The Detroit times., 1909-12-22
|QEs 2Tl19 miles
'UP AMAZON RIVER
1Iapo, Biggest Draught Vessel 10
Reach Foothills. Of Andes, Has
Many Strange Adventures.


NEW YORK. Dec 22.-Back from
magic, black river where islands have
4 no Arm hsls, btR shift -sboasi, floating
out to sea, the snugly--built little
steafnship Napd N the Rrrf Cross line
\ OF me Booth Steamsiffl' COMPANY
arrived from the head Waters or tho
Amazon. Through tortuous channels
as variable as breezcs. guided intul-
lively By mongrel pilots, she threaded
her course 2.1OO miles across the South
American continent 10 within zoo miles
OF the Andes and back. again.
The Napo Is the biggest draught
ship. that ever went up 20 the foothills
cf the Andes, drawing when she leit
\ Para u feet 6 inches by her stern
Ar Para the chief officer, Robert
\ Roskell said Capt Barnett took On
two .pilots. who appeared 10 be mix
lures OF Indian. Spanish, Portuguese
and Chinese blood. From Manaos,
where tho ship touched Ave days after
quitting Para the course lay up the
Salamoes, really the uppeT Amazon.
The Salamoes keeps shQalipg ever
where. Four quartermasters and sea
and 'one -amidsffns. on each Side 4
score OF inns Capt. Burnett sent
+ ahead thesteam launch, with the sec
end officer and an Indian pilot. 20
"blake the way"
In spite OF all precautions the
Napo kept grounding. and anchor was
dropped every night.
Strange Sights Along River.
"From one mile TO seven miles in
width, the channel now and then run
ming in shore. the tropical river pre-
serted lively scenes of native villages
and salimal. and vegetable life. Ali
gatars. turtles, serpents. monkeys and
parrpIs. besides other birds OF brill
liant hue, dispored 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 chier
officer blazed away at huge alligators
wriggling 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 tLees-- The MOSQUITO. self !
supporting, MAS ever. on the lob. $500. j
The NaRQ. carried number Qf pas.
sengers. all merchants. and OF many
nationalities. They Slept in ham
mocks. slung anywhere on deck.
Brazil -Hnd- Peru provide not a 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 I
A ii ~ .l.f.
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
arc among the thousands OF islands
Islands Vanish Over Night
Sometimes an island visible al even
ing was missing next morning having
beef torn from its roots and moved 10
another anchorage Some OF me shitty
isles were as large as the Napo In
many places the channel is not much /
wider than the ship.
The river was very low and foul
with all sorts OF floating obstructions. f,
tree trunks. branches and floating
masses OF vegetation and disintegrat-
ing islands. Monkeys and snakes float
away on the rambling isles
AT a point 800 miles below lquitos
the snfp 'Iotfcned- 4 sand bar. WITH the :
reversing OF the engines her heel
touched another bar. proving within |
what. a narrow channel she was NOV
ing. - Her rudder was twisted seventy
degrees away from the. quadrant
AL hands fell TO work on jury
tiller. A fair substitute was made and !
In four days the ship was at Iquitos. /
fnnermost seaport of the world. with
custom house and untold millions ~
wealth. in rubber
In-eleven days, ioating down the /
tidelcss Amazon. depending on steam |
and currents, the Napo was AT Para !
again, where her rudder was repaired. !