Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-12-06
PERJS PRINCIPAL PORT.
REASONS WHY THE GLORY OF cALLAo
HAS DEPARTED.
An Earthquake that Swept Five Thou
sand People Out to sea-From
Callao to the Capital.
LIMA, Peru, 1890,

seaport from 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 and tradition have
surrounded it. On the contrary, it is the
most cosmopolitan, commonplace and
matter-of-fact sort of city we have yet
found in South America; a place where
English is spoken almost as much as
Spanish, and where people of all nation
alities have crowded the easy-going
natives to- the wall, so far as business is
concerned. Even the correct pronuncia-
ton of its name is surprise to us, for
whereas we were taught in school to saw
Cal-lay-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 south
ern continent, being sheltered from pre-
vailing winds which blow from the south
and southwest by the high, bare island of
San Lorenzo and projecting tongue of
land. But the approach to it, as seen
through the veil of mist that always over
hangs both sea and shore in the early
morning, is certainly fine.
We arrive about 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-
ton Of tropical moisture by the cold cur
rents of air sweeping southwark from Ant
arctic regions. Looking out of the mist,
in dim outlines and exaggerated proper
tions, is a spectral forest of masts and
spars belonging to sailing vessels from all
seas, steamers, store-ships, coke-hulks and
other phantom craft, while to the right San
Lorenzo lifts TO the skies a lighthouse that
is said to be more ornamental than useful,
and directly in front rise the cheese-shaped
turrets that top the famous old castle of
San Feline, above whose yellow walls and
massive battlements the Spanish flag waved
for the last time on this continent. Tothe
left, "as through glass darby" we see a
low shore covered with yellowish verdure.
and trees, pale-green for lack of rain, rising
gradually to the foothills of the Andes.
The brown nights seem to stand in close
ranks, one behind another, each tier mount
ing higher; still beyond them all and be-
hind 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 three hundred and thirty-fve
years ago.
Hardly had the anchor gone overheard
before the steamer is surrounded by a
clamoring crowd of marineros, or boatmen,
who only await the coming of the Captain
of the Port to swarm upon the decks and
besiege passen gers with offers of service in
rowing them and their luggage ashore /;
but until his august permission has been
given they dare not come nearer than the
law allows. The autocrat of the port al
ways consults his own convenience about
coming. He may be sleeping late from
last nights revel, or chatting with friends,
or taking his morning coffee; at any rate
he does not permit himself to be disturbed
or hurried, howsoever travellers may rage
and impatient seamen swear, and need not
be expected for an hour or more. Mean
time, while the waiting marineros are
wrangling with one another and endeavor-
ing to secure engagements from distance
by shouting to passengers on the steamer,
we may as well 'possess our souls IN pa
thence" and CLEAN what information we can
concerning the locality.
A communicative mate directs our atten'
ton to some seal-lions that are bobbing
about among the shipping. He tells u:
that it is great fun to watch them and OBJ
serve how they mock humanity in theil
flirtations and jealousies, their lovemakipe
and final settling down to family life
Listen moment, at any time of day, anc
you NAV hear their unmusical voices, hal
barking, half bowling. Astounding all W
and down this coast, they have refused t.
be entirely driven away, even from thl
busy harbor, and have grown almost tame
There are no end of the tales one may
listen to concerning the freaks of the "Cal
lao 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
never going inland nor out to sea, mol
more than few miles north and south
All sea-goers know with what care tht
sailors are required to scrub and cleal
every part of vessel before it comes int
port, till every inch of it, outside and in
is spotless and shining as soapsuds, elbow
After all this labor, imagine the disgust o
the tired seamen when, perhaps the yer,
next morning after anchoring in Gala
bay they awake to find the ship coated al
over from stem to stern with greasy
chocolate-colored film which penetrate
every crack and seam, and even forces il
way through the battened hatchways. Th
Callao painter has been at work.
10 nj eonpc in tha night wItbO1
the slightest premonition, and fills the al
with a repulsive odor. If the slime
scrubbed while yet damp, with plenty {
soap and stiff brush, its stains may be RI
moved; but if allowed to dry on, nothin
but scraping will bulge it; and the cheap
est and easiest way will be to put coat {
two of paint over it. Of course there al
many theories regarding this strange fro
which no sun can melt. Some say that
is kind of grease forced up into the a
mosphere of this particular spot by vapo
beneath the sea; while others attribute
to species of volcanic dust driven throug
the water by subterranean forces. On onl
one point are all agreed: That the stick
sinking film, which is found nowhere ell:
on earth, has given Just cause for mol
profanity than all the storms that ev'
blew into Callao harbor.
That the region is peculiarly volcanic
in common with all the western slopes {
the Andes, is proved by the numerous ~
heavals that have occurred here. III
worst of these on record and one of tt
most terrible calamities that ever oTel
took any city, was the great terTimote
October, %, 1746, which swept the O.
port of Callao, which occupied the pr
jecting point of land to the left, with a
its inhabitants excepting one man, I'M
the sea. 1t was on warm but perfect
calm evening, about 1880 o'clock, when