The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1916-12-14

STOPPING q
~ BOARD the steamer bound
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 Pan-American Union.
After voyage Of II 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 a degree of promptness that
ione 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
lin 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
lof either the Brazilian or British
lines, which operate as far as Manaos.
There are occasional British boats
that 60 as far as Iquitos, Peru. In
~Ithis way the trip to Manaos can be
made in from three to four days. To
properly see the Amazon, however, it
lis 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
Siver boats are run by wood fuel, and
the larger steamers consume about
$4,000 sticks of wood, feet long by 4
by 4 inches, per day. On an average
fof 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, it
is quite comfortable on board. After
shutdown, however, the number of in
:sects of all types, sizes, etc., makes 1t
unpleasant and the traveller finds it
necessary to escape into his screened
stateroom, or into his hammock or cot,
carefully Enclosed by mosquito netting
of very fine mesh. There are four
flrst-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,
a highly educated navigator, and he
and his "cabinet' of officers are very
agreeable to the passengers. When
one becomes accustomed to the food, it
is very nourishing, and the service on
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 for
its fine batelaos Qarge rowboats and
lighters) 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-yellow river, is the sudden change
in the color of the water to a deep
, 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-
vate automobiles, first-class hotels
and several moving-picture houses.
There is a spirit Of hustle and traffic
in the streets that reminds one of our
own Boston.
Up the Madeira.
The steamer, having remained three
days in Manaos, is now ready to con-
+ tinue her journey. The trip up the
Amazon above Manaos takes one to
Iouitos, the wonderful inland town of
Peru, with an outlet through the ANA
zon to the Atlantic ocean. while it is
tut 800 miles fror, The Pacific coast.
However, RS r:r destination iH 10 ar