Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-03-06
COSTA Rica.

the quc +, 81 - characteristic, in commercial
<>rr>c, u die siS:cr It ruhics Of nral Amcrl-
c;.,atd IN I'll" ,ossll,c ION gifts intcr-cceaulc rail
rp;,d is engaged in the realization OF 4 new life.
Tired of the ,oriilty If Ime-honnrtd customs
IN the dominant luye # following in the foot
steps of their tor,fitner<, the people OF this
prosperous aud peaceful y.inc,lncd Republic
are c9IAb;Eiug the force and resources OF the
country. aided hy Inc help which their credit
abroad has secured them. to achieve victory
in the art Of civilization, for winch they have
10 * npla IL the hi-tr # Central America,
" VI ic'. it : To be hoped that they VIII real
~ ii CIR rra> nit!e ambition in securing to the
l.,.ipu that position t which it is eutitlcd by
i actual ", alth AID ludablc enorgls. With
population l.ss than 20l 900. It's enterprise Tar
exceed the alubllon oil! more popuious and
". atHi.r nalou>. Ga the bare strength Of Its
goa l,alue The Government has SECURED froul
Engii h capitalists sufficient money to carry out
tie cost Is aud much-ncedc advantages OF Il rail-
road 10 CONNECT the Atlantic and P"chc Cc.an5
a.ru-, IT, territory, through climate unsur
pa Led ior >alubriiy and c,nt,rt III the word.
With English capital aud Amerlcau energy the
uud"rf;k .ag. great Tor - small c0uutry. must
prose s,lctcssiu. Mr. Henry Mciggs agrees to
uyu!rletc III ", TX 10 til c. years, aud he c'ud
give liz letter glura!.tce than by sending his
ncI hcw. Mr.. ii. VI kcl'h OF w:,l-knvwn ability,
to carry uut the CONTRACT. h: first year has
>v,tcu!Z d he work which is being pushed
through many Obstacles not Usually encountered
in NJ, den, railrna,!!ns. The lluc l. being built
from! tie city .! Al. juca, situated Ill tile centre
oil TIC irpu!,1ic lowalds Port Luu0w, tie At'an-
nc terra iau- From that point 1t i ENG worked
tnwaid. the interior. Tie cities Of llereula San
Jose. he e pital, and Castagn lie III the ilue Of
the road, AMI every pound II material tor the
interior end is brvu4:.t from lunta Arenas. on
the pac!ti :e:cnly-!ive mile, over the noun
taius IL OK carts. s. ltr he rails are laid be-
tween AIaiu.!a through Her, dla to I'll" capital,
fourteen ucS aud Il construction tralu Is con
s!anty rktr-. ThcEce to CartaEo, twelve
nj cs !urtncr. the grading Is almost completed.
Bry,, d Ca ;;i2,n eastward mountal"pu> coun-
Try aud forest land, are 10 be traVcrstd to the
Alnri~ I!c Woe distance embraces one nut
ra,4 and Ten lll..., and il the work continues
Ia 90 forward VIII thc en@rgy which HIS mark.
ed It's iru:re,- ~ Tar the road VIII lie huiSh,
in c"lIttac; tine. \ surveying party Is already
at work between A.aluca aud the Pacific,
though the utrac for that SEE ION Is not
AWARDED ii matter more ii cnvenleuce
than uncertainty All uuu.unEy lar-c crop ot
eff { this Year drains the railroad oil IA large
number Of alorrr>. bu, sill it has all the
iaLd> it can empty though tie p :ntvr> CON-
p.in OF a scarcity Of .abor. \ DRAFT II tx hun
drcd AID titiy Chitc>c coolies arrived at Puma
Ar mas, and all demand FIR labor vii! lie sup
p.icd ut Pult Lunow seven hundred labor Is
from the West Indies AMI New Orlcaa> have
been landed. a,iI now all ca:s "t Il scarcity OF
hands nave been ii>,,clca. During the feast
lv>. ju>i closed! little has b.cn done by the
p..svt.t,y hcyvld giving free rein 10 the enjoy
n,cut> lucid ut I" the an4uli holidays. For
three DAYS business was wh lily suspended.
The FESTIVITIES ser com,ncncrd by a parry Of
ma>ou raiders Cut NJ t,utnStic t.urc> through
the str els f low.cl by bard. Bull bats and
aud exhibiting camc in order aud afterwards
rrcditatlo display OF fireworks. The main
plaza was the centre of til. closing scene.
B:iIlaul,y-hsltel with lantcruS strung from the
frees aud irnn Ri i'..>. tie people sat on
benches in two ercat crc,cs watching the mas
nucral.:s laucing the torrit0 between The
dancers Snuff d i"ru; IN crotfsqnc motions to
the music of The bands: which relieved each
other in the ODD rcl;ilS If the national dance,
never riviIg the performers chance TO cease
tn. endless variety ts;crscjIp '-lng the tori
to. The ma>quvradcrs are professionals or
they could never suff the fatigue TO which they
are sui ced during the day and evening.
They o. fioin place t, pl ce whrre feast days
uffcr them employment to delight til" simple
minded p.aS;r.try with h,ir acc ,mplishmcnts.
Wien the /; a.! is over their occupation l. gone
f.: tie prope devote themselves 10 patlcat labor
the oaiaucc oil the year. Not long ago the po- |
I:cc compelled women II daice the torrlto IN |
the absence Of paid performers. Now the oc-
c.sion for the exercise # this authority, arb-
trary. though it pundcrcl to the wishes OF the
people doe, rot exit.
Gambling tail-s are publicly displayed on
tn Sc occasions aud all sorts Of gaming IN
clul.ed in secretly at other times. is permitted.
he law against gambling Is very severe. but
that does not prevent the judges themsc Ives
from indul 1ing in what appears to be a nation
al weakness in the Spanish race
The tirst appearance Of the locomotive pro-
duced cmio,lS. in riary instances ludlcrouS,
eff, ct Oh the rca>antry. The buli-rlng was d.
serted As the engine approached the guard,
and MANY were the specuatloDs on the strange
aprartirn worked by the potent power OF
steam Superstition has tax SO fast hold
upon the minds Of The ignorant classes that
many believe that tie Devil himS"lf has an
agency in ,ha locom1lion of the train. One
smplc-iookIng couatrya,an was satisfied 10 the
pNnfcSSt IL bclici lIdt tl'tlc uiu>t NC tAS'
where co cnaed about the machine, through
whose 90 ncy it was made to move. Old
women. who never saw steam but through the
spout of Il cctf,c POI, fed the scene in genuine
fright. while others lifted their hands in the
attitude Of prayer, brscechng the Divine pro-
lection from the intomprchen>ihe innovation
on their ox-tcam system. Still there were
enough believers in the worldly nature OF the
lrcnm0fiyc 20 crowd IL 50 as t. ctfcctualV pre- ,
vent the engineer from working it one way or
another, until the guard of soldiers 10 attend
ancs droyv them IF by force. the onl y argu-
ment thar would succeed with them y Costa
Rjcan ,llier i an Oddly in his way. If he
discovers any n" violating rules that he is put
on guard to enforce. he politely requests the
vioIator to de,st. but seldom insists upon
complanco
The President Of Costa Rica aud suite ar
rived here from Europs. where he had been
.hs 40