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Pulp Nicaragua

Page history last edited by Michael 14 years, 4 months ago

 

Republic of Nicaragua

AREA: 49,200 square miles

POPULATION: census of 1920, 638,119; estimated in 1930, 750,000

CAPITAL: Managua, population in 1932, 45,000

PRESIDENT: Dr. Juan B. Sacasa, for 1933-37, elected November 6, 1932, inagurated January 1, 1933

 

     Nicaragua lies between the Caribbean Sea, with a coastline of 280 miles, and the Pacific (200 miles), with Honduras on the north and Costa Rica on the south. In area it is a little larger than the state of New York. The Cordillera range of mountains, including many volcanic peaks, runs from northwest to southeast through the middle of the country. Between this range and a range of volcanic peaks to the west lie Lake Managua, thirty miles long by fifteen miles wide, and Lake Nicaragua, 100 miles long and forty-five miles wide, of great importance to the transport system of the country; and with the San Juan River, on the Costa Rica boundary, the latter forms the route for a trans-isthmian ship canal planned to connect the Atlantic and Pacific. The right to construct a canal over this route for 99 years, together with a naval base in the Gulf of Fonseca on the Pacific and Corn Island on the Caribbean, was acquired for $3,000,000 by the United States in a treaty ratified Feb. 18, 1916; the United States was to supervise the expenditure of that money. The Pacific Railroad, running from Corinto to Leon and from Managua to Granada (171 miles), the only one in the country, was Government-owned, but 51 per cent of the stock was sold to New York bankers, who also held the rest of the stock in escrow for a loan of $1,060,000. This the Government repaid out of surplus revenue in 1924, thereby regaining possession of the railroad.

     The 100 United States Marines who had served as guard at the United States Legation for thirteen years were withdrawn on Aug. 5, 1925. In Oct., 1925, Gen. Emiliano Chamorro, who had been defeated in the presidential election in 1924, by a coup d'etat seized the executive power. Recognition was refused him under the terms of the Central American Treaty of Peace and Amity of Feb. 7, 1923.

     A revolt broke out. United States troops were landed again in 1926, and after negotiations a general election was held on Nov. 4, 1928, supervised by American Marines under Gen. Frank R. McCoy, USA. Gen. Jose M. Moneada, Liberal, was elected President and served a four-year term, 1929-1933, during which Gen. Sandino and his troops were in constant rebellion. A small force of Marines was retained to train and give backbone to the newly organized National Guard (now 235 officers and 2,500 men), and as a protection against banditry. At the request of the Government a National Board of Election was set up under Capt. Alfred W. Johnson, USN, assisted by 280 picked men from the U.S. Navy to supervise the Congressional Election Nov. 2, 1930. The Liberals won 17 of the 24 seats in the Senate, and 28 of the 43 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.

     Again by request of the Government a Board of Election under Adm. C. H. Woodward with 300 naval officers and marines supervised the congressional and presidential election Nov. 6, 1932 at which Dr. Juan B. Sacasa, Liberal, was elected for the four-year term, 1933-1937. The new Congress consists of 16 Liberal and 8 Conservative Senators, and 29 Liberal and 14 Conservative Deputies.

     The U.S. Marines (about 700 men) were entirely withdrawn by Jan. 2, 1933, and in February, 1933, Gen. Sandino made his peace with the new government.

     During the American occupation there were at the peak, July 11, 1928, 5,365 marines, and 456 naval officers and men; 20 officers and 115 men were killed in action or died of wounds or in accidents, and 13 officers and 53 men were wounded in action but recovered. The expense of keeping the marines in Nicaragua to Jan. 1, 1931, over the cost at home was $5,517,832 as testified to by Maj. Gen B. H. Fuller before the House Appropriations Committee Feb. 9, 1931.

     By permission of the Nicaraguan Government, a picked engineering battalion of 400 men and a board headed by Lt. Gen Edgar Jadwin, USA ret'd, with two army and two civilian engineers were sent to survey a route for an interoceanic canal. The route surveyed is 177 miles long, seventy of which are through Lake Nicaragua and 55 miles improved river navigation; the lift 105 feet, cared for by three twin locks on each side. The east divide cut is about two miles long, with a maximum height of 337 feet, and the west divide, 80 feet long. The cost is estimated at $700,000,000. The surveying party returned in July, 1931.

