The farmer and mechanic., 1915-06-01

He left millions and had other large
undertakings outside his steamships.
He was the founder of the La Blanca
meat packing establishment, since
bought by the Armours. He also
owned several hundred thousand
acres of land.
Outside the Mihanovitch line, the
traffic of the Parana and Paraguay is
largely in the hands Of Brazlllans, al
though until the war occurred the
Germans were carrying on passenger
traffic between Buelos Air>s and
Monteyideo, and they had begun to
compete for a share Of the interior
river transportation. The Lloyd Bra
lillian line has passenger and freight
steamers which leave Montevldeo
every fifteen days for the north. They
go up the Parana and Paraguay as
far as Corumba, Brazil, which is five
days beyond Asuncion. Another line is
the Mercante Argentine line, which
has five steamers from AsunciOn to
Buenos Aires. These vessels are all
Of low draft. The most Of them draw
less than ten feet, and those which
go beyond Asuncion seldom have more
than five feet. The smaller ste amers
go as far as Cuyaba.
the capital of Matto Crosse, 2,700
| miles from the Atlantic. Think of
starting in at New York and going
across the North American continent
| as far as Salt Lake City. That is what
steamers starting at Buenos Aires can
do in this part of south America.
Some of the vessels are large Ocean
steamers can travel inland beyond
| Rosario and load grain for Europe.
1t seems to me that there are great
| openings for good ships on the Pa
rama system. All l have seen have
been crowded. The San Martin, on
which 1 am travelling, has been full of
passengers all the way to Corrientes,
| near the mouth of the Paraguay. 1t
| belongs to the MihanOvitches; and if
| it is any index Of the other ships of
| the trust any company of we'll man.
aged vessels could easily crowd it out
of the waters. The ship is long, low
three-decked side-wheeler, with hum
| dredS of cabins and dining room at
| one end of the deck. It's accOmmo-
cations are filthy. The food is not
! good, and but little attempt is made
for the comfort of the passengers.
There are crawling things in my
| cabin, and the bathrooms and the
other sanitary arrangements are such
that they would not be tolerated on a
| European or an American vessel.
| am told that the line has other YES
sells that are newer and better, but
would advise all American tourists to
examine personally the steamers Of
| this line before they take passage and
see what other lines have to offer.
There is now a railroad connection be-
tween BuenOs Aires and AsunciOn,
| by which one can make the trip in two
days. If the boats were good the ideal
way would be to go up by rail and to
come back south by steamer, when
the current of the river should enable
| hn 10 In Icx-
The rates on the river are $42 to AS
uncion and $50 for return to Buenos
Aires. There are reduced rates for
the round trip.
l wish / could show you the pas
sengers that travel on these South
American steamers. They are of all
classes and conditions of men, We
have here a dozen nationalities, in
Guiding Russian colonists, Italian Ia
bOrers and Jew peddlerS. We have
. Germans on their way north for work
commercial travellers who drop. off al
the ports to go inland and sell goods
estancieros and their families who
own great farms near the rivers; q
half dozen priests clad in as many
y = different costumes. BraZilianS bOunC
l for Matto Crosse, and many Para
guayans en- route to Asuncion and be
! yOnd. Just now is the summer OF
: | this side of the world, and the mos
= or the passengers are going north TO
= business or necessity, rather than 70
y pleasure. In the winter the characte
9 OF the crowd is far different. 1t thel
!, becomes somewhat like our exodu
= from the north to Florida and othe
o parts of the south. Paraguay is tn
Florida of Argentina, and there ar
!. many fashionable people who e
q there to get away from the cold. !
~ is, l suppose, much like the crowd O
II rich ariStocrats l saw at Mar de
Is Plata, which compares favorably il
o manners with the society of any PAL
- of the world
AS to the people we have on thi
;s vessel, the majority of them are un
=. Speakably common Three-fourth h
- of the men tuck their napkins in q
the collar, and the toothpck is uni