/ 
Co 
Cooie del Norte 
March 1, 1951 
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Dear Don Alejandro & Ferry: 
iVe phoned you on Tuesday, but. reaxizea that probably you were at Barro 
Colorado. Thought you might get back ana phone us before we left. 
One thing we wanted to tell yen was that Mr. Bennett died Tuesday 
morning, be had talked to him on Monday afternoon and he seensdd well. 
However, I thought he had seemed somewhat listless the last few times we 
saw him. They say he had been out to a party in the evening. Had a heart 
attache at 1:30 and another at 7:30 and was gone. 
We left Tuesday morning finally, having been put off since Sunday. 
We got as far as the breakwater and the Captain turned back. He told us 
that he would not go again untix the following week. We -vent to Tag's 
office ana they told us there that he might go Wednesday, but if not, there 
was another boat that came up on Friday. They were referring to a larger 
boat belonging to a man named Bruce Surgeon, whom Mr. Bennett had told us 
might drop us or pick us up here and take us on to Bocas. 
From the dire reports or? Tag's captain, we did not feel very hopeful 
about getting away on Wednesday. We went to the Hyarographie Office and 
they laughed in Matt's face at the idea of landing anyplace on this Atlantic 
Coast during the month of March. Said that it is most quiet when raining 
and. now that the DRY?'*#*' season is on, the wind makes the ocean very rough. 
Me had made up our minds to bring the truck to Penonome ana go to LA 
Pintada and work down from the Interior, We had faint hopes the launch 
would leave, or get us here, or the cayucos would come out if they did* 
However, we got up at £ on Wednesday. The launch left at 6. we arrived 
here at 11:5C. The sea was no worse than when Matt an,. I were here before. 
Five men came out in a smaller cayuco this time than when we were here 
and I came in with the first load of equipment. After looking at 
I requested the schoolhouse whuch is about 14 x 20. The first house 
was about 8 x 12 and we could nut stand up straight as their second floor 
was very low. The other was a bit larger, but not much. I am doing the 
cooking for the time being. If we had found a site here, I would have 
hunted someone to help me, but Matt and Bob went this morning and saw a gold 
prospecting site. It is almost impossible to get the idea into these people f s 
heads that we are HOT looking for gold. 
2 houses 
w w p 
e saw 
Well, to go back to the cayuco trip. Our load did not get wet but Matt 
and Bob got soaked and all the quipment on the bottom of the cayuco as well. 
The cayuco was loaded heavily and the water poured into the bottom. Dick's 
trunk of film, my suitcase (large metal), 1 footiocker, ana the typewriter. 
Water just poured out of all 4. Dick was sick - tho s t he had lost all his black 
end white film until he discovered that toe was in metal pack. "very piece of 
my clothing was soaked, except for the good clothes that I had in the tray & 
by some miracle they were nut touched. My good watch was in a box with a few 
pieces of jewelry end that was soaked. The footiocker contained our sheets, 
towels and work clothes. So we have had a time drying things out. We didn’t 
lose anything, which is a blessing - considering that we expected to lose 
something in the shuffle. They only charged us $9 for the 4 of us 5c baggage 
to bring us in - surely a cheap 
on the launch. The cayucos only charged 
price for moving as much baggage as we have 
