Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-29
SOUTH AMERICAS WONDERS
Address by Mr.. Curtis Before Mems Club
of Assembly Church.
Railway Across Mountain and the
Highest Town in the World
Panama Canal.

Tho first public meeting Of the Mems Club
Of tn Assembly Presbyterian Church, cor
ner Of 9TH and / streets northwest. Rev. 6.
=. WI son. pastor. was held last evening.
judge l. c. kimban presided
The address on the occasion was delivered
Iy NJ. William F.. Curtis. formerly chief
of the bureau IF American republics. The
speaker It'd II "a tour recently made by
him. principally in South America.
Mr.. Curtis described the voyage from
New York 20 the isthmus. with several IN
,-r-stIns sea stories. He expressed his
surprise al the amount Of work that was
being done ON the Panama canal. He said
that there were nearly 1000 Iaborers en-
gagged in making excavations, with an i'm
nrn~- amount "T machinery, and that Tor Il
considerable distance in the center Of the
i~tImU- and AT the highest elevation 10 lie
reached by the canal he ditch was almost
complete The people Of Panama are await
ing with great anxiety the arrival Of Nd
mirtI Walkers commission, and expect to
recommend that route.
The finest sea voyage in the world. Mr..
curtis said. was on the west coast Of
south America. The sea Is always calm,
there il never any wind. the temperature is
delightful; il never rains There is always
=, pleasant cool breeZ- blowing. and all the
conditions combine To make the voyage from
Panama south delightful y striking phe-
strange 10 say. grows cooler as one APP
pruacheS the equator
He declared that although he spent four
of the five months If his journey in the
tropics he was never uncomfortable
from the heat as he had been in Washing
ton last May.
Al ihe port Of NIolIendn whore passengers
have to he hoi~-cd out Of a ship and to
the top Of Il pier in iron basket, because
ri -he heavy surf. Mr. Curtis and his
ra-liy landed AMI took the railway to Lake
III. .c0ra- This railway. which l. one Of
- most wonderful Jriumphs Of engineering
I'M che world. crosses a HfeleSS desert where
tn drifting sand by some curious freak Of
nature. always forms itself into crescent
shape piles known as medanos. about TWEEN
" feet high and about twelve feet in
diamt.-r within the center of the arc
These nedanos move continually making
an average distance Of about ten feet u
Year. but each pile keeps its own stand.
LonG-Distance Water Pipes.
The only water available IN this strange
country IS brought from the mountain IN a
pipe ,.Ehty-tivc miles long, but this pipe is
small and short. compared with that which
supplies Iquique. port farther lown the
coast wn-re the water IS brought Isl
milo. that NJ AntofosdSta comes -54
miles
The railway leads 90 Arcquipa. which,
- The speaker said, has been termed the
c:tu-, II the religions devotion and Tie
learning IF It's people. There Protestant
worship Is NOT permitted The Bible is pro-
E-nicsJ a. Ju immoral book, and Free Ma
Sons are not allowed % live there The
railway. after leaving AreqUipa, crosses the
And az a poiu, called Alto Cruc-ro. 1I,GG6
feet above me sea. The highest town in ,he
world Lake TItiCaCa. thu highest body Of
water ina The world. which j. about tho SIC
81 LAKE Eric Is said To- hr botGonl.~S. Its
waterS are very cold and any person who
falls into them = sure Z" drown. Tie air
is so rare that very lfttl. of it = MIXED
with The water. and therefore tN= density
o.. Lake TltIcacJ s. probably Ey.-i..r han
E.gt Of any other lake. This absence Of
'.Ny-.u iU tho water explains ,Ip;l-r Curl
n-~ I'Er-nTt non. which is that no. iron or
u-aa- u.--aI ever ru~t- there. nut If n rusty
,ar wheel or rail or any Other piece Of iron
Is immersed in the waters q: Lake Titicaca
r.. r.-- VIII peel off ami the .rou vii t.a-
0r.r' .- bright as II il We're polished.
There Is fleet OF steamers upon the
tNa- ne largest no:nE Of about l"u tons.
ar uF which wer, brought IN he backs of
f.rr'v- more than 500 miles 0crp-S a Ge--
.T.- -.d over 81 mountain rang, IL DpU feet
'-.- OF course. they had Ia be taken TO
f...~ and put together again when they
:. rrI.8 thr Il. Ike
Nir. Curtis described Tile anrfa,l. ruins of
.l" ir'JS and told The story Of Inat mystic
rlous and wonderful people. who he said i'm
Jhs midst az the Andes. uaIu,lil=I It civil
z.fi-e.1-ti.t acquired al culture tuG, probably
!lTp.i~S,t anything in America and
'|latgi those of the Old world # he same
- Rod IL also described his visit t. the
Temple OF topucabaua, where Is kent the ma
iron saint Ht South America. and Described
tn religious f-,rs ANA ceremonies that
are he.t th.ry every spring and fall From
t"t"raf.sl.d be- took his hearers 10 LANAI
tEs capital Of Bolivia. and CAV, q -,r.,',,,ic
''-fr'uiiou o: THAT queer old CRY which
Hos in a. canyon 5000 feet above. he so
and retains the appearance and TIE Gus
toms or iar ~lNiss nth century, The most
.H1gLu thing he .-,.E was Il bull Eghr 'I-,.