The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-07-31
RIDE WITH BOLIVIAN MAILS
THREE DAYS GALLOP OVER
THE DESAGUADERO PLATEAU

The Vast Dried-Up Sens OF the Mid
die Andes-The Bolivian Coach
man and His Horrible Cruelty
Queer Feature of Bolivian Inns
The Poverty of the People of
the Plateau.
Copyright, 1898, by Frank G. Carpenter.
ORURO, Bolivia, July 10.-During
the past three days 1 have been rid
ing behind galloping teams of from
four to eight mules over the Desagua-
dero or Bolivian plateau, and l am now
in the mining town Of Oruro. away up
in the mountains, 600 miles by rail
from the Pacific ocean. 1 am in a
country which Is like no other on the
face Of the globe Situated from $4,000
to $4,000 feet above the sea, it has a
soil, vegetation and a climate pc
culiarly its own. It's skies, as viewed
from day to day, are different from
these which hang over any part of
the United States. It's people are like
none we have on our continent, and |
seem to be in another world. 1t is the
world on the heights the land high
est on earth on which numerous cities
and villages exist, a very land of the
Sky.
BED OF AN INLAND SEA.
This region is one of the little known
parts of the earth. What it was
in the past is conjecture. There are
many evidences that at one time there
lay between these rangs of the Andes
a vast inland sea, hundreds of miles
long and in places sixty and more miles
in width, The Desaguadero plateau,
which was a part of this sea, extends
from here to Lake Titicaca, there at
the north it joins to the Puno plains
of Peru, and far south of where l now
am it unites with the highlands of the
Argentine Where | crossed the plateau
in g4ing from Lake Titicaca to La Piaz
ii was fOrty-seVen miles wide, and the
ground was almost as flat as a floor.
I found it almost level in my three
days galop to Oruro, and it seemed TO
me that 1 could everywhere see signs
that the whole plain had once been
covered with wafer.
l rode for miles over beds of stones.
and in other places passed over wide
stretches of what seemed like sea sand.
Sea shells are often found here, and
Prof. Agassiz believed that the water
level of this sea was from 800 to 400
feet higher than the present level Of
the basin. Today the only large bodies
and Lake Aullagas or Poopo which
are connected by the DeSaguadero
river. Lake Poopo is only a short dis
lance from here. It is a brackiSh lake,
fifty miles long by about thirty miles
wide, and is so deep that it is now
proposed to put steamers upon it, and
it may be that there will be a line of
ships sailing from it through the Desa
guadero river to Lake Titicaca. Lake
Poopo has no visible outlet, and If its
waters get to the sea, it is by some
waterways under the earth.
BOLIVIAN TRAVEL.
There are few good roads in South
America The ways among the noun
tains are mule trails, and in many
cases steps have been cut along the
sides of precipices so that you can
crawl along within an inch or so CT
destruction. Now and then a mule
falls 5000 feet or so, and is usually left
to lie where it falls. You often have
to dismount to help the mules, and it
takes hours to go a few miles. There
are in the whole country, which is one
sixth the size of the United States only
725 miles o stage lines, embracing
roads to the capital, the City Of Sucre,
to Potosi, the famous silver mining
center, and to Cochabamba, which is
Dig lOWH III WHdl Is CdIlSd
the granary of the country. The best
road in Bolivia is one over which 1
have just Travelled.
1 doubt whether there is a finer long
stretch of wagon road in the United
States This dried-up sea basin forms
a natural roadbed. We galloped for
hours over a road better, smoother and
harder than any in Central park, New
York, and dashed along at a break
N1ai1 -anly
that would have been accepted as ex
cellent by any American jockey. The
only work that seemed to have been
done upon the road was the picking
off of stones. In some places it was as
fiat as a floor for miles, and in others
there was a gradual rise or fall. but not
enough to impede the galloping of the
mules.
ON A MAIL WAGON.
The distance between La Paz and
Oruro is fifty-five leagues. or 165 miles.
Al least, that is what my coachman
estimated the distance. The geogra-
pliers, who have probably not gone
over it, put it at $50 miles, but after
my ride l am willing to swear by the
coachman, and to say that they have,
if anything, made it too short. The
La Paz stage runs twice g week to
Oruro. 1t is one of the Worst-looking
rattle-traps that was ever put upon
wheels, and tie broken-down carriages
which carry passengers from our coun-
try towns to the fair grounds would
be classed as heavenly chariotS beside
it. 1t has six seats inside and one with
the driver. 1t was the drivers seat
that I coveted, but found at the stage
office that the whole inside had been
taken for his family by rich Boliv-
Ian and that the 1fSida scat l.
ready engaged. There was no better
chance for the next stage, three days
later, and for time it seemed that I
should have to go on the back of q
mule or hire a private conveyance for
$150-Bolivian dollars. At this moment
my guide, adviser and friend in WAYS
Bolivian, Mr.. Sam Klotz, of La Paz.
advised me to try to get seat on the
nail coach.
This seemed to me just the thing, and
when I learned that there was always
room for one passenger on 1t, and that
the place had not been taken, l Jump
ed at it, and handed out the 500 which
vas the cost of the ticket. This was
several days before the time for leav-
ing. All baggage must be on hand by
noon Of the day previous to starting.
1t took three Indians to carry my bag
gage to the station, and La Paz OPEN
ed its mouth, figuratively speaking, as
the men trotted through the streets
with their loads. At the stage office
second dilemma arose. Only 200
pounds are allowed to go with each pas
senger. If he has more it can follow
HIM on the next stage, with the chance
of its being forgotten for weeks NV
trunks tipped the beam of the Amer
lean scales on which they were weigh
ed at just 80 pounds, and it took much
"A