New-York tribune., 1891-04-22

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onnosite shore of the lake, tomorrow night the
excursion has been made more rapidly than the
sunerintendpnt's cautious forecast led me 10 eN-
nect Certainly il has been very novel ana eA-
bilarating experience, enlivened with ghmpses Oh
Nicaraguan domestic life and customs, as well as
river scenery.
The first stage of the journey was the OUTSIDE
MASSAGE from the sreallwater over the Colorado
bar. 1t was made in the COburgo, stanch but
leaky galley. commanded by an American naval
officer The Petrol was passed outside the bar al
Greytown. staggering little warshp, with four
formidable guns A boat was sent out 1or U"o
iolly officers who had been entertained over night
on shore, and when they were taken OH, the
Coburgo stood down the coast in hlSn-rollhS
sea, with the Colorado breakers long way aheau'
The first cape beyond the breakwater is known as
Harb0r Head. where passage from Jhe h8ooh ID
gradually sitting up with sand Geyond II there
is another outlet of the San Juan River, with a
dry bed now, but invariably flushed out during
the rainy season. This opens seaward, and not
into the lagoon, which receives the dismissed
waters of the San Juan and forms the harbor Oh
Greytown. Where Nicaragua ends and Costa
Rica begins is one of the unsearchable mysteries
of diplomacy President Cleveland decided that
San Juan from the extremity of Punta de Castillo
as it existed in 1853. Where the Punta once was
and where it is now nobody knows. One engineer
has drawn for me chart of the harbor, with the
channel of 1858 outlined to the east of the break
water and directly in front of the canal head
quarters and hospitals. IL is now solid sand
bank the new channel having been opened several
hundred yards to the west Ii this theory is correct
both breakwater piers are in Costa Rica; but
Nicaragua disputes this reading of the old charts
and locates Punta de Castillo somewhere be-
tween the harbOr entrance and the Colorado bar.
The winds have been blowing and the sands have
been sitting since e5S, and the old coast-lne is
no longer recognizable. fTesident CeVeIanu
probably fancied that he had decided the boundary
dispute with judicial impartiality when he declared
that - the ownership of the accretOn Of Punta de
Castillo is governed by laws applicable to the sub
iect He left the location Of the Punta, how
ever. an open question, and it is matter of
uncertainty whether the entrance to Greytown
harbor is not technically through Costa Rcan
territory according to the text of his decision
In any event. this is the opinion of one of the
engineers now surveying the boundary between the
rival nations.
Colorado bar is in Costa Rica undoubtedly. II
is line of reefs with swirling currents and foam
in danger of striking submerged rocks even when
the sea is smooth. WlRn the water is rough and
q high surf is running the bar, the passage is
one TO induce feeling of giddinesS. The naval
officer takes charge of the wheel as the breakers
are approached, and the glow on his face and the
sparkle in his eyes disclose his sense of excite
ment. 1t is for the sake of plotting the boat over
the bar that he Is content with his place as COM
mander of a tOw-boa5. For three minutes OF each
passage he has the eXhiarating consciousness Of
being in extreme danger and of having other
mems lives dependent upon his GOODNESS and self
possession. The line of treacherOus reefs is
directly ahead; the boat quivers from stem 10
stern; moment more and it is in the breakers
and has shot through them; and the captain leaves
the wheel his interest in the voyage at an end
That brief interval Of excitement and selfre-
straint cOmpensateS him for the dull drudgery OF
his ordinary service for his employers.
little steamer named the Yrna lies at a wharf
near the mouth Of the Colorado. 1t has brought
down the river number Of passengers from
Managua and Leon, and they have been week
on the way This docs not promise well for
quick passage to the Pacific, but whoever travels
in Central America ceases TO borrow trouble or TO
think of making connections with trains or steam
ers, but joys along as rapidly as he can counting
a little progress each day great gain In the
course of two hours freight has been exchanged
and the two steamers start out together, one for
Greytown and the other for Machuca Rapids.
Hardly had the handkerchiefs ceased TO futter
and the stean-whistcs to converse in shriu
shrieks when a great wall arose from fellow
passenger, TO whom had been assigned the larg-
est stateroom of the Yma, facenOusy, known as
the bridal-chamber. lie was one OF those mis-
guided unfortunates condemned 20 make the hard
est OF hard work of travel by devotion 70 pho
tograDhy. He had been in Mexico and Central
aTneTica and had used camera most industri
ously, several hundreds of undeveloped negatives
and large supply of glass plates being in his
trunk. His distress was caused by the discovery
that during the passage over the Colorado bar
his trunk had been drenched with water
drcss-suit soaked Prince Albert coat was
covered with slinly deposit Of Colorado sand;
books, papers, curiosities, brushes and neckties
were matted together, dscolored and water
marked; but no tears shed over these
triies. Il was the collection Of negatives, packed
In dozens of boxes and tightly wedged across
the bottom of the trunk, which had caught either
the crest Of the Colorado breakers or the waste
OF steam-pipe and been irretrievGbly ruined
The carelessness of negro porter in slowing
the trunk in the hold of tie Cobrugo had brought
70 naught the results Of months Of scientific