about 100,000. The largest and most populated of the provinces. Its surface is varied including broad plains and valleys, high mountains, grassy pasture lands and heavy forests. There are numerous streams and several large rivers in the province and its natu- ral resources are very great. The Pearl Islands are included in this province. PROVINCE OF COLON : Capital: Colon with about 35,000 inhabitants. Total population of province about 50,000. Principal products : coconuts, ivory nuts and manga- nese ore. This is mainly a hilly province with a few mountains and with great natural resources, especially in timber and minerals. The San Bias archipelago is included in this province. PROVINCE OF COCL^: Capital: Penonome with about 12,000 inhabitants. Other important towns : Agua Dulce, 6,500, in- habitants; Anton, 7,200 inhabitants. Total population of province about 37,800. / \ 228 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT Penonome is situated in the interior, about eight miles from the coast, and is on a large plain at an elevation of 240 feet above sea level. Agua Dulce, the chief port, is two miles from the sea on a plain. Its principal industry is salt. Anton is also on a plain between two rivers. Its chief industry is cattle raising. About 2,000 steers yearly are shipped to Panama City. It is 130 feet above the sea, between two rivers and in a rich country. It is a favorite summer resort for the people of Panama who find in the high Anton Valley (2120 feet above the sea) a spring- like, delightful climate, Nata, founded in 1520, and the oldest inhabited town on continental America, is also in Code Province. Principal products: cattle, salt, sugar, rubber, coffee, hats. PROVINCE OP HERRERA: Capital : Chitre with about 6,000 inhabitants. Total population of province about 28,000 in- habitants. Principal products: cattle, horses, poultry, rum, coffee and cocoa, medicinal plants, and rubber. PROVINCE OF LOS SANTOS: Capital: Las Tablas with about 8,000 inhabitants. Total population of province about 36,000 inhabit- ants. Products same as Herrera. APPENDIX 229 PROVINCE OF VEBAQUAS: Capital : Santiago with about 6,000 inhabitants. Total population of province about 70,000 inhabit- ants. Other towns are: Caiiazas, Las Palmas, La ^lesa, Calobre, all with a population of over 2,000 in- habitants. Chief ports: Puerto Mutis, Sona. Principal products: cattle, medicinal plants, rice, coconuts, rubber, fruits. A large part of this province consists of broad, grassy plains reaching from the coastal hills to the foot hills of the Cordilleras. In the hills and mountains are numerous mineral deposits; the forests, especially near the coast, are filled with mahogany, cedar, cocobolo and other valuable woods and the soil is very fertile. Formerly the greatest gold producing district in the world. The oldest occupied building on the continent is the church at San Francisco de la Montaiia de Veraguas built in 1522. PROVINCE OF CHIRIQUI: Capital: David with about 6,500 inhabitants. Total population of province about 75,000 inhabit- ants. Chief port: Pedregal. Other cities: Tole, Remedios. David is situated on a rich plain at about 200 feet above sea level and four and one-half miles from 230 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT its port of Pedregal. From Pedregal a rail- way line runs to David and hence to Boquete at an altitude of nearly 4,000 feet and 32 miles from David. There are also branch lines to Potretillos and La Concepcion. The highest peak of the Cordilleras is in Chiriqui, the volcano of that name rising to nearly 8,000 feet above the sea. The country is rich and varied, consisting of level plains, deep valleys, elevated plateaus, rolling hills and rugged mountains. It has vast re- sources in minerals, forests, agricultural and grazing lands, etc. Principal products are coffee, cacao, tobacco, rubber, garden truck, cattle, houses, saddles, fruit, pearl shells. PROVINCE OF BOCAS DEL TORO : Capital: Bocas del Toro with about 5,000 inhabit- ants. Total population of province about 25,000 inhabit- ants. Other cities: Almirante on Almirante Bay. The United Fruit Company railway extends from Almirante into Costa Rica and the company's ships make Almirante a regular port of calL Principal products: bananas, cacao, timber. SOME FACTS AND FIGURES OF THE PANAMA CANAL Total area of Canal Zone 436 sq. ini. WEST BREAKWATER: Length of west breakwater .... 11,700 ft, APPENDIX 231 "Width at top 15 ft. Height above meaii sea level .... 10 ft. Contents 2,840,000 cu. yd. Cost $5,500,000 CANAL : Lentjth of Canal from Atlantic to Pacific . 50 mi. Lenffth of Canal from Coast to Coast . . 40 mi. Minimum width of Canal bottom . . . . 300 ft. Width of Canal for fifteen mi. from Gatun 1,000 ft. Widtii of Canal for ne.xt four miles . . . 800 ft. Width of Canal for next four miles . . . 500 ft. Depth of Canal 45 to 85 ft. LOCK.S : Lock chambers, length, each .... 