Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1902-01-02
TRIP TO SOUTH AMERICA.
CHAPTER 3.

can see for miles. There are eight
large islands in the lake and most of
them are in habited How grand are
the mountains that rise above this lake.
There is nothing grander in the Hima-
layas or the Alps than the snowy peaks
which peep out from the clouds around
the lake.
This lake is higher in the air than
most of the mountain tops in our coun-
try. Is it not a wonderful body of wa
ter? 1t is almost halt as large as Lake
Ontario and it lies twice as high as the
top of Mt. washington. The houses
on the islands OF this lake are among
the highest houses in the world that
people can live in and really this is the
loftiest of all lakes upon which steam
boats sail
But where does the lake come from
and where does it go? You can easily
see its source by looking at the SHOWS
and glaciers above the lake. 1t is made
by the snow water of nine rivers from
the Andian peaks which flow into it.
Where the water all goes is not known.
There is no visible outlet to the sea.
Part of the water goes into lake Poopo
although there is no outlet to be seen.
We will now examine the steamboats,
that are flying to and fro on this body
of water and we see that they were
made in Glasgow, Scotland. This seems
very strange. How could they possibly
get such large ship over the Andes?
One of tn ese vessels weighs so much
that if'it could be loaded on wagons
thousand horses could not pull it.
How could they possibly lift such
weight over these mountains which
| everywhere in Peru are almost as high
os Pixies Peak? OF course they could
not lift the whole ship at once even if
they tried.
But such ships were needed for COM
merce and commerce works in all sorts
of ways to accomplish its own ends.
These vessels were loaded on ships at
Glasgow and were brought through the
Strait of Magellan to Mollendo where
they were loaded on trains part at a
time and brought up the Andes,
We now sail across the lake and visit
Bolivia. When we land at Chililaya
we are just A. miles from it's chief city,
La Paz.
We take stage drawn by eight mules
for the journey. We go in gallop all
day long stopping only to change mules
every three hours and at the close of
day we look for the city to which we
are going. We wonder if we shall get
there before dark when at last the dri-
yer pulls up the mules and the stage
stops. We are on the brink OF preci-
pce and there thousand feet below us
in gorge in the mountains is, the cur
ious city of La Paz. 1t is so far down
that we can hardly distinguish the
houses.
At last we reach the city. How queer
it all is! Most of the people are clad
in brightest of reds blues and green's,
Five eights of the people are Indians
and the remainder whites and of the
mixed race of whites and Indians call
ed Cholos.
Even the houses are blase of color
for their walls are painted in the mos
delicate tints of red, blue and green.
This city is very delightful one
The streets are narrow and transpor
tation is done by donkeys and by man
On the eastern slopes. of the Andes
by very short ride on horseback We
can reach the Yungas Valley where
there are planta tions of coffee, coo'
and cinchona trees
Have you ever heark of cinchona
Perhaps not but venture every one o
you has sometime had to take quinine
Quinine is the bitter white powde
made from the bark of cinchona trees
1t is especially good for mararal feVe
and we shall need some later on whel
we 60 up the Amizon.
We see loads of cinchona bark on tn
streets of La Paz. Bolivia raises SOM
Of the best cinchona although excellen
cinchona is also raised in Peru and al
all along the eastern slopes Of the An
des between here and Columbia.
Plantations have been recently bee
started for raising cinchona trees. Si
years after planting the trees are Gu
down and their bark stripped of 70
ouinine. At this age the tree will prC
duce about four pounds :of bark. TIL
!, next year after cutting sprouts wi
n come up from the stumps and six year
a. later another crop is ready for harves
"a The most OF the quinine commerce. hov
n ever comes from the wild trees. Th
n bark seen on the streets Of La Paz WI
20 gathered from the forests At the head
|, the BENZ river 1t was carried throug
n the woods for miles on the backs
a Indians and then loaded upon donkey
Ia and brought to La Paz.
A We see on the streets Of La PaE do
o. KEYS loaded with coca leaves fro
is which cocaine is made. Cocaine IS
bv drug used to dsaden pain. Coca is Al
used By the Indians to chew. I've