The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-04-20

cattle, most of them to be slaughtered for
food during the voyage, and groups of
shock headed saddle-colored Peruvian and
Chilian deck-hands, who look as if they
| would like to slaughter US. So perfectly
do they personate ones idea of pirates, as
mentarily expects to hear them burst out
into singing.
And the resemblance to well-remembered
opera scenes does not cease with these
lower regions. Ascending a ladder-ike
stairway to the main deck, you find that
the Serene and Her Majesty's ship ''Pina-
lore, are in many respects as like as two
peas in pod. There may be no "Dick
Deadeyes'' nor Little Buttercups' on
board, but the gallant captain is as typical
Brlton as was ''never, never sick at sea"
and on all sides one hears a deal of self
graduation that inspite of all temptations to
the contrary, everybody
''REMAINs AN ENGEIsHMAN''
Though far from being the finest ship of
the hne, the Serene is quite good enough
Tor anybody, withits blaze of electric light,
immense salon, wide cabins all opening
outward on the second deck, and the whole
awning shaded upper story given over to
the passengers for lounging, promenading
and amusements.
The island of Toboga, in front of which
our steamer is anchored, a few miles from
Panama City, is covered by a cheerful
looking little town, though no doubt dis.
lance lends enchantment to the view of its
roofs, hat and red tiled, or very steep and
matched with straw, all overShadowed by
dropping palms, or half hidden behind
broad -leaved banana trees. Everybody is
anxious 10 get away and chafes and fumes
al an hours delay, being absurdly afraid of
Yellow Jack and other bugaboos indigen-
4 no IN hAs, !, a,.l
bound, sail almost Immediately with the
turn OF the tide; but our neighDors on the
american steamer, en- route to San Fran
cisco, must wait here two or three days.
BY the way-though most travellers do
not know it-those going north must first
san due south more than one hundred miles,
IN order to round the peninsula of Aguero,
which stretches forth a long arm, slightly
curved eastward, enclosing in It's embrace
the bay of Panama. II seems paradox
cal statement, but is nevertheless abso-
Iutely true, that Aspinwall, on the eastern
side OF the lsthmus, IS IN reality farther
west than Panama City on its western
coasti BY consulting the map and getting
the crook of the isthmus well in mind, you
will see that the Panama railroad, instead
of westward hoing form Aspinwall, as its
passengers fondly imagine runs southeast.
In this connection it may be mentioned that
the port OF Guayaqril, in Ecuador, the
very westernmoSt town in all South Amer
lea, lies almost in direct line south from
Washington d. G..
Panama bay, which is 10 miles long and
nearly one hundred and fifty miles wide at
It's mouth, is swarming with sharks, espec-
tally in the neighborhood of the port. The
sailors delight in spinning
GRUEsoME YARNS
in the hearing of land lubbers, regarding
persons who have been snapped overheard
from canoes, or who have lest leg or an
arm by some act of carelessness, or have
stumbled into the sea in the perilous tran
sit between dock and tender, or from
tender to steamer, their horrible fate being
told by brief reddenirg of the surface of |
the water. If you desire to test the likeli-
hood of such catastrophe, just toss over
board anything at hand, from biscuit to |
grlpsack, and note how quickly a dozen |
pairs of wide-opened jaws will show them |
selves.
To the last moment that the vessel waits, |
she is surrounded by a crowd of canoes and |
plt-paus, bringing from shore cargoes of
bananas, plneappleS, cocoanuts, oranges |
mangoes, figs, paltas, parrots and monkeys, |
some for sale on the spot to whoever will |
buy, but mostly loaded below for transpor- |
tation to other ports.
By judiciously interviewing the ships |
officials, from time to time, without allow |
mig them to suspect the presence of a chiel |
among them takin' notes, have elected |
the following data relative to westrcoast |
commerce: We have now on board about |
one thousand three hundred tons of freight, |
but that is considered small cargo, $500 |
tons being the limit. It consists chiefly Of |
cattle, wool metals, sugar, rice and tobacco; |
and all OF 1t goes to Europe, except the CATTLE |
to be eaten on the way, and little fruit |
for local ports.
a large quantity of rice will be taken on |
at Callao, it being the great staple of Peru.
where the finest rice in the world is grown,
a single grain being sometimes half an inch |
long. There Is also a lot of chdnedcl,d
aboard, a native preparation from sugar
cane, used in the making of dulccs, or sweet
meats; and at Pisco, one of the ports of
Northern Peru, good deal of the brandy
there will be loaded.
The average valuation of the cargo IS
about three hundred pounds sterling per
annum. The exports from Chill alone are
from fifteen to twenty millions q year, and
Peru is but little behind those figures.
AS to imports, the Argentine Republic
receives over a million dollars worth per
annum, about seven and tnree-fourths of |
which come from the United States Brazil
imports an average of sos, 600, 900 worth, to
which the United States contributes only
IT.,
imports at all Central and South America
reach total of at least
FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILLION DOLLARS
every year, toward which vast sum the
United States. the nearest sister republic.
contributes less than fifty million dollars
Nor is there good reason for this lamenta-
ole state of things, except high tariff, lack
)f transit and few other obstacles which |
night easily be removed were our legisla-
tors less lnconceivably stupid, any more
than for the fact that the United States
merchants are compelled to send the few
goods they can now dispose of in Brazil,
etc, away around by Havre, Hamburg and
Liverpool
We crossed the equatorial line in the
hight, soon after leaving the coast of Col
1mbia; and, contrary to all expectations.
the weather grew perceptibly cooler in
stead OF giving us an increase of heat. The
steamer reaches GuayaGuil on the evening
IL the fourth day out from Panama. Dur
ing most OF the time we are beyond sight
If land the blue and placid waters of the
Pacific filling the horizon on all sides; but
sometimes to the eastward, when the mists
If morning are dispel.ed and before the
evening shadows fall the lofty Cordilleras
hat form the northernmost spur of the
Andear chain, suddenly stand out full in
new, smoke issuing from the tops of some
If them, proving that we are fast approach
ng the region of earthquakes and volcanic
sruptions.
On the morning of the third day some
hing that looks like gigantic corpse float
ng on the water is dimly visible through a
Yellow haze, which we know to be the Isla
lei Muerto. or sDead Mans Island',-an
,nmistakable land mark for seamen. mark
ng the entrance to the Gulf of Guayauuil.
n order to make for the port of Ecuador |