The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1916-12-07

south out of New York, one
meets with the usual rolling
stone who has learned every
thing but to 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
liar tales, writes F. E. Duerr in the
Bulletin of the Par American Union.
After voyage of IA days the city
of Para, better known as Belem, 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 first
class hotel, of which there are several
in Para, where the inland traveller can
put up until he makes his connection
with a 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
ioh 70 20
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, it
Is better to go by one of the river
hoats, which ply lazily up against the
fast current. On account of the high
e st of taking coal to the Amazon, the
river boats are run by wood fuel, and
the larger steamers consume about
1000 sticks of wood, feet long by 4
by 4 inches, per day. On an average
of every other day this fuel is loaded
from the rive" 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
Hnd 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, it
is quite comfortable on board. After
sundOwn. however the number of in
sectS Of all types, sizes, etc, makes it
unpleasant and the traveller finds it
necessary to escape into his screened
StateroOm. or into his hammock or cot
carefully incOsed by mosquito netting
of very fine mesh. There are four
tirst-cIass 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. When
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
clpal ones being Santarem, noted fol
its fine bateIaos Qarge rOwbOats ant
Iighters) Obidos. the narrOwest part
of the river, and ItacOatiara, near the
mouth of the Madeira river.
A further surprise to the traveller
who has just spent ten days in the
mud-yelow river, is the sudden change
in the color of the water to deeI
black which Is the first sign of ap
preaching the city of ManaOs, thou
sand miles from the mouth of trOp
ical river.
This city has an excellent electric
car service, numerous public and pri
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