The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-04-26

country, l could hardly believe myself on
the southern continent"
Electric lights are used in the leading
hotels and shops. The streets have Belgian
pavements, and the sidewalks are smoothly
tagged, though some of them are so narrow
that pedestrians must hug the wall when a
street-car passes. There are splendid
churches, parks and plazas, filed with
trees and flowers, in the midst of which
fountains are set, and beautiful statuary in
bronze and marble-most of the latter,
regret to add, having been stolen from
poor Peru during the recent war. There is
a magnificent theatre; clubs as fine as the
average in New York or London; picture
galleries, public libraries and reading
rooms-in short ali the adiuncts of modern
civilization. Spanish Americans seem to
have
A PASSION FOR ERECTING MONUMENTS
to dead heroes, and among several in Val
paraiso is one recently set up on the site of
the old custom house, to the memory of Mr.
Arthur Pratt an Irishman who figured
conspicuously in that notable Peru Chill
conflict. Pratt seems to have been endowed
with an unusual heritage of the reckless
daring common to Emerald Islanders. He
was the Lafayette of Chilli, and the people
admired him so much that now every town
has statue Of him, while streets, shops,
saloons, opera-houses, mines and lotteries
are named in his honor, and in this city a
fine building was demolished in order to
erect his monument in the most conspicu-
Gus place.
The principal streets of Valparaiso are
traversed by tramways, and the cars are
all two storied-''double deckers,n so to
speak-second- class passengers climbing
up some narrow outside stairs to seats on
top, where the fare is just half the amount
that is charged inside One pleasant inno-
walton is that when the seats are all
taken, no
MORE PASSENGERS ARE ADMITTED,
nobody being permitted to stand. How
ever the clouds may pour, or whatever the
exlgencies of the occasion, you may stand
on the streets and signal in vain, if the
seating capacity is filled-not car will take
you on. The consequence is that in times
of unusual crowds, like the Diez-y- echo and
other festival days, everybody HES him to
the starting point and makes grand rush
for the empty cars as they emerge from the
stable, greatly to the detriment of dignity
and clothes.
Another innovation is the universal en-
ployment of female conductors. The ex-
| pertinent of allowing women to serve in
| this capacity was first tried by the street.
car managers few years ago when the
able bodied men had all gone north to whip
the Peruvian; and it proved so successful
| that their retention has become permanent,
not only in this city, but all over Chill
, wherever tramways are in use. At first
sight, young woman with bell punch
does not produce pleasant impression
but
ONE GETS USED TO 1T
in time, as to most other novelties, and soon
wonders why the idea has not been adopted
in other countries The petticoated con
ductors wear a uniform, consisting of a
plain blue flannel dress, mans felt hat
and big white apron, with bib attached,
and capacious pockets for holding change
and tickets. Each has small leather hand
bag slung over her shoulder, in which she
carries the overflow Of her pockets, lunch
handkerchief, perhaps a surreptitious
powder-puf and other distinctly feminine
belongings. Their salary is s25 per month
Each passenger, after paying his fare, i.
given yellow paper ticket, which he is
expected to destroy. The conductress il
charged with certain number of tickets
and when she reports again at head quar-
tiers, must return the money for all that are
missing out Of that number, or make up the
deficit from her own salary. This plan nat
urally tends to make them attentive to theil
duties, and also prevents free riding on The