Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-29
In PERUVIAN CITIES.
The Character Of the People Of South
American.
A STREET CAR WITH SAILS,
interesting Sketches Of People and Their
Ways-Scenes I'm the Ports-Supplies for the
feopie-The Commerce Of Paits-HOspl-
tably Entertained.
rom The Stars Travelling Commissioner.


From The Stars Travelling COMMISSIONS.
OK SHIpBoARD, September Is.
LIE oN BOARD one of these great Eng
lish steamers that ply the Southern Pacific
mas lts peculiar features but is by no means
unpleasant. The three-story habitation afioat
ON waste Of waters with its crowd of passcn-
gers, Its living cargo Of horses, cattle. sheep,
and fowls and its tons Of fruit and other freight
Is miniature village separated from the rest
OF the world and forced to rely upon its own
resources for sustenance and amusement.
Ahere Is no better place for the study Of hu
man nature, because the frailties and inconsis-
'encles with which our common humanity is
ainlcted, rs well as the occasional CLEANS Of
eodhness that redeem the poorest specimens
from utter unworthiness, are more plainly APP
parent where there is so little chance for priv
acy or concealment
Like other small communities whose vays Of
life are narrow and monotonous, a good deal
OF gossip is rife, but generally not Of the en-
venomed sort that taints the atmospbere Of
many otherwise delightful country places as
tne slime OF toads and serpents would poison
the Purest spring. People on a long voyage
are inclined to pair off at once into small
Scnques. drawn together by those mysterious
Jaws OF mental attraction which everybody
reels, but none can explain. remaining always
grouped together at the table, on the shady
side OF the deck singing songs in the moon
,iSh', playlng games OF chess. whist and rocham-
beau or going ashore at the various ports.
Each little party secretly considers itself as the
criterion by which TO judge OF all things worthy
OF emulation and is disposed to be extremely
crltcal concerning the manners and motives Of
outsiders, and more difficult would il be for one
70 cut loose from one clique and establish him
SCH permanently In another than for I'M
known pieDelaa, without money or influence,
Murray Hill
IN THE MORNING.
Yet outwardly all is serene as q summer morn
ing. Everybody greets everybody else where
ever met with smiling recognition and if one
is Ill the entire community vies with one another
IN Kind attentions Among other noticeable
characters III our daily dramatis persoER is a
bevy of young ladies who came on board at
Puma. the Cape May of Ecuador. They are evil
GENTLY sisters and the daughters of wealth.
however cold the sea winds blow they appear
every day in thinnest dresses Of white null
with sky-blue sashes and breast knots their
shining black hair braided down their backs
and tied at the ends with blue ribbon. Scorn-
ing wraps OF any sort. with bare heads and
gowns. thick boots. gloves. hats and jackets of
las Americanos with looks that plainly saw:
From what par. of the uncivilized world do
these heathens Gomez" And when the duenra
Is mercifully seasick, with what gusto do they
engage in desperate fiirtations with the Young
ship doctor and Il couple of handsome bull
lighters, the latter being wonderfully bedecked
with diamonds each wearing his hair braided
into the bobbing pig tail which betokens his
profession.
cow KILLING.
Besides the daily slaughter Of pigs, poultry
and sheep to supply the larder, every second
or third day cow is killed on the lower deck,
which the animals share with the freight and
the steerage passengers. These vessels are so
constructed that the dining saloon and all the
state rooms open upon the second deck, while
the upper one Is mainly kept clear for prom
enading and dancing. There are two or three
large openings in the middle deck. securely
fenced around by iron ratings. through which
the ''winches" work when freight and baggage
arc received Or E1loaded. 1t happens that the
frequent COW Killings go on directly below one
OF these openings. in full view of whoever cares
to witness the bloody performance. 1t is sig
nlficant OF the difference in character between
the Latin and Angio-Saxon races that while
every one of the thick-shod. unsentimemtal-
looking American girls fees from all sight and
sound of the butchery and thinks of il only
with horror. the whole bevy OF %air Ecuador
ians, in their angelic white robes and blue rib
bons, hang over the railing from first to
last. evincing the greatest enjoyment Of every
detail, from the time the poor beast is knocked
down and It's throat cut till its skinned and
disemboweled carcass hangs up in the shape of
meat. Since the charming scnortas cannot
possibly feel the scientific or surgical interest
III tie matter tina. may actUate their attending
cavaliers, the doctor and the picadores their
taste for blood shedding must have been in
herited from their buil-ighting forefathers of
Old CASTLE, who intermarried with the sayages
OF the new world.
At every port an army of local officials comes
on board, to improve the opportunity of a
square meal and drink or two a. the expense
OF the steamship company. They wear gorge
GUS red brooches, bright swords and plenty of
brief authority" and there is usually one of
them to about every half dozen packages of
merchandise. There are the captain of the port
and all his retinue: the governor of the district
with lis entire staff the commandan:e of the
military garrison and several of his subordi-
mates; and last, and by no means least either in
numbers or Importance. the collector of cus-
toms and battalion CT inspectors. till the decks
are fairly swarming with them. As the arrival
OF steamer is the one event that breaks the
monotony of their lives, they never fail TO cele-
brate it for all it is worth.
THE PORTS.
Most of the ports are mere collections of
mud huts, inhabitated by the officials afore-
said. employees of the various steamship COM
panies. and few fishermen. We stop at every
one Of them to take on the produce of the
neighboring valleys. mainly sugar, cotton.
cocoa, wine and coffee, for shipmen. to Liver.
pool and Germany or to points lower down the
coast. Nearly every port has its railway line
running to rich plantations i'm the interior and
as there are no harbors on this coast but only
open rcadsteads, expensive iron piers have been
built out over the surf in most places. from
which the merchandise ia transferred to barpes
or lighters and taken by them to the ships.
which anchor a mile or more from shore
Where there is no pier. lighters are run through
the surf when the tide is highest. They are
loaded Mt low tide and then fioated off to buoys
to await the arrival of vessels. There are
always plenty Of row boats to take passengers
ashore at reasonable prices when bargained for
before starting, and the tourist misses a good
deal who does not avail himself of every op-
portunity to put his feet on terra firma.
BUMBoAr WOMEN.
In several places the women have beautiful
straw baskets, cigar cases and Panama" hats
Of their own manufacture to sell, besides a va
riety of fruit, cheese dulcies, poor pottery and
other truck. They have not the remotesf idea
ofSthe value of money and are habitually inn
posed upon by local traders, who take their
wares at q merely nominal rate in exchange for
the necessaries of life and sell them again at an
enormous advance on the original price. It is
difficult for stranger to buy anything of these
people, because they are imbued with the idea
that all foreigners are walking gold mines, who
mny AZ well pay one price az another. asked
an old woman the price Of a little straw basket.
Fifteen dollars, she replied. Finding that
would not do she gracefully dropped to fifty
cents, about double the sum that local dealer