The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-12-01

! 1ofgesr potterIes, tobacco factories, cit
| ton factories where sail-cloth princl-
| pally is made, tanneries, paper mills,
glass-works, manufactures of hats
saddles and the cutlery and firearms
which this place used to rank second
| only to Toledo.
I There are numerous converts and
monasteries, mostly in the old town and
now devoted to secular uses. The pub
| lie buildings are substantial, but too
! English in style to be architecturally.
! interesting, Among the finest are the
! Palace of the Deputacion Provincial,
the arsenal, hospital, opera house. Maui
| tical academy and college There is a
| bank of issue and discount, founded
| about forty years ago, and several ad-
| mtrable schools supported by the local
board of trade for gratuitous instruc-
ton in design, architecture. mathemat-
! les and languages. The Jesuits are a
very numerous and important body
here, as in all northern Spain, and how
ever poor the country their colleges
and numerous churches are well sup
ported Bilgao's chief attractions are
it's beautiful promenades and shaded
terraces and fine seward views from
the neighboring hilltops. The Plaza
Nuevo is q prettily arcaded square,
with five fountains in it, trees, statuary
and flower beds. All around it the shop
fronts and staircases are built of red
marble with large white eyes, quarried
near the city. A fine tree-shaded prom
enade borders the river, and Paseo
leads init Paseo for several miles, as
cending terrace by terrace, so that you
may prolong the walk to the distant
ridge of Monte Cabras.
The iron ores of Biscay, especially
along the west side of the river lbaiZa-
bal, first began to attract attention
about thirty years ago, They are chief
ly red or bronze ore hermatites, occur
ring in the mountain limestone and
worked in open quarries. Now the So
morrostro district is exclusively worked
by English iron masters from the north
of England, several short railways and
tramways have been laid including
that of the Goldames Mining company
who possess a solid cliff of iron ore, a
mile long and two hundred and eighty
feet high There wire tramway is car
ried through a tunnel, six hundred feet
long, down to Portugalete, where quays
and landing stages have been built at
a point called Sesteo. The Landore ST.
amese Steel company own important
hermatite mines, also connected with
the river by wire tramWay, carrying
baskets for loading. Going down the
river by tramway, railway or steamer,
you pass the station of the railway that
leads up into the hills to the Orconera
mines; and a few miles further ON are
extensive iron works of the Deslerto,
Vizcaya, Altoahonos and other mining
companies of jaw dislocating names.
The tramway ride is extremely pleas
ant on a sunny afternoon. Passing
along the Pasco de los Canes, so-called
because it forms the roof of the great
acqueduct which conveys water to the
city; past the queer old Church of San
Juan, and the little Plazuela de la
Cruz, whence a long flight of steps
leads to the cemetery, over whose por-
tai a curious warning is inscribed;
through the handsome English suburb,
Abba, with it's fine houses and wide |
you come at last to the fir |
seaside Villas of Bilbao merchants. |
The tramway terminates at Las Are |
mas, near the rivers mouth where ex |
tensive bathing establishments are |
crowded during half the year. Not far |
from Arenas, reached by carriage road |
across the sand-dunes, is the quaint old |
town of Santinella del Mar-the an
cient Concona, renowned as the birth
place of Gil Bias. If you have time to
make the pilgrimage, you may enjoy |
90 a supper of garlic pudding, dried
iSh, (bream), stewed in OIL native wine
and olives, under the same roof that
sheltered the champion liar. The San
Lillans have ceased to quaff the Tartan
drink of horses blood and asses milk,
he luxury of their ancestors, when the
own was known as Santa Juliana, in
honor of the patroness of pilgrims
Her body was brought here in 1907, and
buried in the fine old church which is
worth going far to see. 1t was built in
he twelfth century and it's altar 'front.'
Il is entirely of silver work.
Portugalete, the real port of Bilbao,
s a village of perpendicular hills and
midtown streets; if i'm
nense projecting roofs picturesque
lresses of Basque peasantry, a iargon
# strange tongues, and the noisy bus
lie inseparable from a busy seaport
ven in sleepy Spain. Wheels are OF
mail use here, and most of the carriage
S drawn by mules and women. Inter
ninable fights of stairs lead down to
he quay, and up to the cloud-scraping
esidences of the merchants. During ]
he summer months the place is much ;
requented by visitors from surround {
ng regions, including French and Por-
uguese from lower and hotter cities be- {
'ond the Pyrenees and the Galician
Sierras. Aside from it's natural fea-
ures Portugalete offers few sights to
he tourist. There Is a barn-like Eng J
sh church, in a big factory-yard for
he spiritual accommodation of the [
arge British mining and sea-faring G
community; while the more poetic !
minded natives worship in the fine old ]
esuit church of Santa Maria, whose /
ronderful retablo and choir-stalla We're '
arved in oak by forgotten artists CEN I
uries ago. From the end of the new s
uay a wide view may be obtained Of t
he harbor, which is twice as large as /
nat of Barcelona or Cartagena: and of c
he long line of foam-crested breakers
tretching across the rivers mouth and I