Omaha daily bee., 1899-05-21
ALONG THE COAST OF BRAZIL
Queer Features of Life Observed on and from
a Steamers Deck.
SCENES IN SUGAR AND COTTON LANDS
Cotton Factories Which Pay Hand
some Dividends-Pernam and
It's Wonderful Reef-Sheep
Riding Animals.
SCENES IN SUGAR AND COTTON LANDS

Copyright 1899, by Frank G. Carpenter)
PERNAMBUCO, Brazil, April IA, 1S99.-
Especial Correspondence Of The Bee.)-I am
travelling along the coast OF Brazil. My ship
IS a Brazilian steamer, which goes regularly
from Rio to the mouth OF the Amazon. The
distance is about 2 900 miles, and the voyage
takes fourteen days. 1t is almost as far
from Rio TO the Amazon as 1t is from the
mouth of the Amazon to New York. This
steamer is fast enough, but we stop at evarY
port to take on and discharge freight, and
we all the time crowded with passen-
gers BY the Brazilian laws all coast
freighting must be done in national vessels.
This ship belongs to the Lloyd Brazilian
line, which has the monopoly OF the coast
trade OF the country. 1t has ships along
the coast, steamers on the Amazon and mail
steamers which go from Rio Janeiro up the
Parana and Paraguay rivers to Matto Crosse.
My ship is the Manaos. 1t is a steamer of
about 900 tons, and Is trst-class ship
in every respect. 1t was built in England,
and it has all modern improvements. My
cabin is lighted by incandescent electric
lights and the dining room is finished in
marble and gold. The bathroom of the
steamer seems to be used by no one but my
self and the warm salt water shower baths
which l have every morning are delightful,
~ III
This is the rosy side of the picture, other
wise there is comfort with difference The
ship is crowded with passengers, and such
passengers. Those who travel on the regu-
lar steamers have no idea of the people who
swarm the coast vessels My companions
are of all colors and conditions of men. Let
me begin at the top deck. This is filled
with emigrants, who are on their way TO
work in the rubber forests OF the Amazon.
There are at least 1000 of them, nearly all
more or less colored. Most of the men have
their families with them, and there are at
least fifty babies and many small children
The babies in most cases are stark naked
as is the case with all the children under
years OF age. These nude little ones sprawl
over the deck in all sorts of attitudes They
play games, now and then wrestling to-
gether. i saw one 4-year-old boy who was
playing horse riding a knotty stick between
his naked legs. AS he trotted over the decR
another naked boy saw the horse and coveted
1t. He grabbed 1t, and there was straight
way a fight, which ended in both children
being captured by their parents and carried
squawling to opposite sides of the deck.
Some OF the babies are quite pretty.
should like to play with them, but do no
consider II safe. Today, for instance, / saw
woman sucking one of these nude littl
ones and at the same time going through il
hair and picking out certain insects whicl
are not TO be mentioned ia polite society
1t was a case of doing two things at tn
same time, and as far as ] could judge, doini
both OF them we'll.
ON the lower gangway, where every on
had TO pass, another woman has slung he
hammock. She lies most Of the tim
stretched out in II with little one abou
a week old in her arms. Yesterday after
noon as ! went by she was giving the bab
a bath. She had placed a large gourd %
the deck and had stood the little one in Il
She was pouring the water over the bab
and serubbing 1t vigorously. The infan