The Saint Paul globe., 1899-03-12

Without Hatr-Ihe vast FOrests
and Pastures of Interior Brazil
Cattle Take Place of Horses.
Copyright 1899, by Frank G. Carpenter.
ASUNCION, Paraguay, Jan. 1O-The
wonders of the Parana system grow
upon me. l am now on the Paraguay,
which flows 1000 miles from it's source
in Brazil before il loses itself in the
Parana. The Paraguay has network
of tributaries above Asuncion, up
which you can sail for thousands Of
miles On some of these rivers you
can go in canoes so close to the tribu-
taries of the Amazon that you can
carry your boat a short distance and
GO out to the Atlantic through that
mighty stream.
The Parana proper, which 1 left
about 300 miles south, at the town Of
Corrientes, extends more than 1000
miles further north, bounding south
Paraguay and running on into Brazil.
1t is naVigable for small steamers dur
Ing a part of it's course, but it has
400 miles of rocky rapids, and in the
future it may be one of the great pic
turesque routes Of the world. 1t has
waterfalls which are said to surpass
those of Niagara. These are on the
borders Of Paraguay and Brazil, and
are known as the Salto Guayra. They
are, l am told, far more grand than
the falls of YgvaZu, which are some
times called the Niagara of South
America.
OPENED BY AN AMERICAN.
1 have already written how, in COM
ing TO Asuncion, l sailed as far as from
New York city to Omaha on large riv-
er steamers. I can go just as much
further by steam into the very heart
of this continent, or further than from
Philadelphia to Salt Lake City. The
limit of steam navigation is now Cuya-
ba, Brazil, the capital of Matto Crosse,
and the metropolis of a vast country
of undeveloped resources.
The first man to penetrate this re-
gion by steam was an American. His
name was Capt. Thomas ]. Page. He
was commander of the steam launch
Alpha, of our navy, and upon this little
ship In 1859 he pushed his way inland
1900 miles from the Atlantic. Today
Brazilian mail steamers go over the
same route twice a month, and there
are steamers leaving here weekly for
Cuyaba. The Paraguay. river for half
the journey is everywhere twenty feet
deep, while its average depth Is said
to be forty-f1ve feet.
IN THE HEART OF BRAZIL.
In going from Asuncion to Cuyaba
you pass through a region which is
most picturesque. Crossing the boun-
dairy Of Paraguay, you enter the great
province of Matto Crosse, which is an
empire in itself. AS you go north the
Paraguay river narrows, the scenery
becomes wild, and you steam in and
out among mountains upon the bases
of which grow fern trees and giant
palms. The banks are covered with
wooded mass of vegetation. The trees
are tall and bound together with vines
and creepers. You. could not make
your way through them with an ak
Or a knife.
There are all kinds of wild birds, and
you get many shots from the steamer
There are alligators everywhere, and
If you rise early you may now and
then see jaguars swimming across the
river.
Further north, If you throw dyna-.
mite cartridge into the water, the dead
fish will soon rise on all side of you,
and you can within a few minutes pick
up enough to half fill your boat Here
and there you pass farm houses cut
out of the woods. At some of these the
boat stops for fresh meat, taking the
beeves on board and killing them there.
There are frequent forests of palms
scattered along the river.
About two days ride above Asun-
Cion, just over the Brazilian line, for
est covered island, 1900 feet high,
springs up ahead of you and seems to
stop your progress. AS you approach
it you see that there is a channel at
the west side wide enough for the boat
A11.lY1 y, ", I'll
as the Mountain Gate. The land
about it is said to be so unhealthy that.
as one of the authorities states, even
the trees are pot-bellied and dropsical.
Some of the human beings in the
neighborhood certainly are.
AMONG THE TIGERS.
AS you proceed further the animal
life increases. Deer are frequently seen
and among them some almost pure
white. The birds are Of the most gor-
geouS plumage the tOucans being re-