New-York tribune., 1909-12-20
BACK FROM AMAZON
SHIPS MITE TELLS
STRANGE STORY.
Floating Islands 7cith Ma-
roOned Monkeys One Inci-
dent of 4,2O0-Mde Trip.

Ulysses in all his wanderings never
had more fantastical journey than had
the mate of the little Booth liner Napo.
which arrived here yesterday, after
journey of 4.200 miles up and down the
Amazon River. Robert Rosken is the
mates name, and as he sat in his cabin
on the Napo yesterday he gave one the
impression that he knew what he was
talking about. Homer told of strange
scenes on Calypso's island. but he never
recorded such things as bluefaced mon
keys jumping through rings of entwined
serpents. such as We're seen by Mr.. Ros-
kell as the Napo steamed slowly through
the narrow, muddy and continually
shifting channels Of the Amazon
The mate explained that one must take
the odyssey" as we'll as certain more
recent tales with a grain of salt, and
large grain at that, but his narrative. he
said, could be verified without artificial
horizon, sextant or stellar observations,
il one would only endure the mosquitoes
of the Amazon and follow the course of
the Napo.
There We're about fifteen hundred tons
of rubber to be had cheap up at Iquitos.
Peru, If a ship chose to go up for il, and
the Napo took the contract. This little
Peruvian town is about . 100 miles west
ward across Brazil from Para and not
much more than 475 miles from the
waters of the Pacific. If there had been
the slightest chance in the world of get
ting the Napo across the Andes Noun
tains the mate thought Captain Barnett
would have tackled" it, and shown the
world that the Panama Canal was an
extravaganza.
The taking Of a steamer inland across
the widest part of South America was
no easy task, but it paid we'll The rub
Der cargo would make it worth while,
and also there were some wealthy mer-
chants and traders on the eastern slopes
Of the Andes who wanted TO get down
TO civilization on the east coast of Bra
ziI.
PASSENGER RATES HIGH.
When a steamer sails once every five
or six months from Iquitos to Para
there are plenty of persons willing to
pay high toll for passage. Passengers
and rubber, then, repaid the owners of
the Napo for the journey through kissing
serpents, chattering birds and monkeys.
shifting islands and enormous alIigators
The little freighter. whose Amazonian
passengers always sleep on deck in
hammocks, had her own troubles on the
way UP to fquftos. She left Para on Oc-
tooer l. and arrived at Manaos on the
18th where she stopped for two davs.
and finally got to her inland destination
on November +. The rubber was put
aboard in six days. and she sailed for
the Atlantic, with twenty-six passengers
on November 10
According TO Mr.. RoskelI il was one
great trip-something that must be en-
dured to be appreciated. Mosquitoes as
large as spiders, armed with saws that
could cut through wire screening. made
life miserable at night. Little mos
quitoes that could work their way
through the finest meshes Joined in the
nightly repasU upon every one aboard.
The Napo anchored every night in a
temperature Of about 102 degrees Fahr-
enheit, and as the passengers drowsed
for the mosquitoes feast fierce armies Of
monkeys attacked hocks of birds in the
jungle a few yards away
Occasionally a turtle with a four-foot
beam would bump up against the steel
plates of the Napo and disturb the
watch. At daylight an island that had
been directly ahead the night before had
disappeared The passengers thought
the ship had turned around, but Jose
Noronha and Antonio Zanetti. the native
pilots from Para. with their repeated
No. sefiOrs," assured them that this
could not be-
PASSED FLOATING ISLANDS
Occasionally a small island, rich in
vegetation and populated with marooned
monks" would drift past through the
sluggish water All went Well with the
Napo on the run up the river until I
i. m on October 81, when she rammed
her bow into a sand bar and stuck fast.
Jose Noronha, the Portuguese Brazil
ian Malaysian pilot taken on at Para
was responsible and the skipper was
angry.
Captain Barnett had the entire chart
of the Amazon in forty sections in the
wheelhouse. 1t had been prepared with
great care by the Brazilian government
and the British Board Of Trade, but No.
seiior, that map she no mean nothing"
10 Senor Pilot Noronha and Senor Pilot
Zanetti. When he cleared Para with
these two wise river naVigatOrs CAPTAIN
Barnett brought out his charts The
pilots looked at them and then laughed.
They explained that they We're no good.
as the river channel had neither lights
nor buoys. The two dusky men on the
NapO's bridge did well without them,
however. as they were able 10 pick their
way by instinct.
The mate said that every one on board
lived well while they were on the ANA
zon. Turtle and fowl meat obtained by
the aid of rifle and net We're plentiful,
and occasionally some good fruit was
CLEANED from the jungle.
NAV CprNn co EOO oon