Department of San Vicente.
It would be no exaggeration to describe this Department as scenically the most beautiful in the Republic of Salvador. It affords almost every style of scenery—high mountains, towering volcanoes, delightful valleys, and a perfectly astounding collection of hot springs, or infiernillos. The Department is bounded on the north by the Department of Cabañas, on the east by the Departments of San Miguel and Usulután, on the south by the Pacific Ocean, and on the west by the Departments of La Paz and Cuscatlán. One of the highest mountains—needless to say it is a volcano—is situated here, and bears the name of the Saint who founded the Society of the Lazarists and the Sisterhood of Charity. This most imposing mountain has a double cone, which towers very gracefully above the numerous attendant hills. It was last known to erupt in 1643, but it looks capable of a repetition of the performance in all its grandeur at any time. In height it stands 7,131 feet, and its approximate position is given at 13° 35' 24" N. latitude, and 88° 50' 31" W. longitude.
Public Park at Cojutepeque, Department of Cuscatlán.
Barracks at Cojutepeque, Department of Cuscatlán.
I first caught a glimpse of the majestic mountain while staying at Cojutepeque, but it was then a long way distant. There are two other volcanoes, Chichontepec and Siguatepeque—the former the highest mountain in the Republic—but they are pronounced to be extinct. The summit of this monster is 8,661 feet above the level of the sea, and it is notable for the number of active geysers which exist on the northern slope, and which continually send out volumes of steam accompanied by terrifying but apparently harmless terrestrial rumblings, which can be distinctly heard as far away as three or four miles. But the mountain is quite unoffending, I understand, the said geysers proving the safety-valves for its occasional internal disturbances.
San Vicente was created a Department in 1836, and its territory embraces a portion of what formerly formed one of the "territorial divisions" of the country existing under Spanish rule, while the eastern portion was originally part of Cabañas. The amount of commerce which is carried on is considerable, and during the past few years has made decided strides in actual volume. Besides supplying a large amount of agricultural produce, such as indigo, coffee, sugar, tobacco, timber, cereals, and all kinds of fruits, there are several manufactories which turn out silk shawls, shoes, hats, starch, salt, and cigars, as well as sundry distilleries.
The annual Fair is held here on All Saints' Day—namely, November 1—and the city is then very gay from morning to night. Upon this occasion the transactions carried out between the permanent residents and the visitors run into high figures, quantities of local produce and merchandise being bought and sold, the articles of trade consisting mainly of indigo, cheese, cattle, grain, and the retailing of certain foreign goods.
The principal city, San Vicente, is a very picturesque and romantic-looking town, one of the oldest, if not quite the most ancient, in this part of the country, dating as a city as far back as 1658, while it was founded as a town in 1634. To-day, however, the streets have been straightened-out and well paved, while a number of very pleasant suburbs, each with its gardens and avenues of trees, lend additional attractiveness as one approaches the place from the main-road. There are a number of excellent buildings already erected, and several others of altogether imposing dimensions and structural pretensions were going up when I visited the town.
It has long been the desire of the Government to unite San Vicente with San Salvador by railroad, and the line would run via San Miguel, the second city in the Republic, and La Unión, its finest seaport, thus securing also an all-rail route between Acajutla, the most important western port, and La Unión, on the extreme east of the Gulf of Fonseca. The survey was made many years ago, and the line has been proved to be a practicable one, although the work would no doubt be heavy and costly, since much grading, heavy protective masonry, and many bridges, would have to be undertaken. The distance would be about 67·9 kilometres (42·2 miles) between San Salvador and San Vicente by this line of railway, and the cost of the line has been estimated at not less than $2,157,433 (say £431,486), or an average of $51,124 (=£10,225) per mile. The maximum grade in this location would be 2·8 per cent., and the sharpest curves 41 degrees (radius 410·3 feet or 125·1 millimetres).