COSTA RICA.
"MY DEAR SIR,
"In the month of June, 1822, I disembarked in the port of Punta de
Arenas, in the Gulf of Nicoya, the only one corresponding to that
province at present in use on the Pacific side. My object was to
dispose of a cargo of cotton which I had brought from Realejo, and to
purchase sugar in return. Circumstances, not necessary to mention,
and the loss of the small vessel with which I was trading on the
coast, caused me to remain in Costa Rica. Its name implies a very
early conviction of its natural opulence; it is certain that gold
and silver abounded among the Indians at the period of its conquest
by the Spaniards. It was at one time a favoured and flourishing
agricultural colony, but from various causes sank into neglect. Such
was the apathy, both of the Government and of individuals, that the
very existence of the precious metals in the country had been almost
entirely forgotten. In the end of 1821, a poor man, Nicolas Castro
by name, opened the first gold mine known in Costa Rica since the
conquest, and his success soon induced others to try their fortunes;
with fortunate results, in a few months a mining district sprang into
being.
"A gentleman of the name of Alverado constructed at a very
considerable expense what is called an Ingenio, consisting of
various edifices for depositing the ore, machinery driven by water
for grinding it and afterwards blending it with quicksilver for
amalgamation.
[Illustration: PLATE 14.
London: E. & F. N. Spon, 48, Charing Cross. Kell. Bro^s Lith. London.
TREVITHICK'S ROUTE ACROSS THE ISTHMUS OF COSTA-RICA.]
"When I landed in June, 1822, only five or six mines had been
discovered, but in January 1823, when I left the country, I cannot
pretend to enumerate those in a state of progress and of promise.
It is not only in the mining part of the business that the
want of skill is prejudicial to the result. It is imperfectly
ground, for instance, and consequently cannot be brought into that
intimate contact with the quicksilver which is necessary to perfect
amalgamation. The machine for grinding is very simple: a large flat
stone, like a mill-stone, is made to revolve upon its fellow by an
ox or mule power. The poorest people reduce it to powder by manual
labour, in the same way as they grind corn preparatory to baking it
into cakes. Alverado's machine promised to be a great acquisition. The
grinding was facilitated by a little water; when the ore is judged to
be sufficiently well ground, a portion of quicksilver is thrown in
by guess, and the motion of the machine continued until the union of
the metals is supposed to be complete; the whole is then removed into
large wide-mouthed conical-shaped wooden vessels. In these receptacles
it undergoes repeated washings, by stirring occasionally round, and
afterwards communicating to the vessel a swinging or half-rotary
motion, by which a quantity of the water, having the earthy particles
suspended, is driven over the edges; the amalgamated mass naturally
sinks to the bottom, and at last remains tolerably clean.
"The next step is the recovery of the quicksilver by distillation,
after which the gold is melted in a crucible and run into ingots. The
coasts are hot, and from the luxuriant vegetation that everywhere
abounds, emit, as in all situations of the kind, febrile miasma
in abundance when acted on by heat and moisture; but black vomit
is unknown, and all the fever cases I have seen have been of the
remitting and intermitting, free from character of malignancy. As the
ground begins immediately to spring from the coast, and does so indeed
very rapidly, a few miles takes us beyond the region of even these
slight fevers, and as we continue ascending to the central table-land,
a climate is encountered that may vie with any in the world for
benignancy and beauty. We there meet with the fruits of the torrid
zone, and near them the apple and the peach of Europe. The orange
tree is in bearing the whole year. As in all situations within the
tropics, it has a proper rainy season, but it is less inconvenient and
disagreeable than might be expected, for it seldom rains two days in
succession, and when it does, is invariably succeeded by an interval
of fine weather; for the most part every day presents a few dry hours.
