Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1905-01-06
DUNHAM BROS.

sea level and is the highest body 81 water
in the world on which there Is steam
navigation. Its greatest lengthihs 1873
miles; greatest width 90 miles 1tticaca
itself is not an evaporating pan. las it's
waters are drained by the river Desa-
guadero into Lake Poopo which KIabout
one-tenth the size of Titicaca.t Lake
Poopo. however, only has about one
hundredth part of the volume oflwater
IL receives carried off by other streams.
With relation to the climate of the An
dean region, Mr.. Pepper said that the
great attitudes were modified by the tor
rid zone. which includes almost the entire
area, as Bolivias geographical extension
is from south latitude degrees to "a
degrees. general statement was that
between 1900 and $4,000 feet mean
annual average of SO degrees FahrNnheit
is experienced. while above that altitude
the mean average is approximately 43
degrees Fahrenheit. The cOnfiguaton of
the mountains have marked modifying
influences. and the attitudes are not al
ways an Indication of the temperature
In this region tuberculosis is unknown
but there are other diseases of a climatic
/ character. Until acclimated. newcomers
find the greatest inconvenience from the
siroche or mountain sickness, which IS
I akin TO seasickness, and from the lccel-
Grated heart action.
Referring to the inhabitants of the Bo-
livian Andes, Mr.. Pepper said that the
chief centres of population were above
5000 feet, and most of them above 10. 900
feet. He cited a number of places in
which people were congregating IN set
Elements more than $4,000 feet above sea
level, and referred to the belief that the
aboriginal inhabitants were much more
numerous than the present ones. lie al
so recalled that after the Spanish con-
quest much larger population was sus-
tanned in the mining regions than at pres
emit He cited the district of Oruro.l which
now has 10000 inhabitants, and which
the Spanish annals credited with "a. 900
people in the early part of the sixteenth
century. while Potosi, which now he's l2-
600, according to the Spanish figlhes at
one time supported 100000 people
census was taken in 1900 and it showed
total population of 1876, 1000 of whom
2l5,00O We're whites, $780, 900 of mixed
blood, and 1,02S 600 belonged to The In
dian race without the intermixt1re of
other blood. OF the Indians the two
great divisions are the Ayamaras and
the Quichuas. The bulk of this Indian
population is within the Andean rgion.
The Ayamaras are the most numerous
and occupy the central tableland and
much of the puma or mountain rgion.
The Quichuas are found i'm the southern
section and in the north along the Shores
Oh Lake TltiCaca, 4 curious Circumstance
Is that the town of Sicasca is the meet
ing place of both the Quichuas and the
Ayamaras dwelling together there but
having little intercourse and each main
tanning its own language and customs
The great bulk of the Ayamara pbpula
ton has refused to learn the Spanish Ian
guage and maintains the customs of
centuries ago with very little change
Mr.. Pepper gave in conclusion a brief
sketch of the mineral wealth of the Bo
Ill.
and bismuth are produced. From $40 10
1850 the output of gold was estimated
at S2,OSO, 000, 900. At the present lime
only a few hundred ounces are secured
each year The gold is chiefly placer
mining but there is also quartz The
SILVER production of the potosi region for
$40 years was estimated at $500 00O 900
put the mines now have very small out
put However, the Pulacayo is ohe OF
the best producing silver mines ID the
world, Its output having been about $50
OOo,OCO for the last quarter of a cehtry
copper comes chiefly from what is Known
as the Corocoro region and the OUTPUT is
increasing The tin deposits are found in
the eastern fold of the tableland and ex
tend over a region three hundred miles
IN extent, hut the greatest produktve-
ness is between latitude II and ID de-
grees The tin exists in combination with
silver. Mr. Pepper made the statement
that the highest mines in the worth are
operated in Bolivia, some of them being
worked 1900 feet above sea level He
drew bright picture of the revival of
the mining industry which had beeh de-
pressed through the lack of transporta-
tion facilities. These he said, would now
DE supplied by the system of RAILROADS
which the Bolivian government is ban
ming to build using the $40. DOC, 900 hem-
nifty received from Brazil for the Acre
territory as nucleus for the railway
fund. ""S