Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-10-04

an eNhaustless lake OF asphalt within
their borders, the Yeue2ucans would
better pave their beloved capital, but
they reason that what was good
enough for the od-tme Spanish no.
billty is good enough for them. and
meanwhile the wonderful lake Is an
uniailing source OF revenue from the
various foreign companies that are
mining 81. The houses Of Caracas
are all Of the usual Spanish American
style, no variation being permitted by
law They are Of stone. on OF sun
baked mdd, covered with cement that
looks like marble. every year renewed
and reprinted In all the col0rs Of the
rainbow-pinks, puppies and yelloWs
predominatlng, They are really tn
very sort Of houses for the climate,
their enormously thick walls being al.
most bomb and earthquake proof and
Keeping out both heat and cold. with
their deliberately succeed lacades, In
dian-red, peaked-tile covered roofs and
inner court-yards with trees and tloW-
ers growing In them, they are 10Y
foreye" In the way Of beauty and pie
turesqueness Among the character
lstic features Of Caracas are It's a,
bridges, all ornamcnted, which span
the four rivers running through the
valley, and its great number OF costly
statues In marble ana bronze. The
most remarkable bridge Is near the
railway station. In general appearance
1t is an ordinary steel construction
span springing from one hill TO am
other over the Canyon-like roadway
So far It does not differ from other
bridges the world over. The peculiar
ity Of this Is that II never had any oc.
cupation and probably never viii have,
as at neither end Is there anything
I'm the shape of a road or path, lead
ing anywhere. The great costly pom
derous work is simply hung up in the
air for no purpose whateyer--except
that Crespo the then dictator, desired
for some political reason 10 give
valuable contract 20 a certain bridge
building firm The city was alread 4,
swarming with useless bridges and
Crespo could think Of no place IN mt
another but ELSEWHERE at least il
would be out Of the way So he gave
the contract. the more cherfu y bee
cause II was ndt his money that built
IT, ana the people point with pride To-
the only bridge in the world that be-
gins nowhere and leads nowhere.
Other countries can have bridges need
ed for traffic and travel. but few can
afford the luxury Of steel structures
hung up IN the air for ornament.
Among the innumerable statues that
decorate Caracas, perhaps the most
beautiful Is that which was erected by
Gu2man Blanco In honor Of Bolivar;
the local Washington. who filled one
world with his benefits and all worlds
with his name" 1t is a colossal eques-
trian figure the horse In the usual Inn
possible attitude Of the sculptor's i'm
agination. ingeniously supported by his
tai, which touches the ground. while
his fore legs paw the air. The Images
are OF bronze, the pedestal Of hlue.gr
granite, highly polished An nscrip-
tion on the front OF the base informs
beholders that Sonor Bolivar, (pro-
nounced See-mOne BOleevaD was the
"liberator" of Venezuela, New Gre
NADIA and Peru and the founder OF Boil
via, On another side II is stated that
the illustrous patriot was born in Car
acas July "a, 1888; that he died at Santa
Marta, Colombia, Dec II, 1890, that his
remains were brought TO the city Of his
nativity and re-entombed, on Dec. IT,,
1912; and that in 1874 "the illustrious
American Guzman Blanco, then pres
ident Of the republic caused this mon
ument to be erected. You may be sure
that Blanco, with his customary mod
esty, would never be guilty Of leaving
himself out II should be remembered
that Bolivar, though now reyered as a
saint was driven into exile by his I'M
grateful countrymeu, and that he died
of a broken heart, IN extreme poverty,
i'm a neighboring republic" Ten years
after his death Dictator PaeZ--the
same who overthrow Bolivar and sent
him into exile-bethought himself that
II would be q popular thing to bring
home the "Iiberators bones, So II
was done with no end of pomp and
ceremony. and the remains were in
TERED IN the Caracas cathedral--all hut
his heart. which was taken from his
bOdy and vet remains In an urn in