Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-03
THE WINTER CLIMATE
Pan-American Delegates Will
Enjoy 1t.
RIOS BEAUTIFUL HARB0R
View From Corcovado the Most
Magnificent.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CITY
Some Business Customs-Petropolis
the Diplomatic capital-Excur-
sions for tho Delegates.

The delegates to the pan-American con-
ference In starting for Rio Janeiro are off
for a toIerably long sea voyage. 1t will
take them eighteen days from the time they
leave the Brooklyn dock till they reach
their destination. They will touch at Per-
nambuco, OF the eastern coast of Brazil
where they will be three times near to
Africa as to New York. When they reach
Rio they will have travelled nearly 5000
miles
The delegates are counting enjoying
the winter climate. Those who in the be-
ginning hesitated for fear of the heat were
consoled when they were told that south of
the equator 1t is midwinter in July. Rio
is about as far south of the equator as Ha-
vana is north of 1t. Still nobody will re-
quire heavy f1annels and extra overcoats.
The city is passably comfortable in July
and August, but the air never gets to be a
nipping one except up in the mountains.
Rios Beautiful Harbor.
Some of the delegates or those who ac-
company them are world travellers. They
may, therefore, be able to pronounce an
opinion whether the harbor Of Rio Janeiro,
specked with its hundreds of green islands.
is really the most magnificent one in the
world, or whether the Bay of Sydney, New
South Wales, approaches 1t in grandeur
and beauty They Will be likely to hear
about the old sea captain who the first time
he put into Rio Janeiro having come from
New South Wales, was so much in doubt
that he turned his ship back to Australian
waters in order to compare sydney and Rlo.
When he reached Sydney, being still unable
to make up his mind, he returned to Rio,
where after mature reflection he decided to
take another look at Sydney. According to
the legend that sea captain kept going back
and forth for forty years, and when his
end came he was on his ship somewhere
midway between Rio and Sydney, the de-
batable question still open.
If they can't make up their minds about
the bay itself the pan-Americans Will have
still greater difficulty in finding suitable
COMPARISONS for the stiletto-like mountains
with their green blades which surround the
city. The most prominent peak has several
poetic names but the one commonly given
it is the very prosaic term OF Hoods Nose,
after the nasal protuberance of an unpopu-
lar Englishman. OF course there is sugar
loaf for nobody ever saw a range OF noun
tains without this loaf. but the one at Rio
Janeiro looks more like squattint. toad
keeping ward over the city. The domi-
mating mountain peak is the Corcovado or
hunchback
Within the last three years immense har-
Dor improvements have been made and the
lower part of the city has been rebuilt,
squares opened up and narrow streets
broadened into wide avenues, more tnan
900 houses having been torn down Tor TINS
purpose. This destruction. however, does
not destroy the Heterogeneous Of Rio, be-
cause instead Of being merely water
front metropolis 1t is city built on lnnu-
merable hills, and each one OF these nliis
is a group of clustered colors.
Ashore there Is the trolley TO SylVestre
along the aqueduct, hundreds of years oid
past numberless Towering trees OF oiiVe
and emerald green and blue trumpet vines
curving around natural granite terraces
ooahf ha
trolley Is left and a cog railway TAKEN
Usually the cog is out of order and the
faint-hearted tourist stops at the comfort
able hotel in the glade But those Who
have the pluck to take a staff and climb
IN the ladder-like sides Of Corcovado to
the top are more than rewarded When
they look down on Rio and the bay they
know that 1t is the most magnincent pay
in the world / don't believe the old sea
captain ever left his ship and climbed Cor
coyado, for II he had he would not have
made return voyage to Sydney.
One Left Untouched.
While many of the narrow streets of
Rio have been torn out and broadened one
has been left untouched. This is the Ouvi-
dor. the narrow lane with shops and booths
on either side through which much OF the
business activity and more of the social
life of the city pulsates The OuVldor Is
like Obispo street in Havana, but l think
drive in one direction along Obispo, but In
Rio this is not permitted at all on the GU
vidor The Brazilian ladies take their
daily parade there to be admired to shop
a little in the jewelry and millinery stores,
to gossip In the neat cafes and to take
sidelong glance at the headgear OF the
other ladies.
The commercial life of Rio centers in
coffee, not that the city is the chief ship
ping port. for the bulk of the product is
sent out from Santos. But the prices are
governed by Rio quotations and the mar
keting is done there. 1t Is not q rushing
business for 1t begins leisurely at 10
o'clock and ends promptly at 3. with
good full hour for lunch or breakfast be-
tween times. On the exchange many of the
brokers, Notwithstanding the heat, wear
high hats and frock coats. There Is not
much gesticulation and nothing like the
wild excitement of a New York or a Chi
cago exchange. This may be because there
are so many staid Englishmen and phleg-
matte Germans engaged In the trade. or
because the Portuguese and their descend
ants are not 30 excitable as other Latin
races.
One fine old gentleman In BIO without
doubt will pay his respects to the pam
American delegates since he himself has
been In the diplomatic service and is very
punctilious In matters of official etiquette.
He is frequently pointed out to visitors,
fine erect figure apparently a man about
seventy or seventy five He is the Fizcon-
de de Barbacena. The yiscount Is q his
torical figure because he typifies Brazil
when 1t was a branch OF the Portuguese
monarchy, when 1t was a young empire,
when it was an aging empire under the
benignant Dom Pedro, and when it become
a republic.
The retired diplomats who are said to
have danced at Queen Victoria's corona
ton would be routed by the vizconde de
Barbacena. think he was at the corona
ton of Victoria, but as an attache of the
Brazilian legation his record goes back OF
that event, for he danced at the coronation
OF William Nv. The story eftenest told to
prove that the vtscount has found the
fountain of youth is of his visit to one OF
the ministers of the government In regard
to some of his property which had become
tangled up. The governments aid was
necessary in unraveling the tangle The
minister promised to do what was request
ed. ''Ah. Mr.. Minister" said the Vizconde
de Barbacena, in taking leave, now my
future Is assured" He was then 100 years
old When saw him three years ago they
told me he was 102. SO now he must be in
his 105th year.
1t has been decided to hold the sessions
OF the conference in Rio Janerio instead
OF going to Petropolis Petropolis is known
as the diplomatic capital because all the
foreign ministers and the consuls have their
homes there and 1t Is also the home of Rio
Branco, the Secretary of State. It was the
favorite residence of Dom Pedro.