The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1897-04-24
CARINTO
NlCARAGUA'S PRINCIPAL PACI-
FIG PORT.
Church OF MERGED and Volcano of Ell Viejo
-Harbor of Corinto-San Juan Street.
Leon-How Corinto Lles-The Womcn-


verse cane seats, and those of the. second
class parallel wooden benches. AS on most
Central American reads, ticket en-
titles the holder to transportation
for himself only, all luggage be-
ing charged extra, at rate per pound
which makes trunk of ordinary size a most
expensive luxury. The sole exception to this
rule in Nicaragua is the short line between
Managua, the present capital. and Grenada,
which allows twenty-five pounds Of baggage
free with each first class ticket. Through
the train lags along so slowly through this
land of "manana" that one could walk the
distance in less time, one feels no inclina-
ton to hasten it, so interesting is the pros
pect on every hand. We had few passengers
in the cane seated cars, but the sans culottes
of the wooden benches were many and merry,
and mostly women-thcir husbands and faith
ers making the trip by cheaper mule transit
or "shank's horses" The railway is still
an establishment to these people, and the de-
light they feel in the novel adventure OF ride
in the cars is pleasant to behold-the women,
particularly in a high state of excitement,
laughing and chattering like so many happy
children. In this part of Nicaragua the
general character of the country is level
covered with scrub forests, thickly settled
and sparsely cultivated. The few patches Of
bananas, beans, corn, and sugar cane are
fenced with live" hedges of wild pineapples
or the so-called organ" cactus, whose tall
slender spires, set close together, look very
much like the pipes of that instrument. Much,
OF the land is carpeted with coarse grass, and
many cattle browse thereon. The lack of
birds in the trees is noticeable, but there are
myrads Of brilliant butterflies, sometimes
literally filling the air like cloud At all
ho 1n CT hoo -o1 h1y% hoto
lagos were groups of beautiful women and
girls. selling joints of sugar cane, candy, and
c sweet drink made of chocolate and corn
meal. All wore embroidered white chemses
and gay-colored petticoats, their luxuriant,
jet-black hair creased with cocoanut oil till
1t shone again. then braide1 aud piled at the
back of the head, and . nnot g bright flowers
stuck coquettishl, over one ear.
Eow Corinto Lies.
Finally we came into a region of swamps
and lagoors. which the railway crosses on
trest!es, then some distance along the edge
OF the sea, where the Pacific rolls up the
beach in measured swells and breaks upon
the rocks in showers Of foam. Corinto- is not
much of place, considering its Importance as
the chief port of this republic. 1t is situated
on a low island, just separated from the
mainland, and it's harbor is deep enough to
anchor steamers within stones throw o.
shore. Cargo is brought to land in great
lighters each rowed by eight or ten men,
with huge paddles; the lighters are run ur
on the broad, smooth beach, and the freight
transferred to the shoulders of half-nakeJ
men, who trot off with it to the warehouse
Fifty feet back from the waters edge are
few blocks of two-story houses, all painted
blue and facing the harbor, with sandy
street between each block. There are perhaps
$500 inhabitants, including foreign popu-
lation' of five regular residents, augmented
steamer DAVIS nv transient vicitOrc
stewards from vessels in the harbor In the
center of the street facing the ocean is big
blue painted, red-roofed building, with YER
andas surrounding both stories. Its first floor
does duty as a custom house; it's second as
a barracks. On each side of it are buildings
just like it, only of smaller size, used by
merchants. consuls, and consular agents. 4
little way back is the railway station, whence
two trains every day crawl away to the in
terror. The soil all about is sandy, and CO.
coanut trees abound. Near the lighthouse
which stands on another tiny island close by
Corinto, is an ordinary wooden structure
built over a small excavation on the edge
OF rocky cliff. The excavation contains
an old-fashioned gun, mounted on "block
gun carriage, and from window of the
house peeps the barrel of a small cannon
II this martial array is intended only for the
firing of peaceful salutes it is certainly re-
markably placed; but if meant for defense
in time of need nobody but a Mark Twain
or Josh Billings could do it justice At
certain seasons of the year COrinto is a very
busy and much crowded place, as, for in
stance, when the coffee crop is brought down
to be marketed.
A Placid Spot.
1t is a bright and sunny little burg, with
its green palms and sky-blue houses. the
waters OF its harbor dancing and flashine
all day, and radiating by night with phos-
phorescent fires. Yet it must be confessed
that life would soon get pretty monotonous
here for an active individual. The principal
hotel Is big wooden shed roughly divided
into stalls. 1t really deserves no better name,
and Well-brought-up Pennsylvania horse or
cow where good barns are the rule would dis
dain to abide in it. 1t is built around pa
to- full Of palms and fleas and empty bottles
from the bar. The sleeping-rooms on the
second floor are airy enough, though window
less, the doors Of each opening into the patio
on one side, and on the other side wide GOV.
cred veranda which overlooks the nearby
ocean-or rather, we should say, bedrooms, TO-
sleep is rare boon to strangers in Corinto
Not only do fieas and other vermin abound
but mosquitoes make night hideous with theil
buZzing. The natives are chiefly occupied
with exporting coffee and receiving i'm
ported goods for the interior. AS for amuse.
ments. there are none but bathing and play
ing billiards and an occasional cockfght al
the barracks, or brawl among foreign sea
men ashore. A traveller from the United
States, who lately spent week here waiting
for his steamer, says that the foreign col
ony' composed of five lonesome Americans
has whist club of four members, the flftl
acting as a substitute whenever any of tn
four chance to have other engagements; ant
adds: But as there is no one here with WHOM
tne can have an engagement, the substitute
Is seldom called upon. He told me in conf
Gence that he had been sitting by, smoking
ind watching the others play whist, for q
taonth, now, and hoped that one of them woulC
toon have a sunstroke." The five foreigners
all live in the hotel, and so does Uncle Sam.
uels representative in Corinto, Mr.. Palaccio
IN Italian, who serves both England and the
United States as Consular agent. His case
reminds us of Richard Harding. Davis remarl
pn the subject. That entertaining young wri.
ter says: Much might be written of Con.
sular agents in Cetral America that would
differ widely from the reports written by
themselves and published by the State De.
partment. The most interesting thing about
them, to my mind, is the fact that none Of
them aver seem to represent country which
they have ever seen and that they are always
citizens of another country, to which they
are anxious to return. I find that after
Americans, the Germans make the bes
American Consular agents, and Englishmen
the best German Consular agents. while
French Consular agents would be useful y