Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-06-10
4 CROCODILE or TINE MADEIRA

seen most OF the great rivers II the
world, but nowhere else anything like
this. Lot me give you some notes
which I made sitting in the prov %
the steamer as We passed through.
We are now In the great delta " the
Amazon. We have loft the rushing
channel, where the river rolls along In
yellow waves ON ~ tufhld course, nud
arc floating through cunnnln. whore the
water ~ un Hmuth aa Furnished steel,
but where by the settling nun % has
changed 60 copper and 90 gold on
nil slides or uH are Islands, which seem
10 float on this c1ppcfy sea, masses of
rich, dark navy blue ana EufHnuuH
green. our steamer In passing between
walls 81 blue. walls u cmor-
aid plush hundred feet hiEh.
which. cut BY other canals, sim.
iluriy wooded. make Il seem ua
though We were travelling through one
~ natures great cities. u o. a fairy
city Of the Amnzon-a city not built
by hands. city populated by monkeys,
lnEuarH. parrots and buttcriiicH, II n
the haunt Of the cfnckndlle, which here
grows 10 ia greatest alEe. u a. tho
home ~ the orchid and the palm. ~
the India rubber tree, and OF countless
other tropical plants, which would each
be rarity IN the botanical gardens OF
Europe.
THE VEGETATION,
Take look at the trees what a
variety % palms. Somo Oh them are
only az big around uH your arm. but
they arr as tall ~ n tlN.story house,
extending from the ground 90 the top
without branches, aud ending Ia "a
great taHHel Of leaves. There ore 9th.
crH which Hpruut out in great punches
from the ground, There uru palms
loaded with cucuauutl, each nut DO ltH
green huHk uH big ua "a foot ball There
uro palms which branch out likc fans,
md there nro royal palms hundred
feet tall. which tower high above the
smaller varieties.
llut tho most striking trees Of the
Amazon are not the palm trvoH. We
look IN vain Tor "a forest ~ palms
Palms grow among the other trees uf
the woods. aud you seldom pee many
palms close together. The other forest
trees IN tho distance look much like our
trees ut home.
when you set close To the shore how
ever you see the trccH nrc matted to-
ruthcr with vines The bark of many
OF thcm o. silver gray, ana long creep.
orH hang down from their branches 10
the ground. 30 that u would be- almost
impossible 90 make your way through
without the aid OF an az,
Some OF tho trees are enormous. The
one which hcam the Brazil nut towers
ANN..N MNNNN Wv ANNA WA AAN ANNN"AH ~
hHH "a foliage % rich, dark green, ana
this ortrnla ut,ln The shape of a great
hiu ur mound ~ green away M there
ln lho ale. The Hrazll nutH are like
Wnluutn only each nut a. about twice
nH bis un "a base ball II has a great
,huHk upon II, aud inside Of II there are
from fifteen 20 twenty Of the brazil
nuts OF commerce.
Some of the Amazon trees arr covered
with flowers, over there ut the right
there Il a hay stack OF vlolets poised
UP ON the top Of that trunk, sixty feet
high, Further over you may st-v "a tree
whose blossoms look Just like butter
your mind o. stack " huttcrcupH as big
ne q circus tent away up In me air SUR
rounded by green, ana you have the
effect
The most beautiful things, however
are tho little things. the orchids which
trees ANA plants which have leaves
busted with silver and copper and gold,
THE NUTS OF THE AMAZON.
have seen hut Few people lu my way
up the Amazon. Para, nt the mouth, Is
tho metropolis Of tho whole region. n
has 10000 population ana Va n biz huHl-
ness center ohyduH has about 600 poo-
pie, although it Is put down IN the
books na much larger. There are a fow
NANNNN NNHANNNANNh NV NNH NNNAN 80 HANN"
tnrom ana Porte Alcrre but none have
many people.
Along the banks you 500 here and
there cut out OF the woods q clearing
Just about big enough Tor a hut and
garden. The hut n made OF poles and
palm leaves. ana the garden consists
~ a few banana plants, nm orange tree
or Hn ana some palm trees. The huts
ARE matched with palm leaves, They
are M rude that the wind whistles
through them and the roof merely
serves 90 keep out the rain and tho sun.
Thry are built close 10 tho edge ~ tho
river, Naked babies play un the shore
in front NJ them ana harofooted mon
ana women. many of whom are mulnt-
toes or negroes, stand aud look al tho
steamer as q goes by The most NJ
these people are rubber hunters, "a few
own cncn0 orchards, but an seem 10
be thrlftles1 and poverty stricken.
THE FLOODS or THE AMAZON.
Many N the people can live In their
hutH only part OF the year. They
have 20 20 20 the nlgher lands during
the Hoods The Amazon valley ia the
rainiest region of the world. Il IL oa-
tlmated that million and hair cubic
feet OF rain falls upon IL every day the
Ia