New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-13
THE LAND OF THE INCAS.
A RETURNED GOLD-sEEKERS IMPRESS
SIONS OF PERU.
TIE MINES ENTIRELY EXHAUsTED-IHE N"ii' '"'
LAZY AND rHRIFTLEsS-
OF TRANSPORTATION.
From The Sacramento Record-Cnion.

From The Sacramento Record-Uhioh.
Josiah Johns brother Of Mrs w; D. Carrie', -
In The city having returned couple OF da!S dso
from Peru whittier he went with P.ity ia,
March during the gold excitement "a ae iS
came few months ago ina, AT. Ho','' S.Dnr in
number Of the party had died OF yeiloW ,,i,'
Panama but if he did he is a ieil'ai i no, r:,
healthy looking ghost. considerably over ox
tall and Of proportionatc size. lie To- .,," and
Iretty Thoroughly disguised with his Trip, a.,u
with the Peruvian country and It's iniap a., n
Speaking yesterday Of his eXpeiIIe No. Zoo
Record Union" reporter. ne sdiu' % ni,aiists or
strongly warn Americans, whether ~ IL 81
Iaborers against going to Peru WIN tne NV e. "a
benefting themselves. for they WIZ suIe'' j.; M"
themselves dead broke IN sn9' one Ito TO make
a living in-unless they take time by tiis r..
lock. as | did. and leave the country VIII -
able to do so. IN an my atIne ANYTHING
found only one man who was MAKING any INN, nno
and he had taken a contract on mine l''oVo
feet above the sea level -. ,,o mar
I'VE were given glowing accounts Oh '"e ma" ,
yellous richness of the placerS on on W w
rivers where the Indians dive down ana prIis
up their hands full Of the golden sahuS, pu' -
is a miserable lie. and has been .iie taHd,rr
leaving many a poor fellow there ana SUI
him we prospected the rivers naiieo, anu
found that there was no gold In mem. Nnei,
P7arro conquered Peru the lncas. VINO we,e as d
highly intelligent race. had collected vas.
amounts of eod-nohody will ever know now
much-from the sands of the streams iizm ,n,
and his men set the natives AT Woih 10 ooiivo.
more and the work has been going on ever
since Then came the Portuguese. who were So
successful that the Spaniards got jealous OF
them and drove them away. me result Is ma
the placers were all mined out long ago. IL Is
very hard prospecting also. as the streams are
swift and the mountain sides rough and very
steep. -,. .,,ro hut ,bev
are very high up 1000 feet more. and
the air is rare that whiie man cSiairv'
work and the work o rs G 1ery ~ making
the Indians DO their work. | know OF only one
successful mine low down as 6'"o ieel;
There is very little show. too: for man TO i,io
employment In other directions than mlhhS'
for he must come into competition with the lhd-
ianS who are poorly paid
"The native Peruvians are the laZieSt peopIo
Won can imagine. They not only make no pro-
vision for next week. but none even Tor the mex
day a meal ahead being about the extent OF
their solicitudc. Timo is no object TO them ma
they pay very little attention 10 T.. Thay 90 not
like foreigners. and delay and discourage mem
in every possible way II does not make much
difference whether they are Americans Engilsh
or German-they are all gringoes' to me re-
ruvians as they are to his Mexican BRETHREN
and he dislikes them all. This may be partly ne
cause they annoy him by their progreSsiVehcS9'
and wake him up out of his letharSy 100 ihuch
to suit him. ,,, 80
with thousands Of cattle he has no milk or
butter drinking black coffee and living on soup
twice n day potatoes and dried mutton. III
they can get this meal they let the next one
take care Of itself. They have herds OF ilahlas,
horses mules and alpacas. but the horses ana
,nules are inferior the only good ones coming
from Argentina where the European stock mas
been brought in. There are many hocks OF sheep:
and they contribute largely to the welfare Oh
the inhabitants.
"The grass Of the country is rough sort Of
wire grass like this. II grows in punches. some
OF them much as four feet across and docs
not look as IL il was Of much account for FOOD
for animals but it makes trst-rate mutton ana
beef.
Harry Mcicgs is about the only American
that has ever done well in Peru. and do not
know how he ever managed TO get 50 good
show given him. they dislike strangers so
He built a good road and il Is considerably used
but it seemed funny to mo how they run thST
trains 4 train runs three times Wee; TO the
Titicaca basin and il takes its time. II runs TO
Areguipa and then stops for IN" night Inc next
morning it starts again and runs all day, STOP
ping again at night ana takes three Gays 10
get to the basin
"On the Pacific side it is a dry. rainless region,
but on the Amazon side il rains nearly every
day When one gets up into the Cordi!leras.
II is all right as long as the sun is up hut in the
night II gets very odd. ! had very hard work
to find transportation. and my experience Nus
trates the character Of the people. When you
have gone as ar as the railroad VIII take YOU,
you must get mules to go further. and there is
the rub If you get males their owner viii agree
to take You certain distance. but ne VIII take
you no further. nor will he give you a reason
for his refusal to do After ] arrived ut the
end Of the railroad / was sixteen days trying
to get mules before | succeeded. The supern-
tendent Of mine. who did me many great IA
vors after some days Of entreaty persuaded
rich Peruvian to send his mules u take me one
hundred and fifty miles. but he would not take
me a bit further and had 10 wait there six
teen days longer before I obtained more mules.
There is no use Of fretting. for il does not do a
particle OF good. and money is no object To such
people . c-,
must be seen. He takes YOU To his house. where
there is plenty Of room, and you can get all the
supplies you need in the shape of food from
him by paying well for it. or course. he is in