Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-27

the government and the nuns elected in the
year 1851. at the imminent risk of revolution.
The market house proper Ia built around o
great open courtyard, with exterior shops and
inner corridor, and is traversed by we'll
paved PATHWAYS radiating from big fountain
in the center. This arrangement forms series
of small courts, and each Is appropriated to
especial products. The principal dealers have
stalls, but the mass of vendors, who are women
OF lowest degree, squat all day upon the pave
ment at the edge OF the galleries, or on the
ground in the open spaces, with their fruit or
fish or vegetables or whatever it may be, heaped
mp in FIAT baskets, or on mats spread before
them. in small piles called montones.
Each monitor has fixed price, which never
varies, whatever the fluctuations Of the market,
but the rise and fall of the commodity Is marked
by the size of the monitor. little more or less,
as the case may be, for the same amount Of
money.
AS do their confreres in other parts of the
world. they chatter like magpies with one
another and with their customers, perhaps
nursing their babies the while or performing
other less pleasing maternal duties. The chill
dren Of the market, begotten, born and reared
on the spot, begin to tumble and sprawl about
in a very promiscuous manner as soon as they
have gained sufficient strength, and in due
course OF time take 10 the vocation Of their
parents naturally as ducks to water Many
Of these market people spend their lives here
~~~f
on the ground.
-FOUR DAILY PAPERS.
There are four daily papers published in
Lima, besides several periodicals devoted to
society matters and general literature. Most
prominent among the latter is finely Illus
trated and well-conducted weekly, called "El
Peru Illustrado," owned and published by Mr..
Peter Bacigalupi, who is by all odds the most
enterprising North American it has ever been
my fortune to meet. As he is Q very prominent
character in Lima, and his career illustrates
what foreign brains and energy may accomplish
among these slow-going Peruvians, went one
day TO interview him. So busy man as MIR.
Bacigalupi, flying here, there, everywhere,
attending to his dozens Of ''irons' that are all
In the hre at once, 1T is no easy matter to find
him, or when found to pin him down to con-
versation. But perseverance accomplished it,
and here Ia the result: He was born in New York
city In 1855, and consequently is now thirty-five
years old. Though he never went to school after
the age OF thirteen he speaks French, Spanish,
German, Italian and English equally we'll. When
thirteen years old he was employed by the New
York Equitable Life Insurance Company in
some humble capacity, where he remained six
years. Then he drifted to California and at the
age of twenty-five married young lady in Oak
land. Less than a year later. after a breezy
tiff with his mother-in-law, he left in haste
and sailed for South America. Landing at
Callao early in April, 1878. he had exactly "a
left in his pocket, and that was stolen before
night. He found employment Immediately
and before many months became the conf
dental clerk Of Mr.. E. ID. Adams, a prominent
merchant Of Lima, formerly from the United
States. Mr.. Adams was SO accommodating as
to die soon afterward, leaving Mr.. Bacigalupi
in charge of the business. and within the year
he married his late employer widow, a Peru
Wan lady who then had five children. They
now have a beautiful home, and the number
OF olive branches has increased to nine.
GREAT coNeLoMERATIoN OF ooops.
In 1884 the old place Of business was
destroyed by fire, but nowise disheartened Mr..
Bacigalupi set up again in better location and
since then the amount of his sales has been
something phenomenal His goods are mostly
from the United States and comprise the great
est conglomeration ever collected under one
roof. For instance, he has large stock Of
books and stationery, drugs. soaps lamps,
clocks, silver ware. jewelry, sewing machines
typewriters, Photographic outfits agricultural
implements; in short, almost everything imag-
Unable except dress goods. Sandwiched among
these are Peruvian curios, from mummies to
ancient pots and idols. Besides his enormous
trade as forwarding and commission mer-
chant, whose ramitcations extend, in some
shape or other, to almost every part of South
America, the United States and Europe,
mean ability and his agents are
everywhere making those scenic views
that travellers delight to purchase. He has long
had the Peruvian agency Of the Domestic Sew
ing Machine Company and commenced bust
ness the first day by selling $50 machines to the
president of the republic, who distributed them
among the poor widows Of soldiers who fell
during the last war. Since then he has sold
thousands OF machines. He is also agent for
the Remington typewriter and has sold good
many Of them in Lima. He introduced the
first telephones into Peru and they are now in
general use. He also introduced the first anna
teur Photographic outfits, and in his place one
may buy the kodak, hawkeye, Scovill's or
almost any other.
MR.. BAcIGALUPI's ENTERPRISE.
During the late war Mr.. Bacigalupi purchased
two vessels, one Of American make called
''Young America" the other English named
''Union," and fitted them up as men-of-war
Through their agency and by the help Of the
Monitor" he managed to make another for
tune in coal and picked pork. Last year he
built an opera house on the spot where the old
theater was burned. 1t is capable of seating
1000 persons and it is one Of the neatest dain-
test and most complete little theaters on the
continent. Its builder loves to boast that he
put it up in sixty days, employing seventy-fve
workmen. and personally experimenting the use
of every inch Of $50 000 feet Of lumber. Mr. Bach
galupis main business, however, the others be-
ing mere outgrowths and side issues, is that of
printer and photographer. In his establish
ment ten Gordon presses, two large Campo
presses and a photographic press, all moved BY
the only gas in Lima, are kept constantly
going. Sixty-fve men and boys are employed
In the printing department (six Of them being
Americans from San Francisco) and Mr.
Bacigalupi is expert in every detail Of the BUSH
ness, from type setting to lithographing. His
Peru Illustrate has been a great hit, being the
only periodical of the kind in South America
1t Is a thirty-six page paper. something the
size and shape OF Judge. but not at all inclined
TO the comic. 1t is profusely and well illus
trated, published every Saturday, and goes to
every part Of Peru, even to the village Of
Mayo-Bauba, to reach which requires q thirty
days journey on mule back.
CHANCES In PERU.
To conclude, in Mr.. Bacigaluprs own words:
SIN my office may be found all the newspapers
published in South America, and many from
the United States and Europe. Strangers are
welcome to look at them whenever they like,
and my doors are always open to Americans
residents or tourists, whether they come for
business or to kill time and we are glad to
furnish them with any information in our
power respecting the country and its resources
consider Peru q very promising field for en-
ergetic Americans, and would advise any with
small capital TO invest it somewhere in this con-
| tinent. OF course some capital is necessary to
establish any business anywhere, but q little
goes much farther here than in the over
crowded United States"
may add that Mr.. Bacigalupi looks much