1,000 ft. Lock chambers, width, each 110 ft. Lock walls, height 50 to 90ft. Lock gates, length 65 ft. Lock gates, height 47 to 82 ft. Lock gates, thickness 7 ft. Lock gates, weight, each .... 390 to 730 tons Lock gates, number used 92 Lock gates, weight of total number . 60,000 tons Fender chains, number 24 Fender chains, weight, each .... 24,098 lbs. Pressure rcfjuired to pay out chains, 750 pounds to square inch. A 10,000 ton ship proceeding at four knots per hour can be brought to a stand- still within a distance of seventy three feet by these chains. 232 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT Total number of lock chambers .... 12 Number of lock chambers at Gatun . . 6 Number of lock cha)tnbers at Pedro Miguel 2 Number of lock chambers at Miraflores . 4 EXCAVATIONS : cu. yd. Amt. of material excavated by French . 80,000,000 Amount excavated by Americans . . 212,504,000 Total excavation for Canal proper . 242,000,000 Or enough to excavate a tunnel thirteen feet wide through the globe. CONCRETE : Concrete used in construction of locks and works: 5,000,000 cubic yards, or enough to construct a wall 12 feet high, 8 feet wide and 266 miles long. PACIFIC BREAKWATER: Length of breakwater between Balboa and Naos Island 3 mi. Width at top 50 ft. Greatest width 3,000 ft. Height above mean sea level . . . . 20 to 40 ft. Contents 18,000,000 cu. yd. OPERATING TIME: Average time for filling and emptying a lock chamber 15 man. Average time for passing a ship through all locks 3 hrs. Average time for passing a ship through entire Canal 5 to 8 hrs. APPENDIX 233 GATUN DAM : Length of Gatun Dam, about . . . . li/onii. Witlth at base ' .mi. Width at top 100 fe«>t Width at water level 400 feet Height above sea at crest .... 105 feet Height above normal lake level ... 20 feet Length exposed to maximum water head 500 f«M't Contents 21,000,000 cubic yards Composition: Core of sand and clay dredged by hydraulic dredges. Exterior : Rock and other material excavated by steam shovels from canal and with top and up- stream surface riprapped. GATUN SPILLWAY: Length 1200 feet Width 285 feet Height above sea, upper end . . 10 feet Length of spillway dam .... 808 feet Height of spillway dam . 69 feet above sea level Height of gate piers . 115.5 feet above sea level HYDRO ELECTRIC PLANT: Capacity 6,000 kilowatts Length of penstocks 350 feet GATUN LAKE: Area with water at 85 feet above sea level: 164 square miles. Contents with water at 85 feet above sea level; 183 billion cubic feet. 234 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT Average height above sea during rainy season: 87 feet. Minimum depth of channel at which Canal can be operated: 39 feet. Minimum depth of channel with lake at 87 feet: 47 feet. Lowest level of lake at which Canal can be op- erated: 79 feet. MIRAFLORES LAKE: Length, west dam (earth) .... 2700 feet Height, west dana above water ... 15 feet Length, east dam (concrete) . . . 500 feet Contents, east dam . . . 75,000 cubic yds. CULEBRA CUT: Deepest excavation . . 495 feet at Gold Hill Depth at Contractor's Hill . 364 feet SLIDES : There are two classes of slides which have given trouble in Culebra Cut. The first is caused by the slipping of a superficial layer of earth and clay on a surface of hard material. The other is caused by the steepness of a slope and the pres- sure of superimposed material upon underlying softer material. Greatest number of steam shovels used at one time 43 Greatest monthly excavation in cut . 1,728,748 cubic yds. APPENDIX 235 Cars required to handle above .... 2000 Locomotives refjuircd 115 Loaded trains per day 160 Miles of track employed in cut lOO Greatest number of drills u.sed at one time . 377 Greatest amount of drill holes made in one month 90 miles Average amount of dynamite used per year in cut 3000 tons COSTS AND OTHER ITEMS : Greatest number of men employed at actual work 36,000 Value of French excavations to Americans $ 25,389,240. Value of all French property . . 42,799,286. Amount paid to French Company . 40.000,000. Amount paid to Panama . . . lO.ooo.OOO. Cost of maintenance per year, about ;>,00(),000. Total cost of Canal 435,000,000. PANAMA RAILWAY: Concession granted to "Wm. II. A.spinwall, Henry Chauncy and John L. Stephens in 1848. Work on railway begun .... May 1850 Railway completed January 1855 Railway acquired by United States . . 1904 Cost of relocation of railway . . . $8,866,393. Total length of relocated railway . 47.11 miles Stations on railway: Colon, Blount Hope, Fort 236 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT Davis, Gatun, Monte Lirio, Frijoles, Darien, Gamboa, Summit, Pedro Miguel, Red Tank, Miraflores, Corozal, Balboa, Panama. Time required by regular trains from Colon to Pan- ama or viee-versa . . . 