Commercial Handbook of Paraguay US Dept commerce 1920 The natural characteristics of these rivers have been described in the introductory chapter THE PARAGUAY RIVER The Paraguay which constitutes the principal commercial artery of the Republic has few equals among the navigable streams of the world At present 1 000 ton vessels operate to Corumba 1 800 miles above Buenos Aires for most of the year while smaller steamers 118 pabaguay a commercial handbook ascend several hundred miles farther to Cuyaba the capital of the Brazilian State of Matto Grosso Though the limit for navigation by ocean going steamers is gen erally placed at Parana Santa Fe during about three months of the year ships of this type could reach Asuncion without difficulty With the dredging of a few short stretches of the river s course vessels of 2 000 tons draft should be able to reach Asuncion through out the year except in seasons of unsually low water At present the ordinary type of river steamer plying to Asuncion draws between 6 and 8 feet when loaded The time of lowest water is during the months of November December and January and the highest stage is reached in April may and June Ehiring the former season the river may fall so low that the regular Buenos Aires Asuncion packets are forced to transfer cargo and passengers at one of the passes to vessels of lighter draft This not only results in delay but mer chandise shipped at such times is obliged to pay an additional 20 per cent over the regular freight rates The principal passes below Asuncion in the Paraguay are those at Angostura between San Antonio and Villeta where the channel is narrow and the bottom sandy and that of the Tres Bocas at the confluence of the Parana and the Paraguay During a season of low water pilots can not count on more than 5 or 6 feet of water at these points There have been several projects before the Paraguayan Congress for dredging the passes in cooperation with the Argen tine Government but nothing has yet been done in this direction Except for these few short stretches the remainder of the course of the Paraguay Parana is wide and deep The Mihanovich Line transships freight at Asuncion to its smaller steamers which ply on the Alto Paraguay as the river is known above Asuncion However the Brazilian boats between Montevideo and Corumba do not break their voyage between these two points On this section of the river there are a number of passes which impede navigation during times of low water The first of these is at Romanso Castillo a short distance above Asuncion Others are at Pedernal above Villa Eosario the narrows at Concepcion the bad Ita Curubi pass a short distance above Concepcion the rocky passage directly below San Salvador known as the Paso Pena the dangerous Arrecif e or reef pass a few miles above this point where vessels are compelled to make an S curve at times of low water in order to keep clear of the rocks and the passes of Palacios cue and Itapucu the last near the Brazilian border In nearly all these passes the obstacles consist of rocks in the channel instead of sandbars as in the lower river At low water there is only 4 to 5 feet in the channel at these points and at Puerto Fonciere there is a large rock in mid channel about 3 feet below the surface However these passes of the Alto Paraguay are generally short and the obstructions could be removed by blasting oauirstoMAtioir Aitt eoMMttNtoAiioit 119 Approximate distance between Asuncion and the principal points on the upper and the lower river are as follows Upper River Alto Paraguay Miles Concepcion 250 San Salvador 279 Puerto Plnasco 328 Puerto Sastre 400 Puerto Guarani 476 Fuerte Ollmpo 504 Bahia Negra 607 Porto Esperanca 685 Oorumba 765 Lower River Paraguay Parana Plata Pilcomayo Argentina San Antonio VUleta Formosa Argentina Pilar Humaita 219 Tres Bocas 232 Oorrientes Argentina 270 Santa Fe 650 Rosario 760 Buenos Aires 1 023 Miles NEWL