The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-06-19
The Observatory at ArequiPa, ADD Description
Of the Loitiest Scientific Statiep 10 the
Norld; Life And Love ip the <api-
tai Of Southern Peru.

Lake Tsticaca. Ths founding oe this
wonderful work was done by Prof W.
n. Pickering and Scion I. Bailey, % Har-
ward. the mos; OF the stations being es-
tablished by the latter. Prof Bailey has
Just returned to the United States. and
the observatory and its stations are now
In charge OF Mr.. W. B. Ciymer. OF Ohio.
and Mr. De Isle Stewart, OF Minnesota
These young astronomers have contracts
20 remain here for Ave years. The 20.
elton IL not q bad one by any means. The
observatory Is situated so feet above the
city OF Areauipa, overlooking the irri-
gated valley Of the Chile river. which pro-
duces the richest o. crops tho year round.
The home OF the observatory Is most COM
Portable. one OF its chief attractions being
Mrs. Stewards little blue-eyed baby a few
months old. born In Peru, which Is as
pretty and as healthy as any baby YOU
will ind north OF the equator.
There are three mountains back Of Are
ouipa which are higher than any point in
the United States outside o: Alaska.
Mount Charcani is higher than Mount
Misti. and as you leave the desert and
ascend 70 the lofty plateau you get q
glimpse Of Corupuno. which Ii 2 500 feet
above the sea. Mount Mis,!'s snowy sum-
init Is in sight for hours. and I watched
the fleecy clouds flying about and below
form Of the car. We Left AreQu!pa in the
early morning. and at IL o'clock stopped
a. The station Of Punta de Aryieros for
bre ..kfast. This station Is more than two
and half miles above the sea II con-
sis.s of few stone huts matched with
straw and one-story wooden building
made OF pine, which I doubt not was
shipped here from oregon. There was
bar at one end OF the dining room. pre-
sided over by fat Peruvian girl. and at
the other end were the breakfast tables.
The meal cost about 50 cents OF our money.
and Il was as good as any Decent meal
You can get in the Rockies. FIRST there
was chicken soup with rice, then Goldfish
balls We're Drowned. then boiled beef and
green peas. beefsteak spiced with a sauce
Of onions and red pepper. sweet omeiet
and q cup of very good tea After the
meal bought four clingstone peaches u
an Indian girl for 2 cents and three
oranges for a nickel. These ea tables.
however, all came from the irrigated val
leys or the lowlands. On the high plateau
over which we travelled there was only
scanty fuzzy growth OF moss-like grass.
There was not a tree. and only here and
there, about a little mud hut, a patch or
50 Of potatoes. some barley-whioh Is
grown only for forage. as 1t will not r3pen
at this alhtude-and also many little
fields Of quinua, a plant which looks like
a cross between a red dock weed and
mullen stock. 1t Is planted In rows and
10 cultivated. 1t 10 Of a yellow or red
color. and its seeds are eaten as mush and
taste not unlike oatmeal. saw some
dandelions and lot Of green plants which
looked like scrubby frs or evergreens. but
which nowhere were more than Z few
inches high. After crossing the coast
range. which Is, you know, the highest OF
the Andes. the grass became greener, and
for miles we Travelled through what
seemed to be rich bed OF moss. We
went by beautifully lakes and rode over
plains dotted here and there with the mud
huts OF the Indians and with large nocks
OF llamas. alpacas and sheep. Each flock
was watched by woman who wore 4
black or blue dress and shawl and a
queeriy shaped hat. much like that Of a
priest. Each shepneGdess had spinning
spool in her hand. and kept this going as
long as we were in sight. At the stations
we saw many Indian men and women.
The men wore bright-colored shawis. and
wide pan:aloons slit up as far as the knee
at tire back. Every one Of them had on
a knit cap much like a nightcap, with
flaps coming down over the ears. and on
the top of this little hat which seemed
to be more for ornament than for warmth.
Nearly all, both men and women, were IN
their bare feet, although the air was bit
ter cold, and as We crossed the pampas
the hail came down In torrents whitening
the ground. These people were chiefly OF
the Aymara tribe Of Indians. who to a
large extent form the population Of this
part of Peru and of Bolivia
FRANK G. CARPENTER.