New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-10-18
CHINCHA IsLANus


1e,t.rs and thing in general The islands situated in
Re hes- Il the trade winds which blow confnuay from
y y 10 : T. about 20 miles ; and T. from Csao
HE wind seldom varies from the points Of the compass
hox rem.d and thi- causes almost constant current
t the and w which dead ahead FOR vessels coming
fum he roth An average passage for common vessels
f CallaO the Islands, IL eight o ten days many are
twenty ard some thirty coming down The wind If
.hor, teng very Eight the constant current g. the " anil
make az times almost impossible g. resch the islands
There are now some ior1y Amerlc9 sniIs mere am nj
them eirt Of the finest clippers belonging - the United
State al bound home with guano The fee here i com
posec Of $50 vessels American, English French Russian
Italian, Dutch ard swede
refer you 20 draft sketch enclosed showing You the
situation Of Them the main land sc On the right you
sec the cify Of Psco Of which cannot give you de-
scrirtidn - have yet visited it. hear it il almost
tors tile 10 land there in common ships boats, &C
Ciucla Islands or others of al the le merely detached
rotk InnAoes which have, think. in past ages been
r. n from The other Islands The water around the main
es very bold hip would strike her .bbOom afol
If lie rocks before her Keel would touch The fee;
Hes moored OF at tie y and +. Of the Islands The far
lesi say mile Of, thence close in TO the rock, and
cone made fat the rocks One part Of the fleet lies in
leween the middle and the north islands. In this feet
am now ying My bow anchor Is in ten faith 1ms water
with tliIty i've faihoms cham out with my stern in I'VE
gfl ms within hundred feet Of the rocks being fast
To- them with two hawsers. each quarer the
rocks and guGpo about hundred and fifty feet perpen
dcular above The lower part OF the rocks are worn
fun If cGVerus by the We az frat very much
disturbed nights by the surf roaring under stern but
are quite usod To it, The ship lie close to each other
often dtOul ilOsC 10 the rOcks we nave
more swell than of say quarter Of mile Oa cerisn
DAYS Of the moon the full we have much more swell
than others Little Is then done a. boats cannot lie az
the rocks but then have 70 keep sharp look out to
prevent getting Gfoul OF each other.
f. days since, ship moored near me dragging her
anchors and came aioul Of me We were together a0sut
two hours ere could get her clear The islands from
one hundred hundred end fifty feet high The south
one The owest and these covered with guano the north
orc TO the deIth Of hundred AMI twenty i've feet
This seems almost incredible but assure you it is no ex
acgoraion The middle one has about eighty ieet oil
guano and the south one but little on IT. None OF the oher
ISLES or main land have any on them rev Drus are seen
here in comparison TO what would suppose II Is still
question with many what this guano H. cannot believe
it i wholly the excremens of the birds On the very TOP
Of the middle island rocks implicitly bare OF un anu
UIs weight beautifully polished apparently by the blrds
feet but not one particle of guano on them There are
also on tie very tops Of these mountains caves that go
down to depths yet unknown They have been explored
one hundred I'D twenty five feet The mouths or entrance
Iesemble very much the crater Of a volcano
Vo,sol al load at the lee of the iland Al this time Inc
guauo has been we'd from the edge of the island IN
ace ay one thou, and feet Rails laid and cars are
used to bling the edge Of the rocks and dump into
large bins or shues made OF long pole. nter~osea WIN
and chains to support them wide ut the upper EMS ana
narrow at the lower these hold from one hundred to h'e
hundred tuns AT the lower end are gates or scue and
om these gates are bags OF about two feet IN diam
leading down To the ships and boats below. The ships
are hauled doe the rocks and moored of and On lhe
hose are led at once into the hatch the gates above are
Losted and Won eau imagine the force with which II comes
down through this hose OF hundred feet thousand
tun hp can be loaded in forty eight hours Smaller bins
arc used by the boats which ali prefer as We have much ,s
dust 4 slip under the spout or hose i completely enVe
ord in cloud of dust making almost impossible to exist
