New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-01-29
NICARAGUA.
.s..n, of the San Jaan River-The Rap
T's .ss-Improvemeut OF Navigation-roilsome
.age-HeaIth-River Scenery-Vegeta-
1,rd. and Fishes Entering the Lake.


~ TIE New.York Tribune.
GRANADA LAKE NICARAGUA, !
Wednesday, Dec %, 1880
ufssRs EDITORS: left San Juan on the $50
,November. and reached here the 9th inst.
Ihs tourney in river canoe, or bungo' Is one OF
.he most fatigung that man can make especial
,, IN the rainy season, which lasts much longer
.h.n usual this year. l was therefore ooligeo 10
oxner;ence the violent torrents which usually her'
"a ;,s olose. The canoes (plr0guas,J are urged
-, .tresm partly with oars and partly with poles,
.rh;ch \. sucb slow work, that frequently, after
- d.vs ;ourney. we had advanced only
.rhro niles From San Juan to Granada is near
900 miles twelve or fourteen days Is considered
REEL aroueb for the ascent Of the San Juan River,
while three days is sufficient for the lake voyage
of 100 miles. On the river, we are still limited
20 this primitive means of transport Ofthe two
steambosts which were built for its navigation,
one is grounded in the rapids Of Machuca, and the
other lies at anchor below those of Castillo Vielo,
the passage of which is very difficult. The bed OF
the river will have to be greatly improved, before
its uninterrupted navigation by larger vessels will
be possible.
Such Improvement would be principally confin-
ed to the four rapids which formed in the river.
The rapid of Castillo Viejo-so named, from the
ruins Of a Spanish castle--is the most important.
There seems to me good ground for the universal
belief that these bindrances to navigation were
artifcially made, or at least aggravated, by the
Spaniards, to protect the inland against the at
tacks, first of the freebooters and afterward Of
the English. Merchant vessels Of considerable
size formerly assembled the river to this place the
proof of this are to be found in the archives. At
present, light schooner can with difficulty reach
the lake. One which is now here is great help
to communication with San Carlos atthe entrance
of the San Juan. The bungoes, which use an
awkward sail on the lake, can only go with half q
wind, and to run close hauled is impossible 1t
therefore happens that during the prevailing east
wind, weeks sometimes go by before they can
make trip from here to San Carlos. The schoon-
er, which sails regularly twice week, taking
each time forty five passengers at sl5 each, does
splendid business Her owner, DR.. Segour, of
Louisiana, is o perfect gentleman aud a most
enterprsing man, whose settlement here will
greatly benefit the country.
The building of larger and better vessels has al
ready been commenced, several American ship
carpenters on their way to California having set
almost impossible The traveller would be obliged
to leave all baggage behind, live on wild game
and follow some wild Indian guide through the
iorest-a more than doubtful undertaking. There
is no path on the banks of the River. The crews
of the bungoes land every morning to make fire
and cook, but there are few convenient places for
this purpose, and they are often obliged TO make
their fires in the midst of swamp. Dangerous
beasts and disagreeable vermin swarm in the for
ests on both sides of the river. The bungoes lay
at anchor all night 10 the middle OF the stream, and
the traveller is lucky who can find or 10 square
feet of dry land to stand upon IN the morning.
The want Of room to stretch one self out by night,
the difficulty of keeping ones clothes and baggage
dry, the dirt and confusion, the coarseness Of the
naked samboes and mulattoes, the imposslblllty
of making q motion of any kind, since it would |
disturb the equilibrium of the boat-all this and
much more for two or three weeks together, is
more annoying and exhausting than could be i'm.
agned. For women the journey is, in many re- |
spects the most unpleasant possible.
So remarkably healthy is the climate, however.
that all these fatigues. with the rain and dew the
exhalations of the river and the swamPs-whch
are so thick in the evening that you can not only
smell them but taste them on the tongue-the
dense river.water, fattened with earthly and
vegetable matter, which you drink; the hard sea
fare upon which YOU live and the W ant oil eXer
cise-do not iniure you In the least AFTER o.
days at sea, was quite SICK when lett osh
Juan, but fully recovered my health on the river
The climate at this place, aud even az San JUAN
has no predsposition to any dangerous disease:
Fevers, which invariably yield 70 few doses OF
auinine and light ATTACKS Of dlarrhea, Whlcn are
cured bv diet alone, are all that the stranger mas
IN fear Perhaps nowhere else IN the tcOplc zone,
NAV one revel In the enjoyment OF It's manifold
fuits so safely as here. When the lake and
river are finally made navigabe for steam vessels,
the Journey will be as deghttal as 1t is interest
ing ,n. A.. ..
wonderful variety of vegetable growth than one
can imagine From the mouth TO some distance
inland, the shores are grown with small palms,
which appear TO thrive In swampy soil Ihey
bear an abundance OF nuts, hanging IN Ounches or
clusters and suspect would furnish palm-Oll OF
n good quality. These disappear as you ascend
and the larger growths OF timber appear with
dense thickets below, and chained together by
wild protusion of parasitic vines aud climbing
plants Among these, where the shores begin 10
be dry and to rise above the level OF the water
lhe palm reappears-a most beautiful, slender
shaft, which lifts its festhery crown high over the
rest of the forest. Here and there the elegant
fan of tree like fern sways IN the wlnd-the
most graceful object any landscape could show.
Little miniature palms, whose stems when fully
grown, only measure about seven inches in diane
ter and could stand entire In a room, stand in
myriads along the edge OF the water ~
With the exception Of a few ranges OF hIlls,
which approach the river, the shores are quite
level all the way to the lake. Mountains are
seen at only one point--the mouth OF the sara
piqui, a tributary stream, which has been ire
quently named OF late, in connection with the
Colonization ploie, OF Costa Hica, since 1t forms
tbe main entrance into the heart Of that State
Above the upper rapid-that OF Castillo Nieio-
where there are also hills bordering the river the
water has also very little fail, whence this part OF
the journey is called by the natives AgHaS
BfRerfQs-dead water. Here II is easy to catch
any quantity OF fish, Of which both river aud lake
contain great variety. While We were engaged
in shooting Tor breakfast lew k0co0s-a large
splendid bird, called by the natives pqC0R pea
rncL Tho ,.reN OF nnnfhnr hnnrl naAr IA cAnEnt