CHAPTER XIV 



TURRIALBA AND PERALTA 



In our second chapter, on Costa Rican railroads, we have 

 referred to Turrialba as the "pineapple station." Our 

 first visit to it was on July 24, 1909, when in company with 

 Professor Tristan P. went there from Juan Vinas. We 

 went first to an acquaintance of Professor Tristan's, A, 

 Alfaro, whose shop was in the lower story of one of the few 

 two-storied buildings. Turrialba was built entirely of 

 wood; the houses were chiefly shanties or a little better, 

 many of these occupied by Jamaican negroes. One of the 

 cabins was used as a jail in which two men were confined 

 over Sunday and Monday for drunkenness — released on 

 becoming sober and paying a fine or "multa," part of which 

 went to the support of the school. A better-built but one- 

 storied house was labeled "Alcaldia," the magistrate's 

 court, while "Tesoreria Municipal" was the inscription 

 over a little window like a ticket-seller's, in the side of Seiior 

 Alfaro's shop. Besides this last there were, I think, only 

 two other two-storied buildings, one of which was occupied 

 by J. Gomez and Brothers, the lower floor as a shop, the 

 upper by sleeping rooms rented out to lodgers. To this we 

 were directed in search of a room for ourselves but, owing to 

 the presence in town of engineers engaged in the extension 

 of the railroad bridge over the Rio Turrialba and of a "Junta 

 Politica" from Cartago to advocate the candidacy of the 

 Republicano party in the Presidential campaign, all rooms 

 were taken and our quarters seemed destined to be the rail- 

 road station. However it was found that the engineers had 



