The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-06-11

of the ocean rolled back and this great
Amazon plain was formed.
During the centuries since then the waters
have been rolling down through it TO the
Atlantic, loaded with mud. The city Of
Para stands on land made of this mud.
and from it the great island of Marsso has
been built UP.
Every year there are floods which turn
this region into a vast inland sea- When
the water subsidies quantities Of mud have
been left. and thus. year by year. the delta
of the Amazon has been formed.
| The delta Of the Amazon is more wonder
full than Holland in its waterways. 1 saw
something of it when 1 passed about the
southern side Of the island of Maraio and
sailed through the narrow channel into the
main body of the Amazon on my way up
the river. The land here is cut up by nat
ural canals. forming vast islands OF curious
shapes, separated by narrow streams OF
water, which are walled with the wonders of
tropical vegetation. I Rave seen most of
the great rivers OF the world, but nowhere
else anything like this. Let me give you
some notes which 1 made sitting in the
| prov of the steamer as we passed through.
We are now in the great delta of the
Amazon. We have left the rushing cham
Il Z MlcL 1AlS v luis a4OD6 - yNLL0
waves on its turbid course, and are floating
through canals, where the water is as
| smooth as FURNISHED steel, but where by
the setting sun it has changed to copper
and to gold. On all sides of US are islands.
which seem to float or this copper sea,
masses Of rich, dark navy blue and gor-
geous green. Our steamer is passing be-
tween walls of blue, walls of emerald plush
a hundred feet high, which, cut by other
canals, similarly wooded, make it seem as
though we were travelling through one of
natures great cities. 1t il a fairy city OF
the Amazon-a city not built by hands. a
city populated by monkeys. jaguars. par
rots and butterflies. 1t is the haunt of the
crocodile, which here grows to its greatest
size. 1t is the home of the orchid and the
palm, of the India rubber tree, and of
countless other tropical plants, which would
each be a rarity in the botanical garden OF
Europe.
Take a look at the trees. What a variety
of palms. Some of them are only as big
around as your arm, but they are as tall as
a six-story house, extending from the
ground to the top without branches and
ending in a great tassel of leaves. There
are others which sprout out in great bunch
es from the ground. There are palms
loaded with cocoanuts, each nut in its
green husk as big as a football. There are
palms which branch out like fans, and
there are royal palms a hundred feet tall,
which tower high above the smaller varie-
ties.
But the most striking trees of the ANA
zon are not the palm trees. We look in
vain for a forest of palms. Palms grow
among the other trees in the woods. and
you seldom see many palms close together.
The other forest trees in the distance look
much like our trees at home.
When you get close to the shore, however,
you see the trees are matted together with
vines. The bark of many of them is silver
gray, and long creepers hang down from
their branches to the ground, so that it
would be almost impossible to make your
way through without the aid of an AK.
Some of the trees are enormous. The one
which bears the Brazil nut towers high
above the rest Of the forest. 1t has a foliage
of rich, dark green, and this extends out in
the shape of a great hill or mound of green
away up there in the air. The Brazil nuts
are like walnuts, only each nut is about
twice as big as a baseball. 1t has a great
husk upon ii, and inside of it there are
from fifteen to twenty of the Brazil nuts
of commerce.
Some of the Amazon trees are covered
with flowers. Over there at the right there
is a haystack of violets poised up on the
top of that trunk, sixty feet high. Further
over you may see a tree whose blossoms
look just like buttercups. Build, If you can,
in the eye of your mind a stack of butter
cups as big as a circus tent away up in the
air surrounded by green, and you have the
effect.
The most beautiful things, however, are
the little things, the orchids which cling to
the dead branches. the fern trees and plants
which have leaves busted with silver and
copper and gold.
THE HUTS AND THE FLOODS.
1 have seen but few people on my way up
the Amazon. Para, at the mouth, is the
metropolis of the whole region. 1t has 100,
; coo population and is a big business center.
} Obydos has about five hundred people. al
/ though it is put down in the books as much
} larger. There are a few other scattering
towns, such as Santarem and Porte Allegro,
but none have many people.
Along the banks you see here and there
cut out Of the woods a clearing just about
: big enough for a hut and a garden. The
hut is made of poles and palm leaves anc
the garden consists of a few banana plants
an orange tree or so and some palm trees
T The huts are matched with palm leaves
0 They are so rude that the wind whistle:
( through them and the roof merely serves t.
: keep out the rain and the sun.
They are built close to the edge Of the
5 river. Naked babies play on the shore in
front Of them, and barefooted men .anC
! women, many of whom are mulattoes OF
r negroes, stand and look at the steamer a!
: It goes by. The most of these people ar,
n rubber hunters, a few own cacao orchards
0 but all seem to be thriftless and povert.
stricken.
t Many of the people can live in their hut'
j only a part of the year. They have to q
Z to the higher lands during the floods. TIL
Amazon valley Is the rainiest region of tn
I world. 1t is estimated that a million and
half cubic feet of rain falls upon it ever.
t day the year through. This is an averag'
e of seventy-two inches of rain per annum
In other words, If the water lay where |
. fell, the whole valley would be covered witt
rain so deep that it would hide the crown o
o the average man.
In many parts of the valley it rains ever
Q day. In Para l had to make my appoint
T ments to call after the usual afternoon
S shower, and here, further up the Amazon
$ the air is full Of moisture and mist. Every
L thing is rusty. My knife has rusted in m,
o pocket. / have to keep my revolver we