Omaha daily bee., 1899-04-09

laughing goes on as we listen we can't see
the jokes.
Let us go out to the suburbs. The houses
are as fine our own. Some look like
American houses, and learn that one OF
the best belongs to an American, who is a
high official on one of the railroads.
The public buildings are especially fine.
They are equal to those Of any state capi-
tai of our country. I doubt If we have a
college building which will compare with
the Normal school of Sac Paulo, and the
| palaces OF the government are quite up to
| some of the great buildings of Washing
| ton.
Into the Harbor of Death.
But let me describe my visit to the har-
Dor of death. 1t was through 1t that I
! came to Sac Paulo. Santos Is said to be
one of the unhealthiest cities Of the world.
1t is seldom free from yellow fever, and
at times the very sailors in the harbor are
decimated by this dread disease. One line
of steamers has bought an island some
! distance out to which its men go while the
ships are loaded. Some other ships do not
| allow their men to go on shore, and during
| the hot season it Is really dangerous to an
extreme.
| The town of Santos is right under the
mountains. Our ship wound this way and
that as it sailed out of the Atlantic into the
wide, deep harbor. The water was of a
bilious green, low hills and islands covered
with thick woods lined the shores and
smoky, forbidding clouds hung low over the
city resting there as it were like a pail.
All nature was gloomy and the surround
ings made me feel as though l were in
a valley of death The air was soft, moist
and warm. Our steamer moved slowly in,
rising and falling with the waves, the very
engine making a muf1led sound on the soft
still air.
AS we came nearer we could see colored
buildings lining the shore. Some were
shaded by palm trees their long fanlike
leaves hanging listlessly and despairngly
down. Closer still and we were in forest
of masts. The harbor was filled with them,
and among them were ships from Norway,
England, Italy and the United States They
were all loading coffee and we could see
scores of negroes carrying great bags OF
coffee from the shore to the ships. The
ships were anchored along a granite wharf,
and the men walked up on planks carrying
the coffee. On the other side of the wharf
were long warehouses, from where the cof-
fee was brought to the steamers.
We cast anchor some distance out from
the shore, and / arranged with barefooted
Portuguese to carry my luggage from the
snip 10 the custom house and thence TO
the station. We rode in his little boat up
and down the harbor. The water was like
glass 1t was a steel blue, and from it
came smell like that from barrel of
water grown sour by being left out of
doors in the sun. AS we sailed the boatman
put his fingers to his nose and remarked:
yellow fever" Upon which 4 showed him
some silver and urged him to hurry. He
did so and we finally came to the shore.
The COGee Port of Santos.
We walked through narrow streets paved
with Belgian blocks The buildings are high, |
much like those Of Dutch town, but they |
are painted all colors of the rainbow. Tho |
city Is business one. There was a crowd |
of sallow-faced, neryous-looking men going |
to and fro. There were lottery ped !
dlers everywhere and negroes without num-
her. Santos has about %, 900 people and It !
is one OF the best business points on the |
Atlantic coast. 1t has trade Of between
S75,OO000O and 800, 900 a year and Is
visited regularly by twenty lines OF ocean
steamers. 1t is the port for large part |
of southern Brazil and among the goods be-
ing landed i saw rice from India, cod from
Newfoundland, coal from England and pine
from the United States.
The bulk OF the exports Is coffee We
went by warehouse after warehouse filled
with coffee. There was loud smell of cof-