The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-04-27

is the language commonly. spoken by
fourths or more of its inhabi-
tants. 1t has probably larger abo-
rglnal population than any other city
in the New World, though the per
Centage Of Indians may be somewhat
gerater in AsunCion, the capital of
Paraguay
In no capital city have I felt so
far removed from the great world
the European and Asiatic and North
American parts OF which are now so
closely linked together. as here in La
Paz. To be enclosed between two
lofty ranges and two deserts TO live
at the bottom of a hole and yet be
nearly as high above sea level as the
top Of the Rocky mountains or the
Jungfrau are strange conditions for Il
dwelling place.
\ Famous Mining Town.
Nevertheless, 1t was place in which
one might do much meditation, for
new sensations awaken new thoughts
and solitude helps one to pursue
them So 1t was with regret for every
thing except It's climate that we quilted
La Pa2 early one morning to resume
our southwark journey. After we had
climbed TO the rim OF the barranCa IN
the electric car. an hours run on the
steam railroad carried us across the
open plateau 10 Vlacha
AT NiaCha we entered the cars of
the Antofagasta and Bolivia railroad,
owned by an enterprising English
company, and moved off to the south
across a wide undulating plain which
seemed an arid waste, but turned out
to be pastured upon by fiocks of sheep
and llamas. Dry as the ground looked
there was feed to be had and a few
brooks here and there supplied drink.
Some OF those ancient round build
ings of unmortared stone which the
natives call Chulpas, and which seem
to have served as tombs rather than
shrines, were TO be seen. Here and
there were villages clusters Of rude
mud huts. sometimes with bare,
ugly church far too large for the
place, and probably owing it's size to
the zeal OF some seventeenth century
Jesuit or Augustinian.
The land grows more and more
sterile as the line continues south
ward. AT last a group of high, brown
hills marks the site OF Oruro, an old
and famous mining town. one OF
whose mines. which has been worked
for hundreds of years. formerly stood
second only to Potost In it's output OF
silver. Copper and tin as well as
silver are worked In the hills. and
on mining depends the prosperity Of
the town, which has now some twen~
~ thousand inhabitants
The long. straight streets of mean
one-story adobe houses, covered with
plaster. with only q few better resi-
dences whore the business men and
Foreign mining people live, give little
Idea of the former Importance of the
place. but there is a large and rather
handsome Plaza wherein stand the
government buildings and a we'll built
arcade containing good shops. Be
side the big church are two enormous
bells, of which the city has long been
proud, but which have to stand on
the ground because too heavy for the
little erection on the church roof on
which the bells in daily use are hung.
n Singular Lake.
Here, as elsewhere in Bolivia for
eigners, including some Chileans, own
the mines. while business is chiefly in
the hands of Germans Manual labor
Is done by Indians. whose number does
not increase, because, although the
families are large. the mortality
among their children is very high or
else by half-breeds. here usually called
Chalos, who would be good workers
were they not addicted to the use Of
the horrible spirits that are too easily
procurable
About twenty miles away 10 the
HOutI rs INC BItdj ldSOOf1 EaitRQ AEl-
lagaS or PoOpo--the names are taken
from villages on its shores-which Is
fed by the river Desaguadero. This
singular lake, which has the interest
of a vanishing quantity, is ffty-three
miles long by twenty-four broad, is
nowhere more than nine feet deep and
mostly less than five; Is salt turbid,
with bottom of dark mud, and full
of fish too small to be worth catch
II S.F 10
long TO species found nowhere else.
Having so small volume in pro-
portion to the surface area which 1t
exposes to a strong sun and an in
tensely dry air, 1t loses by evapora-
tion all the water 1t receives by the
river from Titicaca and probably a lit
tie more, for IL seems to be now
When Titlcaca. itself prob
ably subsiding. has still less to give,
Poopo Will disappear altogether, and
this plain will become a sheet Of gilt
tering salt
AS one pursues the journey farther
south, the country becomes always
more arid. and at Uyuni, the next
town Of consequence, 1t Is veritable
desert where only the smallest stunt
ed SHRUBS are seen among the sand
and stones This uninhabited region
VIII soon be a converging point of
railroads for IL Is here that the ex-
istlng line from La Paz to the Pacific
coast at Antofagasta is to be Joined
by the new railway which is to be
constructed to provide quick through |
route from Central Bolivia to the |
ATLANTIC coast at Buenos Aires. Boz |
llVla mas hitherto suffered greatly from !
the want or communications so when /
La i'az has been brought within TWEEN |
ty-lour hours of the one ocean at |
RIGA and within seYentv-tu,c or ,;,,h+,,
hours OF the other at Buenos Aires. |
4 great impetus ought to be given to
her export trade,
The Source of the Incas' Wealth.
This lofty and desert part Of Bo-
ivia finds its only source Of wealth