Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-04


nected with africa by railway. The cars start
near the steamboat landing and while waiting
for the Tacna train one may see about all there
u OF interest in africa.
Not FAR from the cannon-mounted ''Morro"-
the giant bluff described in previous letter
one observes some tall masts and spars sticking
up in the sands of the desert. They, with some
broken machinery, are all that remain Of the
Inflated watcree, a United States steamship
which happened to be anchored in the harbor
during the great earthquake and tidal wave Of
1868, when she was carried inland nearly half a
mile aud left high and dry by the rsceding bill
lows.
HOW AFRICA 10 GOVERNED.
| There IL big church to be visited, which was
made entirely of wrought iron brought from
| the United States and set on top Of massive
| stone terrace and the usual central plaza with
| little garden in the middle. which is doing its
best to survive on an infinitesimal supply OF
water. Arica's exclusive upper tendon is led
| by the official circle, which includes two gov
ernors, one maritime, the other supposed to at
| tend to affairs Of terra frma; judge, of what
is hereabouts known as First Instancia;" q
comandante de armas, . postmaster and custom
house administrator and their respective
families down to cousins several times re-
moved, which comprises fully one-half the
| population. Besides the railroad before men
| toned, the town communicates with Tacna and
with other parts Of the republic by telegraph
Chat is in times Of peace), and with the outer
world by cable submarine.
| FOUR HOURS TO GO FORTY MILES.
Though the railway journey to Tacna 10 only
forty miles long it requires nearly four hours
to make it, partly because the latter city stands
1900 feet higher. and therefore the grade is in
some places very heavy. The route leads over
| q waste of sand that shows no semblance Of life
or verdure. except at the halfway station
named FL Hospicio where few scanty shrubs
are kept alive by subterranean flow Of water.
| The entrance to the green and fertile valley Of
Tacna is marked by one Of those sudden tran
sitions from desert waste to luxuriance of vege-
tation SO frequently met with In this part OF the
world. The aZequias, or irrigating bitches,
are always carried high up to the extreme edge
! of q valley, and thence the water is so freely
distributed as to make positively startling the
| ing desert.
THE HOUSES MOSTLY OF WOOD.
Tacna has none of the oriental aspect COM
mon to most Spanish-American towns, princi-
pally because not much stone and adobe have
been used in its construction. The low, one
| storied houses are mostly made Of wood, which
was brought from southern Chilli. or by sailing
vessel down the Pacific from distant Oregon
and California, or still farther, from the
| forests of Maine and eastern Canada, away
around the Horn. These himsy casas show no
attempt at architectural adornment and are
| poor substitutes for the Moorish balconies and
heavy-arched doorways which we have learned
to admire and expect, and which, however
| tumble-down and neglected, convey an i'm
preston OF dignity and durability. Tacna 8
houses appear to have been knocked together
in great haste, like our mushroom towns in the
far west. Their long, monotonous lines Of
gables, all turned toward the street, remind
one of Mr.. Jedediah Morse's description of
Albany, NY, in his excellent old geography,
ants, all standing with their gable ends to the
street"
STREETS LOOK AZ II THEY GREW.
The population of Tacna Is somewhere about
5000 and the last census gave to the depart
ment of which it is the capital a trife more
than 20, 900 souls The streets are long, wind
ing and irregular. if they were never laid
| out. but grew, like Topsy. There are two
| big theaters and one small church. The former
are bare, barn-like structures, resembling
| northern skating Kinks or breweries. and it is
not the fault of the citizens that they do not
| possess a more pretentious sanctuary. Many
/ years ago they had nearly completed q SPLEEN
did church, La Parroquia," facing the main
| piaza-when an earthquake came along and
| cracked it SO badly that work was abandoned.
Its walls are built of light-colored trachite
that abounds in the neighborhood, and one
wonders why the houses are not more gener-
ally made of the same beautiful material.
THE MARKET PLACE OF TAcSA
| The market place is hollow square sur
rounded by colonnade and entered by arch
ways from parallel streets. The vendors squat
ON the pavements and display their wares in
| shallow baskets of braided rushes, or spread
| out ON blankets long innocent of soap and
water. There are four common schools In the
town, besides several of superior grade, all
supported by the government. The local laws
are administered by Jefe Politico. assisted by
| five subordinates. and backed by two hundred
| soldiers. In the immediate suburbs was fought
| that historic battle known as GEL Alto de Ali
anza' I'm May of 1880, which ruptured the
old alliance between Peru and Bolivia that had
proved SO disastrous to the former country
and gave Chill possession of the territory. Now
| the Chilians complain that Moiiendo, the Peru
Wan port, has ruined both Tacna and africa by
absorbing all of Boiivias exports and imports;
for naturally the Bollvians do not take kindly to
/ paying duties to the country which took away
! all their sea coast by superior force of arms
/ BY special permission Of the Gillian govern
ment, line OF carreteros run between africa
and Bolivia, bringing out from the latter
country some ores, coffee, cocoa, cinchona
bark, &c.
THE ALAMEDA OR PUBLIC PROMENADE.
All the water that is used in Tacna is brought
I IRON tue great Cdual cdiAcQ OcnuBumA DIV an
aqueduct 5000 metres long and is deposited in
/ common reservoir. whence it il carried
around to the houses in huge tin cans Per-
! baps the most attractive spot in the place is
the Alameda or public promenade long and
narrow area, with a broad azequia running
down the middle, which is crossed by many
stone bridges, precisely like those seen in
Chinese paintings, each hump-backed little
| arch capped by an allegorical statue in marble.
Long lines of ancient willow trees shade the
whole and beneath their dropping and worm
dropping branches stone benches are thickiy
set for the accommodation Of the populace-
which never comes this way, for the place il
completely deserted at all times and seasons,
except by the birds and butterflies
THE La BoLA DE ORA HOTEL.
The caravansary where we tarried, named La
Bola de Ora ('The Golden BalrD, is quaint
enough to deserve especial mention, and al
Frenchy as anything in France. Its only en-.
trance is through the saloon, where Madame La
Proprietaire sits all day behind the counter
busy with her sewing when not dispensing
cigars and cordials, bon-bons and bon-mots
All around are shelves filed with jars and bot
Ties. of odd shapes and with glaring labels
containing wines, liquors, candies, nuts
crackers and dulcies; while every space on the
wa Is between them il crowded with gorgeously.
coiored Photographic. representing the battle.
fields and sunny vineyards of la belle France
Underneath them little round tables are scat.
tared all about where mildIv.con vi vial M Ii a.