The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1936-03-13

| was visited by many trading ships
| seeking turtle shells. AS a result, the
] blood of the inhabitants became badly
mixed, and characteristics of many
races can be detected in the present
day population.
San Juan del Norte (Greytown), at
the mouth of the San Juan river has
an English-speaking negro population.
Long ago the port had an excellent
harbor and was thriving community,
but drifting sands have closed the en-
trance from the sea, and now only an
occasional schooner calls.
In the boom days, when the Mari
time Canal company undertook the
construction Of a canal, Greytown had
visions of being metropolis; now it
is only dreary community of rusted
tin and frame shacks, with popula-
ton of $50 people.
In spite of the financial difficulties
that have been general throughout the
world and have been particularly try
ing in Nicaragua, the president of the
republic has improved the public
schools and built new roads and rail-
roads.
Along the countrys roads you will
occasionally meet a high-powered car
snorting its way over ruts and bumps,
carrying some government official or
landed proprietor on business best
known to himself. The car has num-
Der Of occupants, usually half dozen
in excess of its normal capacity, for
the government official travels with his
guards, his friends, and perhaps
large part of his family, while the
usual car-owner always has his entire
family in the car and baggage and
other impedimenta strapped on the
running board and anywhere else that
it can be suspended or attached.
Cars Nearly All American.
Practically all cars are of American
make, and it is tribute to their stur-
diness that they can stand the usage to
which they are subjected. New cars
are frequently equipped with extra
spring leaves, as spare parts are hard
to get, and for service on Nicaraguan
roads springs have to be strong.
The cars on the roads are few and
far between, but they add the touch
which shows that you are travelling
in a civilized country. The creaky OK
Small but sturdy animals, with yokes
or pulling bars lashed just behind the
horns, draw these carts creaking and
groaning over the trails, but they get
through mud that will stop a strong
pony.
1t is not necessary to ask for road
directions; there is never more than
one road or trail in the direction you
want to go. A question as to distance
is futile, for no peon has any concep-
ton of time or distance. A league may
actually be any length from one to six
miles. The usual answer to the ques-
ton, How far is it to any placer" is
mo hay mas" the Nicaraguan equiv
alent of the answer, mot fur" which
one so frequently gets from the small
darby on our southern roads.
Coffee Is the Main Crop.
The prosperity of the country de-
ponds upon the coffee crop and it's
price. Crops have been good in recent
years, but the price has been very low
For it's future Nicaragua looks to the
building of the canal linking the Pa
cific and the Caribbean. A prosperous
Nicaragua will no doubt mean a quiet
Nicaragua, for prosperity will mean
roads, railroads, and other public i'm
provements. A hungry man in Nicara-
qua is prospective recruit for one of
the bandit gangs. Banditry probably
will cease when any man seeking work
can get it and when every man can
boast of the few dollars rafting around
in his pocket.
Gold in small quantities has been
produced in Nicaragua for hundreds
of years. The richest mines are in the
province of Chontales. This area is
also bandit-infested, and the mines are
a favorite field for bandit activities.
The situation has prevented the in
stallation of modern machinery or the
development of the properties on
large scale.
The Babilonia mine at La Libertad
has the distinction Of having had a
young mining engineer named Herbert
Hoover connected at one time with its
management. Here only the richest
strikes are now worked, the ore being
brought to the mill by pack mule. The
Javali mine at Santo Domingo is
worked on a larger scale and at con-
siderable profit to its owners.
Putting a canal across Nicaragua Is
a matter Of utilizing some geographic
features and overcoming others. OF
outstanding Importance physically are
the country's mountains and its two
great fresh-water lakes in its central
basin, ''the Great Lakes Of Central
America"