ON THE PANAMA CaNaL.

Timaru Herald, Volume L, Issue 4819, 16 April 1890, Page 3

ON THE PANAMA CaNaL.

The United Blates Consul (Viiquair;, stationed at ABpinwall, in his laat oflicitl report to the State- Department, gives a striking picture of the present condition of affairs along the lino of tho Panama Canal. The decadence of Colon (Aepiuwall), and tho almost entire prostration of »U business at that place Binee tho collapse of the canal, becomes more and more apparent. It very often happens that, uot a solitary vessel is to bo found in the harbour, a thing that was never known thoro, even previous to 18S0 and after 1860 ; and yet it is but a short while ago einco vessels wero obliged to bo anchored out for dayß in waiting for dock roon at which to unload their cargoes. The iocal traffic of the Isthmus during the time that work was being pushed on" the cantl had reached vaßt proportions. Tho linoof the canal, buttveou Colon and Panama, abojt fifty miles, was a vast bivouac whore the moat energetic of all nationalities and racei had congregated to amass wealth ; and maiy havo done so, especially among the Ohisese portion of it. Wages were liigh, primely Balaries were paid, money was made easily nnd expended moßfc freely. Bay t:ruo was not enough i and nights themselves wero turttd into day, nnd, literally speaking, the twerty-for.r hours of tho day wero a constant drafion varioUß industries. " The expression ti:e lioat fitting is "It, was Bodlam let loose," and peoplo cannot havo any idoa of what the Isthmus v.ib in 1885, 1880, 1887, and part jf 1888, unless thoy havo soon it. Fo-ty towns had sprung up on the liue in nliDOt. as many miles, every one of them tbrivng, aroal boohivo of people; in fact, all ofthom bent, not only on changing the physdal aspect of tho land, but on turning a t.ropicil juuglo of heretofore a death-dealing climo into a now Babylon, for never waß there sich a confusion of tongues and a conRtomontion of races from all over the world. Tbcso ]soplo were fighting back tho diso;isos manful^, dying at once without a murmur, or liviig in npito of clime, lives of the mcif. reckless dissipation, whon at leisure. It is no wonder that, so many diiid ; it is a wonder that ao many have lived. Indeed, it can be truthfully Baid, that " grhi dentil got exhausted at the ta3k " and retried to his lair. Tho ißthmuo had become hibitublo ; before tho advent of this reckless llrong it wao not. And what liub become of it all ? Vanished. Tho peoplo havo all gaie, business is dead on tho lino, the local tiifilo is deud, th;i line of tho canal, once — onl; a ehort time ago — tho liveliest place on ths globe, ia dead ; tho rank vegetatation of tho tropics is growing denser, it Beems, forthe rosfc it has had, hiding from view railnad trains, dredges, and all the paraphermlia of tho canal contractors, who left their rnplemo:ila of all sorts as if work was to haio been resumed in the morning. Colon md Panama still live, but that is all, merely by-way stations for tho traffic across the Isthmus eastward and westward between fcvo hemispheres. In Colon rents havo fallal off 50 per cent on throo months and ara stll on tho decline. Tho Panama Railroad, ffhich in 1883 paid 2350 per cent, of dividends will in 18S9 pay only 9 per cent. This line h 1888 carried 1,300,000 passenger* (4000 $vny day) ; this jenr it may carry probably 500,000, if bo many.

But tie transit traffic has not Buffered i on tho contrary, it is only tho lecal tratfia which in a short rix months has Buffered a loss cf nearly 110,000 tons of imports— that ;a to say, this much has been lost to tho lical trade. Ao a result nearly twothird; of the business houses in Colon are closed up, and bankrupt Bales aro a daily occur.'once.