The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-03-09
DESTITUTE AND HOMELESS,
TIE SUFFERING AMONG AMERICAN
L1UORERS IN BRAZIL.

IIvinr on Parrots and Monkeys for Lack Of
Other Food-The stories Of Two of the
Men who sought Fortune In ~ Strange Land.
Two Of the unfortunate men who were
lured to Brazil last year. by the promise OF
plenty Of work and good pay. are in st. Peters
Hospital. Brooklyn. Ralph Carpenter. n young
carpenter from Chicago. lay on cot in the
male ward yesterday. The card over his hend
said that he Is % years OF age. but he looked
40. He was suffering from chills and fever.
with which he had been seized in Brazil. Car
pentcr told his story us follows: " In February
OF last year he was engaged by Thomas Collins.
n contractor for railroad from San Antonio.
Brazil. to Bolivia. to work for six months. at
81. so a day. Carpenter sailed on tho Richmond
with about AIS other men. Ii being the wet
season. the steamer WIS able to reach Ban An
tonic and discharge there. Where n -four
fishing city was expected. the mon found two
Indian huts and eleven soldiers and COM
mandant. The mon grumbled Mt the prospect
There were already several hundred men there.
and they were suffering for want OF food and
many Of them wero sick and In n temporary
hospital Already good-sizsd graveyard had
boon made. and every week new graves were
opened in It. There was much hardship for the
men IN endure. The line OF tho rond was
marked over rough country and crossed many
pany OF capitalists. who were to receive a sub
sidy from Dom Pedro ns soon ma n certain num-
Dor OF miles of the road were built II was de-
signed for the use o. the Bolivians. who now
have 10 trans port their rice and rubber the
Andes on mules 10 get n market. BY this road.
| 100 miles long. they could get their products
down 10 Para, where there WAS better market.
~ am dlspuscd.' said Carpenter VINO is
more than ordinarily intelligent. To- be- fair in
my account OF my snlicrlngs think me con,
| trnt WAS made hY Collins in good latin. AMI
| that II he had got his mooney We would have got
ours. Int there WINS litigation in England, and
| he had trouble about getting his pay. All |
! nave To snow Tor my year 3 experience u my
| stock Of chiils and fever. didn't resolve n doll
! lar MI the time WIS there. although was put
| IN charge uf "A gang ~ Italians grading tho rond
! and promised 81 day. We had poor food. and
| the men were dispirtrd, Some Ot the mon re-
| fused 90 work without being driven. A large
number were sick and unit for work. It's the
| worst country in Gods world. ! never saw such
| lazy people as the natives are. They nre much
| more useless than our Indians, Then the
air seems filed with malaria. There were
| snakes. REPTILES ants. and wild animals IN pro-
| Keys and parrots. both OF which tn" mon. for
| the want OF something better, frequently ate
! Then tho saNTtg'e. naked and uerce look ing
sometimes came along and hid In the bushes
| filling the Italians and the Germans with dread.
| especially II they happened 10 let an arrow ny:
! don't believe the contractor ever dreamed That
| the country such MS It II. The thermometer
stood lO4 degrees in the shadc. There were no
vegetables To eat. think u W. had nal potatoes
we might have endured II: but n crate Of pota-
| toes that would cost SIS would not make moro
than two meals for n hungry man.. There was
| woods, and which they rrhsh"d.
In December. after long spoil OF sickness.
! determined To get away. and ! gi leave to
work my way down To- Para on the steamer Thea
| tone. Mr. Collins gave me- an order for $50 on
! his agent, Cant G. Lima Of Para. but had no
money Tor us. II took US twenty-seven days to
! 20 down 10 Para. for W every river We came TO
! nm expedition was made for rubber There
were twenty five Of us working our passage car
/ rylng wood on the vessel but We All Tell sifk.
| f9r sixteen days we hhi nothing u ear; rN'Tpt
what some 81 u" boys stole i9r Us. AMI that vas
only as much iarina Us could DO concealed IN
I one - their pockets.
gone 20 Rio. and that he had left no money for
! US. We slept around on the streets and side
walks tor days Hundreds from the same re-
gon were there before US. The residents
| opened a soup house. where we got one bowl 81
soup and one roll day Then twenty five II
! rs EOt passage on our orders IRON Collins on
/ the steamer Rio Jan"iro. and We had "A voyage
| OF fifteen days. reaching here last Wednesday
| have a good position in a Chicago packing
! house, but / WAS tempted u leave II % go on
this trip. | gave myself W 10 the police. and
told them that | was too weak TO move along
tho otrseta and that they miSht do with me-
Please say in THE SUS keep away from Brazil.
Its no place Tor u man without money"
James A. owens OF fhi4delphia who is aso
1878. under u contract TO take charge Of n hotel.
but there was no hotel there. Then he was put
IN charge OF hospital where the men we're
dying at the rate OF three or four day. Two
hundred and thirty poor men went there with
MIN and shared his suffernEs. There were be-
tween 700 and 500 mon taken there from this
country. They all suffered greatly. They were
fed on salt pork damaged rice and blue mould
corn meal. had 10 eat monkey meat often.
said Owens. ! relshed II, too; Tor monkey
meat Is not SO bad as you think" Owens said
he got no pay for AL the time That he was there
except An advance OF S. when he was going
away. Most oi the men were under contract Tor
SIX months. and when that time was up they
wanted 10 get away
Il sold ALL" added Owens that could spare
from my back. and came back 10 this country In
schooner, anu as soon rs | landed came u
the hospital Tell the work ingmen not 10 be-
ll"ve any stories they may hear or read about
Brazil bsing q beautiful country. It's plague
spot. think"