The mines are situated on the ridges of the Cordillera, which without
presenting snow-covered peaks, attain, nevertheless, considerable
elevation. The clouds, constantly attracted by those high summits,
render the rainy season more severe in the mining district than in the
plains. The greatest inconvenience was from the snakes, which in those
solitary jungles, now first invaded by man, are very numerous and many
of them venomous. Provisions are cheap and excellent. In short, there
is but one fault I find with the country, and it is a great one, I
mean the frequency of earthquakes.
"J. M. GERARD."
MEM. IN MR. GERARD'S WRITING.
"_Illustrations of the Map._
"Though the plans and sections explain themselves, a few observations
will not be misplaced. The deep adit for the Coralillo would be 600
yards, that for Quebrada-honda 400 yards, and besides serving as
drains would form admirable roads for conveying the ores into the vale
where the stamps must be erected.
"The veins would be worked upward from the adits, and thus no expense
would be incurred for ages to come in lifting either water, ore, or
rubbish to the surface. Padre Arias Mine is an exception, requiring a
powerful water-wheel, or an hydraulic pressure-engine, for which there
is a fine fall of water of 135 feet. The mines in Quebrada-honda are
those in which an interest has been procured. Captain Trevithick has
an interest in the mine of Coralillo; the great watercourse is also
his.
"It will be seen by the plan that there are 75 fathoms fall to the
point where his present mill is situated, and other 75 fathoms to
the junction of the rivers of Quebrada-honda and Machuca. The whole
length does not amount to two miles, within which it is estimated
that sufficient power may be commanded to stamp 500,000 of quintals
annually. To bring it up to that pitch, the waters of Machuca must be
brought to join those of Quebrada-honda at Trevithick's mill, and
then 40 tons of water per minute could be delivered in the dry season."
Extracts from a report by Trevithick and Gerard in 1827:--
"This map consists of several distinct parts. The middle part shows
the mining district, the present dimensions of which are small, the
length being hardly four miles, breadth from two to three, and the
superficial extent from eight to ten miles. The upper part of the plan
is a section of the north ridge, called Quebrada-honda, and shows the
line of the proposed adits. The lower part in like manner exhibits the
south ridge, called Coralillo. The map further shows the inclination
or gradual fall of the ground along the valley, and of the streams by
which the mills are driven.
"The canal is likewise shown 5000 yards in length, by which the rivers
of Machuca would be brought to join that of Quebrada-honda.
"Castro's mine is situated on the southern ridge, and was the first
mine worked to any extent. There the veins are very large; in fact,
from the manner in which a number of horizontal veins are seen falling
into the perpendicular or master vein, the great body of the mountain
would appear to consist of lodes. This mass of ore is in general
rich. It has been worked open to the surface, somewhat like a quarry,
so that it is not difficult to calculate in cubic feet the quantity
that has been excavated. The mine is supposed to have yielded in the
course of the last six years gold to the value of 40,000_l._, and by
measuring the excavations it would appear that this amounts to, on
an average, one ounce of fine gold to every ten or twelve quintals
of ore. In 1821 the existence of silver was only imagined. In 1823
it was fully ascertained. Ever since 1824 it has constituted a small
but constant portion of the produce of Quebrada-honda, and in 1827
it was decidedly evinced in Coralillo. The discovery of gold in
Coralillo led them to work in Quebrada-honda, where they found both
gold and silver, and the discovery of silver in Quebrada-honda, by
strengthening the expectation of it in Coralillo, led in its turn to
the discovery of silver there. In Quebrada-honda they only work on
the ground in the immediate vicinity of the stream, and that in the
most imperfect manner; but great light has been thrown on the value of
the ores on this spot and in the district generally by the progress
made in working what is called Padre Arias Mine, which takes its name
from an ecclesiastic who first worked it. This mine is situated in
low ground near the verge of the stream, and was at first only worked
for gold. There were soon, however, indications of silver, which
increased progressively in sinking, till at the depth of only 10 yards
the influx of water exceeded the means of draining, and the works
under water-level were necessarily abandoned, at a time when ores were
yielding upwards of 200 oz. of silver to the ton, a striking proof of
the tendency of silver ore to improve in this district as the depth
increases.
