Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1910-03-03
GO THROUGH JUNGLE
Little Ship Reaches New York
After Trip Full of Adventure
Passengers Shoot Snakes and Monkeys
During Voyage Of 1000 Miles Up
Amazon Rlver-AllIgators
Swarm Behind Vessel.


tie steamer Napo has reached this
port after a voyage full Of adventure
some 2.100 miles up the Amazon,
where she took on a cargo Of rubber.
The trip was interesting, and there
were no discomforts except heat, the
mosquitoes and a delay Of IL hours
amid the same to rig q rudder after
the Napo's own had been disabled by
grounding Many passengers were
carried both ways along the river, and
turtles were so plentiful that turtle
soup and turtle meat figured on the
bill of fare daily when the steamer
was In the river and until she was
home. Among the amusements we're
monkey shooting and snake catching
The log of the Napo contains a So
ries Of pleasant adventures and in
teresting incidents, and both Capt
Barnett and Robert Roshell, the mate,
agree that navigating the Amazon Is
not without its advantages. The
Napo draws 10 feet inches Of
water when loaded, which Is probably
more than any vessel that ever went
as far up the river as Iquitos, Peru,
which she did
She left Para on October IL and ar.
rived at Manaos on October IT, Then
she went to Iquitos, arriving there on
November L. She had to buck a seven
knot current going upstream, and four
men were kept constantly sounding.
At times the channel was so narrow
that skillful navigation was necessary
to keep from sticking hard and fast
AS 1t was. the vessel did stick Eve or
six times. but she got OF again
quickly
Two native pilots took the vessel up
the Amazon. The ship was supplied
with Brazil government and British
river charts, but the pilots would not
use them.
Mate Roshell exhibited half q dozen
large turtle shells secured to white
ness, explaining that these were used
as platters on the steamer THE Anna,
zon," said the mate. is one Of the
most interesting rivers In the world.
You go on for days and days with q
panorama Of magnificent Jungle
| scenery unfolding on both sides of
you. When the river narrows or you
run near the bank there is heard a
see great troops Of them.
I'VE could anchor at night" said
| the mate, land In the morning find that
islands we had sighted ahead were
missing and the aspect of the river en-.
tirely changed. The pilots steer by
the color of the water. by intuition
and the feel of the water There are
no buoys or lights to guide them.
AT night we would anchor We
all slept In hammocks on deck on
account OF the heat The mosquitoes
were dreadful, but one got used to
them. They did not seem to be of the
malaria breeding variety, for we had
no one sick OF malaria. There were
turtles a-plenty in the water, and some
times alligators would follow US. Often
| got a shot at them with my rife
Ashore everything teemed with ami
NAL life and rank vegetation
AT times the river was seven
miles wide. Then again 1t would mar
row to only a mile In width The
channel was treacherous and very mar
row in many places. Often we had to
keep the launch ahead with one OF
the native pilots In It to pick our
way"
L a
islands. some big and filled with tall
forests and thick jungle and alive with
monkeys, parrots and other screaming
and iridesoent birds, the mate said
Pythons, gigantic water snakes OF
many colors and water fowl of gor
geous plumage lined the river banks
the jungle choruses were sometimes
more disturbing than the racket OF
the busiest thoroughfares of this town
the mate says. Once a swarm Of al
ligators followed the ship and the
mate got down his rife and put few
bullets into the biggest of the saurians
which he said measured at least &c
feet The shots did not kill, but they
stung the big fellows so much that
they kicked up a mighty furry and
broke the alligator procession.
At times the greatest depth Of -
ter was found next to the shore. and
the Napo sailed under overhangins
foliage that brushed the bridge. The
mate took a shot at a big and angry
ape In the branches of a tree un
der which the ship passed and brought
him down. A troop of monkeys that
had been screaming at the close ap
proach OF the freighter fed to other
trees through the tangle Of branches
chattering In terror. The mate also