Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-23
ON THE MAGDALENA.
Strange Things to be Seen in the
United States of Colombia.
FLEAS, MOSQUITOES AND NATIVES.
Vast Tracts of the Finest Land That May
be Had for the Asking.
BIG FORTUNES IN THE ALLIGATORs

CORRESPONDENCE OF TIE DIsPATcHl
BARRAN NQUILLA, COLOMBIA, January
17.-Though distant from New York scarcely
| 1000 miles, this northernmost Republic of
the Southern continent is less known to the
world than the heart of Africa; and its 300
year-old capital is almost as difficult of
access. Until recently there has been no
communication between the ports of the
United States and those of Colombia, its
nearest neighbor, and to this day there is no
direct way of reaching them.
Some four years ago an English company
established line OF steamers between New
York and the mouth of the Magdalena
river (the great fuviaI highway to Colon
bias interior), by which two trips per
month are made; but the vessels go first to
several West India ports, consuming Is days
in the voyage to Colombia. Three times a
month the Pacific Mail steamers leave New
York for Aspinwall; and at.the latter place
one may always find steamer under almost
I any flag but the Stars and Stripes which
will stop at the Caribbean ports on its way
| to Europe.
But when you have reached this point, the
| journey to Colombia's capital has hardly
begun. Before you is short railroad ride
to Barranquilla, and then 280 miles by boat
up tine river to Honda, near the head OF
navigation occupying from 10 to 30 days,
according to the time of year; and from
Honda to Bogota, the capital city, though
| only distance OF 20 miles, is the worst part
of the trip, requiring at least four days on
mule-back, over sky-piercing sierras.
NO GOOD HARBoRs.
Colombia possesses no harbo= worthy the
name-those OF Aspinwall and Panama be-
ing the best. Besides the last named inse-
cure and rocky port, there is but one other
| on the Pacific side-that of Buenaventura,
which has lately been brought Into some
| degree of prominence. On the Atlantic
coast-or, more correctly speaking, on that
of the Caribbean seattle only available
shipping place for Colombian commerce is
Sabanilis; both Aspinwall and Panama be-
ing merely ports Of transit trade, with so
little OF local industry that primeval forests
crowd close upon them.
Sabanilla is the most desolate and dirty of
fishing villages, of no consequence what
ever, except Tor its bay, which, though
totally inaccessible to large vessels, has been
made to answer the purposes of a seaport,
by company Of enterprising Germans. In
1871 some Bremen gentlemen put lighters
and steam tugs on Sabanilla Bay, for the
benefit of larger vessels that could not come
into it, and laid line of railroad from the
coast to the old Spanish town of Barran-
auilla, 16 miles inland. The consequence
is that the latter hitherto insignificant vii
lage of hardly 20 houses has suddenly bios
somed out into the most important city in the
Republic, commercially speaking, with a
population of $4,000, and still growing.
The Custom House is now located in Bar
ranquilla pronounced Bahr-ran-kiel-ya),
and through it must go all merchandise and
passengers bound Tor ''up the rivef," or
coming down from Colombia's interior into
the outer world.
NOT A GREEN THING IN SIGHT.
Sabanilla is not situated on the main
land, but on a long and narrow sand-spit
that has formed itself at the mouth of the
river. Its bay is full of shifting sand-bars
and exposed to the fury of tropical storms.
Not green thing grows within sight of
Sabanilla; and nobody lives there but
miserable colony of cargadores, or boatmen,
and few even more degraded saloon
keepers, who absorb all the money the
wretches earn, in exchange for the vilest of
native intoxicants. All up and down the
coasts of South America the cargadores are
necessary evils-as there are few places
where vessels can approach the shore
and these of Colombia are mostly Canary
Islanders, with liberal sprinkling of low
class Italians, and few Cinnamon. Their
palm-thaEched huts are filthy beyond de-
scriptIOn, but not more so than the occu-
pants-men and women more than half
unclothed, and their numerous offspring
entirely so.
There is not drop of fresh water in the
place; all that is used being brought in
canoes from point about eight miles up
the river. Yet the water business is not
brisk, though retailed by the dipperfull, for
a very small quantity serves for the meager
cooking of the Sabanillans; while cheap
liquor (dear at any price, is the universal |
beverage. Even less is used for laVatory
purposes, fresh or salt, though the wide |
ocean, rolling up to their doors, furnishes |
as fine bathing facilities as can be found in |
any quarter of the globe. Indeed, the peo-
pie seem to entertain hydrophobic terror of |
water in any form; and the pig-taifed Celes-
tial who runs the only laundry in the place,
looks like sad case of slow starvation.
ROBBERS AND FLEAs.
Woe unto the luckless traveller who is |
compelled to stay over night in Sabanilla's |
alleged hotel Murder and robbery are of |
common occurrence. But even were the |
Sa0anlllanS angels IN disguise the place |
would be intolerable on account of excessive |
heat and swarming feas. Were it not for |
the ocean breezes that constantly sweep |
across the desolate sand-spit, blowing up |
the sand in binding. clouds, no human !
being could abide thereon. At every step |
in its paVementless streets you sink ankle |
deep into the burning sand, every infnites- |
imal grain of which Is loaded with flea, |
whose sting is like the puncture of red |
hot needle. About the only industrious cit |
izens have found so far in South America |
are ''the wicked feas" In five minutes |
time they will completely blacken your
hose and cover your garments inside and |
out; nor cease from troubling until you are |
tattooed from head to foot like South Sea |
Islander.
Baranquilla is by all odds the most modern |
town in Colombia-unless it may be Aspin- |
wall-having many handsome houses and |
a considerable foreign colony. Some of the |
principal merchants of the Republic live |
here, most of them Germans, who maintain
considerable style and entertain with gener-
ous hospitality, although living is uncom-
monty high.
ITS MILITARY IMPORTANCE.
Commanding, as it does, the only outlet
from the interior, this New York OF the Car
ibbean coast is of no small consequence,
aio1