Evening journal., 1921-09-26
No RAILROADS
IN TEQUCIGALPA
Federation of Central Amer
ica Selects Quiet Site
For Capital
MIGHT BE TERMED
'LHASA OF WEST"

WASHINGTON, d. c. - III the
United States, according to criti-
cisms in 1871. selected site for its
capital far from the beaten path, the
newly formed Federation Of Central
America has selected one that is
even more remote and inaccessible"
says a bulletin issued by the Ma
tional Geographic Society.
"Tegucigalpa a name which. when
properly pronounced, brings to mind
the 'goosey- goosey- -gander' Of nur-
sery rhymes) is now the capital OF
Honduras. one OF the members of
the new union" the bulletin contin-
ues. 1T might be termed the Lhasa
OF the West but not because it is a
forbidden city by the edict Of man.
Its citizens have their share of the
hospitality for which Latin America
is noted: but Nature has placed
rough country between the city and
the two oceans that bathe the shores
OF Honduras, and man has done
little to overcome the handicap. It
Is the only capital on the North
American continent that his never
echoed to the more or less musical
blast Of a railroad locomotive. and
one Of the few railroadless capitals
in the Western Hemisphere. Nor
may one yet travel to the new ma
tional capital by automobile.
"Tegucigalpa is some eighty miles
inland from its Pacific port. San Lo-
renzo. on highlands more than oUOO
feet above sea level A road which
is more than a trail, but less than
a highway iconnects the two points
The most ambitious name that it can
lay claim to is cart road Travellers
do the eighty miles in three days
/ by mule back. and II they are trav.
cling light may take their belong.
ings along by pack mule. Trunks
must follow by ox-cart. In the int
rior Of the country. with its hanki
\ in the air. as a military man Nigh
describe it, is a fifty-mile highway
in good condition extending betweei
Tegucigaipa and the second mos
important town OF Honduras. Coma
yagua. over this road automobile
operate regularly.
Tegucigalpa is more than 10
miles from the Atlantic-or rather
the Caribbean Sea; but American
can reach the capital more quickl
from the Atlantic than from the Pa
cifc side. due TO the fast steame
service from New Orleans and Nc
bile. Puerto Cortez is the mort
shore port. From there a railroa
extends for a short distance towar
the interior. and from the rail hea
the journey by mule back to Tegt
! cigalpa occupies FIVE or six days.
THE capital is as quiet a plaC
= as its inaccessibility would indicat
. Its population Is variously estimate
1 at 10000 to $1,000. Most OF 4
z buildings are Of one-story with wal
j of adobe or masonry and roofs
tile.
Though II is isolated now, Tegl
cigalpa does not mean to remain S
T and perhaps its choice as capital
l. the new Central American FEEDER
tion is an earnest that it will soc
! have rail connections with the ou
side world, The government Of Il
. state adopted an ambitious raj
= building program generation ae
: but financial ruin overlook the e
terprise. In recent years a numb
OF railroads have been built fro
r the north coast by large banai
, companies and some OF these a
y being slowly extended toward q
= capital.
n THE Federation OF Central Anne
) lea. consisting now OF Guatema
San Salvador and Honduras. hor
in the near future TO enroll Nicar
le qua and Costa Rica among its mel
k bers. II these two countries to I
south Join, Tegucigalpa will be