"Mr. Richard Trevithick, that eminent Cornish miner and engineer, so
well known for his inventions, and particularly for the high-pressure
steam-engine and the drainage of the Pasco Mines in Peru, when
unfortunately civil war burst out in Peru, and the Royalists,
considering those engines as the main instrument for supplying money
to the Independents, rendered them useless by destroying or carrying
off some of the most important pieces.
"Mr. Trevithick having heard favourable reports of the mining district
we are now describing, soon after repaired thither, and was so fully
impressed with its value and importance that he made an extensive
contract for different properties, and resided in the country for four
years.
"He is now in England ready to give explicit answers to any inquiries
that may be made as to the mineral wealth of Costa Rica, and the
extraordinary facilities afforded by its position and natural
advantages. An estimate has been made for establishing a complete
mining concern in Costa Rica, with houses, iron railroads, stamping
mills, &c., so as to raise, stamp, and bring into refined gold the
produce contained in 250,000 tons of ore per year.
"The result of six years' experience shows that the following list of
machinery and tools with a few miles of railroad would be sufficient.
The communication with the mines being satisfactorily established
by the route of the port of San Juan de Nicaragua and the river
Serapique, the materials would be sent by the Atlantic at very much
less cost than by around Cape Horn.
"It is situated within 14 leagues of the Pacific Ocean and 30
leagues of the Atlantic, in a mountainous district intersected by
deep valleys or ravines. The mountains are covered with wood fit for
fuel, mining, architecture, and machinery. There is a population of
50,000 inhabitants within one day's journey of the mines. The climate
is perfectly salubrious, provisions of all kinds remarkably cheap,
labourers' wages from four to five dollars per month. The mines
secured are freehold property, and with one exception are unencumbered
by tribute or native partners. The attention of Government and of
individuals has recently been directed to the discovery of a road
from the interior to the river Serapique, which, rising in the high
lands of Costa Rica, pursues a northerly course and joins the San
Juan about 10 leagues above the harbour of that name, being itself
navigable for about 12 leagues above the junction. The opening of
this road is a matter of much importance to Costa Rica in a general
point of view; the port of Matina being always bad and impracticable
during the prevalence of northerly winds; that of San Juan being, on
the contrary, capacious, easy of access, and at all times perfectly
secure. The distance is much the same as by the way of Matina. Several
expeditions have been undertaken with a view of exploring an eligible
road to the highest navigable point of Serapique, and although as yet
none fit for mules has been discovered, the results of the experiments
justify the expectation of success. Individual enterprise is active in
the attempt, and Government has wisely offered a reward to successful
speculators.
"Captain Trevithick and Mr. Gerard, with a particular view to the
enterprise now under consideration, and after considerable risk and
labour, succeeded in laying down the navigable head of the Serapique
and in throwing such light on the intervening tract as will be of
great assistance to future adventurers. They ultimately constructed a
canoe in which they sailed down to the port of San Juan."
Plate XIV. shows Trevithick's route across Costa Rica.
A memorandum in Trevithick's writing, apparently a diary, says:--
"From where we returned our mules to the place where we commenced to
make our rafts and boat was eleven days' journey, a distance of 50
or 60 miles. The first and second days after parting with the mules
we passed some soft ground, with three or four rivulets of water in
narrow vales, about 10 miles on the side of the decline of the high
ridge on our left. It could easily be made passable for mules, as
the bad places where they could not travel did not exceed two or
three miles; and had we kept a little more to the left above the soft
ground, probably they could have passed. The next bad place was about
a mile after the second pass across the San José River, being a very
deep and abrupt vale. Had we never passed the San José River, but left
it on our right hand, the road would have been much shorter, and we
should have avoided this deep vale, and also the three other vales,
and their three rivers of Montelegre, Juan Mora, and Ajerbi. They
were, however, small, not more than half the leg in water, which is
a proof that their source was not above 10 miles off and must have
originated in the side of the high ridge on our left. None of the
vales were impassable to mules, except that between the second passing
of the river San José and the river Montelegre, which was about a
mile, and might be made passable for mules by a diagonal road to be
made in the side of the hill a little higher up.
