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

the river, and the decaying hulls OF number
OF their steamers may yet be seen on the
rocks, where they drifted more than forty
years ago. The river steamers of today are
not much better than those of 40, being neces-
sari,y small, fat-bottomed, stern-wheel az
fairs. They are four in number, and each
makes the round trip twice month But on
the lake, where improvements are more feas-
ible, the sailing vessels have given place
to comfortable steamers. Most of them be-
longed originally to private company which
was organized in the United States and liber-
ally subsidized by the Nicaraguan govern
men:. Their freight charges were SO high
that commerce suffered, and finally the gov
eminent concluded to make the service ma
t1onal BY buying out the line, which it did fo-
about 100000.
Transportation Facilities.
The advantages accruing from the transact
tion were a coGl siderable reduction in both
freight and passenger rates. and the establish
ment Of regular communication with the
railway trains from Grenada, on Lake Near
aqua, to Managua, the capital, and from Ma
nagua, Momotombo, and Ell Rayo, on Lake
Managua, to the Pacific.
In addition to this national line" there is
the foreign "Compagna de Vapores del Gran
Largo" Great Lake Steamship Company,
large portion of whose stock was purchased
by the Inter-Oceanc Canal obstruction Com
pany. Its largest vessel, the Victoria, is OF
$50 tons and goes leisure.y around the lake
eight times month, stopping at al! ports.
The route from Greytown via the San Juan
River, to Lake Nicaragua. distance of 100
miles, seems the natural course for the COM
mercc of this republic, but the fact is that in
recent years, since business competition has
been keener, merchants cannot afford the de-
lays and uncertainties which attend the river
service. The great difficulty is the numer.
Gus shadows and rapids CT the San Juan,
over which, when the water is low, the cargo
must be carried on lighters, at great risk OF
damage to the goods. Since the construction
of the new railway inland from Corlnto the
Pacific port, the bulk of trade to and from the
interior has gone that way, and the river
traffic is almost abandoned. This is unfortu-
nate. the route being so much longer from the
United States and Europe away around to
the Pacific side of the country; but service
there is regular and frequent, and, although
the charges are necessarily higher, it has OBJ
tanned the preference. Time was when the
river was covered with bongos bringing crude
rubber Down to GreyHwn for shipment &c
England, but reckless tapping Of the trees
has practically exhausted the rubber trade
and now the only, and very small. work OF
the native boats is the transportation OF
fruit.
Up the San Juan.
The dirty, little flat-bottom boat upon which
We embarked at Greytown is counterpart O:
many that may yet be seen on the lower
Mississippi, with its darby crew and wheel
IN the stern. The pilot was genuine Sambo.
CIR Mesquite Indian, so called, although the
race has good deal more African than Indiar
blood, in it's mixture of the worst blood OF
al modern nations. 1t seems he had beer
a chief and was considered a sorcerer, pos.
sessiLg the power Of hoodoo; therefore the
black crew treated him with profoundest rev.
erence bordering on servility. The wink OF
his small bleared eye was enough to make
the knees of the stoutest knock together. His
infrequeEHt order were issued in language
which none but the native negroes understand
the mongrel tongue Of the mongrel race.
The San Juan River in the neighborhood of
Greytown is not unlike the Father of Wa
ters' at New Orleans, except that this most
important river Of Central America is rather
more so' in the matter of alligators, mos
quitos, and other tropical products. Its low
marshy banks fairy swarm with the caymen.
lying motionless as if sound asleep, with
small eyes closed and huge mouths wide open.
Blu: they are not half so sleepy as appear
arce indicates, and if a young horse, calf, or
other small animal ventures too near snap &C
the great jaws like trapdoor on springs, and
the victim disappears in twinkling. 1t is
said they viii attack full-grown animals,
drawing them under water and, when
dr.wned devouring them at leisure, and that
when ether provisions are scarce they sub
sist comfortably enough upon the flies and
Other insects that walk unwittingly into thei1
open mouths, but cannot vcuch for the truth
OF the statement, not being we'll up in alli-
gator 'H~". The early S2aniards named thu
river Ell Desaguadero because it formed the
outlet through which discharge the waters Of
the great hydraulic system of the Nicaraguar
lakes AS it nears the sea it's force is dissi
pated through numerous side streams. Thu
Colorado mouth which opens directly into
the Atlantic, now carries off nearly nine
tenths of its volume to the ruin of Greytow1
Harbor, and the Tauro mouth grows smaller
and shallower every year. The latter has
bottom Of mud and shifting sand, studded
with marsny islets, and nowadays even bon
oSoh N1l 49,
OF water often find it impossible to pass it
narrow channel. The Rio Siripiqui, the frs
attluent OF consequence, rises at the foot of tn
great volcano of Cartigo, in Costa Rica, and i
navigable about twenty-five miles to the ham
let OF San Alfonso, beyond which point tn,
journey to San Jose, Costa Rica's capital
must be made en- mules Thirteen miles
above the junction of the Siripiqui with tn,
San Juan, the Rio San Carlos comes ina no
be river, broad and deep, which also rises i,
the Costa Rican hills. and it's strong. swift
current, between firm, VEIL wooded D<.nks
can be assembled twenty miles or more.
Early Explorations.
From the accounts of early voyagers 1t ap
rears that the task of ascending Eel Desa
quadero," as the San Juan was then called
was more difficult two or three centuries ag
than now, or perhaps the vessels OF those day
were clumsier. .- a.
One Gage, who went up in 1870, says it too
him sixty days to make the 120 miles betwee
the Atlantic and Lake Nicaragua. "Fo.:.
says ne. Though, while the vesse.s sail tn
lake securely and without trouble, yet, wne
they fal! from the lake ito the sea, hic lave
Eic opurest-here is nothing but trouble
For such is the fall Of tbs water in man
places among the rocks that many time
they are forced to unload the frigates an
soad them again, With the help ct mules ke1
tor that purpose by the few Indians VIZ
live about the river and take care of II
lodges made to lay in the wares, while II
frigats passes through DANGEROUS places