The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1911-05-30

IIE\N is not the worst place In the
kVS)y world, yet gentleman sent
out by a department OF the
United States government to collect
information recently arrived just in
time. by running, to make connections
with the train for Caracas, and de-
parting went out with the same speed.
In response to the question as to his
object in neglecting commercial. con-
ditto OF this port, he said he was
told to avoid La Guaira, because no
man could endure its heat; 1t was pes
tilential." Many people live In La
Guaira all their lives. and / know a
number who are not dead yet Ine
poetry former American consul once
dropped into" entitled "AdiOs to thee.
La Guaira," Is yet famous text OF
those who do not really know the !
place, and may be 1t was worse when
Consul Bird "flopped his wings about
its GALES" and "pulperias."
1t Is common among commercial
travellers, especially from the United
States, to rant and rave at La Guaira's
climate and conditions. But the ell
mate of La Guaira is fully as agree
able as one finds at any port OF the
same latitude. They speak from
days experience; l write from over
years continuous residence, and 1t Is
misrepresented. 1t is an enervatlng
climate for a northern man II he stays
too long, but 1t Is delicious at times.
and rarely severe
With a market offering surprising
! variety of fruits and vegetables. many
of them not usually found in tropical
ports; with delicious fresh fish daily.
and other commodities not formerly
! to be had. life is not altogether I'M
pleasant, as many seem to think
Situated at the base and on the
,, Jagged edges OF cliffs Of high. rugged
:, mountains which rise almost directly
), from the breaking surf of the Carib-
. bean Sea to an elevation Of from 1000
to 5000 feet, its location Is extremely
picturesque. The town Is divided into
= three or four villages. Of which La
Guaira proper is the center; stretch
ing along the narrow shelf at the base
. of the hills for a distance OF four OF
five miles, encompassing Maiquetia on
:. the west and the Venezuelan. Baden
. Baden. yclept Macuto. on the east
;. II It were "Out West" 1t would surely
be nicknamed "Stringtown." but Il
. gives homes and employment to ter
: or twelve thousand souls
~ The towns of La Guaira and Mai
quetia differ but little from othe
;. Spanish towns, with cobblestone
- paved streets, opening out at unex
- pected corners into cool-looking park
:. as surprising and welcome as case
no in a desert. The streets are hanke'
:, by brick or adobe succeed houses O
= one or two stories; the front room
M frequently serving as shops. stores. O
.s "pulperias" for the sale OF fruit!
Nd vegetables, matches. beer. wine:
~, liquors, and highly colored cotton
-, and alparagatas, the rear rooms an
~ second stories being the living room
of the families.
49, La Guaira Is the principal port {
northern Venezuela, and the port {
49,, ingress and egress for the capita
Caracas, the Paris of South Anne
-. ica," with which 1t is connected wit
' wonderfully scenic and picturesQl
~, railway. 1t enjoys large import ar
~ export trade. with an average OF
ships engaged in international col
merce making 1t port OF call mont
~ ly, while the coastwise sailing cra
many with this as their home POI
are innumerable. 1t is a dull day
deed in La Guaira harbor that fin
less than Is or 20 small slOOps al
the schooners loading or unloading car
OF from the coast towns or the adjace
ina. islands.
Jun, The approach from the sea Is p
row. turesoue In the extreme. and the sig
As one steams into the harbor
the out Of it) Is one not soon to be Il
ter. gotten. It gives curious INT
.est mingling idea of the villages along I
Italian shores Of the Mediterrane
Irge and of the Hopi cliff dwellers.
was The streets wind and weave up
ken Rul,tes from the seashore. and narr
tho trails and stairways zigzag along
.ens stcep hillsides to where little Will
cred washed huts break the monotony
yinR the red iron stain OF the bari
pre- dec'ivities.
the The old story Of narrow streets
eats medieval Spanish towns repeats
road self here. Laid out In the centur
col of turmoil and strife. all was Will
i.vu view to defense; but In La Guaira
old story Is slightly accentuat
There Is one boulevard reaching IF
Maiouetia through La Guaira to
cuto. and all the rest are just "callt
i'ue or passaEeways. The wider OF tn
ia about twelve feet across and tn
III are several too narrow for three
nile to walk abreast without bump
against doorsteps and the omnip
Vnen ant projecting iron.barred windo
tn' rhe cobblestone pavements are
onn' sork Of q period when the mem
Is" = -,-n runneth not to the contra