Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-09

IN.r& Inc GuyaS river,
wider here than the Mississippi at St.
Louis. flows rapidly by it. and the moist
rniasmatic CTR Of the tropics lulls it to
sieep. In the river before it you are re-
minded Of Venice from the Grand canal,
Upon its wharves the scenes make YOU
think OF Naples. and back In its business
sections you ARE in a maze of bazaars
much like those of Cairo Calcutta or Bonn
bay. Not only Its looks, but its smells
smack of the orient. 1t has streets more
Shiny than those of Seoul in winter. and
some of its customs are as vile as those
OF Pekin. 1t IS one of the best business
points on the west coast Of South America.
and is the only commercial port of a coun-
try at least four times the size of the state
| OF ONO, having a population about as great
as that of the city of Philadelphia, and in
natural resources one of the rich countries
of the globe 1t Is the New YORK Of Ecua-
dor. the center Of trade and the place
| through which all of Ecuador's exports and
imports must pass. In the neighborhood
| of $SO0O0O worth of goods are brought
here every year from the United States
and Europe and some millions Of dollars
worth Of coffee. cocoa, hides and rubber
are sent from here to all parts of the civ
ilized world.
! Guayaquil is what the Ecuadorians call
progressive city. 1t has $4,000 inhabitants
l. covers the banks of the River Guyas for
| two miles, and at distance is very impos-
! ing. 1t has fine buildings of the Spanish
style, with balconies, out of which dark
eyed beauties look from under half-closed
shutters down upon you as you go through
| Its streets. 1t has a maze of great stores,
which are open at the front, SO that you
| look within as in an Egyptian bazaar.
| Stores with stocks of goods, and wide
| dreds Of thousands of dollars, and wide
open warehouses filled with bags of cocoa,
| coffee and sugar awaiting shipment Its
| streets are lined with workmen who labor
| at their trades on the sidewalks, with In
dian women who comb their own and their
children's hair in the intervals of their
sales: with fierce-looking man carrying
great bags and bales upon their backs, and
with beautiful women of the better classes,
who go along in couples. dressed in black
with black shawls picturesquely draped
| dreds of dohkeys. who carry all sorts of
| things through its streets. Here goes one
loaded with boards, and there is one with
] two panniers filled with bread upon its
| back. That Is the bakers wagon of Quay
| aquil. The city has also a largo number
| Of active business men, the richest OF
whom are Italians. English. French. Chi
| Eese or Spaniards, and two banks one of
| which at times pays dividends of 33js per
| cent year. 1t has tramway, the cars of
which were made in America, and on the
| river there are little steamers which were
| imported in pieces from the United States.
GuayaquH has an excellent club, at which
| you may meet as good fellows as you will
| find anywhere In the world. It has plenty
| Of priests and big church facing a beau
| tiful park, where the band plays after wor-
| ship Sundays. 1t is. however, more
| city of trade than of pleasure. The cable
] connects it with the markets of New York
| and Europe, and when ths wires are up 1t
| is also connected with Quito and the other
towns Of the interior. 1t ts at Guayaquil
| that Col. Perry de Leon. one Of the most
| efficient Of our conSuls general, Is station
ed and hero also NJ. Edward Pavia has
| charge of the branch house Of Flint, Eddy
| & Company, the great South American i'm
| porting firm of New York. These are soma
| of the bright spots OF the picture.
| Low Taxes and a High Death Rate.
Guayaouil has its dark spots as well. Its
| taxes on real estate are lower than those
| Of any city Of our country. but in the alti-
tude of its death rate 1t tops the world.
| The streets Of Guayaquil are unpaved. Dur
ing the summer season they are filled with
dust, and the donkeys and mules wear
| pantalets to keep the gadfies and mos
| quitoes from eating them up. In the winter
season, which Is now on. the town is
| flooded whenever 1t pours with stagnant
| water to such an extent that 1t is against
| the law to drive cart or carriage through
the streets without special permit from
| the police. This is the unhealthy season
| of Guayaqufl-the season of the yellow
/ fever, the season of malaria-when death
hovers over the town and the doctors make
enough to give them summer vacations in
| Europe. The water now Hes all about me
| In pools upon each Of which a rich green
coat Of slime sullenly floats, ready to be
| turned into poisonous steam by the equa-
| torial sun. The town lies between two
rivers. 1t could be easily drained with a
ditch plow, so that the tide, which is here
| very high. would flush it twice a day. but
| its people let 1t remain as 1t il. The re-
| suit is that every now and then there Is a
great epidemic. The yellow fever of last
year carried away thousands. and during
| the winter season some kind Of fever is
almost always present Guayaquil has no
savers. Its water works are pit holes sunk
in the streets. into which pumps are In
t.serted at the time Of fire. The result ia
| that the city has been burned again and
again There was fire last year which
&C nsumed half Of the houses. causing a loss
Of more than $50. 100000. This also makes,
fire Insurance especially high. the current
| Grayaquil rate here today being per cent
per annum ON all city property. The Amer
lean consulate has it's Offices In three
story building which pays q yearly insur-
| aIce Of $4,000. and am told there are
nany other buildings which cannot get
Insurance even at the above rate. for the
reason that the various companies have
already written up all the risks they care
to take In GuayhQuiL At the same time
the tax on red estate A only RIO nf ora