Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1919-05-30
{ NGINEER|NG IN
THE TROPICS

United Fruit company of Boston Ny
letter of instructions contained
transportation to Spanish Honduras
and orders to report to the chief
engineer of their company in that di-
vision.
| had the average persons know
hedge of what and where Spanish
Honduras was. Wishing to be more
definitely informed / looked up its
location on the map and found it to
be one of the several republics OF
Central America, with the Caribbean
Sea as its north and east boundaries.
The idea | had of these countries
gathered from numerous stories.
promised plenty of sudden storms
and revolutions
| sailed from New Orleans on the
eompany's steamship Ellis one of
the 81 boats comprising the Great
White Fleet" After a six-day trip,
with stops at Berlize, British Hon
duras and Port Barras. Guatemala,
we locked at Tela, Spanish Hondu-
Ias.
1t was while at Port Barras that
] began to think of home We were
there for few hours while the COM
pany loaded some forty or fifty thou
sand punches of bananas. Like all
strangers, | went ashore to see the
town and l had gone only about
block along the street, when / came
TO possibly hundred "buzzards,
fighting over the remains of cat
to go on farther, l had to walk
around the gathering, they would
not fly. l afterwards found out that
killing one of these birds meant a
so sol" fine; they were known as
the tropical health department"
On landing at Tela, | was request
ed to leave my baggage at the wharf
to be taken to the customs house,
while one of the Company's engi-
neers took me to the mess hall for
lunch. This was the first of my ex-
periences with the people of Latin
race, and my experience came high:
it was the last | ever saw of either
my trunk or suitcase. | soon learned
that if | had anything of value, to
keep it on me or to lock it up; they
have most simple and beautiful
method OF getting what they want
down there: they just take it.
My first work after reporting was
60 find the extent of large swamp
and the possibilities of draining it.
II was here that | discovered my
need of Spanish There were Is ma
tives in the crew, none of whom
could speak a word of English and
"Como-si-omma" was the extent of
my knowledge OF the native tongue.
But by the use of this phrase and my
index finger | managed to learn the
names of the various instruments.
The particular piece of work lust
mentioned took me about 30 miles
inland ard about six weeks to do it.
as 1t was impossible without cutting
our way and the swamp, the home
OF the alligators and mosquitoes, was
as difficult going as the jungle, the
water being three or four feet deep
and full of rank growth of vines and
swamp grass. The extreme difficult
W of the work, combined with the
awful loneliness, the chattering of
monkeys and screeching OF parrots
during the day, and the croaking of
lizards, the roaring of balloons and
the occasional cry of a tiger at night.
made 1t the most miserable six
weeks l have ever spent. My limit
ed Spanish prevented me from even
having what l wanted TO eat-I ate
what was set before me. 1t was at
dinner my first Sunday in camp that
the cook served stew. resembling a
meat pie. In helping myself dished
up what looked like a little baby's
hand-they had served me one of
the native delicacies; stewed mon
key | ate nothing more that day.
nor the next.
Most men in finishing college look
for some new field for their start.
AS there will be a great deal OF new
development work in the southern
countries many engineers will turn
that way. Civil, mining. and cleo
trical engineers will be In great de-
mand, and their ideas of the country
will be as hazy as mine were. hence
viii try to describe the condi-
tons that will affect all engineers
alike--namely the climate and the
labor. When | was sent to Central
America they told me it was never
warmer there than in Montana dur
ing the summer wac rnieip form, "a