1 hr. 45 minutes. Fare from Colon to Panama or vice- versa . $2.40 Week end, round trip fares, half rate. Extra charge for observation car seat, either way $1.00 Regular passenger trains leave Colon and Pan- ama at : 7.10 and 11.00 a. m. 5. p. m. A mixed train leaves Colon on week days at 11.20 p. M. There are also night trains on Saturdays and Sundays. Shuttle trains leave Colon at frequent intervals for France Field, Coco Solo and Fort Randolph. Trains also run from Panama to Miraflores, Pedro Miguel and Paraiso. Baggage transfer service is also operated by the railway in Colon and Panama. PANAMA EAILWAY STEAMSHIP LINE The Panama Railway operates passenger and freight steamers between New York and Colon direct. New York to Colon via Haitian ports. Colon to New York direct. Colon to New York via Haitian ports. Norfolk to Colon. Colon to Norfolk. Colon to West Coast of South Amer- ica. Colon to Colombian ports. APPENDIX 237 Some of the ships are very old and small, but others are large, comfortable and thoroughly up- to-date. The passenger rates are lower than by other lines, but as employees of the Canal are given precedence on ships of this line it is often difficult for outsiders to secure berths. USEFUL INFORMATION ALPHABETICALLY ARRANGED ANIMALS : The native animals of Panama are with few excep- tions those of northern South America. There are three species of deer; the tapir; two species of peccaries or wild hogs; the capybara; the paca; the agouti; several squirrels; rabbits; the giant ant bear; the lesser ant bear; the tree ant eater ; raccoons ; the coati ; the kinkajou or honey bear ; a number of opossums ; the artnadillo ; tree porcupines ; porcupine rats ; a number of species of wood rats and wild mice ; red and black howl- ing monkeys ; two species of spider monkeys ; two species of white-faced monkeys; red monkeys; owl monkeys or night monkeys ; a brown monkey ; several species of marmosets; the nutria; the otter ; the manatee ; the West Indian seal ; a num- ber of species of wild cats ; the ocelot ; the puma ; the jaguar ; one species of fox ; a badger ; two or three species of large weasels; a slrunk; a large number of species of bats; two species of sloth; and a number of smaller mammals such as shrews, moles, etc. 238 APPENDIX 239 AUTOMOBILES : Both Colon and Panama are well supplied with livery cars and jitneys or taxis. The tariffs for taxis, as wrll as for cars hired by tiie hour, are fixed by law and every chantTeur is compelled to carry a copy of the tariff schedule with him and is obliged to show it upon re(iuest. Copies of the tariffs may also be secured from the Zone or Panamanian police or at the hotels. The local chauffeurs will almo.st invariably attempt to charge more than the law allows if they think their prospective fare is a stranger and ignorant of the law. Rates are very low compared to those in the United States, ears costing about $3.00 per hour and taxi rates being about $0.15 per person anywhere in Colon or Panama City. Arrangements also may be made to hire cars for the trip regardless of time. All cars must be licensed in Panama, as well as in the Zone, and drivers are compelled to pass an examination in both and must be licensed. Panamanian chauffeurs are reckless drivers and must contin- ually be cautioned against taking risks and exceeding the speed limits. In both Panama and the Zone all vehicles turn to the left when meet- ing and to the right when overtaking other vehicles. BANKS: There are three excellent banking institutions in 240 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT Colon and Panama City. These are the Inter- National Bank, affiliated with the National City Bank of New York. The American Foreign Bank. The Panama Banking Company. These three banks have every facility of any large bank in the United States. In addition, there are several private bankers and the National Bank which is a government institution. BATHING : There are excellent bathing pools at the "Washington Hotel at Colon and at the Clubhouse at Balboa. The former is a salt water pool ; the latter a semi- fresh water pool. Both are conducted by the Canal Zone government and are open to the public. There is also excellent sea bathing at New Cristobal beach, at Bella Vista, near Panama, and at Taboga Island. There is no restriction placed on costumes worn, one piece suits being in com- mon use. BIRDS : Panama is very rich in bird life and while no com- plete list of the native birds has been published the birds commonly seen are similar to those of the neighboring countries of South and Central America. There are a number of species of parrots; several paroquets; the blue and yellow, red and yellow, red and green and military macaws; many species of trogans, including the Quetzal or Resplendent trogan; a number of APPENDIX 241 toucans; cuckoos; many species of brilliant hued tanagers; a number of cotingas; the umbn-Ua- bird; a bell-bird; many species of todys; several handsome jacamars; a number of orioles, includ- ing the troopial; several ca2i(}ues or yellow-tails; many humming birds; vast numbers of finches, warblers, flycatchers, wood-hewers, woodpeckers, ant-thni.shes, shrikes, sparrows, thrushes, etc.; several blackbirds and the black witch or tick bird ; many hawks and owls ; the Harpy Eagle ; a