The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1892-09-15

Naturally, SO big a river could hardly
be content with one name. The native
Indians still call it, as their ancestors did,
the Parana- tinga or Parana- uassu. Its
European discoveries, believing it to be a
fresh water sea, named it Santa Maria de
la Mer Dulce, and not until $40 was its
name changed to Amazons, by one of
Pizarros soldiers--that champion liar,
Don Orelana, who descended it froia
Peru and told marvellous tales anent his
adventures with the female warrors he
found along it's banks The name ''Ama-
IONS" by the way-which is properly put
in the plural to indicate it's width rather
than as we generally render it without
the tinals-belongs only to that portion
of it between its mouth and the Rio Ne
gro. From the ''Black River to the Pc
ruvan frontier it is the Ri Salimoens;
and that portion of it in Peru is
| locally known as the Maranon. Its most
southerly tributary, the Mandeira, rises in
| Bolivia, close to the source Of the Rio de
| la Plate: and its greatest northern tribu-
| Venezuelan Orinoco by a navigable canal
called the Cassiquari.
Thirty million cubic feet of water flow
out of the Amazon in every sixty seconds,
its ordinary current is about four miles
an hour, and its tide is perceptible five
hundred miles from the sea. Nature fav
ors the navigator on this fluvial highway
for the current is eastward while tide
winds blow westward from the Atlantic,
SO that ships going either way are assisted
by stream or wind. Its annual rise and
fall is another curiosity. Its tributaries
are subject to constant succession of
freshets, 50 that the main stream never
runs low. As most of the atfluents are in
the southern hemisphere, the river has it's
greatest flood when the sun is south of the
equator. The gradual rise begins in
September, increasing less than foot in
twenty four hours. The difference be-
tween its highest and lowest levels is about
fifty feet, and at flood time enormous
areas are covered with water, great for
ests being submerged SO that the tops of
tall trees, sticking out of the water, look
like bushes and it is impossible to keep in
any known channel. The greatest danger
of Amazonian navigation during certain
seasons of the year, is in thus missing the
regular course and getting lost in the I'M
known forest.
Once in every six years the flood is
greater than usual, and then there is an
other appalling danger in the tide known
as the piroraco, or ''bore.' The best
description of a piroraco is given by La
Condamine, who says: ''During three
days before the new and full moons, the
period of the highest tides, especially in
every sixth year, the sea, instead of oc-
cupying the usual six hours to reach its
floods, swells to the highest limit i'll one
OF two minutes. The noise of this terri
bic flood may be heard several miles away.
increasing as it approaches. Presently you
see a liquid promontory. twelve OF fifteen
feet high followed by another and anoth-
Ell. and sometimes by fourth in quick
succession. These watery mountains
spread across the whole channel and adj
vance with prodigious rapidity, rending
and crushing everything in their way.
Immense trees are instantly uprooted by
it, and often considerable tracts OF land
are swept away. Fortunately, those ac
customed to navigating the river know
when to expect a p1roraco and get into IA
sheltered place until it passes.
Para is eminently a commercial city, de-
voted to the Amazon river trade in rub
Der, cacao, Brazil nuts, etc. 1t occupies
level ground closely enviroAed ON three
sides by a tropical forest, and fronted
by immense iron warehouses built upon
wharves. Its square, barn-like casas are
mostly of enormous size, two OF three
stories in height. Not one OF its public
buildings looks worth the trouble OF a
visit, and the only touch OF picturesque
ness to redeem it from the commonplace
is added by the numerous old churches
and converts. The narrow, regular streets
are paved with square blocks of stone
and well lighted by electricity. Hackney
coaches abound every business house has
a telephone and tram cars, Of both broad
and marrow gauge, run i'll all directions,
even to suburbs three miles distant which
are crowded by the wood! jungles.
FANNIE b. WARD.
Ben and Bill.