The San Francisco call., 1897-07-17


country. L believe that the trade OF Gen.
iral and South America belongs to the
United States. If this coast were prop
erly attended to, the trade to Central
America alone would employ three times
the mum ber of vessels now engaged in it
and three times the number OF people.
''As the outcome of all this il may sur
prise the Pacific Mail Company some day
10 find i. had placed itself in position
where it Will have to face an independent
and energetic opposition steamship line"
This gentleman's personal experience of
the way passengers are cared for on the
Gamers of the Pacific Mail Steamship
Company, between Panama aud San
Francisco, was recorded in his diary. 1t
will be sent on to London as part of his
report. Excerpts from it follow:
The advertised time of leaving Panama was
Monday, May 81 at P. NJ, but owing to vari-
Gus causes we were delayed until Tuesday,
June /, at 6 P. NJ.
as we shoui id have done, we had, under an ar
rangement made with the companys agents
in Panama, to waste day and half in order
to land political gniiary at Corinto, Mica
ragua.
On Friday, the 4th, we were only going half
speed in order 10 make Corinto-a port that
cannot be entered at nlght-early on Saturday
morning Ncdragua's chief port was accord
ingly entered at q A. NJ on The 5th. The
| political diglitary OF tIat republic having
been duly landed. we had to remain in the
river until the tide made and enabled the
steamer to swing around. By p NJ. we were
! under way for Llbertad, which we made at
5 A. NJ. on the 6tn After discharging and
| taking in cargo at Libertad we left for Aca-
Julia. We arrived there the same evening
In the ordinary course the officers of the
ship and the passengers expected we would be
under way again by afternoon, but as the
agent expressed q wish 10 detain the ship
until two passengers arrived on the following
dav from salvador detained she was.
On Tuesday, the 9th, work was practically
suspended; there was next TO no cargo to
take in OF put out. The through passengers
were especially indignant at the unwarrant-
able delay. AT 3 in the afternoon several pas.
sengers for San Jose came aboard. Later on it
was rumored that the ship would in all like
llhood be quarautined a. San Jose. There
upon Captain Cattarinich very properly IN
timated % the passengers from Acsj Julia that
they must accept the risk OF being over
carried in consequence OF quarantine and be
prepared to pay the extra cost OF such over
carriage. AS soon as they heard the captain S
deliveranee, with one or two exceptions, they
all returned to Acajut,a. Ultimately the
shore authorities sent the necessary clear
ances and we left for San Jose late in the after
noon.
II the agent did not know he ought to have
known that passengers for San Jose which is in
easy Geographic com nun ication withAca ju tia 4,
" ould be quarantlned, and consequently to
sell them tickets would only result IN a sense
less waste OF time and Dut his company 10 un-
Wednesday the 9th. arrived at San Jose.
The heath officer came off at IL A. NJ and i'm
mediatelv ordered the ship into quarantine
outside the port boundaries, There being no
quarantine station at San Jose, the passengers
Tor tn at port had to remain on board the ship
Thursday, June l0-The company's chief
agent on the coast came off to-day with the
Gu plain of the port. He cheered US by stating
that lie would arrange for The landing OF the
GuaemaIa passengers so-morfow SOW 9.c,se anu then
How much reliance is 10 be placed on such
statements subsequent events will show.
Friday, June 11-Early this morning the
President of Guatemala authorized the land
ing OF the Guatemala passengers, and by 8
o. clock they were all ashore. The uni oading
of the cargo was then commenced, but stopped
at 10 o'clock by order OF the port au thorities,
who explained that the landing of the passen-
gers was authorized, but not the cargo. There
was then nothing for 1t but to hang about here
till the cargo was got rid of. as the company
apparently had made up its mind to take on
and discharge cargo and passengers just as
usual. The health and convenience of through
passengers on board was secondary consid-
Grafton.
Saturday, June 12-Arranged to discharge
the balance of the cargo to-day. Leftfor Cham
perico at 1920 P. NJ. Having been told that
arrangements had been made ahead to give
the ship quick dispatch at all northern ports
the passengers became more cheerful, al
though in conformity with what the chief
agent had stated or the 10th we really ex-
pc ected 10 have headed straight for Acapulco.
Sunday, June 13.-Arrived at Champerico at
TAM. Found the Colon there. She was run
ming to time table. We were five days be-
hind it. The facilities OF the port are such
that only one steamer can be attended TO at a
time. Although we were much behind time,
the sanitary condition of the ship Indifferent
and the passengers deserving OF considerable
Ii was decided to clear the Colon first. AS
this meant lying at anchor In an unhealthy
locality till Tuesday, the 15tn, doing alb
solutely nothing, the captain decided to 20 on
10 the next port Ocos, where we arrived on
Sunday afternoon. Ocos could have been
worked, and ship ready to return to Cham
perico at P. NJ. Monday, but owing TO the
muddling management on shore the ship did
not get away till the early morning OF Tues
day.
After detailing some further delays at
Cham peiico the trip to Acapulco is taken
up Gnder date OF June H.
can mineral waters and ale given out.
Water on board, taken on at Panama, is
stale and really not fit to drink. Tenn per-
ature So on board under the awnings"
At Manzanillo the ice gave out on June
Mazatlan on the 25th, but no mineral or
other water.
The review of the trip in the diary has
this:
The trip from Panama to San Francisco oc-
cupied thirty-one days, or at the rate of about
five miles an hour. The wretched shore man.
agement is responsible for delaying us exactly
ten days, viz, one day at Acajutla, four and a
half days at San Jose, three aid half days at
Champerico ana Ocos and one day at San Bias
The company does not care two rows OF pins
for the passenger trade. An aged ship like
the Acapulco, with neither electric lights nor
an ice machine, is not suited to carry passen-
gers in the tropics.
The present t"hugger-mugger" system of con-
ducting business in the various Central Ameri-
can ports can easily be remedied If the com.
pany is prepared to place competent men in
charge at the chief centers 10 look after Its in
tereSts and the inte rests OF shippers Two or
three level headed men. decen tly paid, would
save the company their salaries ten times
over.
FIRE AT THE OLYMPIC CLUB.