Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-30
Fannie B. Wards Sketches of South
America From Ship-Board.
LATIN AND ANGLO-SAXON WOMEN.
A Town So Healthy a Respectable Grave
yard Can't be Kept Up.
STREET CARS PROPELLED BY VIM
rcoRREsPoNDENcE OF THE DISPATCH. I

of waters with its crowd of passengers. its
living cargo of horses, cattle, sheep and
fowls, and its tons of fruit and other freight
is a miniature village separated from the
rest Of the world and forced to reIy upon
its own resources for sustenance and amuse-
| ment.
Among other noticeable characters in our
daily dramatis persona is a bevy of young
ladies who came on board at Puma, the Cane
May OF Ecuador. They are evidently sisters
and the daughters of wealth. However cold
the sea winds blow, they appear eyery day
| in thinnest dresses of white null with sky
blue sashes and breast knots, their shining
| black hair braided down their backs and
tied at the ends with blue ribbon. Scorninp
wraps OF any sort, with bare heads and slip
| pered feet, how they stare at the flannel
| gowns, thick boots, gloves, hats and Jackets
of las Americanas with looks that plainly
| say: From what part of the uncivilized
| world do these heathens come?' And
when the duenna is merciiully seasck, with
| what gusto do they engage in desperate
fl-tatIons with the young ship-doctor and a
couple of handsome bull-fghters, the latter
| being wonderfully bedecked with diamonds
each wearing his hair braided into the bob
bing pigtail which betokens his profession.
WATCHING THE COW KILLING.
Besides the daily slaughter of pigs, poul-
try and sheep to supply the larder, every
second or third day COW Is killed on the
lower deck, which the animals share with
the freight and the steerage passengers.
These vessels are so constructed that the
dining salon and all the state rooms open
upon the second deck; while the upper one
Is mainly kept clear for promenading and
,b.o l..
lngs IN the middle deck, securely fenced
around by iron ratings, through which the
'wlnches" work when freight or baggage is
received or unloaded. 1t happens that the
frequent cow-killings 20 on directly below
one OF these openings, in full view of who
ever cares to witness the bloody performance.
1t is significant OF the difference in char
acter between the Latin and Anglo-Saxon
races, that while every one OF the thick
shod, unsentimental-looking American
girls fees from all sight and sound of the
butchery and thinks OF it only with horror.
the whole bevy OF fair Ecuadoresns, in their
angelic white robes and blue ribbons, hang
over the railing from first to last, evincine
the greatest enjoyment of every detail from
the time the poor beast is Knocked down
and its throat cut, till its skinned and dis
emboweled carcass hangs up in the shape
OF meat. Since the charming senoritas can
not possibly ieel the scientific or surgical in
terest in matter that may aetuate their at
tending cavaliers, the doctor and the plea
dores, their taste for blood shedding must
have been inherited from their bull-fighting
foreiathers of Old Castle, who inter-married
with the savages of the New World.
SCENES AT THE PORTS.
AT evey port an army of local officials
comes on board. to improve the opportunitv |
ofa square meal and a drink or two at the |
expense of the steamship company. They |
wear gorgeous red breeches, bright swords |
and plenty of brief authority" and there
is usually one of them to about every half
dozen packages of merchandise, There is
the captain OF the port and all his retinue; |
the Governor of the district with his entire |
staff; the comandante of the military gar
rison and several of his subordinates: and |
last, and by no means least either in num-
bers or Importance, the collector of GUS
toms and battalion of inspectors, till the |
decks are fairly swarming with them. As
the arrival of steamer Is the one event
that breaks the monotony of their lives
they never fail to celebrate it for all it is
worth.
Most of the ports are mere collections of
mud huts, inhabited by the officials afore-
said, employees of the various steamship
companies, and few fishermen. We stop
at everyone of them, to take on the pro-
duce of the neighboring valleys, mainly
sugar, cotton, cocoa, wine and coffee, for
to Liverpool and Germany, or to
points lower down the coast. Nearly eyerv
port has its railway line, running to rich
plantations in the interior; and as there are
no harbOrs on this coast, but only open
roadsteads, expensive iron piers have been
built out over the surf in most places, from
whlcn the merchandise is transferred to
barges or lighters and taken by them to the
ships, which anchor a mile or more from
shore.
Where there is no pier, lighters are run
through the surf when the tide is highest
They are loaded at low tide and then hoated
Oft to buoys to await the arrival of vessels.
There are always plenty of row boats to take
passengers ashore, at reasonable prices
when bargained Tor before starting; and
the tourist misses good deal who does not
avail himself of every opportunity to put
MS feet upon terra firma.
MONEY MATTERS ON THE COAST.
In several places the women have beauti-
ul straw baskets, cigar cases and "Pana-
ma" hats of their own manufacture to sell,
besides a variety of iruit, cheese, dulcies :
Door pottery and other truck. They have .
not the remotest idea OF the value of money, ,
ind are habitually imposed upon by local .
raiders, who take their wares at merely
nominal rate in exchange for the necessaries
,f lie, and sell them again at an enormous
advance on the original price. 1t is difficult
or stranger to buy anything of these peo-
pie, because they are Imbued with the idea
hat all foreigners are walking gold mines,
yho may as we'll pay one price as another.
asked an old woman the price of a little
traw basket. "Fiiteen dollars" she re-
1lied. Finding that would not do. she
dropped to so cents, about double
he sum that a local dealer would have
,iVen her.
A DEPOSIT OF PETROLEUM.
The northernmost town of Peru is Tum-
ez, interesting only from the fact that
ere Pizarro was met by the Inca messen.
ers whom King Atahualpa had sent out
D inquire the object OF the white mans
isit. Back OF the town are some extensive
etroieum deposits, which where known 10
be Indians long before the coming ofthe
paniards. Since time out of mind the oil
ad been used for lubricating and coloring
urposes, but the natives were entirely
ynorant of its real character and value -
ntil Mr.. Larkins, from Western New e,
-ork came down here TO peddle kerosene. =
nd then it was Immediately recognized as y
ne same stuff. 81
A little farther down is Paita, or Pavta. !,
5 it is sometimes spelled, the ocean gate of N
lie fertile valley of Piura, which, with its II
,wn of the same name, lies 60 miles awav.
cross the desert OF Sechura and close to the ~
orjillera. Being completely surrounded q.
y bare sand bluffs, except tine little space to h,
award, there is not n trace of vegetation "
anywhere in sight. All the water that is