The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-04-03
QUEER FEATURES OF LIFE ON
SOUTHERN PACIFIC OCEAN

The Highest Steamship Rates of the
worId-A Travelling Market
Some wonders of Colombia
Mines of Gold and Diamonds
Which the English Are Working
A River of Vinegar and Woods
Which Will Cure Diseases-The
CaciQue Wood Which stops Hem
orrhages-Pepsin Fruit and the
Qufnine Tree Trees Which
Flow Cows MILK and Bushes
Which Grow Coffee and Chocolate
Some Fat Colombian Conces-
siOns-A Gay Sunday In Panama
An American COcoanut PIanta-
ton and How 1t Is Managed.
Copyright, 1895, by Frank G. Carpenter.
ON THE EQUATOR, March 15.-As
begin this letter l am on the hottest
geographical line on the face Of the
globe. 1 am sitting on the deck of the
steamship Santiago, opposite, but out
of sight, of the coast of Ecuador and
almost exactly on the equator We
shall cross it within an hour. If it
We're not for slight breeze which still
fellows Us from the northeast trade
winds the air would be sitting. ana
as il is the very sea seems to steam.
AT my right there is a vast extent CO
ocean, which the sun has turned into
molten silver.
Ten billion diamonds are dancing up
ard down upon the wavelets, and, al
though I am under cover, the light OF
the sun as reflected from the water
dazzles my eyes as much as the direct
rays of a July sun at home. On the
opposite side OF the vessel. in the sha-
dow, TIE water is of an indigo blue, and
as I stand up and lcok about me I
see nothing but a vast expanse of what,
IN the not. hazy air, seems to be a
steaming sea. To the westward
stretches the Pacific, a distance of
about 10000 miles, before 1t reaches the
lower part of Asia, and to the east is
the equatorial region of South Ameri-
=, including snow-capped Andes and
the mighty Amazon, my present field
Of travel. 1t is now three days since l
left Panama for Guayaquil, the port
of Ecuador, and until this morning we
have been sailing by the coast Of
Colombia, but in many places $50 miles
from the shore. In this way we have
saved four or five days Of travel, and
will make Guayaquil in four days,
While the coasting steamers take ten.
a Southern Pacific Steamer.
The boats of the Southern Pacific are
far different from those on which I
have crossed at different times to Asia.
They are unlike the steamers of any
other part of the world. The cabins
ore larger, and the quiet Of the sea-
for you seldom have a storm here
enables them to have several decks or
stories and to keep everything open.
There is about a quarter of a mile of
walking space on the two upper decks
Of the Santiago, and on the top one
there are places where you could al
most lay out a croquet ground and
have room to spare. I awake every
morning thinking I am on my noun
tain farm in Virginia.
+ There is a bleating Of sheep, a crow
Ing of cocks and a quacking and cack-
ling of geese and ducks. Now and then
9. COW moos or pig squeals. We carry
all. our meat with us. On the upper
deck within ten feet Of where I am
writing there are two big coops full
of chickens, ducks and geese. The
coops are two-story affairs, walled with
Stats. The chickens are in the top
story, some roosting, and others polk
ing their heads out to get at the water
and corn in the troughs outside. The
ducks and geese are on the ground
Hoor. A little further over there are
crates filled with potatoes and onions
and others containing oranges and
pineappies. The sheep and cattle are
in pens and stalls two floors below.
They are in the steerage, near the but
cher shops and kitchens, and where
there is what you do not find on other
ships travelling market There are
men who pay big sums for the privil-
eye of selling on the South Pacific ships
TO the people at the ports.
Our marketmen have in their stock
at present about a dozen wagon loads
Of oranges and pineapples from Pana-
ma and ten cattle from Chile, and thew