Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-25
THE EARTH TREMBLES
Nearly Every Day in the Quaint
Old City of Arequipa, Peru.
A THREATENING VOLCANO NEARBY
1t Lies in a Green Valley Where Fruits
Are Forever Ripening.
ALMOST A PERPETUAL sPRINGTINE

ALMOST 4 PERPETUAL SPRlNGTlME
| CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DIsPArcB.l
AREoU1PA, PERU, Dec. 22.-More than
400 years ago this second city of Peru was
halfway haIting-place for travellers between
the loftier Andes and the sea and hence
came by its name. Arequipa, the word in the
aboriginal tongue signifying "Place of
Rest" As early as the days of Rocca, the
sixth Inca, who conquered all this part of
Peru, it was a military colony. In 1540
| Pizarro transformed it into Spanish strong
hold, but with better taste than characterized
most of his nomenclature did not change Its
| ancient name.
Just back of the town towers the lofty
volcano Misti, quiescent now, but ready to
burst forth again, perhaps as an accompani-
ment of another tremendous earthquake,
something as Mount Etna rises behind
CatanIa. Nearly $4,000 feet in height,
perfect cone. topped with eternal snow, with
perpetual summer at its base, Misti is one
of the most beautiful mountains of the whole
Andean system. On one side of it stands
the lesser mountain, Pichupichu, with foot
hills stretching away in the distance, and
on the other side snow-crowned CharchanI;
then comes Coropuna and then the elevated
Pampa (plain) de Arrieros, stretching away
to the volcano Ufnas, dlmly seen toward
the Bolivian frontier.
Surrounded by Deserts.
Modern travellers have likened Arequipa
to Damascus, not only because of its low
walls and gray surroundings, but because,
like the Oriental city, it stands upon the
edge of desert, all its verdure depending
upon river flowing through the arid waste.
The valley of Arequipa is only about ten
miles long by FIVE miles wide, environed on
every side by desert sands and barren noun
tains The rapid river named Chile, which
runs through the middle of the town, does
not furnish sufficient water for bountiful
irrigation, but wherever it can be turned
on, the land is rendered wonderfully pro-
ductive and is worth $1,000 per acre and
upward.
The altitude of Arequipa is not quite
5000 feet, just high enough, in thislatitude,
to insure perfect weather from year to year.
No words can do justice to the beauty of
the climate, never excessively hot and never
cool enough for fires, with scarcely any
change between midsummer and midwinter,
light blanket being necessary every night
in the year and open windows whatever the
season. There is wet time and dry, but
rains seldom fall during the day and never
to excess. Frost and snow are unknown
except away up in the mountains and the
most beautiful roses one can imagine bios
som perpetually and in unexampIed
profusion.
A Station Without a Building.
AS an illustration of the variety of fruits
growing hereabouts, may mention that
toward the end of January Ga year ayo)
some friendly Arequipanians gave to the
. writer birthday fete in the form of pic
mic The party went by special train to a
point IS miles or more from the city, where
we were landed IN a sand bank, not even q
. house or tree or blade of grass being in
sight, everywhere nothing but gray sand
+ and broken boulders. By dint of scramb.
ling, sliding and rolling down very steep
hill, which was foot deep in loose sand
and stones, We came at last to the level OF
the river, dashing noisily along its rocky
! bottom and crossed by charming old arch
i of adobe, as quaint as the early Spaniards
could make 1t.
Then following the devious windings of
the stream, past several bamboo casas of
! local farmers, we came at length to the dense
shade of natural grove of fig trees, whose
> broad leaves and far-reaching branches
r rooted carpet of soitest grass sprinkled
+ | with wild flowers. the rocky wall of the
lower hillside draped with thick curtain
of golden nasturtiums and the river bank
y frnged with heliotrope, musk and blue
starred myrtle. There, almost within reach
of our hands, grew, ripe and luscious, figs,
grapes, strawberries, apricots, plums, pears
and peaches, the three latter varieties only
having been planted bv the ranchman, the
: others being the spontaneous products of the
! soil.
= Very Uncertain, Politically.
= | T,o ,,roeepf ranuI,f;on of xoor;-. =
e about 40, 900. not nearly so great as in times
I long past. Yet it is still one Of the prInci.
pal places in Peru, second only to Lima;
r and being the capital of rich department
| and the place of residence of bishop, has
: always exercised considerable influence on
| the politics OF, the country The Indian
population of the higher attitudes are much
more courageous and turbulent than those
T living nearer the sea, and are fully alive to
I, the pleasures of revolution or an election
riot; while the higher classes are opulent,
proud, independent, and prone to resist the
e Governmental fats sent forth from Lima.
!; | Indeed the people seem to be as uncertain,
l politically and socially, as the ground upon
:, which their city stands. if one may Judge BY
the frequency OF revolutions and insurrec-
= = tions.
During the last three centuries there have
been as many as 12 severe earthquake
| eQOChS anu llSu OucoJ anu III
the same length of time scarcely a season
!. has gone by without one or more political
u revolts, while plots and counter plots
against the powers that be are constantly 60
ing on. In 1867 the city was bombarded fol
: three days by the President of the republic
r who failed to capture it, and I doubt if there
9 has ever yet been peaceable election. Dur
ing our stay here we have had severa
glimpses Of incipient revolutions anG
$ bloody skirmishes.
IL Guinea Pig for Breakfast.
We had been in the habit of going out OF
horseback with few friends, about once
e week, to a suburban village called Paucar
= patti, where it is the correct thing to break
fast on Guinea pig and other local delica
= cies, But the next day after our last visi
: there another party 'came to grief" in
e terrible manner. It seems that two group
a of rival political factions happened to NEE
y in front of the breakfasting place and, a
> usual. at once resorted to such convincing
s arguments as are contained in pistols, dag
s. gers, stones and clubs. A young English
: man of the visiting party received bulle
e through his hat, as shots and missiles cam,
fving through the windows; the ladie
tainted, the landlord was wounded almos
unto death, and one servant was killed
The party was compelled to remain there all
a day and night for fighting was kept up al
irregular intervals along the road to town
though troops were sent out twice to dis