The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1902-12-04
TIE CONDITIONS
IN GUATEMALA.
Coffee Grows er's Views Of Eek.
tent of Volcanic Disaster.
CROP IN DANGER FROM THE ASHES


Delicate and Presence of Large
Quantities of Foreign Substance
About Them Is Apt to Kill Them.
Capital Affected.
A coffee grower who returned few
days ago from Guatemala, the scene
Of the recent volcanic disaster, said
the other night to reporter of the
New York Times:
"The department of Tumbador, which
is mentioned in the dispatches as be-
ing In the zone of the volcanic erup-
lions, gets it's name from a peculiar
rumbling In the earth, caused, it is
supposed, by subterranean volcano.
Tumbador means "the Thunderer"
The center Of the department is about
forty miles from the Pacific ocean, in
the mountains, as the land rises from
the sea as far as Quezaltenango, which
is about 100 miles from the coast Last
summer Quezaltenango suffered a Sc
we're earthquake. which partially de-
stroyed the town. The city is located
in what is supposed to be the crater of
an extinct volcano and is at. an eleva-
ton of about 1000 or 5000 feet.
Santa Maria. which is reported as
having been in eruption, is not far
away Another volcano towers above
the town itself. but that has been ex-
tinct for many years. 1t is probably
10000 feet in height The departments
Of Quezaltenango and Tumbador are
among the richest coffee growing sec
tons iu the state. The coffee is said
to grow best at an elevation of from
2,000 to 1900 feet, so that those de-
partments are admirably suited for the
purpose Of coffee growing, and the cot
fee produced there is recognized in for
eign markets as being some Of the fin
est in the world.
1.-THE Germans have invested heavily
ali through Guatemala, and particular
" in the section reported to haze been
devastated by the eruption of the vol
cano. Mortgages are held by German
firms on most of the plantations, or
fncas. Earthquakes in that part of
the country are frequent, but until last
summer they had not caused destruc-
ton for many years. Some of the
fncas are owned by Americans, who
have gone down there, cleaned out the
virgin forest and planted the land with
coffee. Two brothers-in-law of Charlie
magne Tower have or had planta-
ton in the department of Tumbador
Alexander NOVEL; of San Francisco,
who went to Guatemala from South
Carolina about twenty years ago, had!
q plantation in that section for which
he was offered 100000 in gold few
years ago by a German firm, but he
refused the offer, and, if reports are
true his plantation has been entirely
ruined along with the others. 1t is I'M
fortunate that the harvesting of the
coffee is just ending at the present
time, SO that the crop has undoubtedly
been greatly injured by ashes falling
from the volcano.
Coffee berries are very easily shaken
from the treea when they are ripe, and
once on the ground no attempt is made
to pick them up, SO that undoubtedly
trievable. Just around the city of
Quezaltenango there is little coffee
grown, as the elevation is too great
and il is too cold, but in Tumbador
there is little else grown, nearly all the
lands being coffee fincas What would
make the situation worse is that coffee
trees are extremely delicate, and the
presence of foreign substance in
large quantities about them is apt to
kill them. They require much atten-
ton in the way of fertilization. Some
years ago volcano which was said to
have been in an entirely different part
of the country, away from the depart
ment Of Tumbador, became active. The
leaves of the coffee trees were covered
with the ashes, even at that distance
and the crop was badly damaged
though not entirely ruined. When it is
considered that Santa Maria is COM
paratively short distance away, an idea
of the havoc wrought at the city OF
Quezaltenango can be gained.
"At this time Of year. just at the
close Of the rainy season, roads are al
most impossible The residents must
have had little opportunity of saving
their household goods or personal be-
longings, as it is almost impossible to
transport goods except on mule back.
and little can be carried in that man
ner.
1.-THE nearest port on the Pacific to
and Quezaltenango is Ocos,
which is fifteen or twenty miles from |
the Mexican frontier. It is there that |
the Pacific Mail steamships touch going
and coming about every ten days. This |
is merely little town on q sandspit. |
with 400 or 500 inha bitants and CON
tanning only a few frame residences.
The United States consular agent there
is Samuel Wolford, and his wife is a |
Philadelphia woman. The town un-
doubtedly suffered severely. as it is To- i
Gated just at the foot OF the slope Of |
the mountain. Champerico is another
port of Guatemala. about twenty miles
farther down the coast. Much coffee
Is shipped from those ports.
sTThn RritiSh c0pc11Iar oerar,t OF Ono /