New-York tribune., 1890-04-14
,CpOSS SOUTH AMERICA.
V.
THE PAMPAS AND MENDOZA

,. Of GEAss-MoNOroNors LANDSCAPE Eff
.rcrs-A CITY IN THE EARTHQUAKE BELT
THE TRANS ,xDEAN THE RAILWAY
SYSTEM OF THE ARGENTINE.
,,rosAsrAFF CORRESPONDENT or TIL TRIBUNE
Mendoza. A. r. January -
;,,vav ride of $50 miles from Cordova has
.n,bt me 70 the gatcways of the Andes. For
.h;,tv-six hours | have been travelling over 'he
.nas This name now has a special Application
- N. territories west of Buonos Ayres ana south
', uendoza formerly inhabited by the KanquccS
otber tribes who were driven beyond the
Der Ncoro ten wears ago: hut The greater part
wos,orr Ruanos \yrcs and Southern Cordova
:. uorui,. mamma II is drearv and monotonous
n,rv Fron, east TO west there is 4 sra of
=, d;scolored in sections where there are SHOALS
:, .o.ds and ,bistcs. and more vivid in hue
,bere ,bcrc arc strcaks of very rich soil The
,org ubitc tuftS of pampa grass. as seen from the
;od,,rs of the car have the effect OF waves. cs-
.oc;aur whom the wind blows in furious gusts.
I,oro ord there like the sail of a Braziian cata
.ora, .nnears weather beaten barn far away
ore coon the masts OF poplars swaNing witE the
ui,a. and a tiny puff Of smoke rises from the
chimney of q distant farmhouse as from the fun
mol of q freishfer at sea. The ocean is Infinite
:, variety and never dull The midsummer PAM
mas can never I've anything but unlovely and weari-
come There arc moments when the grassy levels
have transitory charm--when the north wind
has stiNened into gale, when the tuftcd waves
arc breaking into yellow foam and poplars and
willows are bending under the weight of lcafy
canvas like vessels in distress hut il is magina-
tim that transforms the scene. and by suggesting
IN ocean vista impar,s adventtious interest 10
monotonous prospect These broad stretches Of
coarse. tangled and luxuriant grass have neither
variety nor beauty nor charm of their own.
In the earlier stages of this journey long files of
nopars were frequently seen. and clumps of will
lows in marshy spots along the banks Of streams:
but beyond the railway junction at Villa Maria
the wide circuit of the horizon could often he
swept with glass without glimpse Of trees or
of human habitations ] am told that the pampas
are seen at their best early in the spring when
the ycrdure is fresh bat that il is not long before
the levels are broken hv patches Of thistcs, some
times growing TO the height Of ten feet. These
blossom about ClrislmaS-time and throughout
January the air is thick with floating thistle
down. Then these rank weeds rapidly droOp and
fall away and winter approaches and the
dronth passes the grassy levels are again green.
There is never any snow on the pampas, but there
is cold wind that sweeps across them even IN
midsummer. For week before | left Cordova
the weather had been piping hot; but III the early
morning at Villa Maria | suffered from cold. The
pampero with its chill BREATH was blowing the
foam of the thistledown over the grassy levels.
il is cold but invigorating wind and tcmperS
the inclement heats Of midsummer. The nortc
is a relaxing and enCrVatlns wind. with sanitary
effects that arc dreaded. The pampcro is the pre-
vailng wind during the greater part of the year.
The country between Cordova and Mendoza
veals few signs if that phenomenal prosperity
which statisticans like Mr.. Mulhall demonstrate
with facility. The farmhouscs are either thatchcd
huts OF dilapidated novels the barns arc small
the orchards are insignificant in sic; the fences
are fimsy. and the displays OF stock disappclnt
ing. One has every reason to believe that the
farmers and immigrants are piOspcring in this
new country but the signs Of that phenomenal
progress are not TO be seen from the windows
of a passing railway car. The country has
dasolatc aspect the villages are utterly forior"
and even the few large towns are without attrac-
tons Villa Maria. Rio CuartO and Villa Mercc es
are towns which have been linked together by
costly lines of railway. but they have made
little progress san Luis is the capital Of
and wretched shantics Ia Paz las more cheer
full aspect. and here Tor tie first time one Of tle
great peaks Of tie Andes can be seen hundred
miles away This is Tupungato. Il mountain
g. 90 feet high, which is concealed from view
close at hand from Santiago on the Chilian side,
but is visible here. The pampas haze 10" been
passed. and the I'LL country about Mendoza l~a
been entered There ale long lines oi popiaio
from Santa Rosa westward. Comfortable Idrl-
I..n. f.
railway ride There are meadows, aruhcmIA
irrigated where the cattle Look sleek and iai
and there are vineyards ana orchards IN a lTaI'-
growing region OF remarkable promise
Mendoza IS at once an OLD ana a. ne" tpNh'
II MAS founded by spaniarGs from thili IN 1903.
and it was destroyed bE All calthlnaAc III sol.
few weeks before the catastrophe Scolo-lsl
named Bravard who was living ID the town.
made this prediction This city l. likely 10 suffer
from carthquallc before the close OF the century.
On the evening OF Ash Wednesday, when Tie
churches were thronged with men and women, the
prediction MAS fulfilled. out OF q population ol
l4,5OO about $4,000 pcrlshed. lhc ci'| was
destroyed instanianeOusy Every church ana
convent was left in ruins: not mouse remained
standing the trees in the Alameda were upIooicd,
and The lines of streets. which had been crowded
with church -gOers only hall an EOur pcioIc coUN
not be traced by the survivors. After the carin-
quake succession Of fires which ragged
for a week, and completed the work Of devastation
The geOlOgist who had forecast BE result WAS one
OF the victims of this terrible visitation. H.
of rock. clay and mould upon which the city
was built within the circle o; volcanic activity
in the adjacent Andes The crust j. not thicker
now than il was then. but the city has been re-
.ullt practically on the same site There Is d
superstition on the West Coast that earthquakes,
Ike lightning. never strike twice in the same
place Bc the crust thick or thn the people
OF the town consider themselves amPiy protected
against "a second visitation. Suil. ! observed
that there few buildings Of more than one
story 10 be found in the town. The precautiOn
Of building houses and shops from which |
escape is practicable in an emergency has not
been neglected. popular as the superstition re-
ieIred 10 undoubtedly IS The city with It's |
suburbs occupies more ground than would be re-
9uiIed for town three times as pOpulOus IN q
northern cline There is 10 attempt 10 econ
onre space by building in tie air The house,
ana shops ground floor structures Of the sim
Fess Construction. The streets broad and |
iined with black walnut and handsome shade
lees-the first which have seen in South Amer |
"a "a farlng resemblance 10 our Northern trees. |
mere are numerous parks with a fine display Of |
iDiiage and flowers. There are signs Of thrift |
and comfort everywhere except IN the hotels |
"A eNfr ko1 il ulafi inn