Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 183, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 August 1917 — Two Peruvian Cities [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Two Peruvian Cities

THE west coast countries of America present much the same physical appearance. The valley of the Rio Rimae, in which Lima lies, some eight or ten miles from its seaport, Callao, is a pretty and welltilled small section of southern California farming country, set in a frame of dry Peruvian mountain slopes, says a correspondent of the Los Angeles Times. The only strange note visible in the scene is the heavy adobe wall which bounds all the fields, even to the very small ones, a custom which must be an inheritance from the old Incas, who filled the Peruvian highlands with such works. Speaking of dry Peruvian mountains, the whole coast of South America, from the northern boundary of Peru, 5 degrees south latitude, to Coqulmbo, Chile, 30 degrees south latitude (a distance equal to the combined (toast lines of California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, up to Juneau, Alaska,) is a desert strip, reaching inland for 25 to 75 or 100 miles. This truly wonderful phenomenon is explained by the action of the Humboldt current, a cold stream beginning in the Antarctic ocean, and flowing northward along the coast. The effect produced is that the land is warmer than the water, and therefore, rain seldom falls oh any part of this region, and in part it is said to be practically unknown. On the crest of the Andes, enough rain and snow is precipitated to furnish well-watered valley-floors on the western slope, which are generally fertile and well-tilled. The eastern slope of the Andes, on the coritrary, receives abundant rainfall, and is clothed with heavy forests. These Andean canon-valleys in Peru produce valuable crops of sugar cane and varied food products, but the

mountains on the Pacific slope generally are barren, and only valuable for their mineral resources. Theseare great, and are growing in development and production; the imtnensely valuable Cerrd de Pasco copper mihes being the premier thlning enterprise in Peru. Beautiful Town of Lima. Lima Is an attractive town, but with the mellow attraction of the past, rather than present and future interest, attaching to the other large capitals of this continent. She claims 150,000 Inhabitants, and may have 125,000. The stores are numerous and of a very good-average-type; the stroctsare pretty well paved, and there is a trolley service about equal to that of the United railways in ■San Francisco in modernity and cleanliness of the cars. The buildings Of the city are in both the Spanish colonial and recent Spanish type, and are pleasing in character and in architectural variety. The cathedral is really fine, and the interior (too dark to photograph Well) is) imposing and impressive. >. U Lima’s charm consists in part of the shuttered and glazed balconies on the second stories, overhanging the street, ftteavily decorated with' curious wood carvings, on shutters and window frames alike. There are some of authentic antiquity which are most interesting—and nearly every house of any pretensions has these balconies on the outer walls, while the house itself is built around the usual patio. The Hotel Manry, where I stopped while in Lima, had'both. ■ The seacoast towns are all of recent date as far as the better buildings in them give evidence. Callao is merely

a big dirty ‘.‘Sonoratown” of about 30,000 to 40,000 population and nothing more as regards beauty, but it is Peru’s first seaport, nevertheless, with a good stone breakwater and artifieial harbor, now tending to grow obsolete, because of shallow depth, for modern ocean vessels. , Barren Mollendo. Mollendo, Peru, resembles Agua Prieto, Sonora, and is one of the seaports for Bolivia and inner Peru. It 4s set high on a rocky clijL overhanging boiling breakers, and is surrounded by Uncompromising desert; about as unattractive a place as can be imagined. Nothing of Interest there save the unbelievable swarms of sea ducks and small fish. I never saw so many ducks in my whole life as I saw the afternoon we sailed from Mollendo for Arica, Chile. A modest estimate would allow 12,000 to 15 000 in one flock we sailed through; they had so gorged themselves on the fish that it was almost Impossible for them to rise from the water as the steamer drew near, and while standing on the bow I actually saw adult birds bumped and dashed to one side by the cutwater of the vessel, before they could get well in flight. It was a very strange sight in every way. Arica has historic interest, for here was fought a desperate battle between the Peruvian defenders of the town and the attacking Chilean forces in the war of 1879-80. The town lies in a little desert plain, just beneath a high, precipitous headland, or morro (as such heights are always known in Spanish America), which is crowned by a powerful modern fortification. With my binoculars I could see the big coast-defense rifles peering over the top. The air in Arica is cool, fresh and lovely, and we here saw pepper trees, a-s. we-dld in Lima, and in all the other

Chilean coast ports. Arica Is also a railroad port for the inland high, country, but is not otherwise notable, save as a strategic military post for Chile. Iquique, the next port, is the second, and until quite lately was the first nitrate port of Chile —a big sprawling town, about the size of Callao, but cleaner and more businesslike. It lies In an open stretch of sandy desert, closely walled in by steep mountain's, some 2,000 to 2.500 feet in height, which are surmounted with difficulty by the nitrate railroads through aid of switchbacks. No vegetation exists here save by constant care and irrigation, so it Is not a lovely spot. The harbor is fulT of shipping activity; some loading nitrate, and there are a number of interned Germans. By the way, the “Kosmos” line has Interned vessels in nearly every west coast harbor from San Francisco to Valparaiso, riding high In the water, and with seaweed nearly two feet long trailing from their hulls. Iquique streets are dirty, unpaved and not very attractive, ■ though the stores are not bad.

PART OF THE PORT OF MOLLENDO

IN THE LIMA CATHEDRAL