E.S. "Gordon" Lacey - Diary 2

on deck & hung it out in the rigging, where I stopped for a while & watched the land, which at first seemed to be all islands. During the morning we passed a big tramp steamer outward bound. As we ran in close to land we could see that what at first looked like a lot of island, were really the tops of mountains. In the foreground there were a few little island,

& they looked very pretty as they are heavily timber -ed and the wooded slopes run right down to the water. About noon we dropped anchor & waited for the pilot to come out to us. As soon as dinner was over there was a rush to the boatdeck & about 2 p.m. ew weighed anchor & started for Panama City & the entrance of the Panama Canal. As we got close in to land

we came to minefields and submarine nets set all round the entrance to the harbour. There are a couple of little islands connected with the mainland by a breakwater with a railway line running over it and these island are fortified. Inside the harbour we got our first glimpse of the people of Panama. As we steamed along, close to the shore,

our band started to play some rags and as soon as the darkies heard it they were off up and down the wharves ragging like mad. There are some fine pieces of machinery on the wharves, great cranes dredges and the like. On the ridge of hills above the harbour there is a fine hospital, Ancon Hospital. The scene reminds of of

pictures I have seen of life on American rivers, The darkies, the boats like houseboats with tall funnells, the rich tropical growth all round, and peacefull. The tugboat "Gatun" (that the biggest lock of the canal is named after) came past us several times as we lay at anchor. Running