THROUGH THE PANAMA.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 239, 6 October 1916, Page 2

THROUGH THE PANAMA.

THE JOURNEY DESCRIBED. An interesting description of a trip through the Panama Canal has been received by the "Post" from Mr. C. H Harris, who recently went to England by the Canal route. Panama was Teached three weeks after leaving New Zealand. 'Tor some reason," writes Mr. Harris, "we could not get through the Canal on the day of arrival, and I think that everybody was glad, as it gave us an opportunity of visiting Panama and its surroundings. Making a party of about half a dozen, we motored to - all the points of interest for about twelve miles out in various directions. In com-' parison with other tropical parts, Panama is delightful; the vegetation one would always Temember, the leaves of numerous plants and shrubs being-the : colour rof flowers —red, yellow, gold, etc.; [There are also some very pretty colouredbirds. Although Panama is • close, to the Equator, it is usually no hotter! than it has been many a time in Auckland, and, no doubt, sometimes in Wel-i lington—about 90 degrees. I

A MIXED POPULATION. "The population is largely coloured — all colours, and shapes. The' Panamaians proper are very lazy, and hold 6uch positions as .policeman and officials of various kinds, but do not do manual work. Natives from Jamaica and U.S.A. negroes are imported for this work. The whole of the Canal zone, which is leased to the U.S.A., is very properly and thor oughly controlled, being fortified, patrolled, and guarded at various points. I understand it is a very good place to be away from.

"We started early the next morning j to go through the mighty Canal. It was rather a slow job, as there was a considerable wait in one of the locks, but we jgot through in, roughly, twelve hours. The whole work is really too wonderful to be fully grasped in one trip through, but I will endeavour to mention a few things that appealed to mc most. The enormous locks, with doors about 80ft high and enormously thick, open and shut almost like an ordinary bouse door. Tremendous concrete walls on\»hich the engines called "electric mules" (six to each steamer) run, to draw and guide the boats through the locks. The great Culebra Cut is really less inspiring than it should be after the enormous labour spent on it, but this is largely on account of the water which now hides so •much of the work that has been done. The Gatum Lake is also very wonderful, it having covered about one -hundred and sixty miles of country, including forests and villages. The dead tree tops are still showing in abundance. It was a matter of great difficulty to get the natives" to leave their villages before the land was flooded.

"A FAIRYLAND SWITCHBACK." "All the way through the country on both sides of the Canal is very beautiful. We passed through the last of the Gatum Locks about 7 pan. It was aU lit up -by electricity, and had the appearance of a 'fairyland switchback.' We reached the wharf at Cristobal or Colon, and started coaling immediately —a continuous bucket arrangement which answered very well, hut was rather noisy. We went ashore about 10 o'clock, but there was nothing much to see except a lot of low drinking saloons. ,We soon went back to the ship."