"Only five or six miles of road would require to be made for mules
on the whole of the way we came, to where the river Serapique is
navigable. We observed that we should have avoided those vales by
passing a few miles more to the left, where we saw one continued high
ridge running from the highest ridge of the continent, commencing at
the volcano and terminating in a point near to where the Serapique
River is navigable.
"On a regular decline for perhaps 7000 or 8000 feet in height, down
to near sea-level, which would in that distance have given a fall
of about half an inch in a yard, four men in ten days would make, I
have no doubt, this ridge passable for mules on a regular descent to
where the Serapique River is navigable. I have no doubt if we could
have spent one week more on our journey we might have passed mules the
whole distance with us. To carry machinery from where the Serapique
is navigable to the mines is about one-third farther than from the
port of Arenas on the south, on which the carriage is two dollars per
mule load; three dollars might therefore be charged per mule from the
Atlantic side, a much less cost than by way of Matina, or by going
around Cape Horn. It would give a speedy communication and a great
accommodation to the province of Costa Rica, which I doubt not would
gladly contribute to its making.
"The mining district occupies the mountain of Aquacate, nearly
equidistant from the port of Punta de Arenas, in the Gulf of Nicoya,
and from San José, the capital of the state, about 14 leagues from the
former and 12 from the latter. The high road passes through the centre
of the district.
"The chief outlay after paying for the mines would be for erecting
stamping mills and making railroads."
This broken information barely gives an idea of the importance of the
Costa Rica mines, or of what Trevithick did between the time of his
landing on the Pacific shore, about 1822, and his leaving the mines on
his search for a new route over the Cordillera to the Atlantic shore,
about 1826 or 1827. Judging from the rough map on which Trevithick has
marked his line of travel across the isthmus, the mines of Machucha,
Quebrada-honda, and Coralillo, were inland from the Gulf of Nicoya,
on the Pacific, some forty or fifty miles, the latter mine having its
water shed into the Rio Grande, while the two other mines, not far
off, opened into the Quebrada-honda River. The central high ridge
of the Cordillera was between the mines and the Atlantic; indeed
the mines are on high ground at the foot of volcanic mountains. San
Mateo seems to have been the place of importance near the mines, and
probably a well-known mule-track was in use through the mountain ridge
to San José, the capital, once numbering thirty thousand inhabitants;
but this line failed to reach a good port on the Atlantic coast. The
travellers, therefore, abandoned the known track, and turning to the
left, made their way between the volcanic peaks of Potos and Barba,
hoping that on the eastern slope of the Cordillera navigable rivers
would be found either to the Atlantic or to the San Juan de Nicaragua,
which joined the Atlantic at the port of San Juan. It was probably at
this volcanic ridge that the precipitous road obliged the mules to be
sent back. The track was then due north, towards Buona Vista, below
which the river Serapique took its rise, running into the river San
Juan. Where they crossed this river was fifty or sixty miles from where
the mules had left them. Trevithick marked the river-crossing with a
steamboat, indicating its navigability; but the writer infers that it
had so much of the mountain torrent about it, that the travellers took
a line still through unexplored country towards the port of San Juan,
on the Atlantic, for the track and the description show that the river
San José was crossed, and also another river running to the Atlantic.
They probably were stopped by swamps on approaching the San Juan, and
retracing their steps to the Serapique, constructed rafts or canoes,
and after hairbreadth escapes sailed down it to the junction with the
San Juan, and down the latter to its junction with the Atlantic at Port
San Juan, or Greytown.
