Omaha daily bee., 1899-03-12

Of Albuquerque, with low, wooded noun
tains behind it, and about 175 miles further
the steamer stops at Corumba.
Chief Port of South Brazil.
Corumba is over 1900 miles from the At
lantic. Il is almost as far inland by water
as Salt Lake City is from New York by
rail. 1t is the chief port of Matte Crosse.
Here is located the only custom house of
the province, and the officers come on board
and open your luggage.
The steamer stops long enough for you to
get a good view of the city. 1t is situated
on a hill, commanding the country for miles.
There are woods about the city, and the
place is picturesque. 1t has the usual
Spanish buildings of stucco and tiles, with
palm trees growing here and there in the
garden.
There is a beautiful plaza in the center of
COrumba about which are some of the prin-
cipal stores. There is a great deal of thrift
to be observed among the merchants. The
city does a large business, the most of which
is managed by French, Italians and Stras-
burg Jews.
Goods are sent out from here to different
parts of the interior. There is a mule route
TO Bolivia, the nearest town being San Jose
de Chuquito, which is $50 miles away. The
journey takes fourteen days, and it is very
expensive. Mules are costly, and you can
not get "A good one for less than 800 in
gold. You must lay in a good supply Of
canned goods. for those who try to live off
the country fare poorly. There are few
horses. They are subject to a peculiar dis
ease, which affects their hind quarters, and
their place has been largely taken by cows
and bulls. Bullocks are used for carts and
also for riding, a good riding bullock bring
ing a good price. The bullock is not a bad
saddle animal. Its gait is a stumbling
trot or pace, and, after you become used to
1t, it is not at all unpleasant. The animals
are directed by reins which are tied to their
horns. They are often used to pack goods,
and, indeed, take the places that horses
have in our country.
Brazilian Town of Cuyaba.
1t is shortly after you leave Corumba that
you pass out Of the Paraguay river and
enter the San Lorenzo. The San Lorenzo is
not so big as the Paraguay. In the
Paraguay proper steamers draw as much
as nine feet, while those to which you
change at Corumba do not draw over FIVE.
1t takes about twelve hours to reach the
San Lorenzo river from COrumba, and you
sail a day and a half upon it before you
enter the Cuyaba river, up which you steam
to the city.
The steamers are always crowded, 2OC
often being taken in one little boat. The
whole journey from Corumba to Cuyaba re-
quires six days, and the fare is 81 in gold
1t is one of the cheapest steamship trips o.
the world. This price includes your meals
coffee in the morning, breakfast at 10 a. m
and dinner in the evening.
The scenery Of the San Lorenzo and Guy,
aba rivers is very tropical. There are many
palms. There are cotton trees which have
balls of cotton upon them as big as oranges
Others have blossoms of a silky fiber which
hang down in great cones of white. Thii
stuff is used by the people for makinl
pillows.
Cuyaba has about 90 1000 people. It is a sur
prisingly good city for its location and yer!
much up-to-date. 1t has newspapers
hospitals and schools. 1t has water works,
street car line and a cathedral. In its col
lege French, English and Portuguese ar,
taught, and in its orphan asylum there ar
I 800 boys. The town was founded in 1922
? being laid out in Portuguese style with
I very pretty plaza and park. 1t is situate
2 about two miles from the river and you cal
ride to it on one of the tame COWS or yoI
may go on a street car drawn by mules.
+, Thu country surrounding Guyana is ricl
. agriculturally. and / am told there is nue.