Three Old Ports on the Spanish Main 637 



been by every government since the time 

 of Guzman-Bianco, it would long since 

 have been one of the most important 

 ports in Caribbean countries, for behind 

 it lies a vast lowland region, rich in all 

 manner of tropical products and only 

 rendered inaccessible in places by the 

 very profusion of its wealth. Further- 

 more, Maracaibo is the port of a consid- 

 erable section of Colombia, and nearly 

 all of the coffee that bears its name comes 

 either from across the boundary or from 

 the Venezuelan Cordillera region south 

 and east of the lake. At intervals of a 

 year or so, it would appear, President 

 Castro from some fancied grievance pro- 

 hibits all intercourse with the neighbor- 

 ing republic ; whereupon the exports of 

 "Maracaibo" coffee fall to half the usual 

 amount, only to leap to an abnormal fig- 

 ure when his wrath has been appeased 

 Colombian cities are allowed to discharge 

 their accumulated supply. When I out- 

 lined this article the barriers, if I mis- 

 take not, were up ; at the present writing 

 they have been removed. And yet Co- 

 lombia, like Curacao, was at one time a 

 haven of refuge when the President was 

 a fugitive. What unheard-of indignities 

 might they not suffer today, had they 

 not received him so hospitably ! 



Maracaibo has the unenviable reputa- 

 tion of being one of the most unhealthful 

 cities in the world, which is sheer non- 

 sense, for its climate is said to be rather 

 agreeable, though moist and hot. Yellow 

 fever is prevalent at times, but of such 

 a mild type that it is seldom fatal, and 

 German commercial houses in Cucuta, 

 where this disease, on the contrary, is 

 most deadly, are said to station their 

 newly arrived clerks in Maracaibo until 

 they have taken the fever before allow- 

 ing them to enter the interior. I did not 

 believe this story until a gentleman of 

 unquestionable veracity assured me that 

 such is actually the case, and that Mara- 

 caibo fever, like the measles, is really 

 welcomed, that the ordeal may be over 

 for all time. 



Perhaps Maracaibo's bad name orig- 

 inated in the story of the consul and the 

 coffin, of which manv versions are cur- 



rent. Ex-Minister Scruggs gives it as 

 follows : 



"A western politician of some local 

 prominence, who had long been pressed 

 upon the attention of our State Depart- 

 ment for a consular position in South 

 America, was finally nominated and con- 

 firmed as consul to Maracaibo, much to 

 the disgust and discomfort of the incum- 

 bent, who wanted to retain his place. 

 The new consul arrived at his post in 

 mid-summer, and became the guest of 

 his predecessor, whom he was about to 

 relieve. Discovering a metallic coffin in 

 an obscure closet of his bedroom, he in- 

 quired of his host the next morning why 

 such an article of furniture should be 

 there. The host was profuse in his apol- 

 ogies, but added by way of explanation 

 that such things were not unusual in 

 Maracaibo, especially during 'the fever 

 season, which,' said he, 'is just now set- 

 ting in !' The new consul took the re- 

 turn steamer for New York, leaving his 

 predecessor undisturbed." 



Here again I was long dubious about 

 accepting such a good yarn seriously till 

 I was assured not once, but a dozen times, 

 that it is essentially true ; that the wily 

 consul is none other than the present in- 

 cumbent, and that he himself is nothing 

 loath to admit the fact. Yet few travel- 

 ers go to verify either story, perhaps 

 from an unmanly feeling that if they 

 have been misinformed they may pay for 

 the error by taking up a permanent resi- 

 dence there, without the assurance even 

 of a consular coffin. 



I am writing of Maracaibo as if it 

 were an out-of-the-way village instead 

 of an important city and port, with ocean 

 vessels coming and going and fleets of 

 sailing craft plying to various towns 

 upon the lake, as well as to up-river 

 ports — a city that can boast of electric 

 light, tramway lines, telephones, tele- 

 graphs, a submarine cable, a splendid 

 theater, a legislative palace, seven 

 churches, a dockyard, and, to quote ver- 

 batim from the official report, "2 clubs, 

 5 hotels, 17 inns, 24 restaurants, and all 

 modern improvements," which, of course, 

 is equally misleading. 



