The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1897-05-15
HONDURAS
FROM PACIFIC SIDE AS SEEN BY
OUR ORRESPONDENT.
Some Ut the Scenes in that Far Off COun-
try-TOuseca Bay Beautiful Sheet of
Water - Atlantic Supremacy Annapolis
Sceres-Getting to the Capital.

t.
between the sharp corners of Nicaragua and
San Salvador. Honduras has three ports on
this great bay-La Brea and San Lorenzo, on
the mainland, and Amapala, on Tigre Island
hfteen miles out. The latter is the seat OF
Western Honduras must discharge their
freight and passengers there to be conveyed
In sailboats and canoes, when freed from the
clutch Of the customs officials, to San Lo-
reno or La Brea-a five hours sail, in IA
vorable weather. TO either port. or the two
La Brea is rather the MOS: frequented, being
the western terminus Of the highway leading
to the capital, while a branch of the same
road runs to San Lorenzo. They call it nine
ty miles from La Brea TO Tegucigaipa-but
be traversed only in the saddle the journey
usually occupying three or four days.
Fonxeca Bay
Mr.. e. G. Squire, when Charge d'Affaires of
the United States 20 the Republics of Contra,
America, characterized Fonseca Bay, some.
times called Colo de Amapala, as -'beyond
dispute the finest por,, or constellation Of
ports on the entire Pacific coast of this CONT.
nent.' 1t is so miles in greatest length
thirty miles In average width, deep enough fol-
the largest vessels Of the world 20 ride in
safety, protected from ocean storms BY en-.
Islands.
Entering it from the ocean, through the
elghteen-mlle- wlde pass between two lofty
volcanoes, Conchagua and Cosequina which
stand like giant warders on either hand
you see vast expanse Of water, green az
1he greenest malachite, dotted with conicaI
Islands; every island fringed with cocoa
palms. under which groups of straw-thatched
nuts are set, in half-cleared spaces close 70
shore. Evidences of volcanic action abound
on every hand-n the cone-shaped islands,
which look as if they had dubbed I'D, at o
nj In hn o1,,cl 80 hsr~
rocks, whose sides have been tuuneled by
the waves into enormous arches, and in thu
distant mountains of the mainland, ragged
peaks and rocky, preciptous ranges dmiy
outlined against the horizan on three Sides
The most important island in the bay, though
by no means the largest is Tigre, because
OF its position in a military point OF view,
commanding the westward gates Of three re-
pub.ics-Honduras, Nicaragua, and San Sal
Vador. Only twenty miles in circumference
1t towers 5000 feet above the water, a per-
feet cone, as beautifully rounded as if chis-
eled by art Beyond doubt it Is an extnc.
smokestack from Vulcan's forge, below. No:
a rock or stone can be founG d upon It, ey-
erything being OF comparatively recent VOL
canlc formation, the island Itself, the tum-
b!ed-down Wharves, the founda lions Of the
houses, the garden walls, all Of the same
material. 1t got is name "Tigre" Spanish
for tiger, because formerly infested with
those ieroc!ous beasts. Probably there are
OF the interior. where much large game
abounds. but fer many years none have been
seen in this neighborhood except upon SAGA E.
Grande, the larges: and fiattest island in th e
bay, which lies between Tigre and
the Honduran shore. In the early
pirate resort, there were considerable InGaan
villages upon them all. During brakes
operations in the South Sea he had his depot
on Tigre Island, and the inoffensive villagers
suffered SO. much from his cutthroat gang
that they fled en- ulasse 10 the mainland.
Atlantic Supremacy.
Then the islands remained almost unin-
habited and forgotten until about the year
1883 when some enterp1ising merchants, led
by Sandman merchant named Dardano,
who had married lady Of Tegucigalpa OBJ
tanned large gran. on Tigre from the Hon
DURAN government, and esta blished their
headquarters at Amapala. They built great
warehouses and substantial buildings, and for
some years carried on an extensive trade, d.
rect with Bremen, Liverpool, Marseilles,
Genoa, New York, and Valparaiso, FURNISHING
the adjacent republics with foreign COM
modilies and exporting bullion, silver and cop
per ores, indigo, hides, precious woods, even
tobacco, corn, and sugar. the cultiva-
ton OF the latter having been in
trodueed on the mainland with view
to supplying the Californian market But
during the railway building boom in Hon
duraS. which began on the eastern coast at
Puerto Cadallos, trade veered around to the
Atlantic seaports. But there is nothing on
the other side OF Honduras which can hold a
candle to Fonseca Bay. A volume might be
written on Tigre island alone; its fine eli
mate and beautiful scenery, its remarkable
but wholly undeVeicped resources, agricul-
tural and commercially; it's commanding mill
tary position, and splendid facilities for for
LITIGATION. and for the formation Of a great
O FRI hio1,
Central American trade. Early as 1850 Mr.
Squler forwarded series of dispatches to
the United States government, strongly adyo.
eating the purchase Of Tigre from Honduras
and the establishment thereon of a naya
station. It may be remarked en- PEASANT tha,
Mr.. Squier's advice is equally good today
The same conditions exist, in even greater
degree our need Of a station in these waters
being Increased by the awakening Of the
Spanish American republics to the advan.
tages of trade with the United States
On the northern side of this island, puo-
tected from the great ocean swell, lies ANA.
pala, a little town Of perhaps thousand pao-
PIE, crowded in between steep hills and pref
acsd by beach of yellow sand.
The .and-.ocked circle between it and Other
1slands-a karbor within harbor-is calm az
trout poo, bu. with room enough to anchor
thousand vessels. within pisto!-shot of the
town. YET owing TO the Incidence Of the ma.
tiVss. the short distance between anchorage
and shore mus; be made by passengers II
dug-ou: canoes end ,i,tle sai.boats with curl
GUS awnings. While freight is conveyed or
Igaters by men using rude paddles tied tt
long po.es. The wilacves of Senior Dardano's
day have fallen into decay in the lapse Of
years. and seemingly ,here is nobody in Hon
duras with energy enough to repair them. The
Doats are 4riln as near as possi b.e to the shelly
ing beach, and both passengers ard freigh
ttoted" to shore on the boatmen's Shoulders
r Amapala Scenes.
Ones first impression Of Amapala is O
wonderfully vivid coloring green sea, blu
sky. yellow beach, white-walled houses. lusl
mountain foliage, gorgeous flowers. and bird
OF brilliant plumage. To the right of tn
landing place, in small plaza, fu1l Of cocoa
nut trees, stands white marble statue o
Francisco sMorazan. The low iron fence sur
rounding it has all its posts topped with fig
nres representing the quetzal-the nationa
emblem of liberty, like Uncle Samnel,s agl
the bright green bodies, scarlet breast vel
low heads and long tails Of the little birds re
produced as faithfully as fresh paint can do 1t
A prominent feature in the landscape is tn,
inevitable barracks, with swarthy cigarette
smoking soldiers lounging around 1t; thei
wretched looking women squatted on til,
ground near by cooking tortillas and frejoles
: ana naked babies rolling in the said. Beyont