The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-06-26
All About TitiCaCa, the
Highest Navigab1e
Lake in the World.

hooks could not reach the bottom. Think
q a BODY - water like ;his a, AZ altitUcc
% more taaa tao miles above the sea.
Let i he more shan % miles fran the
OCEAN IN = basin which next 70 TE3bet -
the softiest Inhabited plateau OF tile word.
Remember mat you must cross "a mighty
desert and Climb on the railroad over q
pass 3hlca !s nearly three miles above the
s4a 10 get 20 IL. and you have Il sligat !8ea
Of The wonders % Lake Ithaca. You
mus add. however. thar while T. Is fed by
the SHOWS and glaciers o. the Andes, Il
has ltse,f 10 visible outlet - either ocean.
AlDe rivers flow into Il, bot only one car
RIGS off airy part or Is waters. This /.
tie Lsesa gUadero which connects IL with
It's latte sister iake. known as Lake pO0po.
which lies about 80 niles further south In
the same Bolivian plateau. The Desagua-
Gero has in this distance a fail OF 80 feet.
IL is a rushing. turbulent stream. large
e.eSgH To be navlgaled by steamers for
q part Of It's length Il carries OF a large
volume Of water. bat Lake Poopo has no
outlet 10 the sea. ana notwithstanding this
<svser, Shake Tlticaca remains at the same
level whether the season be wet or dry.
year IN aad year ou;
The steamer. of the Heavens.
Fes steamboats, which sal. upon Lake
TJticzea might he called the steamers Of
the heavens. They sail at times In and
out OF the clouds, and they are nearest
the sky OF any craft on earth. Think Of
Hitting an iron ship Of go tons over q pass
higher than ice top Of Pixies Peak THIS
Is what was done with the steamer cnoya
upon which ] am now writing. The snip
vas made in Scotland. and brought 10 MOI
iendo ia pieces Here IL WAS loaded upon
the cars and carried over the Andes 10
Puno. Il was there put together. and IL
now sails as well and furnishes It's passen-
gers with as comfortable accommodations
Sts. 1F E@
waters. II IS beautiful as a gentle
mans yacht. and II can make Twelve knots
an hour without trouble. II Is propelled
by a screw. and is fuel IL Australian coal.
~hicTis brought over more than 100 miles
OF Wtaer and lifted on the railroad over
the Andes 10 Puno. at the edge or the lake.
Ey the time il reaches The ship the coai
costS, about So in gold per ton, but the
iraflIc Oh the lake ID SO great that the
steamers. | am toit pay for themselves
many times over. y large part OF the
fgs2ht % Bolivia goes 20 the markets Of
the world Via Gniiilaya and Puno over
Lake Tfticaca and the railroad to the sea
part OF Moliendo. Cargo is brought for
hundreds OF miles 10 this point upon mules,
and On steame. days 1t is not uncommon
20 see a thousand mules being loaded and
unio1Gcd here. In 1895 more than 100000
worth OF imports came into Bolivia by way
0f Lake Tucaca. and more than 100000
There are now steamers once a week from
InGo 10 caiii.aya and return ana nearly
all passengers and freight To and from Ia
Paz. which is. YOU know. the biggest city
and the commercial capital OF Bolivia. 20
over this route. / am now on. my way 10
La Paz. The city Is about forty-hve miles.
or Almost days ride by stage from here
and all baggage. freight and passengers
are carried there 10y horses ar mules. The
United States mail for Bolivia is brough,
across Lake Titicaca and carried, with
other foreign mail. on a wae On To La Paz
l tried TO bfihe the mail carrier to take
me with him today. but the weight Of III.
mall bags was l.6cr pounds, and he said
that tbis WAS al his eGht~horse team,
could haui on The gaIlop. and that must
wait for the stage Of tomorrow
over Mountains on Mems Backs.
The ship in which ] crossed Lake Tfti-
caca is the largest and finest OF the fleet.
There are three other steamers belonging
TO the Peruvian corporation or EngIisn
syndicate which has the monopoly ~ Tie
traffic. and In addition they have little
steamers which bring copper. silver and