The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-02
1oT0JRAS A GARDEN SPOT.
.oaclANs WAY FIND GREAT
WEALTH THERE.

.nI, stump of EaidOsta Gives
''' ,..count of His Recent visit to
.,r,I Observation-Disclosures Won
,..u, Rich in Natural Re
..crs. But the People Are simply
.,inn"-A Concession for n
.,,rond secured by Mr.. stump
-, ur. e. VI. Sargent, Formerly OF
s..onuah-YcHOw Pine Found in
,.nndnnce in Honduras.
..,~-.,.s turpentine operators may find
..,, field for their capital and energies
r.r,r3l America. Mr.. Joseph stump
.v,r5osta. who has just returned from
--.~7rr,s says that there is a great op-
...,p.tv there for turpentine and lum-
g-r.o the forests of yellow pine being
.rsat extent and fully as magnificent,
hans more so, than anything that could
,,.. tssn found in the Georgia pine coun-
nv when the industry was in its infancy.
:. fs,t Nh Stump thinks Honduras is
,.s greatest country in natural resources
~ ever, respect that he has ever visit
ei
,rbc natural wealth of the country,
10th mineral and agricultural said Mr..
s1mo to a Morning News reporter yes
,s-isv. lis simply indescribable. The
country is a perfect garden. The climate
4. fps the soil is fertile. 1t is a country
nssre nature has done everything for man
and man has done nothing for himself.
II is tbe country of rest. Resting is the
btsf occupation of the people. A little
work occasionally at odd intervals suttices
IA draw from the fruitful soil all that is
Ie1uired TO sustain life. During the two
months / spent in the country l found
The climate agreeable and healthy. The
(mintry is beautiful and the most fertile
in the world The methods
n cultivation are as primitive as those
which prevailed in Egypt 5000 years ago.
MERE IS not a wagon road in the country
and WAGONS and bugges are unknown.
povs are unknown and the chief imple-
mems of cultivation are the pointed stick
and the machete. The native punches his
s5,k i'm the ground, drops in the grains of
corn and few months later gathers
lop of thirty 20 forty bushels to the acre.
THE only cultivation is to cut out the rank
uDdergrOwth twice with the machete. You
NAV not believe it, but the cotton plant
crows wild there in the form of a tree
and the staple is of the very finest varie-
~ II is not cultivated for the market at
an Sugar cane grows to the hight of
twenty-five feet and possesses more sac
charne matter than any grown in the
Western hemisphere, yet there are no su-
ear mills The finest coffee l have ever
drank was in Honduras, and yet it is
grown there only for home consumption.
s1f ,n &c ba
portation of bananas and cocoanuts, both
of which are remarkably fine. The cattle
Of the country are very large and fine,
and considerable business is done in the
expiration of hides
Mr. Stump went to Honduras about
three months ago for the purpose of look
ing into the business conditions there,
having some idea of engaging in CONNER
cal business there. He was accompanied
by Messrs. w. A. Greer and Charles Hick-
man. both well-known naval stores men
who thought they would like to see some
thing of Central America. They went
from New Orleans to Truxillo, the chief
seaport Of Honduras, by banana steamer,
a considerable banana trade being done
between New Orleans and Truxillo. At
the latter place they found Mr.. E. M. Sar-
gent a former well-known travelling man
d
spondence with Mr.. Sargent that led Mr..
Stump to visit Honduras, Mr.. Sargent hav-
ing been there several months. Mr.. Stump
and Messrs. Hickman and Greer spent
a0out two months in Honduras, exploring
The country and investigating its advan-
tages.
i decided not TO go into. business there.
said Mr.. Stump, " although the conditions
are very tempting. There are great OBJ
portunities for men with capital, however,
VINO are willing to take the risk. The
main trouble is with the government II
is very military and there are numerous
oitclais who have to be creased if you
expect to succeed in business. Then there
are the custom house officiels who have
70 be fed literally and who are liable to
increase their demands at any time. As
d result there is u great deal of SNUG
sung and this interferes greatly with legit-
innate business"
After finding that the business condl-
lions were unsatisfactory Mr.. Stump de-
voted himself to other lines The country
Is ehurely without railroad facilities with
'he exception of one little 30-mile piece of
road which is loaded down with $50. Co.,
W OF bonds, the result of political job
uVy' 1T is government road, of course
lo connection with Mr.. Sargent Mr.. Stump
succeeded in Obtaining a concession for
railway from the port of Truxilo, run
u4hs back into the interior and behind a
range of mountains, which fronts the
coast, and penetrating the great timber
district, besides tapping the rich valleys
ana the mineral belts. The concession is
10 the Aguan Valley Railroad. Whether
ne would make use of this concession or
TO, Mr.. Stump was unable TO say. He has
10 capital himself to invest in such an en-
'erprise and while he believes that with
proper effort he could interest American
capitalists his home ties and obligations
are such that he does not feel that he
could devote his time 10 it.
MT. Sargent, however, has something
csc good in view in the shape of a mag
mheent field of camel coal which he pro-
poses to develop if he can interest capital
mere IS great opportunity for coaling
S'alIon near TruXillo, Mr.. Stump says the
1dInor facilities being magnificent and a
i0i 'une awaist some one who viii inter
ft himself in the enterprise. Truxillo it.
Csh mas a fine harbor, ships drawing 30
l,5e' oeing able to approach within a short
&c Of the wharves.
AT sargent and Mr. Stump did not for
77s' lhe Morning News while they were in
l'o"uuras' and an interesting news letter
was written by the former, which Mr..
lump was commissioned to deliver. The
lowing extracts are taken from the let