COLOMBIA. 



only. Preparations are being made for begin- 

 ning work in this section, and the erection of 

 machinery is now in progress. The company 

 has just completed a contract for the excava- 

 tion of all that portion which lies in the high 

 Chagres valley. The price stipulated for the 

 work varies according to the nature of the 

 material to be excavated. The lowest amount 

 is thirty-four centimes per cubic metre, the 

 highest two dollars and fifty centimes, Colom- 

 bian silver. The latter price is to be paid only 

 for the excavation of rock that lies nine metres 

 below sea-level. The average price of excava- 

 tion under this contract will probably not ex- 

 ceed one dollar per cubic metre, as rock ap- 

 pears in this portion of the route only by way 

 of exception. Excavations are in progress 

 along the line of the canal proper, and also for 

 changing the obstructive water-courses. The 

 amount of machinery in use is considerable, 

 and is constantly increasing. If the excavators 

 in practice prove to possess only one fourth 

 the power they have displayed when on trial, 

 they will be sufficient to excavate the bulk of 

 the Culebra section in less than three years. 

 The company and the engineers are straining 

 every nerve to bring the work to a speedy 

 conclusion. The number of laborers now em- 

 ployed is 12,000, and it is the purpose of the 

 company to double this number during the dry 

 season. Work will then proceed upon all sec- 

 tions. The inundations of Chagres river this 

 season have caused only slight damage to the 

 work in progress. The number of canal offi- 

 cials, contractors and the like, is between 800 

 and 900. There are in the hospitals at Pana- 

 ma and Colon about 450 canal employes. This 

 is not far from 3 per cent, of the whole num- 

 ber employed on the canal, and is not consid- 

 ered an excessive proportion. In spite of the 

 extraordinary rains and freshets of Chagres riv- 

 er, during November the excavations amounted 

 to 700,000 cubic metres." 



Panama Railway. Since Aug. 14, 1884, the 

 company has been running thirty-four trains 

 over the line daily, as long as the transit re- 

 mained undisturbed by the local political 

 troubles, and after these had ceased the daily 

 number of trains was to be raised to forty. 

 The traffic over the line has been as follows : 



COLORADO. 



179 



Emeralds. In the celebrated Muzo emerald- 

 mines, at Boyaca, an emerald was found in 

 December, 1884, weighing in the rough over 

 one pound. This splendid specimen was be- 

 lieved to be the largest ever discovered. 



Brents of 1885. The attempt to overthrow the 

 constitutional government in Colombia spread 

 in January to five States. What appeared most 

 threatening was the speedy occupation of the 

 lower Magdalena, of the ports of Baranquilla, 



Sabanilla, and Colon-Aspinwall on the Atlan- 

 tic, and Buenaventura and Panama on the Pa- 

 cific, by the rebels. Cartagena, held by the Gov- 

 ernment troops, was besieged by the rebels, but 

 the assaults upon it were repelled with great loss 

 to the assailants. But for the loyalty of the few 

 able generals, the timely interference of the 

 United States naval forces on both sides of the 

 Isthmus, and the landing of marines for the pro- 

 tection of American citizens and property, the 

 revolution might have proved successful, the 

 finances of the Colombian Government being 

 crippled by the loss of revenue. While Ameri- 

 can intervention at Panama counteracted and 

 discouraged the rebel Gen. Aizpuru, and enabled 

 the loyal forces to recapture Buenaventura in 

 the State of Cauca, and then use the only steam- 

 er at their disposal to land troops at Panama, 

 the burning of Colon-Aspinwall, by the rebel 

 Prestan, toward the close of March, could not 

 be prevented. Meanwhile the Colombian Gov- 

 ernment had declared Baranquilla and Sabanil- 

 la blockaded, but, as it was a mere paper block- 

 ade, the American Government protested. Aft- 

 er a desultory warfare in the interior, the main 

 bodies of the contending forces came to a de- 

 cisive encounter at Calamar on July 1, in which 

 the rebels, though not defeated outright, were 

 so crippled that this engagement proved the 

 finishing stroke, its importance being enhanced 

 by the capture of the river flotilla of the rebels 

 on the Magdalena. In August all the leading 

 chiefs in arms against the Government surren- 

 dered, and on Sept. 5 an extra number of the 

 "Gaceta Oficial" was issued by order of Gen. 

 Montoya, at Panama, announcing the restora- 

 tion of peace. 



In November trouble was again apprehended 

 on the Isthmus, on account of the contemplated 

 creation of certain custom-houses, a very un- 

 popular measure, and the American Govern- 

 ment felt called upon to re-enforce the North 

 Atlantic squadron in Colombian waters. 



COLORADO. State Government. The follow- 

 ing were the State officers during the year : 

 Governor, Benjamin H. Eaton, Republican ; 

 Lieutenant-Governor, Peter W. Breene; Sec- 

 retary of State, Melvin Edwards; Treasurer, 

 George R. Swallow ; Auditor, Hiram A. Spru- 

 ance ; Attorney-General, Theodore H. Thomas ; 

 Superintendent of Public Instruction, Leoni- 

 das S. Cornell ; State Engineer, E. S. Nettle- 

 ton; Kailroad Commissioner, William B. Fel- 

 ker ; Forest Commissioner, E. T. Ensign. Su- 

 preme Court: Chief- Justice, William E. Beck; 

 Associates, Joseph C. Helm and W. F. Stone. 



Legislative Session. The Legislature met on 

 Jan. 7 and adjourned in April. Henry M. 

 Teller, Republican, was chosen United States 

 Senator. Among the acts of the session were 

 the following: 



Concerning apprentices. 



Creating the county of Archuleta from the west- 

 ern portion of Conejos, with county-seat at Pagosa 

 Springs. 



In relation to assignments for the benefit of creditors. 



To provide for the punishment of a person receiv- 



