Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-11-02
THE NICARAGUAN CANAL,
Latest News from the Scene Of Work
on the New Isthmuan Route.

Mrs. E. Guerrero. daughter of the consul for
Nicaragua at Philadelphia, Henry C. Potter
has just returned from trip to Central
America. In the Philadelphia Press she gives
an account Of work on the Nicaraguan canal.
She went over the route of the canal on which
the surveys have just been completed. 1.-THE
work of surveying" said Mrs Guerrero, "has
of course been thoroughly done and the strict
est economy has been observed by the chief
engineers in the prosecution of the work.
While only one or two of the young surveyors
have died, nearly all of them have been ill. It
was the intention to have taken pitch pine
houses from New Orleans to be used as quarters
for the engineers, but unfortunately they
never arrived and the poor young fellows were
compelled to sleep in tents in the swamps, ex-
posed to fever and malaria. They also COM
planned that the gum blankets purchased for
their use were not as good as they should have
been and the mattresses on their iron tent bed
steads were not more than an inch and a half
thick. What they complained of most was
their food-hard tack and canned meat They
mad been getting pickles as a relish, but AS
slstant Chief Engineer LIE Baron decided that
they were living too high and cut off the sup
ply Of pickles. Then the poor fellows COM
planned
How many civil engineers are there work.
ing on the surveys" continued Mrs Guerrero,
as she yanked a favorite Ncaraguan monkey
OH the reporters hat and sent it out of the
room IN disgrace. well, about 300 They re-
ceive $50 per month and are paid in CHILEAN
and Peruvian dollars; old soils. These old dol
lars are worth 20 cents apiece, at least that is
what got for some | sold here l got SO so
for five of them. Still Chief Engineer Menocal
Is splendid man, and was well treated by
Assistant Chief Engineer lie Baron,
NO YELLOW FEVER
''Now, there is one thing I'd like you to con-
tradict," suddenly exclaimed Mrs. Guerrero. as
she handed the reporter for inspection an old
Toltee piece of pottery, said to be LOO wears
olu ana excavated from the recently discov-
cred caves, but which now rests on the old
fashioned sideboard once used by Joseph Bon
eparte. I'D like you to deny the statement
that there IS yellow fever in Greytoyn, Mica
raSua- There IS not case of yellow fever in
Nicaragua and the case which raised such
fuss when the HondO came into New York was
picked up at Livingstone, Honduras. That
case know all about as l was aboard the
Hondo, and the patient died just as we got into
New York. 1t was William Brunn a German,
going back to Europe for his sweetheart.
DON'T LIKE MINISTER MEEsNER.
"The people of Nicaragua don't like the new
minister from the United States. His name is
Meesner and he is from California. The peo-
pie of Nicaragua are generally well educated,
very many OF them having received their edu-
cation IN Europe and this country They look
upon Mr.. Meesner as a very ordinary man. and
outside OF their desire to have a cultured rep
resentatlve from this country, Mr.. Meesner has
forfeited the respect of the Nicaraguans by his
petty interference III their family affairs The
people there have kindly feeling for the
United States and celebrate every Fourth of
July IN the city of Granada in honor of Ameri-
can independence. And" concluded Mrs.
Guerrero, every man, woman, and child in
Nicaragua battles every day. and soap makers
are earning 500 per week there