Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-21

pectations, will deprive the United States
OF large export trade on this coast.
American capitalists were nn.,;I,,, .,
take take the risk of making foreign in
vestment. Foreign investors are constantiv
looking out for such Opportunities ond ,hs
money needed for various enternr;ses in
South America is always supplied bv them
where there is reasonable chance Of oh
tanning remunerative returns. This ia ono
of the potent causes of English commercial
ascendency in these countries. American
capital remains out; English money goes in.
THE GUANo SUPPLY.
The two Lobos islands, from which vast
quantities of guano have been taken bv Pern
and Chill, lie off the desert coast OF Pavta
These deposits have exceeded 30 feet In thick.
ness, and have been near the surface so as tn
be easily worked. The guano birds, gulls.
terms and other species, are constantly seen
flying in great focks along the coast and
swooping down upon fish of the Pacific. The
shores of Callao Bay are frequented by a
large and handsome scavenger bird-the
black pelican. At the Island of San Loren
20, in the same harbor, and at other anchor
ages along the coast are seen sea lions in
great numbers. All these waters swarm with
fish of a superior quality for the table. In no
other quarter OF South America can more de-
licious fish be served to tempt appetites
jaded with the constant meat eating which
for some occult reason is considered essential
to health in this part of the world. This is
one OF natures compensations for withdraw
ing rain from this coast and drying up the
springs of vegetation.
Another and even more striking compen-
sation is found in the climate, which, if. not
uniform in dryness, is invariably cooler
than that of corresponding latitudes on the
Atlantic seaboard. The Humboldt current,
while carrying the winds steadily with it,
and, thereby preventing rainstorms from
blowing inshore, materially lowers the tenn
perature of the1west coast in summer with
out reducing it in winter below the limits of
heat on the opposite seaboard. The mid
summer lines of equal heat traverse the con-
tlnent in northerly and southerly ranges.
Here at Payta, only 30 from the equator,
the heat in January is not greater than it is
In Buenos Ayres and Montevideo, 300
nearer the South Pole. From Guayaquil
on the very
EDGE OF THE EQUATOR, o.
The isothermal line on Professor Balls
chart runs through the heart of Brazil to
Rio, just above the Tropic of Capricorn.
Lima is not warmer in its hottest season
than Buenos Ayres; nor africa, Iquique and
Coquimbo than the northern half OF Pata-
gonia. The Humboldt current lowers the
of the west coast, and in north
ern Peru keeps it on level with that of
Uruguay, from 25 to 80 degrees further
south. At the same time the west coast is
not exposed to corresponding fall of tenn
perature in July as compared with the At
lantic coastA The winter isotherms cross the
on the parallels of latitude below
the tropic. Above it the lines of equal heat
1iverge northward from the Atlantic, Lima |
md Santos having the same temperature in
July. AT Payta the mean heat of the year
to that of Southern Brazia |
There are similar reductions OF temperature |
all along the coast of Peru. The Humboldt |
current exerts moderating influence upon |
The temperature while those cloud-capped |
the Andes, squeeze the moisture |
,ut of the air and keep it dry.
No sea voyage can be more delightful
han the run from Valparaiso to Panama.
The heat is never unpleasantly felt at any
season of the year, even when the equator is
approached. A fresh breeze is always blow
ing, and the sea is smooth as a mIllpond, /
except in the unprotected roadsteads, where
here Is a strong swell. For few nights
after one leaves Valparaiso
AN ovERCoAT IS NEEDED
n the evenings; and even at the equator,
With vertical sun at this season of the
rear, the days are delightfully."- cool, and the
nights not oppressive. The steamers are
managed, cooking and service
ire excellent, and everything is done to
promote the comfort of travellers. A voy-
sge from Valparaiso to Panama on a
steamer like the Coquimbo is an experience
altogether enjoyable, and one not to be
peedily forgotten.
A hundred miles north of the desert levels
IT Payta the rainless zone comes abruptly
% an end. At Tumbez there is sudden
from sandy, barren and bare
lifts to heavy wooded shores and the fresh
st and rankest vegetation. At the Gulf of
@uayaquil the rainless coast is no longer
cen. A rainy zone is entered, with vistas
# equatorial woods and luxuriant foliage.
The scientific reasons advanced in explana-
ion of this sudden change are more numer-
us than satisfactory. Many of the theories
'ased upon prevailing winds and ocean cur
ents are fatty contradicted by the log
looks of experienced sea captains nayiga-
ing these waters. 1t would be difficult to
ind more interesting field for physical in
estigation than the west coast of South
america, with Its 1000 miles of barren
lifts and its sudden and amazing contrasts
{ vegetation in the Gulf OF Guayaquil.