The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1916-12-28
N BOARD the steamer boun

~ N BOARD the steamer bound
south out of New York, one
meets with the usual rolling
stone who has learned every
thing but 70 mind his own business.
He will inform the traveller of the
dreadful climates to be endured, the
shameful treatment extended to all
foreigners, most especially Americans,
that will have to be suffered In passing
through custom houses; and other sim
ilar tales, writes f. e. Duerr In the
Bulletin of the Pan-American Union.
After voyage of IA days the city
of Para, better known as Balem, is
reached, and among the many pleas
ant surprises that greet the traveller is
the excellent and prompt manner in
which his baggage is cleared through
the customs by intelligent officials, who
act with degree of promptness that
one would hardly expect In such close
proximity to the equator.
From the pier or dock, which COM
pares favorably with the best of our
country, there are electric cars or auto
mobiles that will take one to a first
class hotel, of which there are several
In Para, where the inland traveller can
put up until he makes his connection
with river steamer.
There are several ways Of making
the trip up the Amazon, the quickest
being by means Of an ocean steamer
Of either the Brazilian or British
lines, which operate as far as Manaos.
There are occasional British boats
that go as far as Iquitos, Peru. In
this way the trip to Manaos can be
made In from three to four days. To
properly see the Amazon, however, II
Is better to go by one of the river
boats, which ply lazily up against the
fast current. On account of the high
cost of taking coal to the Amazon, the
river boats are run by wood fuel, and
the larger steamers consume about
10000 sticks of wood, feet long by
by 4 inches, per day. On an average
Of every other day this fuel is loaded
from the river banks, stick by stick, all
the work being done by hand and.
needless to say, this operation. after
being witnessed more than once, may
become somewhat tiresome.
Boats Are Comfortable.
The cabins on the boat are large
and roomy, and have electric lights and
fans; the dining room is aft on the
open deck, and In the mornings, as
during the greater part of the day, 1t
is quite comfortable on board. After
sundown, however, the number of In
sects OF all types, sizes, ETC., makes II
unpleasant and the traveller finds II
necessary to escape into his screened
stateroom, or into his hammock or cot,
carefully inclosed by mosquito netting
of very fine mesh. There are four
first-class shower baths on board, also
running water in the cabins, and every
thing considered, one can make ones
self fairly comfortable. The captain
or "comandante," as he Is called
rules supreme, and, on the average, Is
highly educated navigator, and he
and his cabinet" of officers are very
agreeable TO the passengers. Wher
one becomes accustomed to the food, II
is very nourishing, and the service or
the whole is satisfactory.
Besides the frequent stops for fuel
the steamer calls at half-dozen points
between Para and Manaos, the prin
cipal ones being Santarem. noted fol
its fine batelaos Qarge rowboats anC
lighters) obidos, the narrowest par
OF the river, and Itacoatiara, near thu
mouth Of the Madeira river.
A further surprise to the traveller
who has just spent ten days In th'
mud-yellow river, is the sudden chang,
In the color of the water to a deeI
black, which Is the first sign OF ap
preaching the city of Manaos, thou
sand miles from the mouth of q trop
ical river.
This city has an excellent electri,
car service, numerous public and prl
vate automobiles, first-class hotel
and several moving-plcture houses
There is a spirit of hustle and train,
In the streets that reminds one of ou
own Boston.
Up the Madeira.
The steamer. havingNS S<?mained thre,
days in Manaos, is now ready to con
tlnue her journey. The trip up tn,
Amazon above Manaos takes one t,
Iquitps, the wonderful inland town o
Peru. with an outlet through the ANA
zon to the Atlantic ocean, while II 1
but 500 miles from the Pacific coasi
However, as our destination Is In an