The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-19
GOING TO HONDURAS.
The steamer Star May Cut Figure
in Coming Revolutions.


Mr.. Telfair Hodgson, who is in the city
with the steamer Star, which stopped here
on her way to Honduras for repairs. gives
some interesting information about the
condition af affairs in the Central Ameri-
can states.
Mr.. Hodgson is an old Mobile boy. He
was managing editor of a Mobile news
paper for some time and was afterward
with the Birmingham Age-Herald. His
desire for something different, however,
led him to Central America, and there he
found employment with the Honduras
railroad syndicate, commonly known as
the valentine syndicate, which now prac-
tically has charge Of the financial part
OF the government of Honduras. This syn
dicate controls the country ports through
which it collects the customs on account
of money which has been loaned there by
the syndicate.
The Honduras railroad syndicate is now
building railroad across Central Amerl-
ca from Puerto Cortez on the Gulf of
Anna ala, on the Pacific Fifty miles of
this railroad are already in existence, hav-
ing been built by the government and
leased to the syndicate. The entire length
of the railroad will be 200 miles, which
VIII save vessels about 1000 miles steam
ing, provided they put into Puerto Cor
tez to make their transfer, instead of
Panama. The steamer Star is to be used
in handling supplies in connection with
the work
The Star also has another mission. The
Valentine syndicate being in charge of the
financial part of the Honduras govern
ment, has to look out for its own protec-
ton from those little affairs called revolu-
tons, which take place in that part of
fotf he i
The Star will be of Service also, it is stat
ed, in transporting troops from one point
to another whenever they are needed in
case of an emergency. There has not been
revolution in Honduras now since last
April, and that one was suppressed. That
has been long time, and there is no tell
Ing when another may break out. There
was a revolution in Nicaragua and Guate-
mala about two months ago, but this was
also put down and the regular government
remained in control.
one point of great interest in connection
with the building of this railroad Mr.
Hodgson says, is that it will add some
profitable business to certain of the south
ern ports, particularly Galveston, New Or
leans, Mobile, and perhaps also Savannah.
There is a coffee known as Coban coffee,
grown In the interior of Guatemala, which
is said to be the finest coffee in the world.
The crop amounts to about $4,000 000 worth
a year, anu at present " all goes 10 the
Pacific coast where it is shipped to Eu-
rope and BunDpean steamers. With this
railroad across the country, he says much
of this coffee will be diverted to the east
ern coast, and will come to and through
the Cuff ports of the United States.
Mr.. Hodgson says Central America is
looked upon as a sort of haven of refuge
for malcontents from almost every coun-
try. This is considered the cause of most
of the revolutions. AS long as the reg
ular governments can keep the revolution
lists suppressed, he says, they are all
right, but the minute that one revolution
Is successful, there is likely to be a run
of Them for the reason that if the revo-
lutionsts win in one country the army of
that country will join them and then turn
around and lend their aid to the revolu-
tionists in the next adjoining country
The great trouble with the confederation
of Central American republics, he says,
has been that there is no way of enforc-
ing the rule with regard to the surrender
of political refugees. If a rule on this line
could be enforced he says there is no
doubt but that a strong confederation of
the republics could easily be established.
Mr. Hodgsoh viii be in charge of the
steamer Star for the Valentine syndi-
cate. She is a frail craft, he says, to
make the trip, but he thinks he will get
through safely. The Star ran for two sea-
sons recently between Savannah and
Beaufort. She was afterwards sold in
Baltimore, where she was bought by the
Valentine syndicate for the purposes
named.