The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1897-06-12

AS STRETCHED BY OUR CORRES-
PONDENTS,
The Suburbs Of San JAan Del NOrte-
Principal Streets Of GreytOwn-
Nic0rHEuan HOtcl-A Queer Story.
San Juan de. Norte (Greytown),


special Observation-Disclosures IN
common with other Central American re-
pubiics, presents the remarkable feature OF
having its best lands and navigable rivers
on the Atlantic slope, overlooking that ocean
which is the highway to the great markets OF
the word, but having all its large towns it's
cultivated SOIL and most of it's commerce on
h@e~eaesfc sidos where +: is practically de-
barred from the advantages offered by it's
opposite coast
1t has long been the hope and effort of these
republics to change this anomalous state Of
things and to utilize the magnificent resources
or their Atlantic shores, through immigra-
ton; but immigration has langushed, through
lack OF necessary means CT communication
from the eastern ocean to the interior. 1t is
not much the want Of public spirit" as OF
capital IN these poor little republics which has
retarded the building Of railways and the
opening Of ports and rivers to naviga zion.
When once these a..-impOrtant improvements
have been effected, through outside aid, there
will be need of premiums to encourage i'm
migration, for thOusa nds of the surplus pop
ulation of Europe and the United States Will
quickly hnd their way 20 the inestimable
wealth Of forest fed. and mine that now lies
dormant, awaiting the hand of labor.
Thanks 20 the United States, Nicaragua has
como nearest 10 solving this problem through
the inter-oceanic ship canal, which IS bound
to he completed some day. Tina: fact alone
gives importance 10 this shabby little "Grey
,own'-it being Nicaraguas only Atlantic
por. outside the Mosquito reservation. and the
eastern terminus of the ship canal. Properly,
its name is not Grey:own, as most English
speaking people persist in calling it, but San
Juan de. Norte Saint John of the North), in
coHtradistinctiCn to San Juan del Sur (of the
South)-thc town at the other end of the San
Juan River.
Origin of the Name.
The ancient name was dropped half GEN.
fury ago by the Eng.ismen Of Balze and Hon
duras: and within the last few years the
Nicaraguan government has made praise
worthy effort TO suppress the ignoble alias
''Greytown," by designating it's posoffice San
Juan del Ncr.e. The Central American re-
pub.ics are rightly jealous of such liberties
which foreign settlers. particularly English
men, so often take. and sometimes resort to
extreme measures in preserving the original
name AS in the case Of Panama, when the
Americans. after building a railroad across
the isthmus thought 10 turn its eastern ter
minus from Colon 20 Aspinwa.l, and sue
reedsd. until the Colombian government gave
instructions 10 its postmasters that as no
sucn place as Asplnwall existed within the
republic, letters so addressed should be re-
turned 10 the senders
This odd collection of rude shacks and white
painted, red-roCfei frame houses the latter
mostly built in the United States and brought
here in sectlons), struggles haphazard along
Il slndbar, with lagoon behind It and an mother
in front, and end OF coarse grass and
scrubby bushes on all sides The low coast
to which the sand-har belongs rises just above
the sea and nc mere, the land for long dis
lance being composed solely of sediment,
which the gre&t river has been bringing down
for ages from the mountains of the interior.
The mouth CT the river has shifted about as
the deposit iIc!easet!-;ho lagoon that now
hes in from Of the town being part of an
ancient mouth, or harEor.
70 explain this as briefly as possible: When
the great lake of Nicaragua at some remote
period forced an cut!et by the channel now
called the San Juan River, it's waters entered
the sea at this point. In process of time the
detrtus, or 's!it,' brought down by the river
from he extensive watersheds which it drains
accumulated right ard left of its mouth in the
shape Of sandy beach-that to the left stead
lily extending along the mainland and stretch
ing far away to the ICr.hward, thus fornin
the western side of the harbor This beach,
composed of black, me;a lic-looking sand
ends abruptly where the Indian River empties
Itself INFO the Atlantic, about two and one
half miles north of San Juan.
Delta of the San Juan. .'
This g.oomy deposit is marked feature Of
that part of the coast dominated by the San
Juan River, in striking contrast to the silver
sands Of the Indian ard other rivers. On the
right hand the detritus, after a struggle with
the force OF the stream which bore it down
ward, and the ocean waves and tradewinds
which strove to beat it back, deposited itself
in q semi-clrcu.ar fOrn-thus building the
other side of the bow7-Shaped harbor. In
process OF time magnificent bay was COM
p.eted, the crescent-shaped sandbar extend
ing Itself like curved arm far enough around
to afford perfect shelter from seward winds
and waves; and for long period of time the
force OF the rivers current kept the center
deep and the mouth open.
fnyU a hNr.
quo. The same law which produced, at length
became active in destroying it's beautiful
handiwork; for after the formation Of the
harbor the water Of the river was naturally
kept back or damned up, and the greater part
OF its volume compelled to seek another
outlet TO the sea-which it did, via the Rio
Colorado, formerly an insignificant branch
Of the San Juan's delta. The consequence
was that with the diminution OF "scour,' or
force of sea current, by reason of five-eighths
of the river seeking another outlet, and the
increased rapidity with which the detritns
is deposited the destruction Of the port was
speedy. Now. ali the way down from the
apex of the delta to the mouth Of the river
there is series of sand bars, while in the
harbor itself the depth OF water has dimin-
ishcd more than half The crescent-shaped
sand pit has effected permanent Junction
with the mainland, and the only entrance to
the once splendid harbor has a capricious
existence varying in depth in accordance
with the weather outside and the consequent
volume of water available for "scour."
The attempt of -man- to- oppose his puny
force to that OF nature, in maintaining q
large harbor on the delta Of any great river, is
generally mere waste Of money and energy
the respected engineer corps of the ship
canal to the contrary Notwithstanding. Every
body landing at Sail Juan del Norte has more
CT less exciting experience in the ordeal Of
being "lightered" ashore. If the sea be heavy
as it is about 365 days in the year-the
passenger is placed in chair on deck, and
then lowered, chair and all, to the Fighter
bobbing and dancing on the waves below
he spins crafty around like a badly balanced
lcp and clutches srani.caliy at empty air
during the transit between the rolling steamer
and lurching lighter and repeats the per
Torrance without an encore before render
ing thanks for safe. deliverance from thu
latter to the little tug that finally takes hin
10 terra frma. The American company which
undertook the construction of the ship cana
opened artificial communication into the Olt
harbOr; but today only the smallest coast
ing vessels can drift over the bar with thu
swell, and once inside must anchor in tn
middle Of the lagoon for lack of water; while
ali ocean-going cralf wait far outside.
Canal COmpany's improvements.
The landing-place includes small wooden
bulkhead and big corrugated iron rooted
shed for goods. The goods are scarce, how
ever. since the decline Of the BOOM and few
White faces are seen among the wharf ioun 6
ers The buildings Of the canal company III
TO the right of the channel leading into tn,