number of species of carrion hawks; several vultures, including the King Vulture; gulls and terns; cormorants; frigate birds; pelicans; skim- mers; boobys; herons and egrets; mud hens and rails; land rails; sun bitterns; spoonbills; boat- bills; jabirus; white, wood, glossy and black ibis; waders of many kinds and numbers of ducks, doves and pigeons; curassows commonly called wild turkeys ; chachalacas or pheasants ; quail and partridge ; ground doves; quail doves and jacanas, while, during the winter, many of our common North American birds arrive as migrants and pass the winter months on the Isthmus. Practically all insectivorous and song birds are protected by law. BUILDINGS : The most noteworthy buildings to be seen are as follows : 242 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT COLON : Railway Station— Front and 8th Sts. Strangers Club— Foot of 7th St. Gilbert House — Back of Railway Station. Customs House — Foot of 5th St. "Washington Hotel — ^Water front facing 2nd St. Colon Hospital — Second and G Sts. Public Market — Bolivar and 9th Sts. Public School — ^Market and 2nd Sts. Masonic Temple — Bolivar and 11th Sts. Commissary — Front and 11th Sts. Samaritan Hospital — G St. Union Church— G St. Biscuit Factory — ^Broadway. Municipal Building — Bolivar and 6th Sts. International Bank — Front and 7th Sts. Post Office— Front and 7th Sts. Pacific Steam Navigation Co. shops. Canal Zone High School. CRISTOBAL: Terminal Building. Royal Mail S. P. Co. Building. French Steamship Line Building. Dutch Steamship Line Building, Panama R. R. Building. United Fruit Co. Building. • Club House. Commissary Restaurant. Fire Department. Piers. Army and Navy **Y". APPENDIX 243 Post Office. Commissary Laundry. Cold Storage Plant, (Mt. Hope). Cristobal Shops. Cristobal Dry Docks. Pnimping Station (Mt. Hope). Printing Plant (Mt. Hope). Fort DeLesseps. Mindi Coaling Station. BALBOA: Railway Station. Administration Building. Docks. Balboa Terminal Building. Dry Dock. Machine Shops. Club House. Army and Na\'y '*Y'*. Commissary. Commissary Restaurant. Union Church. Baptist Church. Catholic Welfare House. Incineration Plant. High School. Post Office. Officers' Homes, Quarry Heights. ANCON: Ancon Hospital. Tivoli Hotel. Club House. 244 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT. Commissary Restaurant. Commissary. Post Office. Masonic Temple, Quarry Heights. Ancon School. PANAMA CITY: Firemen's Monument. Railway Station. International Hotel, Santa Ana Church — Santa Ana Plaza on Avenida Central. Las Mercedes Church — ^Avenida Central and 10th Sts. Cathedral — Plaza Central. Bishop's Residence — Plaza Central. Hotel Central — Plaza Central. Municipal Building — Plaza Central. Old French Canal Building — Plaza Central. Presidencia — ^Water Front from 5th to 6th Sts. on North Ave. Marina Hotel — ^Water Front from 4th to 5th Sts. on North Ave. Market — North Ave. and 15th St. San Felipe de Neri Church — ^Ave. B and 4th St La Salle College — ^Bolivar Plaza and 3rd St. San Francisco Church — ^Bolivar Plaza and 3rd St. National Theatre — Bolivar Plaza and Ave. B. National Palace — Avenida Central and 2nd St. Union Club — Foot of Avenida Central and 1st St. Chiriqui Prison — Foot of 1st St. APPENDIX 245 Santo Domingo Church — Ave. A and 3rd St. American Legation — Avenida Central and 4th St. San Jose Church — Ave. A and 8th St. Electric Light and Power Co. — Foot of 8th St. Piza Piza Store (Formerly Hotel Aspinwall) Avenida Central and 8th St. Ancient City Walls— Ave. A from 10th to 11th Sts. Santo Tomas Hospital — B St. Bull Ring (Plaza de Toros) on road to Old Panama. Casino — on road to Old Panama. Orphan Asylum — on road to Old Panama. Exposition Buildings — Exposition grounds on Old Panama Road. American Hospital — Exposition grounds. New Santo Tomas Hospital — Exposition grounds. BULL FIGHTS: Bull fights are held whenever toreadors are available at the Plaza de Toros in Panama City. No horses are used so that the most disgusting part of these spectacles is eliminated and the fights are usually very tame affairs, the native bulls being, apparently, too proud to fight. CABLES : There is direct cable communication between Colon and Panama City and every part of the world. Radiogrems also may be sent and received. 