The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1872-02-22
Letter from Nicaragua
Correspondence of the journal.

GRANADA, Nicaragua, Dec. o.
The sight Of the Belfast Journal in this far off
country has suggested to me the idea of jotting
down some of the incidents of my trip to this
place. | emoarked at New York, Nov Both, on
the steamship Ocean Queen for Aspinwall.
The weather was intensely cold, and As manv
of the passengers were bound to tropical
climates and We're dressed accordingly. the
standing places around the steam pipes leading
to the radiators in the upper saloons We're at +
premium. But in few days the weather grew
warmer, and ~ the passengers became better
acquainted, they separated in groups and in
dulged in different pastimea according to their
tastes. Each morning, after breakfast in the
smoking saloon. could be found party of en-
gineerS bound to South Ame rica, putting their
cigars and the houses they reoresented ON the
promenade deck one could Capt. q -. of
your city, explaining 10 party Of coffee grow
ers Of Costs Plea, the advantage Of importing
Cinnamon to work upon their coffee estates.
Seated in retired corner was a gailv dressed
young lady, trying to console young man
whom saw shedding corions Jears on parting
from his wife in New York. ! think | can
testify that she succeeded admirably
We had very fine smooth passage of II days
10 AspnwaIl. Here found the ROYAL Mail
steamship Eibe, bound to Greytown, on which
we took passage, arriving at the latter port Dec.
18th. Greytown is the only Atlantic port Of
Nicaragua, and is located at the mouth of the
| San Juan Del Norte. This port would hardly
be recognized to-day by parties who Travelled
this route to CalifDr1il - or II wears ago
t;,,l
where the Transit Company'S ships rode at
anchor i'll 20 feet of water This change is caus-
| ed by the washing away of an island in the
San Juan river, where it forms iunciion with
the Colorado, causing lal e portion Of the
waters to find its way 10 the -eu by the latter
river. This Of course lessons the current in the
San Juan, causing it To fill Up at its mouth 10
4 such an extent that all freight i landed from
1 vessels in lighters. This Inconvenience adds to
I the cost Of imports and exports ana formerly
caused some delay in landing ana receiving
goods; but within year Mr.. Holenbeck, q
merchant of Grevtown, has put steam lighter
in the harbor now goods are landed with
/ dispatch. Through the Ell rt- of thi~ same gen
tleman 4 line Of steamer, has been placed On
the San Juan river and Lake NcaraguA He
has also contracted with parties 70 build a
steamer to be used on Lake Managua and
there is a fair prospect that within year we
| shall have a railroad from that place to Granada.
This viii afford the inhabitants increased ftcilj-
ties for shipping the products of the country.
The principal articles Of export are indigo. cof-
fee, hides. deer skins and rubber. The rubbe r
trade is carried ON principally by parties in
/ Greytown, who furnish provision, in advance
to men who 20 out in gangs o: six or eight.
They 90 from Grevtown in canoes, On some of
the tributaries Of the San Juan OF on rivers that
empty into Lake Nicaragua When they find a
good place for operations, they pitch their tents
I that II they sling their hammocks to two
/ treeS-and commence work The process Of
getting the milk from the rubber tree is Sim-
lar 70 that Of getting sap from maple or turpen.
tine from southern pine. A rubber tree Yields
from three to ttteen gallons Of milk which will
run from the Tree III few hours The milk :
put INTO VatS dug IN the ground and lined with
eihy. After sufficient quantity is collected, a
certain Vine Is pounded and the juice thus eX-
Fa'ted Is mixed with the milk which causes it
10 eHfdIe. II - then placed in shallow pans,
ana "heh IL IS suihclently hard, it is removed
ana rolled between iron rollers. 1t i then
dried few days IN the n,when il is ready for
, market. One gallon OF milk Will make from
two to two and half pounds of rubber.
After spending two days at Greytown, view
ing the places Of amuSements the whistle of the
steamer ManagIa compelled us to bid alieu to
our GreytoWn friends. and at 10 O'Clock, A. NJ.
we were steaining up the san Juan to Castillo
rapids, y miles from Greytown. These rapids
derive their name from 4 fort built al this place
by the Spanarls when they first came to thi )
country; and it is said bv some that the rapids
were formed at the same time bv filling the
! river with stones. AT this place our freight
transferred to another steamer, by railroad
round the falls, a distance Of 600 yards. This
boat connects with the lake steamer. above the
rapids, II miles above Castillo, and > miles
from Lake Nicaragua. The scenery on the
| river San Juan is beautiful in some respects :
/ but one soon tires of looking AT the stunted
| trees and rank weeds that grow on its banks,
| and Will be ready to admit that il suffers in
comparison with the picturesque scenery OF
! our northern rivers But when we enter Lake
| Nicaragua the scene at once changes. The low
| hills and verdant valleys on the northern shore
| of the lake; the high mountains of Chantlas in
the distance with the high volcanic mountain
| of Ometepea on an island in the centre of the
I ,aLo bich arou,h 20 ha soo,, -, -, p,,i.;.. g..
w " ''0' oA VI ~ my i''
out 10 sea-'orm Il panorama seldom seen IN any
country. We touched AT Seversl small places
to receive and aiscbaroa fraigbt and n.sseno.rs
b., -, .h,~o $50
put as tnere were no WharVes ana the freight
lenia'i' ~ 0oara VI, w. rea'he,i sah oVald'
W.. " 9 'er"p''u m y i'nu 'n' pa'ne oh 'he
sahd beach me water being shallow our
ooat could not get very near the shore 50
was forced 10 adopt the usual mode OF convey
ance, that is, on the back Of native. He per-
formed one half Of the distance without acci-
dent; but at this point his foot cot into
treacherous hole in the sand. and he Immediate
" ligbtened himself by discharoino his .,.cL
,o.a ,,,,, - ~, ,t ,