Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-02-18

where Christmas was passed, no stop
will be made until Rio de Janeiro is
reached. which. according to the SEIZED.
ule prepared before starting, should
be January IL. A stop of ten days
is to be made at the Brazilian capital,
and If Jack Tar writes home as he
ought to, and probably will, the let
tiers which come from there should
be we'll worth reading to other moth
ers who have no sons with "Mr.
Evans boats" or to other girls who
have no sweethearts wearing the
navy blue, for they will probably con.
tain much about Nhe capital Of Bra
iii, over $50 years old, with its beau
tiful parks, public buildings and pri-
vate houses, oddly interspersed with
structures Of great antiquity, among
them the San Sebastian church, which
was built in 1867.
The next stop will be at Punta
Arenas, the most southernly town on
this side of the globe, where the
fleet is due January 81.
The letters will then tell of passing
from the heat Of midsummer to the
cold of winter while going south all
the time, and there will undoubtedly
be complaint or two about the coun.
try, and perhaps a wish that the
writer could get look again at Broad
way, and there may even be unkind
remarks in the letter about Magellan,
who nearly 400 years ago discovered
the strait through which Admiral
Evans plans to take his fleet. For
Magellan strait, although an undoubt.
ed aid to navigation, is not much to
look at. About 100 miles long, the
channel through which Admiral
Evans feet will pass is for the most
part only about as wide as the Hud-
son river Chilli owns the land on
either side Of the strait-what was
part of Patagonia on one side and
Terra del Fuego on the other. The
vegetation on both sides of the great
waterway is said to be as scanty as
the clothing Of the natives, which
would barely permit Of their entertain.
ment at Turkish bath in this coun.
try. In his letters home Jack" is at
least not likely to wax highly com
plimentary concerning the natives, for
they never battle, smear their bodies
with paint and grease. spend most Of
their days on horseback and their
nights under huts of hides built up on
poles and deem horse meat and OF.
trtch flesh the finest of foods.
There is a 3,000-mile run before the
feet after leaving Punta Arenas.
about February s, until the next stop
ping place. Callao, Peru, is reached.
When the vessels cast anchor or that
port on February Is Admiral Evans
ships will have covered total dis.
tance Of something like 10.7OO miles
Were the Panama canal now built. by
passing through 1t the fleet could have
shortened the distance to Callao BY
100 miles.
1t will probably be with genuine re.
greet that he will turn his back upon
the hospitality Of the Peruvians on or
about February 20, for on March IA
when the ships are due to drop
anchor in Magdalena bay, on the
coast Of Mexico, all thoughts OF the
pleasures OF the long trip around
South America must give place to
strict attention to the work Of tar
get practice, if he would secure a
place in any of the crack gun crews Of
Uncle Sans navy. After practice the
feet will probably go to San Francis.
co, and orders received there may
take 1t to the Philippine islands OF
bring it home again.