246 PANAMA, PAST AND PEESENT CLIMATE : The climate of Panama is delightful. It is seldom oppressively hot, unless one is exercising in the sun, and the nights are always cool. On the Atlantic side there is usually a cool Trade Wind blowing and in the interior blankets are required at night. During the dry season, — from Decem- ber or January until April or May, — the climate is ideal. At Colon, showers are not unusual during this season, but on the Pacific side there is seldom a drop of rain. During the wet months rain falls practically every day on the Atlantic side; but on the Pacific there are often several days or weeks without rain, even in the rainy season. The thermometer rarely rises above 85° F. in the shade and never falls below 70° F. Hurricanes are unknown and severe earthquakes have not occurred in historical times. CLOTHING : Light, summer weight clothing should be worn, although, if one expects to visit the interior or to indulge in much out of door exercise, thin woolen undergartaents are advisable. Palm Beach, Pon- gee and white cotton or linen are the favorite materials for men's suits on the Isthmus. At dances, balls, receptions and other formal func- tions the gentlemen wear white linen dinner suits, although regulation black dinner or full dress APPENDIX 247 suits are ofton seen. For trips into the interior drill, khaki or other light, strong garments should be worn with leather puttee leggins and stout shoes if horseback riding is part of the program. For tramping in the bush, leggins and heavy shoes are a nuisance and cheap can\Tis tennis shoes are preferable. Soft felt and ordinary straw hats are much used, but Panamas are the favorites. COACHES : These vehicles, locally known as "Coches" or "Carimettas" are everywhere in evidence in Colon and Panama City. Some are in fair shape, others well kept ; but the majority are very de- lapidated, broken down, rickety affairs drawn by raw-boned, ancient horses. Nevertheless they are the most satisfactory means of conveyance if one desires to see the sights and as they are all rubber tired they are far more comfortable than they look. The tariff is the same as for motor cars and they are under the same lajvs. As in all other lands, the coachmen invariably attempt to overcharge strangers. COMMISSARIES: These are established and maintained for the exclusive use and benefit of the Canal Zone em- ployees, members of the army and navy and those employed by the Grovernment of the United 248 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT States, However, a great many outsiders manage to secure commissary books and avail themselves of the low prices. The Commissary Restaurants, on the other hand, are open to the public, but non-employees are charged twenty cents each in addition to their bills. There are both service and cafeteria tables with a charge of ten cents per person if served at the former. Also, no one is allowed to sit at a service table without coat, — a most peculiar and ridiculous rule as a neat, clean shirt is far prefer- able to the greasy, soiled, perspiration-soaked coats which one often sees here. On one occasion the author seated himself at a service table in the Cristobal Restaurant with a companion who wore no coat. The waiter at once notified him that he could not remain as he was, but kindly offered to supply the essential garment and brought a ragged, stained, white, waiter's jacket which fulfilled the requirements and caused a deal of merriment at nearby tables. CONSULS : Consulates of all important nations may be found in Colon and Panama. There are also American, French, English, Japanese, and other legations with Ministers, in Panama City. There are no consulates on the Zone; the officials in the re- public acting for both Panama and the Canal Zone, APPENDIX 249 CURRENCY : The currency in general use, both in the Canal Zone and in Panama, is American and all notes, silver, gold, nickels and copper cents pass at face value. The legal currency of the Republic of Panama is Panajmanian, the standard being the gold Balboa worth $1.00. Formerly there were silver coins of one-half, one-quarter, one-tenth and one- twentieth of a Balboa, as well as two-and-one- half cent nickel coins. These, with the exception of the two-and-one-half and five cent pieces (called respectively "Medias" and "Reales") have been withdrawn from circulation. Be very careful not to accept the Panamanian nickels in place of American nickels in change. Prices are often (and formerly were always) quoted in either "gold" or "silver" the former being the price in United States currency, the latter in Panamanian "Pesos" or silver half Balboas worth $0.50, so that "silver" prices are just one- half the amount in American money. The visitor should invariably enquire whether the amount quoted is "gold" or "silver." If the amount is quoted in "Pesos" it means Panamanian currency and is half what it would be for the same number of dollars. CUSTOMS HOUSES: The only times when a traveler is subjected to 250 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT Customs inspectian of baggage is when entering the Zone at Cristobal or Balboa, as the Ameri- can authorities collect duties for the Panamanian government. The importation of liquors is pro- hibited, but otherwise the rules are very lenient and few articles are dutiable if brought in for one's personal use. DISEASES : Panama and the Zone are the most healthful coimtries in the world at the present time. Yel- low fever is unknown; there is little malaria in the cities; typhoid is not endemic and all other contagious diseases are rare. There are occa- sional outbreaks of mild cases of smallpox which are checked at once and vaccination is