Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-07
THE PORT OF PERU.
An Ancient Town Still Dizzy Over
the Earthquake of 1746.
sEA.LIONS SPORT IN THE HARB0R.
A Freak Of Atmosphere That Gives Every.
thing q Coat Of Paint.
BOTH CALLA0 AND LIMA ARE DIRTY
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DISPATCH,

anything our Imagination had pictured
how disappointing in one sense because now
showing no traces of its fifteenth century
youth, nor the glamour with which history
aud tradition have surrounded it. On the
contrary, it is the most cosmopolitan, COM
mon-place and matter-of- fact sort of city we
have yet found in South America; place
/ where English is spoken almost as much as
Spanish, and where people of all nationali-
ties have crowded the easy-going natives to
the wall, so far as business is concerned.
Even the correct pronunciation of its
name is a surprise to US, for whereas We are
are taught in school to say Cal-lav-o, it
should be rendered as if spelled Col-yow,
with the accent strong on the last syllable.
Though the harbor is nothing to boast OF,
| and on our storm-swept northern coast
would be dignifed by no such name, it is
one of the best on this side of the southern
continent, being sheltered from prevailing
| winds which blow from the south and SOUTH
west by the high, bare island of San Loren
20 and projecting tongue of land. But the
approach to it, as seen through the veil OF
mist that always overhaDgs both sea and
shore in the early morning, is certainly fine.
SEEN THROUGH A FOG.
We arrive about 8 A. NJ. and drop anchor
mile from the beach, in fog which the
sailors say is thick enough to cut with a
| knife" and is attributable to the condensa-
tion Of tropical moisture by the cold cur
rents of air sweeping northward from Ant
arctic regions. Looming ont of the mist, in
| dim outlines and exaggerated proportions,
| is a spectral forest of masts and spars be-
longing to sailing vessels from all seas.
steamers, storeships, coke hulks and other
| phantom craft. while to the right San Lo-
renzo lifts to the skies a lighthouse that is
said to be more ornamental than useful, and
directly in front rise the cheese-shaped tur-
rets that top the famous old castle of San
Felipe, above whose yellow walls and mas
| sive battlements the Spanish flag waved for
the last time on this continent.
To the left, "as through glass darkly,"
we see low shore covered with yellowish
verdure, and trees pale-green for lack of
rain, rising gradually to the foothills of the
Andes. The brown heights seem to stand
in close ranks, one behind another, each tier
mounting higher; still beyond them all and
behind a stratum OF motionless cloud, We
family discern the snowy Cordillera. blend
ing with the blue of the sky. at the base
OF those brown hills, only six miles inland,
lies the ultima thule of our dreams-Lima,
the "City of Kings" which Pizarro founded
| just 335 years ago.
SEA LIONS IN THE HARBoR.
Hardly has the anchor gone overheard
before communicative mate directs our
attention to some sea lions that are bobbing
about among the shipping. He tells us that
it is great iun to watch them AMI observe
how they mock humanity in their flirtations
and jealousies, their love making and final
settling down to family life. Listen q mo-
ment at any time of day and you may hear
their unmusical voices, half barking. half
bowling. Astounding all up and down this
coast they have refused to be entirely
! driven away, even from this busy harbor,
and have grown almost tame.
There are no end of the tales one may
| listen to concerning the freaks of the seal
loa painter" as a mysterious local phe-
nomenon is called-an aggravating artist,
who works with invisible brushes and con-
fines his operations solely to this harbor,
meyer going inland or out to sea, nor more
than a few miles North and South. All
sea-goers know with what care the sailors
are required to scrub and clean every part
OF vessel before 1t comes into port, till
every inch of it, outside and in, is spotless
and shining as soapsuds, elbow-grease and
"holy-stone" can make it. After all this
labor, imagine the disgust OF the tired sea-
men when, perhaps the very next morning,
alter anchoring in Calao bay, they awake
| 10 fud the ship coated all over from stem to
stern with greasy, sticky, chocolate col
ored film which penetrates every crack and
seam, and even forces its way through the
battened hatchways! The Callao painter
has been at work.
THE CALLAo PAINTER
He always comes in the night, without
the slightest premonition, and fills the air
with a repulsive odor. If the slime is
scrubbed while yet damp, with plenty of
soap and stiff brush, its stains may be re-
moved; but if allowed to dry on, nothing
but scraping will bulge it; and the cheapest
and easiest way will be to put coat or two
of paint over it. Of course there are many
theories regarding this strange frost which
no sun can melt. Some say that it is kind
of grease forced up into the atmosphere of
this particular spot bv vapors beneath the
sea; while others attribute it to a species Of
volcanic dust driven through, the water by
subterranean forces. Only on one point are
all agreed; that the sticky, stinking film,
which is found nowhere else on earth, has
given just cause for more profanity than all
the storms that ever blew into Callao har-
Dor.
That the region is peculiarly volcanic, in
common with all the western slopes of the
Andes, is proved by the numerous up
heavals that have occurred here. The
worst OF these on record, and one of the
most terrible calamities that ever overlook
any city, was the great terrimote of October
%, 1746, which swept the old port OF Callao,
which occupied the projecting point of land
to the left, with all its inhabitants, except.
ing one man, into the sea. 1t was on a
warm but perfectly calm evening, about
1890 o'clock, when tremendous shock of
earthquake shook both Lima and Callao.
doing great deal of damage in the former
city, and in i've minutes reducing the latter
to mass of ruins.
LIKE THE JoHNsTowN FLOOD.
Then huge wave came rolling into the
devoted port, engul6ng everything and
everybody; and 5000 people perished in the
raging flood. The waters, which few
minutes before had been calm as a mill.
pond, suddenly receded to great distance.
and then rolled back with such tremendous
iorce as to sweep not only the town and its
Notifications and Inhabitants out of exis.
tence, but q score OF ships at anchor in the
harbor were destroyed. Several others were
borne far inland on the breast of the wave.
which, instantly receding, let them
stranded high and dry. One of these was
the Spanish man-of-war "St. Fermin;" and
the spot where it was stranded, between the
present Callao and Buena Vista, is marked
by small monument.
Naturally, it took long time for the citi-
zens of Lima to recover from their panic:
and then they chose what was believed to
/ be better locality for their sea-gate (where
stands the modern Callao), and defended il
| hv n "a stle in the form of pentaoon ,r;th