Eleven days were passed from the parting with the mules near the
crossing of the highest ground, from whence they saw a continuous
ridge, commencing at the volcano and terminating near to where the
Serapique is navigable on a regular decline for perhaps seven or eight
thousand feet down to near sea-level, giving a fall for the whole
distance of about half an inch in a yard, or in railway parlance 1 in
70; for this was what was in Trevithick's head, that his steam-horse
should carry where the mule could not, and that miners and machinery
should be so taken to his mines from the Atlantic, giving those who
chose an opportunity of continuing their railway journey to the Pacific.
The writer has heard Trevithick describe the excursion as lasting three
weeks, through woods, swamps, and over rapids; their food, monkeys
and wild fruit; their clothes, at the end of the journey, shreds and
scraps, the larger portion having been torn off in the underwood.
Mr. Thomas Edmonds also listened to Trevithick's narrations, some of
which he gives in the following:--
"In 1830 I frequently saw Trevithick at the house of Mr. Gittins, at
Highgate, a schoolmaster, with whom were two boys that had accompanied
him from Costa Rica, called Montelegre. Before Captain Trevithick
no European had adventured on or explored the passage along the
river from the Lake Nicaragua to the sea. In the adventure he was
accompanied by Mr. J. M. Gerard, a native of Scotland; two boys of
Spanish origin going to England for their education; a half-caste,
as servant to Mr. Gerard; and by six working men of the country, of
whom three went back, after helping to remove obstructions in the
forest through which the first part of the journey was undertaken.
The risks to which the party were exposed on their passage were very
great: they all had a narrow escape from starvation, one of the
labourers was drowned, and Captain Trevithick was saved from drowning
by Mr. Gerard. The intended passage was along the banks of the
river. To avoid the labour of cutting through the forest, the party
determined to construct a raft, on which they placed themselves, their
provisions, and utensils; after a passage of no long duration they
came to a rapid, which almost overturned their raft, and swept away
the principal part of their provisions and utensils. The raft, being
unmanageable, was then stopped by a tree lying in the river, with its
roots attached to the bank; on this tree three of the passengers,
including Captain Trevithick, landed, and reached the bank; this was
no sooner done than the current drove the raft away from the tree,
and carried it, with the remaining passengers, to the opposite bank,
where they landed in safety, and abandoned the raft as too dangerous
for further use. The next object was to unite the party again into
one body. The three left on the other side of the river were called
upon to swim over: one of the men swam over in safety, the next made
the attempt and was drowned, the third and last remaining was Captain
Trevithick, who was either unable to swim or could swim very little.
In order to improve his chances of safety, he gathered several sticks,
which he tied in a bundle and placed under his arms; with these he
plunged into the stream; but the contrivance of the bundle of sticks
afforded him very doubtful assistance, for the current appeared to
seize the sticks and whirl him round and round. He, however, finally
reached within two or three yards of the bank in a state of extreme
exhaustion. Mr. Gerard going into the water himself and holding
the branch of a tree, then threw to his assistance the stem of a
water-plant, holding one of the extremities in his own hand. It was
not until the fourth time of throwing that Captain Trevithick was
able to seize the very extremity of the plant (which was leaf) in his
fingers; on the strength of the leaf his life on the occasion was
dependent. It was determined to give up any further idea of using a
raft on the river, and to continue their journey along the banks of
the river. For subsistence for the remainder of their journey they had
to depend on the produce of one fowling-piece and a small quantity
of gunpowder; after a few days the gunpowder got wet by accident,
and in the attempt to dry it, it was lost by explosion. The party
finally arrived in a state of great exhaustion at the village, now the
considerable port of San Juan de Nicaragua, or Greytown; and shortly
after their arrival a small vessel arrived, which conveyed the party
to one of the West India islands.
