The Republican journal., 1898-01-06
some Yankee Enterprises in Costa RIGA
Colonies Along the Matina River.

y
day, when everybody is enduring the heat
as best ne can, in hammock slung some
where in the shade-it springs into sur
prsing activity in the cooler mornings
and evenings. Long trains of cars, drawn
by dwarfsh engines and laden with coffee
and bananas, wind down from the in
terror and the whole water front swarms
with busy life. Steamers from Liverpool,
New York and New Orleans move up to
the pier amid crowd of sloops, schoon-
ers and other sailing craft; and half naked
roustabouts file back and forth across the
gang planks, loading them from wharves
and warehouses. The coffee is allowed
vessels arrive; but the bananas must not
be picked until the last moment, at tele-
gIaphic notice. on the morning the steam
Ell for which they are designed is to sail
livery plantation of account has it's side
track, connecting with the Trans Cont
mental Railway, over which cars are sent
60 convey the half-ripe fruit to port, still
g.tering with dew. The shipment of
bananas from Costa RIGA is something
comparatively new. Only few years ago
.he United States received all its supply
from Honduras and the West Indies; but
now a-days since the development of
Limitations around Limon, owing to the
ailway- this port has almost the monopo-
y, Often single steamer receives as many
as 30, 1000 punches, representing six mil
rlat generally half the cargo is thrown
5veIboard before its destination is reach
e.. All around Limon, for a radius of 80
miles or more, is a wild, tropical jungle,
he haunt of gorgeous birds, venomous
serpents, monkeys and tiger-ca Straight
Trough it runs the railroad, and along its
me a great many plantations have been
opened, all of which produce prolitically.
Most Of these settlers are from the United
states, particularly from the South-ex-
-onfederates, whose all was swallowed up
n the Lost Cause, who subsequently drift
ed here, took up government land, and are
making a moderate fortune. 1t is the
fashion among them to christen their
rlaces, and the traveller reads on sign
boards posted over the entrance such
Suggestive names as Johnny Reb's Last
Ditch, Baltimore Belle,' ''Pride of
Alabama ''Old Virginia Never Tire
etc
But the banana growing region of the
world, par excellence, is along the Matina
uver, nearly 100 miles north of Limon.
o reach it you take one of the little fruit
sehooners that has discharged its cargo at
this port of shipment and is returning to
Natina the village at the mouth of the
rer A fruiter is not a pleasant craft
far nervous people to travel on, being
generally swaiming with vipers, tarantu-
and vermin of all sorts, inadvertently
ught on board conc called in the great
lunches of bananas; but the trip is well
worth making, if for nothing else than a
1sW of the jungle. Coasting close along
IRE, You see patliarchal trees, stately
aj venerable, draped with long Spanish
4n,s each rugged like ship with
rs of vine, every limb covered with
nderful orchids, radiant as the plum
s-r Of the birds that fit among them and
eatiful as daisies in a New England
MEADOW. Over all hangs veil of mist
luminous curtain, stretched from the
mauntain tops to the foam fringed shore
niasmatic vapors bring poison to the
Gugs of men, but in which the air plants
nud coIgenial food.
Coasting this region of romance and
tragedy one thinks most of Colum bus
41t as the triumphant discoveror, but as
Ie disappointed old sailor, bowed with
ears and intirmities, seeking for what
he never found. The geography of the
Jew world was clear enough in his mind
tie earth was globe-there could be no
doubt of that, and somewhere around it |
must be belt of navigable water So he
explored the whole coast, from Y ucatan
to Trinadad, cruising into every little
aver and fol owing the coastlines of each
ny gulf and bay searching with painful
'ersistence for the passage which he felt
should be there. But he found only an
uubT0ken line of continent, in direct con-
@adlction to all his theories-an impass-
able obstacle to the hopes he had cher
Isied for a life time. In course of these |
operations he put into what is now
uota RIGA Atlantic harbor, and marked |
l1e place on his chart Puerto Lamon port !
4-cmon4 because of the wild lime trees, |
golden with fruit, which covered the |
ADJACENT islands Instinctively he lowered |
around this narrowest portion of the con-
hhent, where but slender strip of land,
1pheaved by some mighty CONFUSION of
nature, shattered his theories and detied |
t's dream, BY this time little was left of |
THE intrepid navigator but his will. He !
mad caused a bunk to be built in the bow |
W ms ship, where he could rest his weary ,
Name and look out upon the world he had |
discovered. Finally, overcome by age
Wd intilmities, he had to give up the |
oh TO -