The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-19
The observatory at Arequipa and De-
scriptiOn of the Loftiest Scientific
Station in the World.
LOCATED ON MT. MISTrS TOP
A JOURNEY UP THE ANDES OVER A
VERY EXPENSIVE RAILROAD.
Travels on the High Andean Plateau
Who Live Nearest the Skies.
Copyright, 1898, by the Associated Press.)

Copyright, 1898. by the Associated Press)
PUNO, Peru. May 19.-I write this letter
in the attic of the South American CONT
nent am in the heart of the Andes noun
tains. what. with the exception of Thibet,
is the Hottest table land of the globe. At
my feet is the western shore of Lake Titi-
caca, the highest water of the earth upon
which steamboats, SAIL and looking down
upon me is the snowy peak of Illampu,
which, next to Aconcagua, in Chile is the
highest of the Andes. During the past week
have been travelling among the most won
derful mountains of South America, and l
am now in region which has not it's coun-
terpart upon the planet. Here and in other
parts of the mountains of Peru are the
highest places where people live. During
my trip up the Oroya Railroad 1 found a
village of about two hundred souls at an
altitude of more than three miles above
the sea. There is a mining camp in the
Peruvian Andes which is more than $1,000
feet high and in crossing the desolate plain
known as the Pampa de .Arrieros 1 stopped
some time at Vincocya, where there is a
locomotive round house higher up in the
air than the top of Pixies peak. In coming
here Travelled for two days over one of the
distance of more than three hundred miles
from the Pacific, / am on the great plateau
which lies between the two ranges of the
Andes, varying in altitude from 1900 to
1900 feet above the sea. / am hundreds of
miles south of the point where l crossed the
great mountains from Lima, and in a
region where the Andes are more grand
than at any point in the 1900 miles of their
length. Think of a mountain which towers
up into the skies so that it's ragged, snowy
summit is four miles above the level of the
ocean. Imagine if you can others which are
over 10000 feet high. Make a wall of such
mighty hills and paint them in the wonder
full colors, shades and tints of the Andean
skies and you can get a faint idea of my
surroundings. | have with me many books
upon South America, but l fail to find in
them any descriptions of the scenic effects
of these mountains. This is the region of all
others for the artist. and as yet no great
artist has attempted TO transfer these Won
derful pictures to canvas
PICTURES FROM THE ANDES.
My trip over the Andes was a continuous
panorama. Let me give you my notes of
the scenes along the route as l jotted them
down on the way. / begin at Mollendo, on
the Pacific ocean. 1t is a ragged town on
the ragged coast of the Peruvian desert
The ship lies out in the harbor and the
surf rolls in with great force, striking the
rocks and sending its diamond spray fifty
feet upward into the air The harbor is
rougher than that of Jaffa and my baggage
is lowered into a bounding boat over the
side of the steamer. l have to Jump into
the boat when it is on the crest of the
waves, and feel my stomach rise as sink
down into the deep. The landing is so bad
that men and baggage are often thrown into
the water, and / am told that the insurance
companies always charge one-eighth of 1
per cent. more on all goods shipped to Mol
lendo. am rowed to the shore by brawny.
coffee-colored boatmen through huge rocks.
NOW we run into a lighter which is bring
Ing out cargo for the steamer, and are near
~ capslzed. Now we craze great bowlder
ana at the wharf l have to jump when the
boat is on the crest of the wave to get a
footing on the steps. My baggage cannot
De landed except by means of crane, and
l pay four men two dollars to carry nv
heavy trunks up the hills to the custom
house. little later on / am seated in tbe
car on my way to Arequipa, which, though
only about one hundred miles from the
coast, Is higher up in the air than the top
of Mount Washington. Our train first skirts
the coast, and then shoots off into the hare
nils OF the desert. There is not a shrub
not Vesuge of green. We climb up a a.
percent. grade winding about in horseshoe
curves. AT places we see the tracks over
"hich we have passed running parallel
"lth' out Tar below, us. Now we are on a
sue OF the mountain facing the ocean
Inc sKy-olue Pacific, hazy and smoky
stretches out toward the west until its deli
cate blue fades into that of the sky. A
patch OF reddish gray sand skirts the foot
OF the brown velvet hills, and this is di
vided from the sky-blue water by the sill
very strip of surf which is dashing its waves
upon the shore. The scenery changes at AL
most every turn of the wheel There is no
place where nature clothes the earth in sucb
royal garments as here. At times the Andes
are great masses of blue and brown plush.
The clouds of the sky, though of a fleecv
whiteness, paint velvet spots Of many col
ors upon the hoary hills, and at times it
seems as though all the ink bottles of the
heavens had been scattered over the noun
tains. At other times the sun tints the
mountains with the most delicate blues.
which fade into lighter tints of blues in the
distance TIL the whole horizon seems a
billowy, waving sea of blue busted with sill
NSA, WHICH IIlSSlS anu loses Itself In a silver
blue sky Winding in and out among such
hills, we rise to a great desert known as
as the Pampa de Islay. Here everything is
gray and dazzling white. There are hun
dreds of huge mounds of moving sand
which are travelling slowly but surely over
the plain. There are tons of bleaching
bones of animals which have died in try
ing to cross the desert waste, and the only
apparently living things are the mirages,
which now and then deceive the traveller
with the idea that they are cool lakes, i'm
verted cities or GASES of vegetation near at
hand. AT the little town of Vitor. mile
above the ocean, we reach the end of the
pampa and again begin to ascend. We are
again in ragged hills and soon are travel
ing among the clouds We pass through
deep cuttings in the mountains and end the
first days travel at Arequipa, $500 feet
above the sea.
AN EXPENSIVE RAILROAD.
This road is said to have greater excava-
tons than any other line of similar length.
1t is one of the most expensive roads ever
built. having cost s14,OOO,0OO for line of
327 miles average of $135 900 mile.
The road reaches an altitude of 1866 feet