The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1905-07-07

Central American ports and lands there
before November will have to conceal
himself we'll in bunch Of bananas. 1t
would perhaps puzzle an Orleans man to
explain how a passenger coming on
board ship would infect it more than
twenty thousand punches Of bananas
loaded on from fever district by half
hundred of naked darkies, but business
is business, and the ideas of doctors are
sometimes beyond human ken.
1t was smooth trip down across the
gulf, and uneventful except that two
whales were seen and magnified into
prodigious lengths. Some diversion was
caused by o. w. Pope of Lincoln, who
was ready to make sport of any of us
who might get sea sick, and then him
self was the only sick man on the trip.
At first he was afraid he would die, and
later he was afraid he wouldn't die. II
all passengers on steamers were like
Pope, the culinary department could be
practically dispensed with, but on shore
there would need to be extra supplies.
Port Barrios is supplied with ice from
Belize,-that is, the hotel cantina gets
ice from there. Our boat SHE'D off from
Belize twenty miles, and as a conse-
quence there was great scarcity at the
cantina. Pope got tired of drinking
warm water at the hotel, SO he went to
the bar and requested a glass of ice
water. They handed it over and charged
him dollar for it, After that we all
stuck to the warm water.
Yet, dollar for ice water is not so
fierce as it looks on paper Under the
very peculiar financial system in vogue
here, fiat money pure and simple, one
American dollar will buy twelve and a
half of Guatemala money. Pope's drink
of water actually cost him eight cents.
The hotel rate, posted up in prominent
place was "One day, $40, single meal S."
For place where butter is not served,
and where ice IS guarded by militia,
this seems very aristocratic rate. This
paper money would please an Iowa
greenbacker very much, and to quote
another stat sman not from Iowa, would
be good kind to pay debts with. Jim
Martin the Blackfoot man who is along
declares that he will take home enough
to paper the front room.
Barrios is good place to get away
from, especially when there are rumors
of yellow fever at Livingston, few
miles away, and when the town itsel
lies SO low that the raging main Otter
backs across the street. The railroad
runs train week to the interior, ant
the man who misses taking that trail
must be paralytic without money o
friends. We got to Barrios on Monday
and Tuesday at daylight we were hover
Ing around the station, fearful lest tn
snorting iron steed should 60 off withou
us.
1t was pleasant ride early in tn
morning. Low lands for many miles
with tall palms and rank vegetation o
every side. The road follows littl
river and takes many sharp curves
Rounding one at galloping speed G
four miles per hour we ran into hand
car.
Half dozen Jamaicans we're wrest
ling with the car when we caught then
and they went down into the ditch like
lot of big frogs. None of them wer
. hurt, and after the conductor had re
: lieved himself of few large jagge'
: words the train proceeded.
This railroad is wonder. 1t is calle'
"Ferrocarril del Norte,' and the nam
sounds all right. For some time it ha
. barely been kept in shape for the on
train week, and it has kinks in it tina
would make section foreman of Ia Mis-
souri, Pacigc branch line look proud
1t is narrow guage, with first, secont
and third class passengers. At noon OF
the first day we arrived at river which
has been unbridged for nearly four year.
and new bridge just being built Is ia
enough along for passengers to wall
across and take train on the othe
side. Did you ever walk single planl
across high bridge six hundred fee
long, with sometimes cross ties undo
you, and sometimes big gaps of twenty
feet with nothing but the plank and q
raging river below you? And did 20,
finally sit down on the farther bank ant
watch the descendants Of the noble Az
tees trotting across with hundred pound
trunks on their heads? Makes you fee
good when the last trunk is over. Th'
Indians never drop anything, bnt thu
few Jamacans who were employed il
the transfer planted lot of pieces o
new harness and other bric-a- brac in tn
river.