     Managua, the capital on Lake Managua, was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake on March 31, 1931, and the fire that followed. The cause was not volcanic but a local displacement of underground strata. The loss of life exceeded 2,000, 30,000 more were made homeless, 18,000 were fed daily in the relief work participated in by United States marines, the United States surveying party, Army and Navy doctors who came by airplane from Panama with medical supplies, and the American Red Cross. The property loss was approximately $20,000,000. The Government transferred its offices temporarily to Masaya, and lated decided to rebuild Managua, which is going on slowly.

     Direct investment of United States capital in Nicaragua was estimated by the United States Department of Commerce at $13,000,000 as of Dec. 31, 1930. The United States supplies about 63% of the imports and takes about 53% of the exports.

     The country has valuable forests, some gold is mined, but it is essentially an agricultural and stock raising community. On the broad tropical plains of the east coast, bananas and sugar cane are cultivated, and coffee is grown on the mountain slopes. In 1931, 35,860,986 pounds of coffee valued at $3,319,211 were exported as compared with 15,302,708 pounds valued at $3,792,217 in 1930. Exports of bananas, 1931, were 2,973,446 stems valued at $1,981,327. Mahogany exports were valued at $158,849.

     The chief exports are coffee, sugar, bananas, timber and hides. Textiles, machinery, etc., chemicals and flour are the chief imports.

     The Constitution of March 12, 1912, amended in 1913, provides for a Congress of two Houses, a Senate of 24 members elected for six years, one-third every two years, and a House of 43 Deputies elected for four years by universal suffrage. The President is elected for four years and has a Council of five Ministers. The Roman Catholic is the prevailing religion. The army numbers 2,000 men, selected by conscription.

     Nicaragua, in 1931, had 840 schools with 1,856 teachers and 40,000 pupils.

     The debt on March 31, 1932, was: Foreign, $1,699,125; internal, $1,187,750.

Recent budgets in cordobas (=$1.00) are:
     Year.                           Rev.       Exp.
     1928 (actual)................5,987,583  5,845,826
     1929 (actual)................6,553,094  6,450,711
     1930 (estimated).............4,623,419  5,000,000
     1931 (estimated).............3,934,184  3,934,236
       Imports and exports in cordobas were:
     Year.                      Imports.     Exports.
     1928......................13,350,451   11,693,526
     1929......................11,797,440   10,872,526
     1930.......................8,172,360    8,343,358
     1931.......................6,015,481    6,575,058
       Trade with the United States was:
     Cal. Year.                 Imports.     Exports.
     1928......................$7,356,813   $5,490,339
     1929......................$7,031,555   $5,749,012
     1930......................$4,868,825   $3,521,687
     1931......................$3,564,565   $2,381,659
     1932......................$1,992,901   $1,964,174

 

-- from the 1934 World Almanac and Book of Facts

 


CORINTO, Nicaragua Population 3,500   

Hotels for Officers. (American plan.) CENTRAL, C$6 up. COSTA AZUL, same rate. GARCIA, C$50 a month, room C$1.50 a day. CORINTO, same rates.  

 

Hospital. Corinto Emergency Hospital. (C$4 a day for best room.)

 

Physicians. Drs. Servulo Gonzalez (port doctor); Agustin Alfaro A.; Doroteo Real; Juan Delgado.

 

Laundries. Washerwomen.

 

Excursions. Leon, historic city and former capital of Nicaragua (3 hours, $2 round trip).

 

Consulates. American at Managua (5 hours by rail). British Vice-Consulate.

