El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-10-26

and be unraveled to nudity before you
get in.
Moreover, the dark sand discolors the
water and when the tide comes IN 1t is
somewhat like swimming through mud.
Punta Arenas, like Atlantic City, mas
promenade walk with concrete seats on
each side and a bandstand at the END.
It is about One-fifueth as long as the
walk at Atlantic City
At Central American Seaside.
This town is nothing like any Of our
American seaside resorts Take the
hotels The one at which am stopping
is called la Europa and II IS ABOUT
the best in the place 1t IS two story
buiIdiug made of wood with a roof OF
galvanized iron. Last night We had an
earthquake, which made the wood creak
and the galvanized iron rumble ike so
much stage thunder but otherwise no
damage was done. There is no plaster
on the walls to fall and none on the
ceiling. The walls consist Of plain
boards nailed to studd1ng about IOur
feet apart. and the ceiling, which IS
fifteen feet high, has a lattice Work
around il about ten feet from the floor
that the air may blow through There
are no windows in my room, Whlch
faces the Pacific ocean, but there is a
wide open transOm over the door with
a lattice work higher up. It is only
when the door is open that L can look
out on the sea.
The dining room OF the hotel extends
out over the sea, and the maids sweep
the dirt and drOppings right out into
the water The floor is Of rough lum-
Der and there is a low fence along the
side which faces the ocean
This hotel is dignified in that It has
two stories. The other buildings are
mostly Of one story, with rooms look
ing out on the street, so that one ire
duently sees the people dressing as ne
goes by. The buildings are made Of
boards and rooted with red tiles end
inc in a gutter which has pipe ex-
tending out over the sidewalk. 1t
Tafns now and then. and the water from
the roofs pours down through these
pines upon the middle Of the pavement
50 that one has TO shy in and out to
keep from receiving cataract down
the back of his neck
I wish I could show you the streets
of Punta Arenas. They are unpaYed
and heavy with the dirty black sand
Some of them are lined with cocoanut
palms and there Is a peaurlIgl PARK
in the center Of the city which is
filled with tropical vegetation. Here
the band plays betimes-
The stores are scattered throughout
the town. The merchants are chleIly
Costa Ricaus, and in most cases they
have large stocks Of goods. This IS
the business center Of Pacific Costa
Rica. and the merchandise is carried
from here up the rivers and to the
settlements along the coast
ceUent- and when the canal is com
pleted it is believed that this port will
have a considerable trade The town
is now on the boom. The prices OF
rear estate have already increased
about 1000 percent, and the people ex-
pect things when the steamers from
the Atlantic shall come across the
isthmus to them
How One Lives at the Seaside.
But let me tell how one lives here
at this Costa Rican resort. Take the
Hotel Europa. which, as have said. is
about the best here. 1 have described
the bare walls of my room, and its
outlook upon the Pacific. The only
furniture is an iron bed, a washstand
and two rickety chairs. Upon the
washstand is a solitary towel 1 have
a right to one towel every day If I so
demand, but no change is made unless
on request Ny water pitcher is Of
about the size of a, large beer schOOn-
er. It may hold one liter, but it is not