Evening journal., 1889-07-18
a srowAwAYs STORY.
The sufferings Of Europeans in Costa
Rica Described by German.

\ nc CuntAAnkH VI LAhTvUtAna III AObNA
Rica Described by German.
New York Herald reporter says: The
Herald published an exclusive story some
weeks ago about the mysterious departure
of large body OF German emigants from
New York harbor on some supposed
secret expedition, and yesterday it was
my good fortune to find out where the
emigrants had gone and how it had Jared
with them during their absence from
this city.
In Greenwich street boarding house
met one of the emigrants, B. Pagge, a
sturdy German, and learned from him
the history OF the expedition.
"Thirty seven Of us left Nsw York In
November, " be said, ''on the understand
ing that we were to be taken to Costa
Rica, where work would be provided for
us on a railway. We were promised SO
week wages, besides free board and
lodgings When we reached Costa Rica
we found that the proposed railway was
several days journey from the coast and
that we would have TO travel to 1t on
foot This was hard. but we went ahead
bravely, tramping day after day through
rough, Wild country and longing for
the hour TO come when we could lie down
and have good rest.
Had we received good food we could
have ood the hard Journey better, but
all we got to eat was rice and beans, and
IL was Impossible for us to remain strong
on such diet. Two of our number gave
up the struggle altogether and were
buried by us, and the remainder suffered
horribly For Europeans the climate is
entirely unsuitable, even under the most
favorable conditions, and for poor Ger
IN ans. such as we we're, who were badly
fed and had no decent resting places at
night it was the worst conceivable
Fever attacked many of US, and as we
all had TO sleep at night on the bare
ground--no beds being provided--even
the strongest of us felt sickly when we
reached the place where the railroad was
TO be built.
"When we arrived there we found out
that many other Europeans had preceded
us and met the same fate. We heard Of
the gang Of Germans, numbering seventy
men, and of another gang numbering thir-
ty seven men, all Of whom had suffered as
much as we had Worst of all, however,
we heard that three thousand Italians had
been imported TO this horrible place
within year and that six hundred OF
them had died within few months.
"Being one Of the strongest men in my
gang, / went TO work on the railroad but
soon had to give the job up, as found it
impossible to Withstand the horrible cli-
mate and keep up my strength on the
wretcbed food | was getting. Besides,
no matter how hard | worked, l could
earn no money, | was nominally being
paid at the rate OF So a week, but had to
buy 80 much extra food and so many
other things that, when | stopped work,
| found had only a. 30 in my pocket.
"Under such circumstances thought II
best to quit Costs Rict and therefore ap
pealed for assistance to the German Con
| sui at San Jose. He heard my story and
then assured me that Costa Rica was nc
/ fit place for Europeans and that the
sooner left II the better IL would be for
me. He then gave me a ticket which
| would enable me TO reach the coast and
started for Limon and reached it in du,
time.
"But how WAS to reach New York
was the question. had no money Ant
knew no captain Of a vessel who woulC
give me free passage. At last madI
up my mind what to do and one night
crept on board the steamer Ellen of the
Atlas line, which was bound for New
York, made my way to the hold and set
tied myself snugly there. The steamer
sailed next day and then l knew / wal
safe. Three days afterward | was disoov
cred, and had to pay in good, hard worh
for my passage home.
when reached New York the reaction
came after the terrible strain had under
gone, and a violent fever gripped me anc
/ kept me In hospital for some weeks Wher
was well went 10 the Office of the agents
who had induced me to 20 TO Costa Rici
by their fine promises, and asked them Il
they would not assist me In some way.
explained that during my many weeks
had been In their service had only beeI
able to save 81 90, and that instea,
OF bettering my condition by going tC
Costa Rica. was really far worse of
both as regards my health and purse thar
was before l went there To this theii
reply was that they had paid me wha
they had promised, and could do no NOR
for me. | saw that they would not he'll
me in any way, and so here | am ono
more looking olt for job. To Cost
Rica. however, no one could induce me t
60 again for all the money in America.
asked Pagge then how he had spen
the SO which he had received every week
and he replied that he could not live Of
rice and beans and had often to bu,
more substantial food and that, more
over, he had to pay SO for pair of trou
sers and similar sum for a mat, whic
was an Indispensable article for ever
European.
Altogether his tale was most woeful
and if the sufferings of Germans and Ital
ians in Costa Rica are such as he describe
them It is a marvel that the country
not strewn with the graves of Euro