"Upon one occasion Captain Trevithick was called upon to act in a
novel capacity, that of a surgeon. An accident happened to a native
engaged in working an engine erected at a place distant about two
hundred miles from Lima, by which accident both of his arms were
crushed. There was no medical man within the distance of two hundred
miles, and Captain Trevithick, believing that death would ensue if
amputation was not immediately performed, offered his services,
which were accepted by the patient. The operation, he informed me,
was successful; the man rapidly recovered, and showed a pair of
stumps which could have hardly been distinguished from the result
of an operation by a regular surgeon. It is not improbable that in
the warfare in which he had been engaged Captain Trevithick had been
present and assisted at amputations of limbs of wounded soldiers. He
thus probably acquired sufficient confidence to undertake and perform
the operation himself.
"From Costa Rica Captain Trevithick came to England, with a design,
among others, of forming a company to work a mine which had been
granted him (for a term of years) by the Costa Rica Government. Mr.
Gerard came to England with a similar object in view. Both failed in
their object. Mr. Gerard was extremely unfortunate with regard to his
mine, for he spent a considerable fortune of his own in working his
mine to a loss.
"The eminence of Captain Trevithick as an engineer is well known. The
public are indebted to him for the invention of the high-pressure
steam-engine and the first railway steam-carriage. The latter being
dependent on the former, Captain Trevithick informed me that the idea
of the high-pressure engine occurred to him suddenly one day whilst at
breakfast, and that before dinner-time he had the drawing complete,
on which the first steam-carriage was constructed. Captain Trevithick
informed me that in 1830 the original steam railway-engine constructed
by him in 1808[132] at that time was still running in Wales."
[Footnote 132: Probably referring to the Welsh locomotive of 1804.]
"SIR, "STANWIK, CUMBERLAND, _27th November, 1864_.
"I read in the public prints that in a speech made by you in Belle
Vue Gardens you referred to the meeting of Robert Stephenson with
Trevithick at Carthagena, which, if your speech be correctly reported,
you attribute to accident. The meeting was not an accident, although
an accident led to it, and that accident nearly cost Mr. Trevithick
his life; and he was taken to Carthagena by the gentleman that saved
him, that he might be restored. When Mr. Stephenson saw him he was so
recovering, and if he looked, as you say, in a sombre and silent mood,
it was not surprising, after being, as he said, 'half drowned and half
hanged, and the rest devoured by alligators,' which was too near the
fact to be pleasant. Mr. Trevithick had been upset at the mouth of
the river Magdalena by a black man he had in some way offended, and
who capsized the boat in revenge. An officer in the Venezuelan and
the Peruvian services was fortunately nigh the banks of the river,
shooting wild pigs. He heard Mr. Trevithick's cries for help, and
seeing a large alligator approaching him, shot him in the eye, and
then, as he had no boat, lassoed Mr. Trevithick, and by his lasso
drew him ashore much exhausted and all but dead. After doing all he
could to restore him, he took him on to Carthagena, and thus it was he
fell in with Mr. Stephenson, who, like most Englishmen, was reserved,
and took no notice of Mr. Trevithick, until the officer said to him,
meeting Mr. Stephenson at the door, 'I suppose the old proverb of
"two of a trade cannot agree" is true, by the way you keep aloof from
your brother chip. It is not thus your father would have treated that
worthy man, and it is not creditable to your father's son that he and
you should be here day after day like two strange cats in a garret; it
would not sound well at home.' 'Who is it?' said Mr. Stephenson. 'The
inventor of the locomotive, your father's friend and fellow-worker;
his name is Trevithick, you may have heard it,' the officer said;
and then Mr. Stephenson went up to Trevithick. That Mr. Trevithick
felt the previous neglect was clear. He had sat with Robert on his
knee many a night while talking to his father, and it was through him
Robert was made an engineer. My informant states that there was not
that cordiality between them he would have wished to see at Carthagena.
"The officer that rescued Mr. Trevithick is now living. I am sure
he will confirm what I say, if needful. A letter will find him if
addressed to No. 4, Earl Street, Carlisle, Cumberland.
"There are more details, but I cannot state them in a letter, and you
might not wish to hear them if I could.
"I am, Sir,
"Your very obedient servant,
"JAMES FAIRBAIRN,
"who writes as well as rheumatic gout will let him.
