The morning call., 1893-11-05
VOYAGE OF THE HARKINS.
Some Interesting Facts About
the Southern Ell Dorado.
SWAMP LANDS HARD TO WORK.
Plenty of the Yellow Metal There,
But 1t Is Hard to
Get At.

| Not many weeks ago the schooner Nora
| Harkins re urned from trip to Esmeral-
| das. Ecuador, and discharged at the Main
| street wharf
| The Harkins is the vessel which was
chartered by the EsmeraIdas Mining Com
| pany, an English corporation, with head
quarters at London, to sail with machinery
and supplies to the Southern Ell Dorado.
| Twenty miners went down on the Hark-
| ins, most of whom remained at the mines.
Some of the prospeetors returned with her
to San Francisco, and from them, and
from Supercargo HaDscom. some interest
| ing facts of the strange coast of Ecuador
were obtained.
| Great wealth is hidden in the gold
| fields of Esmeraldas, but therei is great
| difficulty in getting at the precious metal.
| The whole country is low and swampy
and filled with venomous insects and rep
| tiles.
| A fine harbor once existed at the town OF
Esmeraldas, but the wash of sands from
the river. called by the natives Rio
| Grande, has gradually filled it with shoals
and innumerable little islands covered
with luxurant vegetation.
''These islands form a complete chain
across the western entrance to the
harbor." said Mr.. Hanscom. Trees drift
down and are stranded in the shallow
! basins and in an incredibly short space
of time the drifting sands create islands
about them upon which cOcoanut palms
take root, while tropical flora blossoms
forth in all its glory of varegated
colOrs. Almost the entire mouth of the
river in its shallow parts is sprinkled with
| these pretty but dangerous distractions.
| q
very difficult of access. 1t is not often
visited by Europeans or North Americans.
Innumerable bayous and creeks intelsect
it in every direction. 1t is almost impossi-
BILE to sink a shaft there, for water is only
few feet from the surface. and it is very
difficult task to keep shaft pumped clear.
''The Esmeraldas Mining Company has. q
capital stock of S10.000,000 aud 1t Is said
has ample ready money to develop Its
property, which it will undoubtedly try to
do. as their mines are very rich.'
| YES" spoke UP one OF the miners from
the South who was present during the
conversation, Il do not know of any
richer district in the world, but it will
take a great deal of capital to work it.. AT
| least $500, 600 will have to be expended by
the English corporation before it pro badly
can get any return.
Poor men have no business to go to
Esmeraldas. Native labor is 100 cheap to
compete with. No white man can stand
the humid climate and perform much
manual labor"
There is strange people at Esmeral-
das and inland from there" continued Mr..
Henscom. "Most of the inhabitants are
genuine negroes. at the same time they
are natives of the country.
Several hundred years ago when the
Spaniards ruled Ecuador they brought
from Jamaica and Africa large number
| of negro slaves. The Spanish population
gradually died off from the fever and other
diseases and the African was left sole pos
| SCISSOR of the wilderness of swamp lands
and hill country. These Ecuadorans are
simple people, easily pleased and influ-
enced. There is scarcely one Of them who
has any conception or the extent and
power of foreign nations, or any idea of
the immensity OF the world. We brought
three natives to San Francisco with us.
They begged us to allow them to make the
trip and we finally consented. You can
not imagine the Impression San francisco
| has made upon them; they live in con-
slant surprise and their simple vocabulary
is entirely inadequate to convey their ex-
uberance of feeling"
Food and clothing come high at Esmer-
aldas and unless one purchases at the
company's store he is liable TO be cheated;
| Very few vessels touch at the port, and
! those persons who have not the means to
support them while waiting for work had
| better stay away.
The Esmeraldas Mining Company in-
tends sending the Harkins back to the
mines with supply of machinery. lumber
and provisions.
1t was rumored some time ago that the
| CORPORA tiOn had secured the steamer Alice
| Blanchard to make the voyage, but as the
! Blanchard is still in Oakland Creek 1t is
| not presumed that she is going.
| Joseph Canary. a seaman, who has
! spent much of his time in South America,
told THE GALL reporter of his experience
in Ecuador.
Il have been in the vicinity of the Es-
meraldas a number of times" quote he,
land l would not care TO live there.
"OEe has to cut ones way through the
| dense underground when he wishes TO
travel about. One time l was lost for
eighteen hours in the jungles and l am
sure l never want To have a like
| adventure again. 1t came night, so |
climbed into tree and stayed there until
morning. l dropped into a doze toward
daylight and when l awoke found myself
surrounded by chattering band of mon
keys that played about me in strange FASH
ion. They became more and more bold
until finally | was obliged to beat hasty
retreat apparently much to the satisfac-
tion of the monkeys for they Immediately
set up Dedam of victorious cries.
II found my way back 10 camp after
about half an hours walk. l had been
within a mile 0f if during the niphtV