 

-- from the Seaman's Handbook for Shore Leave, Eighth Edition, 1944

 

  
MANAGUA, Nicaragua

Population 45,000

     Managua is a hot, low-lying and swampy city, on the southern shores of Lago de Managua (aka Lake Xolotlán). The nation's 11 miles of paved roads are mostly in Managua; despite that, most of the streets are unpaved and unnamed. The flatness of its setting is relieved only by the few eroded volcanoes and volcanic craters a few miles inland. The city is home to Nicaragua's few cultural attractions; the historic cathedral is worth visiting, along with the Palacio Nacional. Much of the city still lies in ruins from the recent earthquake.

     As elsewhere in Nicaragua, Managua accommodation tends to be spartan, with water and electricity prone to outages. Because of the city's amazing heat and humidity, visitors should insist on rooms equipped with a fan -- although this can cost up to double the price of an fanless room, and of course the electricity is often cut off. Centered on the Ticabus railway station, the barrio Martha Quezada, a neighbourhood of twelve blocks near the city center, is the place for cheap, hospedaje-type (boarding house) accommodation. Managua's only movie theater, the Cine Dorado is in this district.

     This barrio is a mixture of middle-class homes and very poor dwellings, some with only corrugated iron for doors; the barrio's hot, eventless streets have a forlorn look. There's nothing much to do here except sleep, though there are still a number of good local cafetines and restaurants.

     Accommodation in Martha Quezada is scattered in a two-block radius on either side of the Ticabus station. Arriving by train, you will be met by touts, usually children, offering to take you to a hospedaje. They receive a percentage from the hotel owner for bringing people from the train and there's no harm in going with them, since you're under no obligation to stay if you don't like the hospedaje they take you to.

     Elsewhere in Managua, the Hotel Casa Pilar, the Hotel Estrella, the Hotel Balmoral, the Hotel Lupone and (on the main plaza) the Hotel Alhambra offer large rooms, fans, good food and excellent service. Managua's best hotel is the Gran Hotel (4th and 5th floors are suites; regular rooms C$10 and up; suites C$50). The few restaurants and clubs catering to a cosmopolitan clientele include the Club Internacional, the Casino Militar, Club Arabe, Club de Ajedrez, and the Club de Nejapa.

     The well-to-do live in neighbourhoods called repartos and residenciales; low houses behind high walls are typical here.

 


Standard Fruit and Steamship Company

     Vaccaro Brothers began as a family owned banana-importing firm in New Orleans in the late 19th century. The Vaccaros chartered their first ship in 1899 to run between Honduras and New Orleans and were enormously successful, especially after they were able to buy surplus ships at bargain prices following World War I. By 1935, the company was operating 35 ships and was the leading rival to the powerful United Fruit Company (now trading as Chiquita). They initiated passenger service to Mexico and the Caribbean aboard their ships in 1924 and continued to carry passengers until the 1950s. Although Standard Fruit and Steamship had been chartered as a public stock company in 1923, it remained overwhelmingly in family hands until the 1960s, when the second generation of Vaccaros decided to get out of the shipping business and sell the line to Castle and Cooke, a prominent Hawaiian sugar and pineapple company now known as Dole. SFS now (2005) operates under the name Dole Ocean Cargo Express.

     A typical Standard Fruit "banana boat" is a converted "flush deck four-stacker" destroyer from the Great War, gutted due to disarmament treaty provisions. They can carry 25,000 stems of bananas (about 1100 tons) 380 miles a day. Wind sails are rigged when carrying bananas, to keep the holds cool. The 2500 mile trip to Los Angeles, California is made in 6 and a half days. All of the Standard Fruit ships are registered under the American flag.

Length          310 feet 
Beam 30' 11.5"
Depth 20' 7.75"
Freeboard 10' 4.5"
Load draft 10' 3.25"
Gross tonnage 1174
Net tonnage 701
Speed 16 knots
Propulsion two 1000 HP diesels, two screws
Crew 19
Passengers 6-12 in six cabins