com- pulsory. There are excellent doctors everywhere and the Ancon Hospital is famous all through South America. The Colon Hospital and the Samaritan Hospital in Colon and the private American Hospital at Panama City are all that any similar institutions in the States could be. Strictly tropical diseases, such as yaws, elephantisis, and even leprosy occur at times among the natives and negroes but victims are never permitted at large and there is not the least danger of a stranger contracting them. Venereal diseases are, however, extremely common, especially among the natives and are the curse of the country, although APPENDIX 251 both governments are doing all that is possible to check them. DUTIES: Practically all goods imported are subject to duty, the average rate being lo% ad valorem. Duties on postal packages are payable at the Post Office in Colon or Panama City even if the packages are delivered through the Canal Zone Post Offices. EXCURSIONS : Many pleasant excursions may be taken from either Colon or Panama. Among the best are the following: FROM COLON: Gatun — By motor to Gatun where locks may be visited and control tower inspected. Also by train. Spillway — By motor to Gatun Spillway where there is excellent tarpon fishing. Also by train. San Lorenzo — By motor to Gatun and hence by launch down the Chagres to Fort San Lorenzo. Also by train. Fort Sherman — By tug from Fort De Lesseps pier to Fort Sherman. Porto Bello — By launch to Porto Bello. Bocas del Toro — By steamer to Bocas del Toro and the United Fruit Co. plantations. France Field — ^By motor car or coach. Also by train. 252 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT Coco Solo — By motor car or coach. Also by train. Fort Randolph — By motor car or coach. Also by train. Across Gatun Lake — By train to Monte Lirio and hence by launch (meeting all trains) across the lake to Limon and New Providence. Through the Canal — ^Arrangements may be made through the Port Captain and local steamship agents to go through the Canal and disembark at Miraflores or Pedro Miguel. Occasionally it is possible to arrange for a trip to Balboa. Mindi Coaling Plant — By launch or via Mount Hope and ferry to the plant which is the largest in the world. Panama — By regular passenger trains on Panama Railway. FROM PANAMA AND BALBOA: Taboga Island — By regular launch from Balboa docks. Corozal, Miraflores, Pedro Miguel, Paraiso, Gamobo, — By motor car. Pearl Islands — ^By launch or coastwise steamer from Panama, or by excursion launch from Balboa. Old Panama — By motor car from Panama or Hotel Tivoli. Full information as to itineraries, costs, time required, etc. for any of these trips will be supplied by the Hotel Tivoli or Hotel Wash- ington. APPENDIX 253 EXPENSES : It is impossible to give any estimate of what the visitors' expenses will be in Panama. It depends entirely upon one's personal tastes and require- ments. As a rule, the costs of hotels, living, etc. are little different from such charges in New York. Rooms at the Washington or Tivoli vary from $3.50 to $4.50 per day per person. Table d' bote meals at the Washington are: Lunch / • • ^^•'^^ Dinner 1.25 Breakfasts are a la carte with club breakfasts from $0.35 to $2.00 and a la carte orders may be given for other meals if desired, FISHING : There is excellent fishing both off Colon and Pan- ama and splendid sport with tarpon may be had at the Gatun Spillway and on the Chagres. There is a Tarpon Club at Cristobal. FOOD: In the larger hotels the food is the same as in the ■States, but in the outlying districts the food is cooked in native style, — or rather lack of style, — as there is no typically Panamanian cooking cor- responding to the national dishes of Mexico and other countries. San Coche, about the only na- tional dish, is a sort of soup or thin stew without anything to recommend it to northern palates. As a rule, the native cooking is very poor. 254 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT FRUIT : All the tropical fruits may be obtained in the markets during their seasons ; but are high priced, as ccfmpared to other tropical countries, Taboga pineapples have the reputation of being the best, but personally, I consider the Limon or Monte Lirio pines far superior, especially the red, yellow- meated variety. Native oranges are excellent, but scarce and the bulk of citrus fruits are brought from Jamaica, Haiti or California. Apples, grapes, pears, etc. are usually on sale and are imported from the States weekly. Paw-paws or, as they are known locally. Papayas, are a great favorite on the Zone and bananas are universally used. Taken as a whole Panama is very deficient in good tropical fruits, even the mangoes being inferior varieties. GOLF: There are splendid golf links at Gatun and near Balboa and strangers who are fond of the game are always made welcome. The Hotel Wash- ington also has a miniature course for the use of its guests. HOSPITALS : Ancon Hospital at Ancon is one of the best equipped in