on board he guGno is trimmed away nhe hold by natives
with oaku tied over their mouths and this lets in air
and excludes the dust and wells their eyes They can
only stay bel W from twenty 10 thirty minutes They are IN
eaTgs eight ten and relieve each other as above
Every part the vessel penetrated with this dust IL will
90 where smoke will can compare 10 nothing but 30
much DIV ashes The guanO abOunds in hartshorn and
aid 10 very healthy and benefcialin some complaints
The vessels all Of one color from truck to water Not
q. rr,.b oil m, ha M
vegetable matter of any kind on the islands Where the
euano il removed is perpendicular bank OF about
one hundred feet In il found dead birds some even
on their nests with eggs under them have several of
them perfect in shape, still pure guano Most oil them
erumtlo 10 dust when exposed 10 the air Layers OF reeds
and wes to be found through the guanO, said 70 be
brought there from the main land by the birds for their
nests As walk the Islands we find holes innu
mershle These are the habltaons OF the birds; WIN
DAYLIGHT they go for food and return with dark
fIeud the night the islands They are OF var
kinds pecans penguin many Of the duck sp cies &c
Seals and lions in Thousands sp0rn, among
the rocks and ships and basking in the sun Methnks
hear you say what lace for cunning, and you VIII no
doubt be surprise when tell you have not discharged
gun since sailed from New ork, The laws mere are
very rigid not gun or pistol il allowed TO he fired
around the islands board ship at all penalty ex
acted for every bird killed this has caused much trouble
here of which will inform YOU by and by, still parties 90
on shore nights and rob the holes of heinmae generally
two biTds thing like mackerel gulls. They
said TO cat very well but rather hshy We find eggs at
times in abundance yet these not allowed TO touch.
The laws strictly enforced, not the seals
lions are allowed 20 shoot, but am hard tempted AZ
times sometimes use my harpoon as they swim around
the chip but when il impossible 81 hold on look
stationed all around and scarcely day passes
without trouble in quarter Every vessel that comes
here has certain number OF lay day. about ten days for
every one hundred uns. Most of Us have to ay here
DAYS out At daylight dozens OF boats can be seen
the pOuts waiting for loads. Daily accounts
kept Of each ships days and turns many loads per day
allowed them. say first week two loads per day sec
ond week three loads per day third week four loads
per day. We all supplied with boats They hold
om ten to twenty tuns, and are generally ships long
boats sold 10 the Peruyians when they leave for
home La5orers cannot now be hired here at any
price only work our own men. One would
imagine that II would be impossible TO exist in the
clouds Of dust The all OF color, you
lot tel a white from black one when AZ work
set Of interested for ihsir employers than
they in loading our boats They lay in il, roll and
wrestc, and at times COM leely buried in Il These
luies thai lead into the vessels hold dangerous Ca
es have occurred where they have slipped in the mouth
Of the hose the guaIo went In down and never seen
again, dead il found at all AT times when there Is
much surf have the hose come out OF the hatch
and The thirty feet from the side OF the vessel
the bigItss Of the hose We supplied twice week.
Necn sday and Saturday from PscO city with fresh meat
vegetables ard fruits, by boatmen who make quite bus
utss of H. FrCsh beef eight and half cents per pound
fowls go per dozen turkeys go per dozen pigs Weighing
wtriy POUNDS e. sheep - each Vegetables are high,
orou-l ior week consumption for q OF fifteen
LAY g.. Everything in way Of provision Is high.
In cur American fleet we have SIX ladies, captain wives
they viii each other often, and almost daily they to
ceher board of ship. We have plenty OF tins 10
around the Islands what there Is % be
We al very negbboT and help each other in all
o,htr ships always ready and willing help IL only
has 10 be made known that help is wanted AMI they
on board never Jaw many vessel. together al
anchor or Otherwise where much good feeling and har
nouy walled bore. When shp j. 0ading and can
not spare her 20 in the boats ii the captain
Whts 20 board any vessel or ASHORE, the ships that