     The superstructure consists of two houses: a three-level forward house containing (on the main deck level) a wireless operator room, dining room, galley, ice box and storeroom, and (on the upper deck level) six passenger rooms and three connecting baths, and two mates’ cabins. On top of the forward house are located the wheel house, radio room, chart room, captain’s office, sleeping cabin and bath. In the after house are located rooms for the Chief Engineer and his bath, two rooms for the Assistant Engineers, steward’s room, and engineers’ bath on the port side. On the starboard side will be found the crews’ mess room, and five double rooms for sailors, oilers, and the rest of the crew, together with the crews’ bath.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     The crew consists of a captain, 2 mates, a wireless operator, chief engineer, 2 assistant engineers, cook, steward, 10 sailors and oilers.
     The one-way fare for each passenger cabin is $50, including meals; plus $10 if a second person uses the cabin. Three of these ships are in service from May 1 to September 30th, sailing from Los Angeles every Thursday at noon. Names are Masaya, Matagalpa, and Tabasco.

     Other scheduled steamship lines serving Corinto are the Latin American Line (sailings to and from Seattle, via Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles) and the Panama Mail Steamship Co. (sailings every two weeks between New York and San Francisco, stopping at Los Angeles and various Latin American ports -- see here and here for some info). 

 Air Travel To and Within Nicaragua
     The U.S. Marines built primitive airstrips at Ocotal and other provincial capitals; the airfield at Managua is the only one with an all-weather runway, hangars, and landing aids. Since the Marines have left, it is also the only runway regularly used; the others are rapidly turning into cow pastures, and may have fences, trenches, or other obstacles on them now.
     The Guardia Nacional operates a Waco QDC biplane; some inoperable De Havilland DH.4 aircraft and Curtiss attack planes are no doubt mouldering near the hangars or in the underbrush.

 

     A few private operators fly second-hand tri-motors from Managua to nearby countries on irregular schedules. Some small, older and somewhat dangerous aircraft are also available for charter flights.

     Pan Am aircraft travelling south stop here in the mornings on Sundays, Mondays, and Wednesday; headed north, in the mid-afternoon on Saturdays, Thursdays, and Tuesdays.

     From Brownsville, Texas, a Pan Am flight will take a traveller to Mexico City (daily flights, five hour duration in Fokker F-10 trimotors) ... on to San Salvador (Saturdays and Tuesdays) ... and then dropped off at Managua before lunch (Sundays, Mondays, and Wednesdays). Total cost of airfare, about $100 ($160 if purchased as a round trip ticket). Two nights of hotel bills, dinners, etc., (at Mexico City and San Salvador) are separate. The Pan Am aircraft from Mexico City to Panama are also Fokker F-10 trimotors.

 

     Lake Managua is of course a perfect surface for flying boats to alight upon; numerous docks line the shore at the capital.

From "An Army Engineer Explores Nicaragua" by Lt. Col. Dan Sultan (National Geographic, 1932):
     "Working in an almost continuous downpour in a jungle so thick that you can rarely see ten feet in any direction, where the vegetation is so dense overhead that little light penetrates and a permanent gloom pervades, where the footing is always insecure, and where large areas are covered with bottomless swamps ... if you increase this discomfort by adding unnumbered mosquitoes; insects by the million, so varied as to size, shape, bite, and method of locomotion that classification is impossible; and then throw in alligators, snakes, and scorpions, not to mention the fleas and ticks, you will have a picture of the conditions ... in Nicaragua."
     "... it was impossible to make any attempt at mosquito control or to screen our shacks and tents. The men slept under nets and took quinine daily as anti-malaria measures... Ringworm, screw worm, infected ears, and infections from insect bites or ordinary cuts and abrasions caused us much trouble."
     "Boots or water-tight shoes were useless. Water was sure to get in at the tops, and the more holes in the shoes, the more easily the water runs out."
     "The thorns with which many vines and other plants are protected were a great nuisance, bu the worst plant was the picapica, the smart resulting from contact with which lasts for hours and makes one feel as if he were being bitten in a small area by hundreds of ants."
     Bulls and ox carts are used often; mules with their narrow hooves are not large and strong enough to work in the thick, deep mud of the roads. The bull carts have solid wooden wheels, with iron tires. Automobiles used on Nicaragua's roads are often equipped with extra leaves for their springs, as these are often broken.
     The harbor entrance at Corinto is too shallow for large vessels to enter.
     Manual laborers can be hired for 40 cents per day. Rice, beans and especially plantains or bananas form the staple of their diet.
     "... because of the high duty and the enormous profit that the merchants must make, articles of American manufacture cost about three times the price one would pay in the United States."

