Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-05
SAILING IN CLOUDS.
Trip on Titicaca, the Highest NaVi-
gable Lake on the Globe.
1T HAS NO BOTTOM AND NO OUTLET.
An Island Upon Which Criminals Froze or
Starved to Death.
VISIT TO PROFESSOR oRTON's GRAVE

CORRESPONDENTS OF THE DIsPATcB.1
PUNo, PERU, September 6.-Afoat on
Lake Titicaca! But, however, pleased the
traveller may he to find himself sailing the
highest navigable water on the globe, he
must pay the price of many discomforts for
his rare experience. Not only is there sir
roche to contend with, which makes nerv-
GUS person feel as if grim death were clutch
ing his heart-strings with icy fingers and
piling thousad pounds weight upon his
chest, while all the blood in the BODY seems
to fill the head to bursting, crimsoning the
face and leaving the lower extremities cold
as ice, but the most weather beaten voyager
is bound to suffer all the pangs of sea-sick-
ness, though he may have circumnavigated
the globe without qualm of it.
Consulting map of South America, you
will find Titicaca about midway down the
continent, but only 325 miles inland from
the Pacific. 1t lies at an altitude of 1850
feet above the level of the sea in an enormous
basin whose eastern border is bounded by
the loftiest cordillera of the Andes, an un-
trodden, snow-crowned wall, several of
whose peeks rival Chimborazo in height and
sublimity.
NO BOTTOM FOUND.
In shape the lake is an irregular oval
extending almost due north and south, 120
miles long, its greatest width being about
81 miles. 1t has an average depth of ], 900
feel, but in many places line and plummet
have failed to find the bottom. Though
many rivers, fed by mountain SHOWS, flow
into it, there is no visible outlet except the
Desaguadero river, broad, deep, swift but
not turbulent stream, ITO miles long, which
itself has many tributaries and fall of 500
feet and discharges into Lake Aullagas
away to the southwark.
Or the latter lake very little is known ex-
cept that it has no outlet to the sea unloss it
be subterranean, though receiving the
drainage OF the great upper basin and hav-
Ing several other powerful feeders besides
the Desaguero. During rainy seasons and
dry Its water always remains at precisely
the same depth, though no fewer than nine
considerable streams flow into it. Lake
Ilticaca never freezes over, whatever the
weather, though even in summertime ice
frequently forms near the shore where the
bays are shallow. This mysterious BODY of
" ter exercises a very marked and impor-
ia It influence on the climate or this cold
region, being always from 100 to 12o Fair,
&c
A CLOSED BASIN.
The great basin which contains Titicaca
has been estimated to be 600 miles long and
200 miles wide, with total area of perhaps
100, 900 miles, or three times that of the
State Of New York. The slope of the basin
is gently toward the south, Lake Titicaca
occupying its northern extremity and Lake
Aullagas the southern, connected by the
Desaguadero. The. prevailing winds are
from the northeast. Blowing continually,
they often come with prodigious force, rem
derlng navigation extremely hazardous by
the frail balsas of the natives and very dis
agreeable. if not dangerous, by the steam
ers. Before the comparatively recent intro
duction of the latter, these balsas, or RATS
and canoesfmade of rushes woven together,
were the only boats on the lake.
The steamers, which by tight squeezing,
will accommodate "a passengers each, are of
100 tons burden. Being never heavily load
ed, they roll and tremble and toss about on
the stormy waves In a way calculated to
appall the stoutest heart and upset the
strongest stomach, while winds howl, shrek
and moan among the rigging like legion
of lost spirits, or as if the angry gods of
Titicaca Island, whose temples the Euro
peans have destroyed, were in revengeful
pursuit.
BROUGHT UP PIECEMEAL.-
Going straight across from Chililava to
Puno, the trip is only ITO miles, and is usu-
ally made in IL or IA hours; but one can
get quite enough OF it in that length of
time, I assure you. The little steamers that
required ten years in the buildIn. were
brought pIecemeal over the mountains on
the backs of mules before the day of the
railroad. much as Cortez carried his his
toric ships rom Vera Cruz to the lakes of
Tenochtitlan. Their staterooms are the
smallest that can possibly be made to ac-
commodate human beings; and along the
walls of the salon, which serves both for
dining and smoking room, are cushioned
benches which ''let out" at night into two
tiers of tolerably comfortable berths.
Puno Bay Is so shallow that the steamers
could not come near the shore until a
canal, three miles long, had been excavated.
This work was accomplished when Mr..
John Tnorndyke, a well-known American.
connected the lake with the sea by means
of railroad across Peru. Mr.. Santiago
(James) Beaumont, a gentleman from Pat
ersoD, N. j., who is still connected with
this railway aud Titicaea navigation. not
only made the canal, but ordered the
steamers and put them together when the
pieces arrived.
LIKE CHINESE BAMBOO.
Though the Bolivian shore of Titicaca is
rough and abrupt, the mountains on that
side pressing down boldly into the water,
the western and southern shores are low and
comparatively level, the swampy edges over
grown 9th species OF tall strong reeds
called tortera. These reeds serve the natives
for as many purposes as bamboo does the
Chinaman. They are used instead of lath
for lining the houses; for matching roofs,
bottoming chairs, filling beds, making
baskets, boats and bridges. They are also
an important item in the way of fuel, though
they burn too rapidly to give off much neat.
Cattle feed upon them and at any time of
the year cows and oxen may be seen nearly |
up to their backs in the marshes.
For several years the Chililaya bridge
across the deep and rapid Desguadero was
made entirely of reeds supported by balsas
below, until the fine new bridge was built
a few wears ago. AS that river is the diyid-
ing line between Peru and Bolivia, a Gus
tom house is located at each end of the
bridge.
II there were any hunters hereabout they
would find plenty of sport in these reedy
marshes where myriads of water owl find
shelter, among them black and scarlet
ducks, snipe. herons, etc.
THE PERUVIAN SIBERIA.
There are eight habitable islands in Lake
Titicaca. The largest of them is Titicaca,
six miles long by about four miles wide,
high, bare and rugged in outline. This is
tine celebrated "Sacred Island" Of the Incas.
Another of the islands, which is about six
miles long but not so broad as Titicaca, was