Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-22

Washington, writesSthussof his experiences
in Central America, whittier he has gone
as member of an exploring party:
GREYTOWN, Nicaragua, c. A..
August D. 1899.
The party of which I am a member
rived at this place the morning of the 18th,
thirteen days from New York by steamer
Alta of the Atlas line. We stayed one
night at Savanilla, United States of CO.
lombia. There is pier there about a mile
long, while the town consists of about
twenty htts with straw roofs. The people
are negroes and half-Spanish. The fields
and mountains are covered with cocoanuts
and cactus. 1 gathered few shells from
the shore, but they are very scarce. The
water of the bay is very clear, and there
were hundreds of fish about the steamer
sailed thence to Carthagena, about seventy
miles, where we stayed one day. Cartha-
gena is a very old Spanish city, and the
natives go about half naked, the children
up to ten and twelve years entirely We
called on the American consul there. At
Carthagena and Savanilla we loaded $1,000
bags of coffee and about 1000 hides.
Minus a Wharf.
There is no wharf at Greytown. and
consequently they were obliged to use
lighters to land u.s. The rain was falling
in torrents and the sea very rough. We
were transferred to the lighter in buckets
holding four people. With the help of a
derrick We're hoisted about thirty feet
| in the air. then swung around over the
lighter and dumped on its deck with
tremendous thump. 1t quite exciting,
but still more so when crossed the bar.
The lighter was tossed about like an egg
shell. I thought we were surely bound for
the bottom, but all turned out well and we
were transferred to a f1at-bottomed boat
about twenty-five feet long and twelve
wide, on which we were taken up a narrow
river to a point two or three miles distant
| to some old but comfortable quarters once
occupied by the Maritime Canal Company.
Here We're served with dinner consist
| ing of fried plantain and bread fruit, with
some canned goods from the United States
and oranges. The quarters are situated
about thousand feet from the shore
There are, I should think. a million dollars
worth of dredges and valuable machinery
probably much more than thaD the prop
erty OF the old canal company, just about
totally ruined and lying about on land and
in the water.
Greytown is a funny place. 1t contains
a few frame houses but mostly palm leaf
shacks. Our money is 1.-The stuff here. 1t
is worth $3.15 per dollar. 1t rains about
twenty hours out of the twenty-four, and
no one cares how wet they get The tenn
perature is about 50 degrees on the aver
age, but the nights are very cool.
While in the interior we will be supplied
by the United States with two blankets
pan VI HtdtIer leSSHlS, a RUBBER bag Tor
cur clothing and q maehete. We do not
regard ourselves as in danger from the
natives, as they are all on the coast up by
Bluefields, and none in the interior. We
are now just two miles from Greytown on
the coast. 1t is fine here-much cooler than
In Washington, because the sun scarcely
ever shows itself. But when it does, look
out. You must walk very slow, take your
time if compelled to go out.
The surf runs very high, and sharks are
plentiful We are under positive orders not
to attempt to battle in either the ocean or
any of the rivers on account of the sharks
in the first and aliigators in the second
You can see plenty of sharks any time One
could harpoon them if he had the harpoon.
We are compelle to do cur bathing in a
tub, which is unpleasant with the saashore
80 near at hand. Back of our quarters are
beautiful groves of palm, bread fruit, CO.
cCdnut and lemon trees.
In Another Field.
September s. 1899
We are Row forty miles from GreytOwn,
junction of Machuca and San Juan rivers
l very little difference between this
climate and that of southern Maryland. We
are in camp now at the place above men
toned. We known as the Indios river
exploration party, and we are on the way
to explore a section of country fifty miles
long and twenty-five miles wide. II is said
that no human foot has trod this
ground. 1t is called the IndoS river region
The party has eight officers, with Mr.
Nicholas chief We have twenty natives,
all carrying machetes- They cut the way
through the jungle.
We each carry short machete, a rifle
and a revolver. | have the transit and
native to carry it and a large umbrella to
hold over me and the instrument when the
sun shines or when it rains, but we seldom
see the sun in the jungle. We have
oranges, lemons, bananas lines and cocoa
nuts, and see plenty of monkeys and beau
tiful parrots and other birds in countless
numbers Snakes have not bothered us at
all. l have only seen one, which was about
six inches long, and L slew him with my
little machete. | have seen plenty of wild
nogs, but have not been troubled by them
We have to guard against the lizards and
the alligator ants. These last about an
inch long, and when they bite you you get
an electric shock They build huts or
mounds two feet high and make regular
roadways through the jungle.
This is land of perpetual summer One
could come here. build shack of palm
leaves and live for years fruit, fish and
game without the least trouble Within
fifteen feet of my quarters can cast line
into the river and haul In fish eighteen
inches to two feet long. You can see hun
dreds of them any time. | took a gun this
morning and in an hour l brought in five
large birds, some of them of beautiful
plumage. There is sickness in irey-
town or herea bouts, so far as / can learn
and from the appearance of many l should
judge that the people reach a ripe ola age.
o