The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-04-10

thing for planters who want hands on
his estate to go to the jaiIs and pay
the debts of such of the prisoners as
will agree to transfer their debts to
him and work them cut. He then
gives them small wages and takes out
perhaps a dollar a week from each
mans salary until the debt is paid
In the jail at Bodegas, "a town further
UP the Guayaquil river, I talked with
Jamaica negro, who told me he had
been in prison for months because he
had failed to pay millionaire planter
SIG which he had borrowed. Said he:
eff I were free 1 could work to get the
money to pay my debt, but they keep
me here until some one buys me out
and then l must work for him or he
can put me in again.
The Land of the Equator.
But before I go further let me tell
you something of Ecuador. The name
means equator, and Ecuador is the
land of the equator. 1t lies sandwiched
between Colombia and Brazil and
Peru, on the west coast Of South Amer
lea, in the shape of a great fan, the
handle Of which extends into Northern
Brazil, and the scalloped rim Of which
Is washed by the Pacific ocean. 1t is
one of the least known countries of the
world. Parts of it have never been
surveyed, and today the different geo
graphical estimates of it's size range
all the way from the bigness of Cali
fernia to that of Texas. The coast is
low, and ricn tropical vegetation eX-
tends from the ocean back for 100 miles
or less to the foothills Of the Andes.
The Andes cross the country from north
to south in two great parallel ridges,
UNFOLDING between them series of
beautiful valleys, in which about nine
tenths of the people live. These val
leys are from a mile and a half to two
miles above the sea, and give the in
terror a healthful climate, which is
more like that Of New York city than
Of the equator. Quito, the capital, is
situated in one of the highest of these
valleys. 1t is almost two miles above
the altitude of Washington city.
Here the weather is that of May in
Ohio all the year around. East of the
Andes the country Is tropical wilder
ness. A great branch Of the Amazon,
the MaranOn river, flows along it's
southern boundaries, and steamers go
up the Amazon, enter the Maranon,
and bring you within a comparatively
short distance of Quito. In fact, 1
am told you can come to within four
days mule travel Of Quito by water
via these great rivers and the streams
Which, lIOW lHlO- tUeIIl. ftCudOOr thus
has almost every climate known to
man. Scores of it's Andean peaks arc
ever covered with snow, and it has
mighty glaciers. Chin boraZo, which
| on clear days is visible here, is 81 ZOO
feet above the sea, and the great valley
| of Ecuador is guarded by twenty-one
| peaks, ranging in height from three to
| four miles, while there are seventeen
other peaks which are more than two
miles in height.
Today in Guayaquil the air Is filled
with ashes. They come from one of
| Ecuador's ten active volcanoes, and
| every week or so an earthquake makes
| the ground tremble. The houses OF
| Guayaquil are built to Withstand the
earthquakes. They are of wooden tim
| bers SO joined and spliced that they car
| sway with the trembling of the earth
| and not break. The frame work Is
| then covered with bamboo laths, made
| by splitting the cane. Upon these BAN
| boos coating of plaster is spread
| This makes the exterior of the houses
look as though the walls were backed
| with brick and stone, when, in fact
| they are actually made up Of good
sized fishing poles. Just now a vas
deal of building is going on here, an6
| the hammer of the carpenter nailins
on these laths IS always to be heard
Much of the lumber used comes from
Oregon and Washington, and some
from Georgia.
| Where Melons Grow on Trees.
The equatorial coast region, where
now am, is full of vegetable wonders
| This today the richest and most pro