The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-07-07

"a Basin on the ROO1 OF the World. |
How to Get to It-Thc Queer In
Act and Look-The Giddy ChoIito
and Her Curious COstumc--.All
Goods Sc'd by the Pile and Without
Weight OF Mcasurc-Quecr Fruits !
and Vegetables -Beans That taste
like Ice Cream and Other Strange
Fruits OF the T;Opics-StranSc Fuel
For COoking--A Place Where Gal |
Cost $50 "a Ton.
Copyrighted. 1914. by Frank c..
Carpenter.)
LA PAZ, Bolivia.
want to show you how our holy
sabbath is spent in this, the city Of
peace. The capital of Bolivia is one
of the most interesting of all the
south American cities, and Sunday is
its great day of the week. The town
lies far back from the ocean, across
the highest ang of the Andes, and
on one of the highest plateaus Of the
earth. In the Guebert Hotel, where /
am writing, | am almost two miles
aud a half above the sea, and | can
see from my window the perpetual
SHOWS Of Mount Illimani, one Of Tho
highest peaks OF this hemisphere. All
about are other high mountains, and
vslling me in are the great raInpartS,
three times as high as the Washing
ION Monument, that guard the basin
in which La PaZ lies. | have climbed
the walls of Jerusalem, and have
tramped Tor miles upon the great
country from Mongolia. Neither CT
these walls is over fifty feet high The
walls Of La Paz are thirty times
higher. They extend upward for
800 feet and end in a plateau tI.at
is more than 10000 feet above tie
level Of the ocean. The plateau Lf
Bolivia is as big as either Virginia,
Ohio or Kentucky, and on enc side
Of il are mountains, some Of Wni"h
are more thar Jour miles in height.
Thc city lies in a depression n that
plateau. 1t is in a little hollow, ava!
up here on the tOpmost roof nf the
world. Mr.. John ID. O'Rear, ou.
American minister. says the site Of
the town is shaped like a washbow
whose top is three miles in diarnetcl
and whose sides . 1900 feet deep
This bowl is alm~-t circular eXceD
Tor one end, where is a great crack
out OF which the La PaZ river runs
And indeed that gives a fair idea o
the city. Its site Vas a depression i,
the bed of the great inland sea tha
once covered this mighty plateau
Then the earth rose, and the waite
broke through at the crack and raj
'uNs NoNlh hV L. j ltIdl IOS
holds the capital Of the Bolivian re
public.
When | last visited La Paz I rod
from Lake Iiticaca across the platea'
on the top of a stage drawn by eigh
mules, which were changed ever
three hours. This time I came on tn
railroad. l took the train at Guaqu
on Lake TitiCaca. and within three O
four hours had crossed the hig
plains. l could see no sign of a cit
until the cars stopped at the Altt
This is at the edge of the basin, wher
the motive power Of the train
changed from steam Ito electricit.
Here our engine pulled up on tn
brink of the precipice, and there be
low US was this mighty hole peppere
With houses rooted with red tiles an
galvanized iron. We could sec til
walls of green, made by nature. an
the patches of cultivation climbin
their sides; and right in the cente
away down far below us, were tt
" and three story houses and tt
churches and tho public building
mat make up the city.
We rode down the sides Of the wal
on an electric trolley in windiT
curves. our train z~iSzagging this Wa
and that. Here the cars flew arour
a loop, and there they cut a gre;
ngure &, while further on we cou
see a half dozen tracks above and D
low MS. AS we descended the tow
grew larger, and the buildings. tn
were merely toy houses when view
from the Alto, became of respectful
size. We could how pick out Il
streets dis they climbed down the hill
ana could recognize the bulldin
ABOUT the great central plaza. Whe
stands the national capitol, in whl'
congress meets. We could see t
palace where the president lives. al
Al It's lett the unfinished cathedr;
upon which the people have be
working for two generations. a
where l am told they will still
WorkinG fer a generation to come.
the same time we began to notice I
crowds OF the streets, and u cy
caught the maze OF bright colo
~ Il Sunday. paint waving ribbons
INC thorouGhfares OF La PaZ.
On week days La PaZ has Il mlX
population Of perhaps $4,000. I
sundays this lumber is Increase