El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-02-28

neer and speculator, Henry Meiggs,
when he was constructing railroads up
and down the west coast. The town
is paved with cObblestOnes, and it
seems to be prosperous It has a little
railroad which runs back into a valley,
through which it is said it might con-
meet with an easy pass over the Andes.
Salaverry IS not unlike PacasmayO.
The houses are all of one story. built
/ of stuccO and painted all the colors Of
the rainbow. The roofs are flat. There
are but few windows facing the street
and those which so face are covered
with iron grating or bars.
The Chief Port OF Peru.
CallaO, the chief port of Peru, is the
only live, up to date town along the
coast. 1t has a population Of about
10000, and it is so close to Lima, with
its 1904 or 10000, that the two may
be practically considered as one. There
is an electric street car line connect
ing the two cities, and one can go from
one to the other IN Is minutes, at a
cost Of 10 cents.
The harbor of Calao consists Of 3
great bay. so guarded by rocky. islands
that a basin the shape of a half moon
is enclosed. It is now planned to join
the islands with the mainland so as to
add more land to the port. A part of
the harbOr is further protected BY a
stone mole, and there is a large dock
at which steamers and sailing vessels
can lie at anchor discharging their car
goes
The port of CalIao is one Of the bus
lest Of the western Pacific. Over 1900
vessels cleared there last year and the
traffic viii greatly increase from noyu
on. The Peruvian government has
plans for the Improvement Of the har
Dor and it will add to the docks. which
are now 500 feet long. When the
islands have been Joined together there
will be a solid mole or pier running
out to them and vessels of any sixe can
tie up at the wharves.
After the canal is completed the
character of the vessels will obaDc-o
They viii be larger and better ana
many viii fly the American flag Al
present the most of the craft AT Cal
lao are composed of sailing shiDs and
tramp steamers. counted AZ Saline
vessels loaded with lumber. grain, rice
and other heavy cargo. The lumber
had come down from the Puget sound
region.
We anchored out IT the harbor and
/ bargained with CholO or halfbreed
indian to take my eight pieces of bag
gage to Lima. The price agreed upon
was 50 Peruvian or $3.50 in gold. For
this he carried the trunks in his boat
to the shore and waited until I passed
them through the customs. After thar
they were loaded upon mule cart and
transferred to the tramwav bv wbich
they were carried to the capital. and
thence by cart to the hotel 1t seemed
cheap enough.
To Lima by Trolley.
I rode to Lima by trolley. We first
passed through one of the wide streets
of CallaO. 1t was lined on both sides
with trees back of which stood low
flat rooted, one stOried- buildings. buiIf
in blocks and painted in various COL
Ors. After leaving the city we entered
a country Of sugar cane grain fields
and gardens, surrounded by mud walls
as high as your waist. The fields were
irrigated by the Rimac river with wa
ter from the top of the Andes and
their green was refreshing in contrast
with the desert mountains which
looked down from above. Much of the
way we passed between rows of viii
low trees stumps from which branches
are cut off from year to year to make
the wicker of which baskets are WOW
en-. We saw fruit trees and VINEYARDS
and all too soon came to the end Of
the line at one of the smaller DIazs 9
of Lima. Here we hired a carriage at
a cost of so cents gold to take US to
the hotel Maury, in which I am writ
ing this letter. I am in the very heart
of the capital, right under the shadow
of the great cathedral built by PiZarro
and within a stones throw of the gov
eminent palace, where president pit
| linghurst has his office,