Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-09
.WEALTHFROM GUANO.
Riches Untold Deposited BY the Birds
Of the Pacific.
PERU'S lMPR9VlDENT RULERS.
Phosphorescent Fish Play About the Ships
of the Coast.
A VISIT TO THE CHINCHA ISLANDS

In the bay of Pisco. about 100 miles south
of Callao and IL miles out from the main
land, lie the celebrated Chincha Islands,
three in number, whereon the guano Is
found that has been such an enormous
source of wealth to Peru. To form some
idea of the extent of the deposit and the
magnitude of the industry, it may be stated
that between the years 1858 and 1873 nearly
5000, 900 tons of guano were shipped from
here.
The amount of money which Peru has de-
rived from this one source of revenue can
not be any more accurately estimated than
the value of the plunder stolen from the
Incas. The known exports have amounted
to fully $50. .000, 900, and this for a country
which never contained more than 1000, 900
people, two-thirds Of whom were Indians
who had no share in the profits. Yet in the
midst of its prosperity the improvident
country managed somehow to incur debt
of $3.50, ,00O, 900. which could never have been
paid but for the saving Grace-Dononghmor
convention.
MORE AVAILABLE THAN GOLD.
This treasure-trove of the Chincha Islands,
which when first discovered had been ac-
unnumbered centuries, was even more easily
available than the gold and silver which
had made the Inca land the Ell Dorado of
the world and contributed as much toward
its DOWNFALL for the latter-day Republic is
now about the poorest in all South America.
In the matter of their guano the Peru
vians have shown far less sagacity than the
Indians of the olden days, but have acted as
if the supply were literally without end.
They abolished taxes and relied entirely
upon guano for all the money required by
the Government, including enormous sums
expended in railways. When the Chinchas
were nearly exhausted they turned their at
tention TO other groups, but none of them
proved so rich and extensive as the original
source OF supply which their ancestors so
carefully protected.
PROTECTING THE BIRDS.
The word guano Is a corruption of the
Quichua Huano, meaning fish manure. The
enlightened Incas understood we'll its value
as fertilizer. 1t was not only extensively
used throughout their empire, but the pun
ishment OF death was inflicted upon anyone
who disturbed the birds during the breeding
season, or who killed one of them at any
time, either on the islands or elsewhere.
With such care were the Chinchas protected
that it was not lawful to land upon them at
any time under pain of death, lest the birds
should be driven away and frightened from
| the coast. Each island was set apart for
| the use of particular province and the
| guano was carefully divided, every village
receiving its fair proportion.
Considerable guano is yet found in the
Taracopa Islands, the Lobos and Guenope
groups, the Vieja Islands of Independence
| Bay, the Lobillo and Huonillo groups in
! Cheopana Bay and others at Punta Alba anC
Pabellion de Plea. The best of them, how
ever, all the workings OF Pabellion, Limoi
and Huanellos, go to the railroad bondho!d
ers under the Grace -Dononghmore contract
| DESCRIPTION OF THE PRODUCER.
The legitimate guano bird is kind Of
| tern. Its bill and legs are red, the top o.
| the head and tip of the tail and wings are
black, while the lower part OF the head is
white, with long, whisker-like feather
curling from under each ear. The body is
dark-slate color and its length is about ten
inches. Divers, pellcans and variety of
seagulls also visit the islands, and the e1-
| crement is mixed with their eggs and the
i remnants of shellss and also with the de-
| cayed flesh and bones of thousands of seals.
| 1t is asserted, but with what truth do moi
know, that when seal is about to die il
will invariably climb to the highest point
| on the nearest rock. At any rate the Chin
cha Islands are covered with their remains,
although they have been hunted so much
hereabouts during recent years that they
now add little TO the deposit, which makes
the guano all the better for commercial pur-
| poses.
To form some idea Of the vast accumula-
tion one must understand that an ordinary
| little gull will deposit from four to six
ounces of guano every day, which, during
the ten weeks OF the breeding season,
amounts to not less than 2S pounds per gull.
Multiply this by millions and then date the
account back through thousands of years
and one may begin to realize what these
islands contain.
A DEPTH OF SIXTY FEET.
| Lying within the rainless belt of the west.
ern coast none of the deposit has been
washed away; and when Humboldt frst
| brought the Chincha Islands to the atten.
tion of Europe, in the year 1904, he said
they were covered with pure guano to the
depth of more than go feet and were capable
OF enriching all the worn-out lands OF the
world.
The islands are all of the same formation
a bright-hued granite, composed of red
felspar and white quartz, mixed with little
mica. As felspar is decomposed by the ac.
tion of the air, all the shores have become
frayed and ragged, being indented by many
caverns, which in process of time fall in
4 and thus diminish the size of the islands
This chemical force OF decomposition and
the mechanical action of the waves have
parted into three pieces that which once
was doubtless one island; and in times YET
more remote Chincha was probably con
nected with the coast, as shown by chain oi
rocks which intervene between them and q
hill near the village OF Pisco.
| VISITING THE FIELDS.
To visit the pusno fields one most 90 oul
from Pisco In q row boat and land by means
| of a step ladder, which leads to wooden
platform built high up on perpendicular
| cliff The northern island, which is about
| 1.4OO wards long by 600 yards wide, is still
covered with excrement, though not to any
great depth. The beds have been worked
downward. the material being removed in
LAYERS and placed in fiat trucks, then con.
yeyed by tramway to the edge OF the cliff
whence it is run down in chutes info barge:
waiting below, and transferred by the latter
to vessels which lie off the islands. The
principal cutting is about 100 yards from
the brink of the precipice, and is iully 7C
feet deep, showing the great amount of labor
that has been accomplished. A small
steam engine of 12-horse power is used il
digging out the guano, and also for loading
the trucks. A crane projects from the en-
CINE and from its chains is suspended an
iron trough. like a huge coal hod, with siz
gigantic teeth at the edges. By working
one chain. this hod is made to fill itself By
digging deep into the excrement; then BY
connecting another chain, the crane slowly
turns. groaning and creaking as though
| aff1 ieted with chronic Iumbago, and finally