The Natchitoches enterprise., 1900-06-14
Editor Enterprise:

Editor Enterprise:
This communication will be In tn
nature OF a surprise but in u way w
hope 1t will prove IF some interest, or a
least contain some information concern
ing this country. Blue Filds Is situated
On bay of same name. nine miles ir
from Customhouse, where we anchor
and have baggage inspected, we bad
nO.trouble in that particular.
The population OF Blue Fields is be-
tween five and seven thousand. Anne
rlcans and Chinaman own the business
| almost exclusively which consist almost
altogether in supplying the mining dis
trlctS, which are situated some sixty
miles up the cOaSt-that is the nearest
mines. From information and sppcI-
mems we saw, would say that they are
wonderfully rich. Owing to the unde-
vel0Ded condition of the country, it is
almost impossible to get machinery up
TO the mines, therefore placer min
n Tfe,. l. and m 6Ss y, done although some
ton. One placer miner tool out eight
cen thousand dollars IN six weeks, Tins
Is absolutely true. There are any num-
Der OF placer miners that are having
equally as much success. and OF course
great mahy that barely make ex-
pcnses. We are gong ND to the mines
on our return trip.
The rubber plantations are situated on
the Mosquito coast, it takes from three to
1ve years to develop them into "A pAyIng
industry You plant about 500 trees 10
the aCre-the trees, when nine wears old,
VIII bear from five to eight pounds pcr
tree, eighty to ninety cents in gold |
worth here per pound. You can form |
some idea As to their. value from this in
'ormatlon. will add that We would ra,h-
er be the owners of rubber plantations
nan bankers. The shipment of bananas
rom here is eight and ten loads per
month, and this is the low water season
which means dull times. The banana
country commences thirty miles IN the
CANA River and extends some hundred
MI sixty miles uD that river and it's
iPineapples. cOcoanut. Dlan-
AIMS, and numerous other tropical fruits
re shipped from here. we were In
'lne Feds TWO days and then sailed up
ne GsrlDean sea IN small schooner to
reY Town. We were three DAYS and
lShts 10 making the journey, seventy ,
We miles distance. you can imagine orr
Ni "AlAHal All Nicy Town. ms
lace is known principally as the start c
lg point Of the much talked of and
eeded canal. The United States Gov
has here a commissioner and q
me three or four hundred Americans
1gineers, machihists, and drIllerS, and
IOut the same number of native labor.
ne idea IN keeping these men here
ide from the information they get Of
e country making surveys. etc., IS TO
'ep other countries from getting con-
'Sslons. They are at present opening
the proposed route OF the canal The
'untrv here is not so mountainous ma ot )
Tue Fields, but in all other respects
'out the same. We are something over .
% miles away from the old town snd !
have yet about 400 miles to make
fore we get to Managua which is orr
al destination. Managua is the cant. a
OF Me and contains 10000 popula- 8
n We tnen either 60 up the Pacific 8
ast to California or 90 down to pan
Ia and take ward steamers to New o
,rk. e
II you think this would be of interest ~
q may publish and 10 return send me- r
e Enterprise 1.-THE following address
Inagua, Mic. G. A. We will write e
AIN aad tell you something concern q
the people and their customs. Ii
Yours truly, II
PERCY CHAPLIN. q
MALCOLM CALVES. ri