The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-17
HVERS, REPTILES
and REVOLUTIONS
Are Not Prevailing Conditions
in Honduras
THINGS VERY DIFFERENT
Study of Its Government and
History
THINGS VERY DIFFERENT

land Leader, says:
universally believe that the Central
American Republics are cursed with few
ers. reptiles and revolutions.
Having been interested in Honduras for
the past five years and having kept in
close touch with conditions there through
our own people and through many others
who have spent from few months to a
quarter of century each in that country.
We long ago learned that these impress
sions are erroneous.
Recently party of five of us spent two
months in eastern Honduras studying the
conditions there. We paid particular az
tention to the three points under consid
GRAFTON for the reason that we have fifty
men employed clearing the forests and
planting fruits on the bottom lands where
fevers and snakes would abound. If any
where, and we also passed through a rev.
olution- During these two months we had
our headquarters at the mouth of the
Patuca river on the coast OF the Carl
bean Sea and made our inland trips IN
Fow-boats or on foot, often starting at
daybreak and going steadily until dark,
not stopping an hour because of the heat
OF the sun or losing any time when it
rained.
Our food was chiefly that eaten by the
natives: cassava, bananas, beans, the
meat of the iguana. the warri or wild
hog. turtles. turkeys and small game, al
though most of the time we had -four and
sugar and sometimes beef We usually
slept on cots often with only a blanket
for mattress and out clothing for a pill
low. On some Of these excursions it was
tnconvenient to carry cots as they made
too much of a load. Then we slept on
beds improvised of boards or anything
else at hand. During these two months
we did not at any time attain an altitude
Of more than 200 feet above the sea level,
spending most Of the time on rivers to in
bale the fever poisons of the swamps, If
any such poisons existed.
Having gone in five days from a zero
temperature to this tropical climate, we
were, because of the sudden change and
because of exposure TO sun and rain. in
prime condition to absorb all the malaria
within reach. The mosquitoes did not
bother us much during the day. but were
plentiful at night. We slept under mos
quito bars. yet occasionally the mosqui-
toes would enter them. OF course we
sustained many mosquito bites during
the evenings before retiring, and again
In the mornings before the sun drove
the pests away. The fact that mosqui-
toes carry malaria and innoculate their
victims with ii has been proven beyond
a doubt, so that we certainly had a
good opportunity to contract the dis
ease in this manner. Yet, not one of
the party was i'll a day or even an
hour while there or since our return.
by US in Honduras ever been sick, ex-
cepting our general manager. w NJ.
Dinhoefer and his sickness was brought
on by overwork. worry and insufficient
food He worked night and day for fifty
days to release a steamer. which was
stranded. Much of this time his clothing
was soaked with sea water. His sleep was
irregular and insufficient. while he sub
sisted largely on strong coffee swallowed
IN haste instead of taking time TO eat
proper quantities IF solid food. The result
was exhaustion. followed by a fever
which confined him to bed for week.
Such physical abuse would make any one
fl In any climate.
During our two months stay we saw but
three sick natives. One was a boy five
years Of age who had fever for two days.
The others were adults who had daily at
tacks Of fever lasting two or three hours.
One of these recovered in three days and
&c
called by the natives "calentura. and it
IS the only form of sickness they have.
Such diseases as smallpox. diphtheria,
scarlet fever, measles. appendicitis, ty
phoid or enteric fever. pneumonia and
bronchitis are unknown to them. So far
as we were able TO learn. yellow fever has
never appeared in this district. This dis
ease has largely lost fits terrors Of recent
years because Of a better knowledge OF
its treatment and particularly because OF
our ability TO prevent its spreading. The
chief dread Of yellow fever formerly was
due TO its rapid spread. OF late the NOR
tality in infected districts has not ex-
reeded 10 per cent.
This is favorable as compared 20 diph-
liberia. which has a mortality two AMI
pne-half times as great. or 20 continent
smallpox. which is more serious than yell
low fever. The death rate in the cities Of
Honduras from all causes is lower than
IN cities of the United States. although
there are no sanitary arrangements
whatever in Honduras. The drinking
water there IS obtained from rivers.
creeks. shallow unwalled wells and
spriags- There are but few springs how
wer- OF course all sorts Of surface filth
Trains into the streams and must neces-
sary filter into the wells which are only
from three to ten feet in depth
There are many towns in Honduras hav-
ms from Leo 10 2o0o inhabitants which
go not have a resident physician. Juti-
ralpa, the second city OF the republic.
claiming lo.e00 inhabitants. is said not
TO have harbored a physician for years
until recently. when II became afflicted
with boy undergraduate having more
egotism than knowledge or medicine or
surgery.
DR.. Bordenhaur. who has a plantation
near Triona and who has resided on the
coast for several years. told Us that there
Is no sickness in his vicinity and that no
physician Is needed there. All the evi-
dence we were able 10 gather only en-
phasizes the fact that this is indeed A
healthfnl country. And why not? The
-ssnaats is most delightful. The heat is