The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-05-01

Ccpyrlshsed. isss. by Frank @. Carpenter.
- ACAaNAYO. Peru. April :. 'sts.-
have just returned from =
NM ride across the desert * fesa
III N a hand car. There Ia at tnis
point q railroad which gees
over this great South American
Sahara on It's way up the Jsaoetepcd"e
valley. The officers OF the road loaned
me q car made at Kalamazoo Tor ffs
GRIP. and couple OF native PefuViafS
Furnished the motive power. VITA them
hstssnd and myself and Mr.. Rudolph ID
Kaufman. = young American VINO Ases
here. in front. we rode osst from the
shore aud wound for miles IA AID out
ever these wonderful Peruvian sands
which lie ~ the foot Of the Andes. Now
and then We stopped 10 examine the black
volcanic rock sifh which much CT the
desert f. covered. and again We went on
% photograph the travelling sand hills
which shall describe further on, since
then l have spent much time OF the
1ss~rt. I have ridden for miles oser lt
on horseback. and have visited the queer
Mtffs towns which are found in the short
Irrigated valleys which run here and
there through Il. This desert extends
from the borders OF Ecuador, ZOO miles
seushward, along the Pacific coasts OF
Peru and Chile. IL IN a. long as tue dis
lance from New York 10 Salt Lake City.
ssd In no place more than eighty miles
wide. ! have seen something OF the other
great deserts Of the world. From the top
of the Pyramids ! have looked ever the
lrsary white rocks and sands OF Egypt.
] have sailed along the deseffs OF Arabia
In going through the Red se4. and from
the Mount of Olives have cast my eyes
ever the bleak waters between Jerusalem
and the Jordan, have ,ravs.ed extern
ayssy e%=T tbs dusty plains and rocky
highlands 81 our Western territories. and
have had my eyes dazzied by the alkali
1eRrss of Mexico: bu, this Peruvian
1soert II like nothing else In the world.
Its formation Is wonder TO the average
Man.
How the Desert Was Made.
can explain II best by saying that the
atmosphere fnras the clothing of the
earth. and that old Mother Earth works
wei cssiy when hsr clothes are decidedly
wet The mountains are great clothes
WrnGers which squeeze the rain out OF
the sir and oy the differences in tsmpera-
turs cause II TO fall upon the land The
Andes kiss the sky at higher points than
any ether mountains on the globe, with
the snais exception of the Himaiayss
The direction OF the winds which sweep
over South America Is such that they all
come from the east. I am now not as far
rem the equator as I was n few weeks
ago. when waded through the tropical
nud amid the dense vegetation of tho
isthmus OF Panama The sun In continu-
ally drawing up yapor from the sea in
front OF me, bur the winds are carrying
northward and westward, and the air
We aase 10 the cool, dry. ra!nless oz0ne
which SWEEPS down upon US from the
Andas- This air started on from the west
coess o. Africa, A. IL swept over the
Auannc II pumped Itself fuu OF wafer
ano when II reached the coast OF Brazil
" was well loaded. a. !. crossed the con
uuent II dropped Its moisture, feeding .h,
great rivers OF lower South America. and
covering this laad with tropical yeraure.
1t dropped more and mote ~ 1, climbed
up the eastern slopes of the Andes until
when II reached the top, IL lest ta las,
water there In the form OF snow. The re-
suit II that all az the water that comes
down 10 the west caas; ls from the melt
ing " the SHOWS This Is enough To form
river here and there through thu
desert, and Il Is In the valleys OF these
rivers that yon find the habltable parts OF
shs coast region OF Peru and Northern
Gale
Ihsre IL another habitabic region fur
u.r up Ia the mountains. between ,ha
Two ranges OF the Andes. which here run
almost parallel, and a wild strip on the
sssierr slope. which viii. bv means of
We railroads Of the future some time h.
ore OF the most productive parts or the
globe Peru altogether is very large
country. II would make more than nine
s's'es the size OF New York. II runs
fFen norfh 30 south in the share of a
great wssise, which II laid upon the sur
iass OF our country. weuid go as far
eeu'n As New Orleans. at which point II
ssaid he about "a wide as the distance
0eswesn New York and Washington.
The Travelling sands of Peru.
cNe 81 the wonders of this desert 1. lS
uss.aEg sand halls Back OF where nnx
80 mere are great mounds containing hun
eIsus apsr hundreds 81 tons Of I'm. gray
es'' SAesr mounds are always uaoyfs;s,
o,isssd under the influence % tho winds
are In the shape OF perfect crescent
eng 'her little grains. no, So LARGE as
seTe. are ever rolling up up and
'ae teF az TIE crescent, garg always
s"aFn IRE narsh. They climb over hills
'nes niske sheir way thrcugh valleys. as
Nnea-s par as steady ln their march as
'as Wandering Jew. Here AT Pacas-
ssV 'hefr Is railroad which crosses the
ee'' on hs way up the Jeauetepeaue val
~. "asn :, MAS bur; ne engineers
.houshi notaing 81 these sand hills, which
~ faF 10 the southwark The sands
n"~eser are ne reSpeetors OF railroads
Hsek 80 that Il had 10 o- raker, mn ana
sesA'' on the other side ~ them In she
80 "hfch took on the hand car up the
N'.s Sa" one place " here a mound OF
- CONTAINING some Thousands ~ tons
N enTrescsiirg upon the track A
sfssn q water from the river had been
- IN through ditch AZ tie side in A vain
fmps to carry away the sand and men
vi" n weTS shove,iag the DIRT away
zen tae 'ats. As | PASSED saw the
$40 coming 6aNN In q stream Ike that
fa8,s me'asses ard ceald see that Il
@'f'sst impossible - ccnqueF il.
aNss morning Neat ont and took pho.o-
q Some ~ these moving hills 1
.shoF0 10 The ;Np ~ enc or them. expect
&c h1d sysrlt SINKING down 10 my
80 N The s4Hd. Z discovered on thc
Fsry. isS; the- ails wee utIife hard
- taAt even my shoe wrre not COVERED
sand soE7e ~ these sand hills are
sssed On their coarse b, What "a known
- slsoTelAt bushes ,lr tr,es -rh.sv
sNAef ABOUT thras r1aklsS hN.S which
- we desert 80 places with matches OF
tHere sTF yea kfe~ nu roads here
$50 a. ~ tava AZ aa,sst. Tn, chfee al
-, SstG 20 larry trv zht are dankvvS.
- So hoT>~$. taaeh tee latter are
49, foT Fsa.ng Ts~ WAYS R..ro.s the
- are oridal 2at-~ H~r the 0ecs,1a 20