the world and people come to it from all parts of South America. Colon Hospital, also maintained by the Canal Commission, is also ex- APPENDIX 255 cellent as are the Samaritan Hospital in Colon and the Herrick Clinic Hospital at Panama, while the Panamanian hospital of Santo Tomas is thoroughly modem and well equipped. HOTELS : The two best hotels on the Isthmus are the Wash- ington at Colon, and the Tivoli at Ancon, both operated by the United States government. At Colon, there are also the Imperial and the Astor which are fair, and in Panama City there are the International, the American, and the Central which are not bad as Latin American hotels go. HUNTING : In order to carry or possess firearms in the Zone a license must be obtained. There are also rules regarding the use of rifles on the Zone and game laws both on the Zone and in Panama, There is excellent hunting all about Colon and along the Canal and at a short distance from Panama. There are hunting and gun clubs at Cristobal and Balboa and the members of these can supply full information. To secure a good bag dogs are essential. For general use a 12 bore, double- barreled gun is desirable; but if out for big game a rifle of .25 or .30 calibre is the best weapon. Owing to the dense jungles nearly all game is secured at very close range. Jacking is contrary to law on the Zone, but is constantly 256 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT indulged in and much game is secured in this manner, INSECTS : The greatest nuisances in the tropics are insects and Panama is no exception to the rule. Red bugs; ticks, or garapatas as they are called; jiggers or chigos; sand flies and mosquitoes are the worst pests. The best remedy for a bad attack of either red bugs or small ticks is a weak solution of formaldehyde. Carbolic soap is also good, as is carbolated vaseline or strong ammonia. Large ticks should be carefully removed and the wound painted with iodine. Jiggers, which are a species of flea which bur- rows under the skin (usually in the feet) and deposits its eggs, should be carefully removed by means of a sterilized needle and the wound dressed with antiseptic or painted with iodine. Mosquitoes and sandflies are seldom troublesome on the Zone and the hotels are screened; but in the interior, especially in the rainy season, they are a pest and the traveler always should be provided with a sand fly bar of thin cheesecloth or muslin as the ordinary jmosquito bar is of no avail with the sand flies. Centipedes and scor- pions are very common out in the country, but are never troublesome or dangerous. It is, how- ever, a wise plan to invariably shake out clothing and shoes before putting them on as these crea- APPENDIX 257 tures are fond of such places. If bitten by a centipede or stung by a scorpion permanganate of potash, ammonia or formaldehyde should be used and no serious results will follow. Ground or "spigotty" itch, cooly itch, foot rot and similar skin troubles are usually caused by minute insect parasites and should be given prompt attention as any sore, wound or irritation may cause serious infection and possible loss of limbs, or even of life, if neglected in the tropics. Permanganate of potash, iodine or bichloride of mercury will check any of these troubles. Other insect nui- sances are ants and cockroaches which abound everywhere. LAUNCHES : Launches and other boats may usually be hired at Colon, Panama, Cristobal and Balboa. Very often they are adverti.sed in the Siar and Herald and if not, an advertisement in that paper, or posted on the Clubhouse bulletin board, will bring results. MAIL: The mail service in the Zone is far better and more reliable than that of Panama and as the Zone Post Offices are for the use of the public it is wisest for visitors to send their mail from, and to have it addressed to, the nearest Zone Post Office. Boxes may be rented for $0.75 for each three months. The postage stamps used in the Zone are 258 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT the Panamanian stamps surcharged "CANAL ZONE" and are not good on mail matter posted in Panama, while the Panamanian stamps with- out surcharge are not available for use in the Zone. Postage from the Zone or Panama to the States is the same as for inter-state mail. MOTION PICTURE THEATERS: There are several motion picture theaters in Pan- ama and two in Colon, the best of the former being the Cecelia on Avenida Central, while the America on Broadway is the favorite in Colon. In addition, there are motion pictures shown at the Zone Clubhousees and army "Y's" where a very low admission is charged and there are open air pictures at Fort Amador and Fort De Lesseps. PLACES OF HISTORIC INTEREST: Colon : Porto Bello and its ancient fort San Jerome, Fort San Lorenzo at the mouth of the Chagres. Panama : Old Panama sacked by the pirate Morgan.