Odds and Ends
  • Cacao - the raw fruit from which chocolate is made. The seeds of the fruit are dried and crushed. The indigenous Nicaraguans used the fruit as their monetary unit.
  • Nacatamal - a traditional Nicaragua dish eaten at any time of day, though more readily available Friday-Sunday in cities. Normally made of pork (though chicken is also used), rice, corn meal and sweet peppers, then wrapped in a big plantain leaf and boiled.
  • Guapote - native large-mouth lake bass, found in ponds and lakes all over Nicaragua. This is perhaps the finest fish to eat in Nicaragua, usually fried whole and drenched in tomatoes and onions.
  • Fresco - short for refresco and usually referring to freshly made fruit drinks which consist of the fruit, water and sugar.
  • León - The city of León was founded in its current location in 1610. León was the colonial capital of Nicaragua until independence from Spain in 1821. Since then it has continued as a university town, home to intellectuals, revolutionaries and poets. The city of León has more than a dozen charming colonial churches within 8 blocks of the city center and houses the biggest cathedral in Central America, 113 years in the making.
  • Granada - Granada, founded in 1524, is one of the oldest European settlements in the Americas. Granada was the economic capital of Nicaragua in colonial times, the scene of William Walker's failed attempt at North American re-colonization. Granada is famous for its lake front beauty and splendid colonial homes; it is considered the heart of conservative politics in Nicaragua. The railway line from Corinto ends at Granada.
  • El Hipico - part of every patron saint festival, this is a parade of horses carrying well dressed and heavy lubricated riders around the countryside.
  • Nicaraguan animals - Nicaragua is home to many species of animals, such as the howler, white faced and spider monkeys, jaguar, giant anteaters, crocodiles, toucans, and parrots, as well as a rainbow of orchid and butterflies. The howler monkey - called mono congo in Spanish -- is a vocal tree dweller whose males can be heard as far as 3 miles away.
  • Miskito Indians - Nicaragua is home to the majority of infamous Miskito Coast Indians, shared by southeastern Honduras. The Miskito Indians are thought to have originally been migrants from northern Colombia and eastern Venezuela, perhaps arriving about 4,000 years ago. They speak their own language, Miskito, and (along the Caribbean coast) a Creole English -- for many centuries the Miskito Coast was a British territory.
  • Banks operating in Managua: the Anglo-Central American Commercial Bank; the Commercial Bank of South America; the London Bank of Central America; and the National Bank of Nicaragua. There are no branch banks anywhere else in the country.

  • The Pacific Railway of Nicaragua (F. C. del Pacifico de Nicaragua) has 146 miles of narrow gauge track. A "Presidential coach" is maintained at the Managua station.
  • While education is compulsory, illiteracy is estimated to be 40%.
  • The American minister to Nicaragua is Matthew Hanna, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. Mr. Hanna is an experienced career diplomat, largely responsible for negotiating the peace accord between Sandino's rebels and the Nicaraguan government. Born in Ohio in 1873, he was a well-known Army officer (West Point class of '97), with experience in the Spanish-American War, and eventually rose to the rank of Colonel. He wrote "Tactical Principals and Problems" in 1910, considered the key guide to tactics in the US Army up to World War 2. He contracted sleeping sickness in 1924, and still suffers from it. He is a cousin of the famous Senator Mark Hanna; and his wife, whom he met while stationed at the US Embassy in Berlin, is the Baroness von Rheinbaben. The Secretary of Legation is Willard L. Beaulac, born in 1899, an experienced Latin American diplomat.
  • General Anastasio "Tacho" Somoza-Garcia (b. 1896) is Jefe Director of the National Guard. He has a slick, smiling, kinetic personality, is an excellent dancer and ladies' man, fond of puns, and speaks fluent English. He lived for much of his youth in Philadelphia, and received a degree in business administration there.

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