Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-04-16


pure Castillan Spanish did not seem
to be Understood. At last, however,
| met IA German storekeeper, MIR.
| Kurger, who told me that there was an
| American living IN the city. This was
| Mr.. Klein, "a carpenter. contractor
| and undertaken. / soon found MIN
| among his collins. He left his work
i and devoted himself to me for the day.
| Together we went to visit one OF the
biggest plantations of Ecuador. This
belongs to Mr. Augustine Barmos, a
| man who owls thousands of cattle
| md horses, and who sells something
like 100000 pounds of chocolate beans
| every year. The plantation is now all
Ter water, and we had to take
| canoe to visit It. our canoe was about
| thirty feet long and not over thirty
inches wide. 1t was a dugout and was
| poled and sculled by two lusty brown.
| skinned gondoliers, one of whom STOOD
at each end OF II. Mr.. Klein sat IN the
| bottom, and / was given place In the
NTH at last we moved on INTO inc
| tropieal forest. We rowed for miles
among the tree tops. now grazing e
| great black alligator. and again chat-
| tered at by monkeys, VINO maue laSes
| at us as they scampered away ny
| trees were full of strange birus, which
| tiuttered and cried as we went ny
| Now we get n shot at one, a gailareta,
n beautiful thing as big as "A pigeon
with a bill like blood. long legs OF u
! golden yellow and a plumage OF royal
purple. AN, ,,,, tho
try shot at the crocodile; put tns
| canoe trembles as / stand up IN IL anu
the ugly monster gets away uhnarneu.
rhere are wild ducks and other Dlrds
| which / have never seen peiore, anu
Mr. Klein tells me that he otteh pass
deer on the highlands or mas a snot az
wild hog or leoPard. ,s ,hara ia
beyond description. Under us there Is
twelve feet of water, where lew
weeks ago 1t was all dry land Inc
trees make thick arbor-like shade
over us, and we wind in ana OUT
through them, now making our way
then shooting out into great green
walled chamber of water, the trees
about which are loaded down with or
chids, each of which in New 1ork
would bring sum equal 10 the WAGES
| of the average worklngman insects
are nlenty. bugs and ants of every de-
scription fall upon us as we fioat on
| ward and Mr.. Klein tells me now
| great snake once dropped down INTO
his boat from the branches above. Ihe
trees are all strange ana tropical
There are rubber trees loaded with al
llgator pears and here and there a
great palm has hoisted its green head
above the others outside OF the M
sects and birds the silence Is almost
| oppressive. The soft air Is heavy with
l
water as our long canoe works Its way
onward seems to invite us to sleep.
Now a canoe with family of Indians
passes us. and again great cargo
boat loaded with cocoa Is showed along
on its way to the markets.
A MILLIoNAIRE's PLANTATION.
Nearly all the land above which we
have been travelling belongs to the mil
liona!re planter whom we are to visit.
When we get out of the forest We come
directly into the grazing lands of his
plantation. The grass Is now under
water. and his herds have been taken
to the high lands on the edge OF the
Andes We are IN wide waste of
| waters above which here and there the
tops of the wire fences are to be seen.
We sail right over these fences, now
and then passing tenant houses of
bamboo matched with palm leaves
The houses are like those of Babahoyo
built high upon piles, Under each just
| over the water there is a platform on
which the chickens and pigs OF the
/ owner live within six inches of drown
/ Ing As we near the great white house
% the planter we see more and more
, of these houses. We pass butcher
, shop resting on the water whore are
killed the animals which furnish the
; meat for the planter. and go by n great
barn which is also on piles surrounded
, by water We sail over the front gate
, and land amid lot of long steel cocoa
, | boats on the second floor of the house
, which Is a great three story building
rooted with red tiles Here we are
| met by the owner, and are made to fee
| Mt home. He orders a breakfast to be
prepared for us and puts wine and cog
| nae before us. His two pretty
! daughters are now called in to enter
tain U.S. and together we all drink II
the better relations of our continent,
! | and our countries. The young ladies
! | drink brandy, and when I pull out my
flask we all drink again In that famous
fluid which comes from Kentut Ky
!. Later on the old man sends an Ind al
/. servant out to climb one of his coo ps-
4. nut trees to give us drink of cocoa
nut milk. and then directs his men Il
! | guide us in canoes to the cocoa or.
= | chard and to other parts of his estate.
e LABOR AND WAGES IN ECUADOR
1 talk with him as to the profits ot
! farming. He says he keeps no ac
o counts. but that he leaves all to hi,
5 foreman and overseers, and that al
e that Is over nbove the expenses Ii
profit. This year he will harvest 200.,
. 900 pounds of cocoa, which at 10 cent;
e profit pound will net him $4,000 from
e this source alone.
, He tolls me he loses a great dea
: every year because he cannot get In.
. borers to work for him, and still I an
c told the men on his plantation owe hin
= 100000 In silver. This IL to n certain
4 extent his labor capital, for the money
n must be worked out and portion Of Il
: is taken every day from the wages OF
Q his debt slaves. 1t is said that slavery
\ no longer exists In Ecuador. II may no
{ exist as II did in the days of Pizarro
n when the Indians were branded
. whipped and killed Mt the will OF theil
$ owners. but 1t Is really in force
: through the debt laws and the habiti
e of the peOus or laboring classes which
e cause them to keep in debt to thei
. masters. The wages are so low tina
+ once in debt N is almost impossible L
= get out Here. near. the coast. peoni
{ get about IS month. but In the in
!. terror they do not receive over hal
Y this, and one-tenth of their earningl
Q goes to the church. The planters Civ
= their laborers twelve ounces of meat
e fourteen ounces of rice ar beans a lit
3 tie lard or salt day. Each also get
= hat. three coarse cotton shirts ant
n three pairs of cotton pantaloons year
= and house, such as l have described
G above. Their hours OF work are from
n sunrise until sunset, and II a mar
e skips day this is charged to him TIL,
women and children must work as wei
as the men. and II man runs ava,
he Is straightway put In prison for deb
and stays there until some othel
u planter ia willing To nav him out an(