The Detroit times., 1909-12-22
GOES 2,100 MILES
UP AMAZON RIVER
Napo, Biggest Draught Vessel To
Reach Foothills of Andes, Has
Many Strange Adventures.

NEW YORK, Dec. 22.-Back from a
magic. black river where islands have
no firm hold. but shift about. floating
out 10 sea, the snugly built little
OF the Booth Steamship Company
arrived from the head waters OF the
Amazon Through tortuous channels
as variable as breezes, guided intui-
lively by mongrel pilots. she threaded
her course 2.100 miles across the South
American continent TO within 200 miles
OF the Andes and back again.
The Napo is the biggest draught
ship that ever went up to the foothills
Cf the Andes. drawing when she left
Para 10 feet inches by her stern.
At Para the chief officer. Robert
Roskell, said Capt. Barnett took on
two pilots. who appeared TO be mix
lures OF Indian. Spanish. Portuguese
and Chinese blood. From Manaos.
where the ship touched five days after
quitting Para, the course lay up the
Salamoes, really the upper Amazon.
The Salamoes keeps shoaling every
where. Four quartermasters and sea
men sound constantly, one forward
and one amidships, on each side. A
score OF times Capt Burnett sent
ahead the steam launch. with the sec
end officer and an Inhan pilot, to
"blaze the way"
I'm spite OF all precautions the
Napo Kept grounding. and anchor was
dropped every night.
Gtrann. Cirbto AIOnn niu.r
From one mile To- seven miles in
width. tie channel now and then run
ming in shore. the tropical river pre-
serted lively scenes of native villages
and animal and vegetable life. ALI
gators, turtles, serpents, monkeys and
parrois besides other birds of bril-
liant hue, disported on bank and
branch. The crew lived on the rich
est OF turtle soup. The reptiles were
four feet long. With the rife. with
which each ship is equipped, the chief
officer blazed away al huge alligators
wrlggling up the banks. Expansive
turtles crawled 10 nesting places in
the sands, whence their young. In due
course Matching from buried eggs,
turned blindly but instinctively toward
the water. Snakes depended in fes-
toons from trees. The mosquito self
supporting. was ever on the job.
The Napo carried a number of pas
sengers, all merchants. and OF many
nationalities. They slept in ham,
mocks. slung anywhere on deck.
Brazil and Peru provide not single
light or buoy, but the British Board
OF Trade has made set Of elaborate
charts. mo good. no good" said
Antonio Zanetti and Jose Noronha the
Amazon pilots. disdaining the charts.
How we know the river? You live
in Liverpool You go there You find
your way home. up one street. down
that street. So. all the same. we"
BY the color OF the water. the force
of the current. they know where they
are among the thousands of islands
Islands Vanish over Night.
Sometimes an island visible at even
ing was missing next morning. having
been torn from it's roots and moved to
another anchorage Some Of the shiftv
isles were as large as the Napo. I'm
many places the channel is not much
wider than the ship.
The river was very low and foul
with all sorts OF floating distractions,
tree trunks. branches and floating
masses Of vegetation and disintegrat-
ing islands. Monkeys and snakes float
away on the rambling isles.
AT point 900 miles below Iquitos
the ship touched a sand bar. With the
reversing OF the engines her heel
touched another bar. proving within
what q narrow channel she was NOV
ing Her rudder was twisted seventy
degrees away from the quadrant.
All hands fell to work on a jury
tiller A fair substitute was made. and
In four days the ship was at Iquitos,
innermost seaport OF the world with a
custom house and untold millions Of
wealth in rubber.
In eleven days. floating down the
tideless Amazon. depending on steam
and currents. the Napo was at Para
again, where her rudder was repaired