"P.S.--I forgot to say the name of the officer is Hall.
"To ---- WATKIN, Esq."
"DEAR SIR, "4, EARL STREET, CARLISLE, _16th December, 1864_.
"On my return from Liverpool this day I find your letter of the 9th.
"In reply I have the honour to say that if you will be pleased to
state upon what points you require information, I shall be but too
happy to furnish it if I can.
"I have barely time to add that Mr. Fairbairn has left for America,
which is his home, and has been for many years. He must have been at
Birkenhead or Liverpool at the date of your letter to me. I was not
aware that he had written to you. He brought me a paper with your
remarks about the meeting of Mr. Robert Stephenson and Mr. Trevithick,
and asked me if it were true that they met at Carthagena as stated,
as he (Mr. Fairbairn) thought it was at Angostura, and that Mr.
Trevithick was in danger of being drowned at the Bocasses, _i. e._ the
mouths of the Orinoco, the Apure, &c, &c. I explained that it was near
the mouth of the Magdalena.
"I will just say that it was quite possible Mr. R. Stephenson had
forgotten Mr. Trevithick, but they must have seen each other many
times. This was shown by Mr. Trevithick's exclamation, 'Is that
Bobby?' and after a pause he added, 'I've nursed him many a time.'
"I know not the cause, but they were not so cordial as I could have
wished. It might have been their difference of opinion about the
construction of the proposed engine, or it might have been from
another cause, which I should not like to refer to at present; indeed,
there is not time.
"Pray address me as before. I hold no rank in the British service, and
in England never assume any.
"I have the honour to be, dear Sir,
"Faithfully yours,
"BRUCE NAPIER HALL.
"EDWARD W. WATKIN, Esq., M.P., &c.,
"_Currente Calamo_."
These notes from Mr. Hall and Mr. Fairbairn to Mr. (now Sir Edward)
Watkin[133] arose from the latter repeating what Mr. Robert Stephenson
had related, of his meeting with Trevithick and Gerard at the inn at
Carthagena. Stephenson said, "on his way home from Colombo, and in the
public room at the inn, he was much struck by the appearance and manner
of two tall persons speaking English; the taller of them, wearing a
large-brimmed straw or whitish hat, paced restlessly from end to end
of the room." Gerard and Stephenson entered into conversation, and
Trevithick joined them. Stephenson said that he had a hundred pounds in
his pocket, of which he gave fifty to Trevithick to enable him to reach
England. It seems that had it not been for Mr. Hall's quick eye and
steady hand rescuing Trevithick from the jaws of the blind alligator,
he never would have returned to his native country.
[Footnote 133: Sir Edward Watkin contemplated writing a life of
Trevithick.]
Here was the inventor of the locomotive a beggar in a strange land,
helped by the man whom he had nursed in baby-boyhood, then returning
to England to become a great railway engineer in making known the use
of the locomotive on the level road of the Liverpool and Manchester,
while the real inventor, who looked upon railways and locomotives as
things of a quarter of a century before, was about to recommend them as
the means of passing across the isthmus of Costa Rica from the Atlantic
to the Pacific, over the heights of the Cordillera, by the river San
Juan from Greytown, and by its tributary the Serapique, then by railway
towards the high ground of San José, the capital, and down the western
slope, passing, somewhere not far from the mines, forward to the Gulf
of Nicoya in the Pacific.
The approximate distance would be fifty miles of river navigation,
and eighty or a hundred of railway, with perhaps stiffish but still
manageable inclines, and no avalanches.
A loan by the Costa Rica Government of 1872 states,[134] "for the
completion of the railway from the port of Limon, in the Atlantic
Ocean, to San José de Costa Rica, and on to Heredia and Alajuela," near
to Trevithick's mines, as if to carry out his design of forty-six years
ago to connect the Atlantic and Pacific by railway.
[Footnote 134: See 'The Times,' 7th May, 1872.]