The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-03-30
GREAT SALT MINES.
Millions of Tons Taken Out and
Millions Still Left.
A RIVAL TO GREAT SALT LAKE.
4 Primitive Grain Thresher- Raising Orchids
The Use of the Poncho- Southern
Customs and Usages.

BoGoTA, Colombia, FEBRUARY Is, 1890
Especial correspondence of THE HERALD.
in order to give you some idea of rural
life in Colombia, permit me to tell you of a
visit we have lately been making to the
most famous salt mines in the world, which
are located just beyond the village of
Zipaquria, on the other edge of the great
plain of Bogota.
Imagine jolly party on horseback, fol-
owed by two mOzos (men servants) and a
donkey laden with hampers of luncheon,
;antering gaily out of Bogo,a on a bright
nid-winter morning, both beasts and riders
nvigorated by the warm, pure air Of these
ropical heights, appearing to realize that
imply to be on top of this good, green
Earth ought to be Joy enough for any living
creature.
The road, winding most of the way along
The base of the foot hills, passes stretches
Of swamp that are completely blackened
by myriads Of wild duck and other water
fowl, showing here and there tall white
crane, a blue heron, or pink breasted fam
ngo, standing meditat1vely on one leg, all
quite undisturbed by our approach. Either
the Colombians are not mighty hunters"
and so have never taught their beasts and
birds the fear of man, or else the southern
sun has imbued the latter with the same
constitutional laZiness and Indifference to
Hanger that characterizes the people: GER
tain IL is, that one need not waste shot on
most of the socalled wild game here, but
may walk up and knock it over with q club.
Then come quintas, devoted chiefly to
the cultivation of orchids for the European
trade; gardens where the fruits and vege-
tables are raised that supply the markets
Of Bogota; and small farms. green with
wheat, corn, alfalfa and clover. Nothing
sells more truly of the even temperature
lere than the various stages of the corn
fields, proving that seed time and harvest
are entirely in the hands of the husband
nan. One field is just being plowed and
planted; another by its side has a fine crop
Of full grown corn, on stalks higher than a
man on horseback; while third shows the
green blades hardly a foot above the
ground. 1t is the same way with the
wheat. Here are newly sprouted fields,
ike emerald velvet: close by are others in
hull head; some are being cut, by women,
With short sickles; and in many places the
primitive
THREsHING FLOOR
in operation. The latter is odd enough
TO deserve a paragraph, especially as it is
an established institution all over South
America A level place is selected, cir
cular wall of adobe built around it, and the
earth covered with stones. The wheat is
then thrown in, and a span of horses
driven around and around the Enclosure,
until their tramping has shelled out the
kernels. Sometimes flock of sheep is
turned in and driven rapidly to and fro I'M
til the same purpose is accomplished.
Then the women come in and separate the
wheat from the chaff by hand, Sitting
the former into little piles and afterwards
putting it into bags.
Presently we pass through the suburban
village Of Chapinero, which has few poor
houses of dried mud, surrounding a big
and handsome church, capable of holding
great many more people than the neigh
borhood contains. Formerly great indul-
gences were granted. and honors bestowed
upon whoever would build or endow a
church, which probably accounts for their
extraordinary number many of them un-
used and falling to decay.
We were booked to stop for breakfast at
she posada (inn) Of a waysi6e ranch called
Santander, put found the place so crowded
that we were fain to go back little way
10 huge Grbol dc Peru peruvian pepper
tree and take our luncheon, al fresco, un-
der its dropping branches Such a con
fused conglomeration of dogs and donkeys
pigs and babies, all rolling in the dirt to-
gether; besides a company of muleteers
with their loaded animals, and farmers OF
horseback, each man with enormous spurs
On his heels, wide sombrero on his head
and q
PoNcHc
entirely covering the rest of his figure
The poncho is another South American in
gtitution that must by no means be neg
ected. 1t is nothing but a very large
square blanket, of varying degrees O
n1A III.
Exactly in the middle of it, only Just larg,
lnough 10 admit the wearer's head. Hav
ng thrust his head through this hole
which closes tolerably close around thu
heck, a man on horseback is completed,
covered, and well protected from dust, rail-
>r cold. The commoner sorts are Of coars
Jheep's wool, woven by the Indians in the
hand looms; others are very fine. heav,
Ind expensive, made of the long, silk,
wool of the llama or alpaca. have seen
few from Chilli that are really works of art
the outside of dark blue cloth, very thicl
and woolly, like the heaviest and fines
chinchilla, lined throughout with the sam,
texture in brilliant scarlet. Nothing coult
be better adapted for ocean or railwa,
travelling, in any country; and nobod,
need be ashamed OF the odd fashion of
garment which so plainly shows its value
The cheaper varieties are generally gail,
striped, after the manner of Mexican Ear
apes. of a dingy, yellowish brown, tn
natural color of llama wool
The few huts surrounding Santander ar
rooted with grass and reeds, with holes Gu
In the thatch through which the smoke ma,
escape, if 1t will. 1t seldom avails itsel
Of the privilege, however, but fills tn
room and pours out of the door, from tn
Ere OF sticks built on the floor or on a sor
of cairn or altar of adobe erected in tn
middle.
THESE POOR HOMES
IRE like thousands of others all over Sout
America, wherein the lowest classes, VIII
Really comprise the bulk of the population
numerically, are born, live and die, Away
In AFFECT poverty, often in hunger, but in
tariably in state of absolute contentmen-
There are no windows in the walls, an
frequently the entrance has no other doc
than bit Of brush set up on occasion,
stolen board, or an old blanket stun
kcross. Mother Earth furnishes the onl
hooring: chairs are unknown, and benc
DR. two, with a stationary table of soil
adobe, or a few. rough planks nailed to
gether, are considered ample Furnishings
pile of staw covered with a blanke
forms luxurious bed, but oftener Their
ARE no beds at all, the people lying down q
the ground wherever they like; while tn
pigs, fowls, goats, donkeys, or whateve
live stock the family are SO fortunate as
possess besides fieas, lice, ETC., etc, go i
and out at Will, as much at home inside a
ANY of the other occupants.
just behind Santander the steep an
rugged mountain of Torca iuts down I
the roadside, covered with low shrubs an
scant grass, where lean cattle are feed
Ing. That accounts for the existence o
the hamlet, which otherwiselwould have n
excuse for occupying the barren spot
sbe h