The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1897-09-04
THIRTEENTH YEA9
SAN SALVADOR.
PARTING GLIMPSES OF THIS
INTERESTING COUNTRY.
The Port of acknowledgements Balsam
And how it is Obtained-The "Balsimos"
Themselves are the Nearest-Approach to
The Aboriginal Tribes Of Central America.

Acajutla, is one long to be remembered. Leav.
Ing Sonsonate early in the morning the travel.
er is treated to series Of wonderful views
Inc way winds through the center Of the sugar
district, past limtless canefelds and many
straw-thatched villages, and around two
thirds the base of Izalso that in
veterate smoker among volcanoes This
government road was built and is
still operated by North American
engineers. 1t was originally owned by native
capitalists, whose plan was to extend the
track parallel to the sea through the entire
republic in the valley back of the coast range,
Win branches through the mountain passes
to all the principal cities. But they soon be-
came involved in financial difficulties and
forfeited their subvention Then the govern
ment bought the completed portion, and is ex
tending the road as fast as the necessities of
trade demand, but 1t will be long before Saliva
doris commerce warrants the completion Of
the original plan. The railway now connects
the capital with the port, Acajutla, passing
through several important towns; it also runs
to Santa Anna, the chief town of the northern
most province, aud several other short
branches are in operation.
The Port Of AcajutIn
Acajutla is not much Of port after all
only an open roadstead where vessels are
out, according to the weather, and send their
passengers and freight ashore in lighters
1t sometimes happens that the ship has to lie
Off the so-caled port for several days, roll
ing and tossing in the long Pacific swells, I'M
able to communicate with the shore. At all
times landing is difficult, and often danger
Gus: and going aboard a steamer from the
shore is an experience no less disagreeable.
Nevertheless this port was for 300 years the
chosen stopping place Of the galleons under
the Spanish crown, and their great bodegas,
or warehouses; may yet be seem 1t at
Acajutla that Alvarado received the arrow
wound which famed him for life. History
tells us how the Spaniards were at first gener-
ously entertained by the natives. But when
the strange guests obtained foothold they
practiced such crueltieS upon the Indians
that the latter, overcome with terror, took to
their heels and spread an alarm, which re-
suited in general and desperate resistance.
There could be but one result of battle be-
tween mail-clad, we'll armed Spanish veter-
ans and naked warriors with bows and ar
rows, however the termination might be de-
layed by the bravery of the Indians who vain
ly sacrafced their lives in defense of their
homes. Alvarado took such ample revenge
for his wound that of all the vast multitudes
which opposed him-compared in the old
chronicles to the sands on the shore in num-
bers-not one remained alive when the sun
went down upon that bloody day But not
until after a second hard-fought campaign
lin 1929 was Cuscatlam, the aboriginal cap
ital, where San Salvador now stands, finally
captured, and the country reduced to prov
ince Of the vice regal kingdom of Guatemala.
In modern days Acajutla has always enjoyed
large commerce, both export and import, in
spite CT it's drawbacks. high iron pier,
erected in 1870, and covered with sheds OF
corrugated iron. extends far out from the
bluff which the dashing waves have worn
into innumerable caverns, great and small.
Peruvian BaIsam.
We timed our arrival to meet the Pacific
mail steamer, bound for San Jose, Qua -mala' g
principal port, only sixty miles to the north
ward. Just before sunset, the advertised
sailing hour, we engaged dark brown boat
man, with a profile exactly like that of Ram
eses II. and an embarrassing paucity OF
brooches, to row us over to the vessel. For
some unknown reason she did not complete hel
cargo and get up steam for a start until long
after midnight, meanwhile rocked in the
cradle Of the Deep to the lively tune Of
groans and lamentations and ax-o-o-u-ps
from as sea-sick lot of passengers as 1t was
over my ill fortune to fall among. Being our
selves comparatively proof against NAL de mer,
Notwithstanding some weeks of grease and
garlic ashore, we wrapped ourselves in rugs
in coy corner of the moonl1t deck and be-
Euiled the time with tales of the "balsam
coast" the black line of forest stretching
away to the southwark. The boatman Of the
Rameses profile furnished the text for an &C.
commodating MILDLY, who said ne had seen a
good deal Of those Indians in the capacity of
trader. The mysterious region known since
the conquest as La Costa del Balsimo Is not
quite forty miles long by eight or ten miles
wide, and extends from Acajutla to La Liber-
tad. 1t got it's name from the celebrated
balsam exuded from the tree myrospermum
Salvatoriensis, called by the aborigines holt
ziloxitl. which is indigenous nowhere else
in the world, though England, ever on the
alert to improve the resources Of her Asiatic
territory, has recently introduced it into the
Island of Ceylon. There are dense forests of
it i'll this little strip between the mountains
and the sea, the trees standing SO thickly that
it is impossible to penetrate the territory Oh
horseback. The region is broken by spurs
and ranges trending down from the low noun
tains to the laundering surf, and Is inhabited
exclusively by Indians, who are little changed
from the aboriginal condition. Their sole oc-
cupation is collecting the aromatic resin
known in materia medica as peruvian bal
sam" In the earlier period of the Spanish
occupation, nearly all the treasures Of
this coast, mineral and vegetable, were
sent to Callao, the Peruvian port, for ship
1nent to Spain; hence the name of the balsam
because for centuries Europe believed it to
be product of South America.
How 1t Is Obtained.
To this day it comes only from the coast o.
Salvador and is extensively used in the max
ing of perfumery and as an external applica
IlOU lOr Lue cure VI luuOleuI SOieS. IL Is alS'
considered sovereign remedy for asthma
and other pectoral complaints, and has neve
lost favor among modern medicines The
hoitiloxitl is lofty, leguminous tree, Otter
towering from $50 to 200 feet in height, blu
slender, possibly because without room (
spread out in the dense, dark forest. 1t make!
the most beautiful cabinet wood imaginable
something like mahogany, but redder an
exqusitely veined, taking on fine polist
and retaining its agreeable odor for Ion:
time; but it can very rarely be obtained, a
the trees are never felled until either by ag'
or accidental decay their precious sap be
comes exhausted. There are two methods o
extracting the viscid liquid. The first con
ss.s il scrapi1g the skin off the bark with
sharp machete, much as physician woul
prepare an arm for vaccination, onl
pn larger scale. The scraping
Ire, perhaps, an eighth of an inc
deep and twelve inches square, and ar
made all along the trunk and stout branche
OF the tree. Immediately after this operation
the scraped places are heated by applyin
burning torches, made out of the drie
branches OF tree called chimaliota, and at
terward raw cotton or pieces of old cloth ar
=; spread on the half-charred places. BY punch
ing the cloth against the tree with the edg
of the machete it is soon made to adhere, an
is left day or two. Then it is gathered an
put to boil in big iron pot While still no
3 from the boiling it is taken out and squeeze
In primitive machine made OF strong rope
q t!da ard wooden levers worked by hand