The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-31
The Dried-Up Seas OF the Middle
Andes and the Bolivian Coachman
and His Horrible Cruelty.
THE POVERTY OF THE PEOPLE
NATIVES WHO ARE POORER THAN
THE INDIANS OR THE CHINESE.
Bolivian Farming, Where Oxen Pull
the Plows with Their Heads-Odd
Methods of Transportation.

ORURO, Bolivia, June 30.-During the
past three days I have been riding behind
galloping teams of from four to eight mules
over the Desaguadero or Bolivian plateau
and 1 am now in the mining town of Oruro,
away up in the mountains, 600 miles by rail
from the Pacific ocean. / am in q country
which is like no other the face of the
globe. Situated from twelve to fifteen thou
sand feet above the sea, it has a soil, veg
citation and climate peculiarly it's own. Its
skies viewed from day to day are differ
ent from those which hang over any part
of the United States It's people are like
none we have on our continent, and 1 seem
to be in another world. 1t is the world on
the heights, the land highest on earth on
which numerous cities and villages exist, a
very land of the sky.
This region is one of the littIe-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 ranges
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 part of this sea, extends from
here to Lake Titicaca, there at the north it
joins the Puno plains of Peru, and far south
of where now am it unites with the high
lands of the Argentine. Where crossed the
plateau in going from Lake Titicaca to La
Paz it was forty-seven miles wide and the
ground was almost as fiat as a. floor. 1
found it almost level in my three days gall
Top to Oruro, and it seemed to me that l
could everywhere see signs that theS whole
plain had once been covered with water.
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 Professor Agassiz be-
lieved that the water level of this sea was
from 800 to 400 feet higher than the present
level of the basin. To-day the only large
bodies of water found in it are Lake Tit
caca and Lake Aullagas, or Poopo, which
are connected by the Desaguadero river.
Lake Poopo is only short distance from
here 1t 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 ~bes q line
of ships sailing from it through the Desa-
guadero river to Lake Titicaca Lake
Poopo has no visible outlet and if it's waters
get to the sea it is by some waterway under
the earth.
TRAVEL AND STAGE LINES.
There are few goods roads in South Amer
lea. The ways among the mountains are
mule trails, and in many cases steps have
been cut along the sides of precipices so
that you crawl along within an inch or so
of destruction. Now and then mule falls
1900 feet or so, and is usually left to lie
where it falls. You often have to dis
mount to help the mules, and it takes
hours to go a few miles. There are in the
whole country, which is one-sixth in size
of the United States, only 725 miles of
cta I'm ri, de N he 81
the city of Suere, to Potosi, the famous sill
yer mining center, and to Cochabamba,
which is a big interior town in what is
called the granary of the country. The
best road in Bolivia is one over which /
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 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 breakneck
pace over the plains on a track that would
have been accepted as excellent by any
American jockey. The only work that
seemed to have been done upon the road
was the picking off of the stones. In some
places it was as fiat as floor for. miles,
and in others there was gradual rise or
fall, but not enough to impede the gallop-
ing of the mules.
The distance between La Paz and Oruro
is fifty-five leagues, or 165 miles. At least
that is what my coachman estimated the
distance. The geographers. who have prob
ably not gone over it, put it at $50 miles,
but after my ride am willing to swear by
the coachmen, and to say that they have,
If anything, made it too short. The La Paz
stage runs twice week to Oruro. 1t is one
of the worst looking ratte-traps that was
ever put upon wheels, and the broken down
carriages which carry passengers from our
country 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 coveted, but
/ found at the stage Office that the whole
inside had been taken for his family by a
rich Bolivian and that the outside seat was
already engaged. There was no better
chance for the next stage, three days later.
and for time it seemed that should have
TO 60 on the back of a mule or hire a pri-
vate conveyance for s15o-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 a seat on
the mail coach. This seemed to me just the
thing and when i learned that there was
always room for one passenger on it, and
chat the place had not been taken, jumped
at il. and handed out the $40 which was the
cost Of the ticket. This was several days be-
fore the time of leaving. All baggage must
be on hand by noon of the day previous to
starting. 1t took three Indians to carry my
baggage to the station, and La Paz opened
its mouth, figurativeIy speaking, as the men
trotted through the streets with their loads.
At the stage office second dilemma arose.
Only two hundred pounds are allowed to go
with each passenger. If he has more it can
follow him on the next stage. with the
chance of its being forgotten for weeks.
MY trunks tipped the beam of the American
scales on which they were weighed at just
$40 pounds. and it took much persuasion,
and that of several kinds. before could get
the officials to consent that it should go
with me. At last, however. was told that
it would be all right and was handed bill
for $2l.7O extra baggage. Only twenty-five
pounds Of baggage are allowed free with
each ticket. so that my baggage cost me
more than my fare.
am not more than ordinarily conceited.
bur I must confess that felt rather proud