— About 8 miles by motor road. Bovedas and Chiriqui Prison at foot of 1st St. Church of San Felipe Neri at corner of Avenue B, and 4th St. Built in 1688 and oldest church in the city. Las Mercedes Church at corner of Avenida Cen- tral and 10th St. APPENDIX 259 Ruins of San Francisco Convent burnt in 1756, riaza Bolivar. La Salle College, — Plaza Bolivar. San Francisco Church, burnt in 1756 and rebuilt 1785,— Plaza Bolivar. Plaza Central or Independence Park where Pan- ama's Independence was twice declared, — Avenida Central from 5th to 6th Sts. San Domingo Church and the Flat Arch, burned in 1756 — Ave. A and 3rd St. San Jose Church and its gold altar — Ave. A and 8th St. Old City Walls and Forts— Ave. A, 10th and 11th Sts. Santa Ana Church, built in 1764 — Plaza Santa Ana on Avenida Central. PANAMA HATS: Panama hats, so-called because they were marketed through Panama, are sold throughout the shops of Colon and Panama at prices far below those in the States. The best hats come from Monte Cristi in Ecuador ; but the shops in Panama and Colon frequently pass off inferior Colombian or Peruvian hats for the genuine Monte Cristis. It is very easy to distinguish them as the Ecuadorian hats are started with a circular weave in the center of the crown (inside) while the others have a square or squarish pattern. The quality and 260 PANAMA, PAST AND PEESENT price of a Panama depend upon the fineness of the weave, the evenness, the color, the uniform size of the straw, or rather palm; the finish of the edges and many other details and unless the purchaser is an excellent judge of these hats it is best to get some expert to advise, before pur- chasing. PASSPORTS : Passports are not required when leaving the United States for Cristobal and are not needed when entering Panama from the Zone. When leaving Panama or the Zone for the United States no passports are required ; but when sailing for other countries they are necessary. REPTILES : There are not many reptiles found in Panama aside from alligators, crocodiles, iguanas and harmless lizards. Snakes are comparatively rare and the few poisonous varieties are very scarce. One is in less danger from snakes in the interior of Panama than in New England or New York State. During over four years in Panama, most of which I spent in the interior, I have never seen but three poisonous snakes and less than a score of snakes of all kinds. The barefooted natives and naked Indians never give them a thought. STEAMSHIP LINES: Steamships connect Panama with every country in the world. Indeed, there are few spots so di- APPENDIX 261 rectly in communication with every large port as is Panama, Steamboats, which connect the out- lying ports of the Republic with the capital sail from Panama City at more or less regular in- tervals. Among the more important steamship lines having agencies and offices on the Isthmus are: Grace Line, Panama Railway Line, Royal Mail Steam Packet Co., Pacific Steam Navigation Co., Compagnie Transatlantique, Royal Dutch "West India IMail, Compania Transatlantica, La Veloce (Italian) Line, Pacific Mail, Admiral Line, Lukenbach Line, Blue Funnel Line, New Zealand Shipping Co., Elders and Fyffes, United Fruit Co., Elders Dempsters, Compania Sud America De Vapores (Chilian), Compania Peruiana (Peruvian Line), several Japanese and Chinese lines and numerous others. TELEGRAPHS AND TELEPHONES: All the important towns, and most of the villages of Panama, are in direct telegraphic or telephonic communication with the capital. Throughout Colon and Panama City there is a telephone system which may be reached through any of the Zone telephones so that one may conununieate with any part of Panama or the Zone from an instrument in either place. THEATERS : Aside from the motion picture theaters there is the National Theatre at Panama City wherein operas 262 PANAMA, PAST AND PRESENT are held at intervals and there are also vaudeville shows held at times at the Variedades and Cecilia in Panama City, at the America in Colon and at the Zone Clubhouses and Y's. WATER: The visitor to the Isthmus need have no fear of drinking freely of the water at Panama City, Colon or anywhere on the Zone, as it is all under the supervision of the United States authorities and is absolutely safe, being as near pure as it is humanly possible to get it. The water for Pan- ama, Balboa and Ancon is brought from far up the Chagres Valley and is filtered, purified and distributed through the filtration plant at Mira- flores. The Colon and Cristobal water is brought from a small lake and is purified and filtered at the Mount Hope station before being distributed. As all ice manufactured on the Zone or in Colon or Panama City is made from the same water there is not the least danger from drinking ie« water. University of California SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 305 De Neve Drive - Periling Lot 17 • Box 951388 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90095-1388 Return this material to the library from which it was borrowed. J rL 3 1158 00995 0535 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY AA 001 161 349 4 Univ S( ]