CHAPTER XV 



SANTA CLARA 



The level country on the north side of the bases of the 

 Cordillera Central is known as the "Llanuras de Santa 

 Clara" or, by abbreviation, merely as "Santa Clara." Our 

 first acquaintance with this region was made on Tuesday, 

 June I, 1909, when P. took a letter of introduction from 

 Mr. E. J. Hitchcock, Manager of the United Fruit Company 

 for Costa Rica, to Mr. E. W. Reed, Superintendent of the 

 Santa Clara Division, located at Guapiles. As far as La 

 Junta the route was the main line from San Jose to Limon; 

 at La Junta the tracks diverge to the so-called "Old Line." 



About two o'clock I was deposited on a tiny platform 

 between two tracks at La Junta and the train went on to 

 Limon. There was no one about but negroes who worked 

 on the adjoining banana farms. A row of their cabins faced 

 the track. My questions brought the answer that the train 

 for Guapiles would stop at that platform about three o'clock 

 — the schedule time for leaving La Junta was 2.40 P. M. — 

 and that there was no station here. The temporary bridge 

 in use in June was a little upstream from the site of the old 

 one, which caused some change in the track arrangements. 

 It soon began to rain, so I went to one of the cabins, where 

 a young negro woman was washing clothes, and asked 

 permission to sit on her little porch under shelter. This was 

 readily granted and a chair was also brought out for me. 

 A number of men were lounging on the porch of the next 

 cottage and remained there all the rest of the afternoon, 

 one of them strumming on a guitar; the most frequently 



