Evening star., 1903-07-11
PACIFIC COAST TOWNS
They Are All Very Much
Alike.
A SCARCITY OF RAIN
IN PAITA THE PEOPLE GET 1T
ONCE IN SEVEN YEARS.
Some Earthquake Stories That Are Said
to Be True Center of
Nitrate Production.
A SCARCITY OF RAIN
pecial Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

IQUIQUE, Chile, June, 1903.
There is a variation Of the simple OR the
tranquil life which is found on the Pacific
coast. This Is the patient life All voyag-
ers experience it. We are more than three
weeks out from Panama and Valparaiso is
still nearly week distant. Yet we do
make headway. or 1 should be writing from
Paita in northern Peru instead of from the
great nitrate, shipping port of northern
Chile.
The coast towns are much alike. Paita.
1 was informed, was typical of Peru, and
therefore went ashore. One day it is to be
the terminus of the railway system which
Is to form the Atlantic and Pacific highway,
starting somewhere in the headwaters of
the Amazon and squirming in and out of
the Andes till all the Cordilleras are
crossed.
In other respects Paita Is like most of
the Peruvian coast towns. The harbor Is
a lively one, filled with small cattle floats.
barges for sugar and rice. cOasting schoon-
ers, two or three rude RATS with sails and
countless small boats.
1t is a swarming native life that comes
aboard to vend local merchandise, pottery
knickknacks, but chiefly the straw hats.
which are the genuine Panama hats and
are made by the Indians back In the coun-
try. good one costs So American gold.
which. allowing for tariff dues and mid
clemens profits. would be about $25 in
New York. SO there is temptation to buy.
On shore Paita develops into more of q
town than appears from the ships deck.
The theater is of frame and a part Of 1t
seemed to be used as a school house. for
we heard the droning Of the children 8
voices. A bicycle merry-go-round and a
cancha de galloS, small amphftheater for
the cock fights, indicate popular diversions
but there are municipal schools and the
III kQ witt fd
church neighbor Is an Offset. Our own
party visited both the cockpit and the
church. but the confession has to be made
that the first visit was to the former where
a'few dispirited roosters tied in the corners
indicated that the last fight had taken
place not many hours before
The town was clean and gave evidence Of
good local administration. More than this.
of public spirit. The plaza at Paita has its
hopes in a center plat Of blooming Kansas
sunf1owers, scraggy carnations and scrubby
roses while around its borders, carefully
inclosed, are palm blades which some day
may grow into dwarf palms. Several of the
dwellings also seek to coax dusty climbing
vines over neat lattice arbors of bamboo
laths. 1t is a brave attempt, If not to con-
quer. at least to mollify arid nature
and gives little color where otherwise all
would be dreary.
Rain Once in Seven Years.
Yet it is dry in Paita and roundabout and
the wonder is that the trade. which comes
in by the narrow-gauge railway from Piura
and by the burros from over the hills in
considerable volume. does not choke in get
thing to the seacoast went to the market
place to catch glimpse of the character
fstics Of native life which are always to be
seen. and found that the stalls overflowed
into the river bed. or what might be the
river bed for it Is a depressed surface with
stOckades along the sides like ditch
How often does it rain at Paita? In an
indirect way 1 learned that the tradition
actually is once in seven years. but the
records do not support the tradition. A
heavy dew sometimes passes for rain in
what is known as the Piura district. This
Is called the Scotch mist. Along the sea-
shore it becomes heavy fog and at this
the winter season. is quite chilling.
There are broad plans for the irrigation
of northern Peru, some of which have re-
Gently been authorized by a French geog-
rapher and scientist. When they are real
lied the whole region may become a vast
cotton. rice. cane and corn field. The diff
hcultes are said to be no greater than in
the arid districts of the United States, but
neither irrigation legislation nor irrigation
experiments have advanced as far as with
us and Peru will have to wait longer.
OF dozen small ports below Paita none
Is quite so attractive Is PacasmayO, "a
pretty. surf-beaten village in a cove at the
foot of lofty mountain. 1t is the outlet
for the sugar, rice and oranges produced
in the valleys beyond The chief attra ction
for travelling Americans. however is to
go ashore for an hour or two to enjoy the
hospitality which always Is extended them
by the American-Peruvian family of Mr..
Kaufman.
After leaving Pacasmayo there is little
variety. except that the hills grow more
Jagged and the crystalline surface of the
rocks rising out Of the ocean give evidence
that the guano deposits are not fully ex-
hauStp6 though cOnrnnrcIa1 l.
tiles now are lessening. Mollendo. the chief
southern port of Peru, makes a good ap-
pearance, the town spreading over the fiat
slope of the hill with its many colored
houses glistening in the sunlight If the
day chances to be holiday the number
of flags of different nations which are fly
ing from the various consulates gives a
hiEt of extensive commerce. This is
verified for the trade of southern Peru
and northern Bolivia comes down the rail-
way from Arequipa and Puno and flows
out through the port.
The Town Of AFRICA
The most interesting of all the towns
on the coast is africa. This may be be-
cause 1t has clumps of green trees and a
bushy fringe of green along the sandy
beach, while the huge cliffs do not seem
to be so barren as elsewhere, and the
flat-top hills do not limit the range Of
vision or altogether shut In the plain and
valley which spreads to Tacna. fifty miles
inland. The district has agricultural pro-
duction as well as nitrates and one of the
projects msch discussed Is to extend the
railroad from Tacna to Oruro, giving rail
Il Iansportation for the output of Bolivian
mines, which is now brought down by the
burros.
On closer view africa Is even more charm
ing than when seen from the sea. The
trees are genuine and of fine leaf foliage,
commonly known as pepper trees. There
is handsome little plaza with an ellipti-
cal inclosed plot Of shrubbery in the CEN
ter-blue morning glories, purple Towering
vine trees
A walk through the slopipg cobble paved
streets gives pleasing impression of
trimness. The dwellings are of one story,
with here and there a more pretentious
house OF two stories. all colors. subdued
green, blue. brown, orange. almost pris-
matte. Through the narrow hall entrances
small eatios visible, always with a
vine covered arch. clean and wholesome
town all through. even to the docks where
the salt and sulphur from Tacna Is loaded
/ knew nothing of Arica's earthquake
history until the corrugated iron buildings
caused me to make inquiry regarding their
utility. Then the story was told me of the
great earthquake of 1858 and the tidal
wave which carried an American frigate
a mile inland and left 1t there to become
the house of a number of Indian families,