The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-04-09
LIFE On THE EQUATOR.


cling Market-Nines 81 Gold and
Dianeads which the English
Are Weskfng-RicA Coneesaiona.
Copyright 1853, by Frank G. Carpenter.
ON THE EQUATOR, March Is. 1saS-As
l begin this letter / am on the hottest
geographical line on the face of the
globe. ! am sitting on the deck
OF the steamship Santiago. opposite.
but not out OF sight. of the coast Of Ecu
ador and almost exactly on the equator.
We sha. cross Il within an hour. II II
were not for sight breeze which still
follows US from the northwest trade
winds the air would be sitting. and as
II 10 the very sea seems to steam. Al my
right there Is a vast extent N oceanS
which the sun has turned into molten
silver. Ten billion diamonds are dane
ing UP and down upon the wayelets. and.
although / ann under cover the light Of
the sun as reflected from the water
dazzles my eyes as much as the direct
rays of a July sun at home. On the OPP
posite side OF the vessel. In the shadow,
the water ID Of an indigo blue. and as l.
stand up and look about me see moth
ing but vast expanse OF what. in the
hot, haxy air. seems to be o steaming
sea. To the westward stretches the Pa
cif1c. distance of about 10000 miles, be-
fore il reaches the lower part of Asia,
and to the east Is the equatorial region
OF South Amtrica. including the snow
capped Andes and the mighty Amazon.
my present field of travel 1t IS now three
days since I left Panama for Guayaquil.
the port OF Ecuador, and until this morn
ing we have been sailing by the coast Of
Colombia, but in many places $50 miles
from the shore. In this way We have
saved four or five days OF travel. and viii
make GuayaQuil in four days. while the
coasting steamers take ten.
A Southern Pacific Steamer.
The boats of the southern Pacific are
far different from those on which have
crossed at different times to Asia They
are unlike the steamers Of any other
part OF the world. The cabins are larger
and the quiet of the sea-for you seldom
have q storm here-enables them to have
several decks or stories and to keep ev-
erything open. There is about a quarter
Of mile Of walking space on the two
upper decks of the Santiago. and on the
top one there are places where you could
almost lay out croquet ground and have
room to spare. I awake every morning
thinking l am on my mountain farm in
Virginia There Is a bleating of sheep.
Growing OF cocks and a quacking and
cackling OF geese and ducks. Now and
carry all our meat with US. On the upper
deck. within ten feet OF where I am
writing there are two big coops full of
chickens. ducks and geese. The coops
are two-story affairs. walled with stats.
The chickens are In the top story, some
roosting. and others poking their heads
out to Eet at the water and corn In the
troughs outside. The ducks and geese
are on the ground door. A little further
over there are crates filled with potatoes
and onions and others containing oranges
and pineappels. The sheep and cattle are
In pens and stalls two floors below. They
are In the steerage. near the butcher
shops and kitchens. and where there is
what you do not find on other ships, q
travelling market There are men who
pay big sums for the privilege Of selling
on the SOUTH Pacific ships to the people
at the ports. Our marketmen have In
their stock at present about a dozen
wagon loads of oranges and pineapples
from Panama and ten cattle from Chile.
and they will load UP with other things
at Guayaquil. They will take this stun
to the ports along the deserts OF Peru
and Chile. and. as nothing grows there.
VIII get very high prices Travel Is very
costly In these ships. There are two lines
which sail between Panama and Valpa-
raiso One belongs to the Pacific Steam
Navigation company and the other to the
bined. and as they have monopoly OF
the business they keep up the rates.
have never paid so much for steamship
travel as am now doing The fare to
Guayaquil from Panama IL $67 in gold
for distance Of about 500 miles, or moro
than cents mile. The fares to Europe
by the first class Atlantic liners do not
run more than cents a mile, and on
some OF the boats you can go for cents
or less. The freight rates here are also
very high. being about cent pound
for this trip. These lines have steamers
every week north and south from PAN
ANA 10 Valparaiso. distance OF 1900
miles. The through rates IS sl4 but al,
passengers are enlarged extra for stop
overs at the ports, and the local rates
are correspondingly higher.
Something About CoIombia.
i am astounded at the extent Of these
South American countries. The republic
OF Colombia. along which we have been
sailing and of which the Isthinhs OF
Panama forms part, Is longer from
north to south than the distance between
st. Paul and New Orleans and wider in
some parts than n Decline from New
York to Chicago. It contains more than
500 600 square miles. 1t is one-sixth the
size OF the United States without Alaska,
and Il would make over nine states the
size OF New York or ten as big az Ohio
or Kentucky. The fsthmus or depart
ment OF Panama has an area almost four
times rs big as that OF Sachusetts
and the Colombian state OF Cauca Is al
most as large as Texas I have met a
number OF Americans and others who
have recently travelled in many parts OF
Colombia They tell me the country il
an undeveloped empire and that great
part OF 1t Ii as YET UNEMPLOYED. There
are some Americans engaged In business
OF one kind or another In Colombia. Some
are In the extreme north In the chlriqui
lands of the upper isthmus. raising coffee
and others have been buying lands In the
Cauca valley This valley IL over the
mountains. a little back OF the Pacific
I; is several hundred miles long and
about twenty or more miles wide, and IL
Is said TO have some OF the most fertile
lands on the globe. One American named
Elder. who has recently died. is said 10
have left a big fortune made out OF his
coffee plantations l have heard II safd
that his income was sioo.ao year from