Daily Yellowstone journal., 1886-12-14
PecULlAaITles or COSTA RIGA.
a Trip to Puerto Limoa for BanHnas-A
Glimpse OF Cuba

A Trip to Puerto Limoa for Bannnas-A
Glimpse OF Cuba.
We were to spend five days together
on board the good ship Foxhall, fruiter,
bound to Puerto Limon for bananas, so
IL was but natural that, as home and
old associations gradually faded into the
blue distance, we should take mental
inventory of each other and become
quite sociable and friendly in the alb
sence OF society and friends. There
were only about a dozen OF us cabin
passengers all told and rather, it must
be confessed, q commonplace collection.
South America was represented by
three Columbians from Bogota who
gave up very early in the struggle and
retired below with many a murmur and
cry of despair-echoed unfortunately by
several Others bound for Colon. There
was an amateur photographer who en-
tertained us for an hour with his views
of Honduras and Guatemala-a tall,
thin man who stretched himself out on
one of the sofas in the saloon imme-
diately after dinner and there remained
in mental and bodily anguish until we
sighted Limon.
OF course we related our travelling ex-
periences, seated in a cheerful group on
the bridge with the sunlight around and
above us, sea of glass around us, and
on either side to the horizons edge the
deep green of sugar cane and waving
trees. At times we passed charming
homes whose white walls showed up
fresh against deep empowering foliage;
again the spire of village church rose
above the upheaved mounds of some
quiet wave-swept Gods acre. The SUM-
light cleaned on each dancing wave
and flashed back the drowned splendor
into our dazzled eyes. We went into
raptures over the easy motion Of the ves-
sci, unmindful of the humorous curve
Of the captains lips as he told us that to
an old salt the gulf is always smooth.
The conversation at once turned upon
the climate of Colon and Costa Rica.
There were only eight persons engaged
in the discussion, not one had visited
either place less than three times and
yet not soul agreed with another in
the smallest particular.
For instance: According to a lady,
Colon is charming town, not un-
healthy, beautifully situated, supplied
with every imaginable luxury, and alto
gether place to live in-not to die.
Her husband Immediately added that
Colon is good gold mine, to those
who can stand the vile climate, but
horrible hole in which to bury Chris
tian alive. The almighty dollar was the
sole attraction to any of our fellow
travellers in their southern journeyings,
and many were the schemes discussed
and the plans prepared for the capture
Of that elusive coin.
Then came Costa Rica. "Limon!"
said a third, "Limon? Picture to your
self some ragged hills, some dirty
houses, a broiling sun, dirty water, hun
dreds Of jabbering Jamaica niggers,
you will have Lmon well photographed
in your minds eye. San Jose? A clus-
ter of fat-roofed houses, long, narrow
streets, horrible looking people, pow
erty, hunger and dirt-there is San
Jose. Cartago? A town dead this fifty
years. There is no society. The aris-
tocracy has no connection with the for
eign circle; you will meet no one; you
wish yourself dead. Costa Rca is the
abomination of desolation spoken of by
Daniel, the Prophet"
"A perfect libel on Costa Rica," said
fourth-a lady who had spent some years
in Central America. "Of course Limon
is small, but the scenery is superb. In
the interior the climate is divine. Both
San Sose and Cartago are pretty towns.
The people are exclusive, but when you
do know them they are the most courte-
Gus gentlefolk in the world. Away up
in the mountains of the Central Andes
one finds the veritable Garden of Eden"
And SO it went. The country is de-
testable"-"It is paradise peo-
pie are savages"-"They are courteous in
the extreme"-"The republic is abso-
lutely bankrupt"-"You will scarcely
find an industrious person who is not in
dependent.
Slightly bewildered, but, yet quite
ready to trust to our own observations,
we obeyed the summons to dinner and
partook of the last repast We dared ap-
proach during the entire voyage.
Just as the walters were placing the
dessert on the table, the vessel rose and
fell with mighty bound; our photog-
rapher turned green and rose with a
groan--The jetties! we are in the gulf!
Lord, have mercy upon mel"
1t might be better and less narrowing
to the feelings Of all concerned to draw
a veil over the next day and lift it only
on Sunday morning, when the captain
called us to come on deck and look at
Cuba.
Still was the only one to follow our
genial captain upon the bridge, the only
one to look through the glass toward
where long dark line to the left against
a gray sky showed ia joya mas brill
ante en- La corona de Espana." It was
raining softly, and Cuba was nothing
more than gray line against gray
horizon under soft gray sky-but it
was still something to have looked upon
the beautiful isle even through the
misty distances. Cor. Detroit Free